שֵׂעַר שֵׂיבָה Can’t read Hebrew yet? The word זִקְנָה means old age. It also has a more poetic, gentle synonym, שֵׂיבָה , as in the Biblical injunction found on the walls of Israeli buses today: מִפְּנֵי שֵׂיבָה תָּקוּם before age you shall stand (Leviticus 19) Hence the term…
לְהַשְׁקוֹת אֶת הַצְּמָחִים Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Hebrew word for plant is צֶמַח , related to the active-simple verb ַלִצְמוֹח – to grow – as in: צָמַח לָהּ פֶּרַח יָפֶה בַּגִּנָּה. A pretty flower grew in her garden. And to water is the active-causative verb לְהַשְׁקוֹת , related to the word…
נָקִי Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Hebrew word for clean is נָקִי , as in: הַכּוֹס הַזֹּאת נְקִיָּה? Is this cup clean? The word also works in the proverbial sense, as in: אַחֲרֵי תַּחְקִיר בֶּן שְׁמוֹנֶה שָׁעוֹת, הֻסַּק שֶׁהוּא נָקִי וְהוּא שֻׁחְרַר. After an eight-hour investigation, he was…
שַׁעַר חֲלִיפִין, שַׁעַר יַצִּיג Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Hebrew root ח.ל.פ (kh.l.p) means changing over, so that חליפין describes the exchange of quantities of goods or monies. With שַׁעַר meaning gate or that which things come and go through, שער חליפין is one of the official Hebrew terms for exchange rate. The other…
לִבְכּוֹת Can’t read Hebrew yet? Sometimes it’s appropriate just to cry. The Hebrew word for to cry is לִבְכּוֹת , an active-simple verb of the root ב.כ.ה (b.kh.h). As the last letter of the root is a ה (h – learn to read Hebrew) – a weak letter – the end…
חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן Review Material Can’t read Hebrew yet? You spent time on your Hebrew this week. Use these review materials to make it yours to keep. Flashcards Game Test שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם, וְסוֹף שָׁבוּעַ נָעִים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!
הַשְׁכָּמָה Can’t read Hebrew yet? To wake up early is לְהַשְׁכִּים , an active-causative verb of the root שׁ.כ.מ (sh.k.m). Here’s a Biblical example: וַיַּּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר וַיַּחֲבֹשׁ אֶת חֲמֹרוֹ… And Abraham got up early in the morning and saddled his donkey… (Genesis 22:3) Likewise, the act of getting…
בְּתֹם לֵב Can’t read Hebrew yet? Someone innocent in the sense that they don’t know of evil, is either תָּמִים (a male) or תְּמִימָה (a female) in Hebrew. Likewise, innocence is תְּמִימוּת , and a more poetic synonym of that is תֹּם (also used as a name for a boy). When we…
תִּשָּׁעֵן עָלַי Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Hebrew word for to lean is a verb that falls into the נִפְעָל form: לְהִשָּׁעֵן , of the root שׁ.ע.נ (sh.a.n). For example: הוּא נִשְׁעָן עַל הַקִּיר. He is leaning against (on) the wall. You may recognize the verb in this…
אֲנִי צוֹחֵק Can’t read Hebrew yet? In Hebrew, the word for to joke is the same as to laugh – the active-simple verb לִצְחוֹק . For example, a man might say: אֲנִי סְתָם צוֹחֵק. I’m just joking. A woman would mean the same thing saying, אֲני סְתָם צוֹחֶקֶת . …
מֶתַח Can’t read Hebrew yet? In Biblical Hebrew, the simple verb לִמְתּוֹח of the root מ.ת.ח (m.t.kh) means to spread out. Modern Hebrew also uses the word to mean to stretch, while a מְתִיחָה is a stretch, for example: הוּא עוֹשֶׂה עֶשֶׂר מְתִיחוֹת לִפְנֵי שֶׁהוּא נִכְנָס לַבְּרֵכָה. He does ten…