having trouble seeing the print? נְשׁוֹת הַכֹּתֶל The Women of the Wall have been making the news on a monthly basis (at the opening or head of the (Jewish) month – רֹאשׁ חֹדֶשׁ listen and repeat) for the past while. Their official Hebrew name, a direct translation, is נְשׁוֹת הַכֹּתֶל listen and repeat. Now, the…
having trouble seeing the print? מוֹנִית שֵׁרוּת listen and repeat I’m in Tel Aviv’s adjacent city פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה listen and repeat, waiting for bus number 66. In the meantime, a shuttle taxi – intended to compete with the bus – pulls up. I get excited, but just to be sure, I ask the driver whether he…
having trouble seeing the print? מוֹנִית listen and repeat When visiting Israel, you can get with using the word taxi. But the locals use a different word – מוֹנִית listen and repeat. For example: אֲנִי לֹא מֵבִין לָמָּה אֵין כָּאן מוֹנִיוֹת! I don’t understand why there aren’t any taxis here! listen …
having trouble seeing the print? שֵׁרוּתִים, בֵּית שִׁמּוּשׁ, חֲדַר נוֹחִיּוּת listen and repeat As an American, I grew up first going to the bathroom, and then to the restroom. The following symbol I first encountered in Israel. Turns out that WC (water closet) is the international symbol for the place where people relieve…
having trouble seeing the print? מַצִּיל listen and repeat Since the Torah portion to be read this Shabbat by Jews around the world discusses the responsibility people have towards others, here’s a dose about lifeguards. We saw a few weeks ago that the word for to save or to rescue in Hebrew is לְהַצִּיל listen and repeat. Its root…
having trouble seeing the print? לִשְׁתּוֹל listen and repeat Last week I wrote about the Hebrew word for to plant – לִנְטוֹעַ listen and repeat. I’d like to make a couple of corrections and additions to that dose. 1. ט”ו בשבט listen and repeat (Tu Bishvat) takes place on the 15th of Shevat, not the 16th. …
having trouble seeing the print? לִנְטוֹעַ listen and repeat I will be taking a few days off next week, so there will be a lapse in Your Daily Dose of Hebrew. Here’s an entry about vacation. Today is ט”וּ בִּשְׁבָט listen and repeat, the 15th of the Jewish month of Shevat, the new year for trees. …
having trouble seeing the print? הֶקְשֵׁר listen and repeat Knowing or not knowing the context in which an idea or image is put forth makes a big difference. The Hebrew word for context is הֶקְשֵׁר listen and repeat. Its root is ק.שׁ.ר (k.sh.r) meaning connection. For example: כְּשֶׁמּוֹצִיאִים פְּרָט מֵחוּץ לְהֶקְשֵׁרוֹ, מַפְסִידִים אֶת…
having trouble seeing the print? גָּבוֹהַּ, נָמוּךְ listen and repeat The recent snow storm affected Jerusalem, Samaria to the north and Judea to the south, because these are: מְקוֹמוֹת גְּבוֹהִים high-up places listen A man who is tall or “high up” is an אִישׁ גָּבוֹהַּ listen and repeat, while a tall woman is an אִשָּׁה גְּבוֹהָה listen…
having trouble seeing the print? מַצַּב רוּחַ listen and repeat Sometimes I feel like singing. And sometimes I don’t. I bet you’re the same way. The Hebrew term for mood is מַצַּב רוּחַ listen and repeat – literally, state of spirit or situation of spirit. The quality of the מצב רוח can often be determined…
Special announcement:Live Hebrew course onlineStarting June 27(your daily dose of Hebrew follows) We are offering our world-class conversational Hebrew course for beginners, online via Skype, starting June 27. The course will meet twice a week for two hours, for eight weeks. To ensure video quality, the class size is limited to five students.Get a taste of…