אַנְטִישֵׁמִיּוּת Can’t read Hebrew yet? Tomorrow is יוֹם הַשּׁוֹאָה, Israel’s national Holocaust (Memorial) Day. As we have seen in the past few weeks, antisemitism is alive and well. The Hebrew term for this phenomenon is אַנְטִישֵׁמִיּוּת , which connects the Latin prefix anti– with Semite – שֵׁמִי (literally, a descendant of the…
חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן Review Material Can’t read Hebrew yet? Review, practice and test yourself on this week’s doses of Hebrew! Flashcards Game Test שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם, וְסוֹף שָׁבוּעַ נָעִים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!
אִזּוּן, שִׁוּוּי מִשְׁקָל Can’t read Hebrew yet? One could argue that the lifestyle guidelines presented in the Torah are all about balance, especially in light of this week’s portion. The Hebrew word for balance when talking about non-physical things such as lifestyle is אִזּוּן It comes from the word for that organ that helps us keep our balance when…
לְהִתְפָּרֵעַ Can’t read Hebrew yet? For the Jews it’s been Passover, and for students around the world it’s been spring break. As parting advice for the latter, parents might tell their son: תַּעֲשֶׂה חַיִּים, אָבָל אַל תִּתְפָּרֵעַ יוֹתֵר מִדַּי. Have a good time (literally, make life), but don’t go too…
קָפֶה הָפוּךְ Can’t read Hebrew yet? There’s a line from a popular song from the nineties that goes, “I like my sugar with coffee and cream.” Even though they’re Jewish, I bet the Beastie Boys didn’t know that what they’re describing is pretty close to the Israeli version of cappuccino. ְקָפֶה הָפוּך,…
צַלְיָנוּת, עֲלִיָּה לָרֶגֶל Can’t read Hebrew yet? General Pilgrimage Various religions the word over recommend or require pilgrimages to holy sites. The generic term for pilgrimage in a given religion is צַלְיָנוּת , while a pilgrim is a צַלְיָן or a צַלְיָנִית , referring to a male or female, respectively. For example: מִילְיוֹנֵי צַלְיָנִים מֻסְלְמִים מַגִּיעִים…
הֲכָנוֹת Can’t read Hebrew yet? The word for to prepare something, in Hebrew, is the active-causative verb לְהָכִין . The root is כ.ו.נ (k.w.n), the same as many common Hebrew words including כֵּן – yes and נָכוֹן – correct. For example: הֵכַנְתִּי אֲרֻחַת עֶרֶב טְעִימָה מְאֹד. I prepared a very tasty dinner….
חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן Review Material Can’t read Hebrew yet? Review, practice and test yourself on this week’s doses of Hebrew… ..and Watch the Video Lesson! Flashcards Game Test שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם, וְסוֹף שָׁבוּעַ נָעִים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!
מִן, מִ-, מֵ- Can’t read Hebrew yet? The word מִן means from. You’ll find it in Biblical Hebrew, in Rabbinic writings and in literary contexts of Modern Hebrew. You’re more likely, however, to encounter the abbreviated, prefix versions: -ִמin most contexts and -מֵwhere the following sound historically would become difficult to pronounce using…
עַבְדּוּת Can’t read Hebrew yet? לַעֲבוֹד means to work. But whereas an עוֹבֵד is a (male) worker or an employee, an עֶבֶד is a (male) slave. The feminine versions of these are employee–עוֹבֶדֶת and slave/maidservant–אָמָה . And slavery is עַבְדּוּת . For example: הָעַבְדּוּת הִתְקַיְּמָה בְּאַרְצוֹת הַבְּרִית עַד שֶׁהִיא נֶאֱסְרָה בִּשְׁנַת…
לְהוֹצִיא Can’t read Hebrew yet? We saw yesterday that לָצֵאת means to go out or to leave. Using the same root (י.צ.א – y.ts.a), Hebrew creates another term – to take out: לְהוֹצִיא , in the active-causative verb form. For Biblical example: הוֹצִיאוּ אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם עַל צִבְאֹתָם! (G-d…