two words for “gift” in Hebrew
מגוחך No connection to anything, just a word that popped into my head: the Hebrew word for absurd is מְגֻחָך (me-goo-KHAHKH). For example, קוֹפִים עָפִים מִסָּבִיב לַיָּרֵחַ זֶה דָּבָר מְגוּחָך (koh-FEEM ah-FEEM mee-sah-VEEV lah-yah-REH-ahkh zeh dah-VAHR me-goo-KHAHKH) – Monkeys flying around the moon is something absurd. You know what else is מגוחך?…
מַאֲדִים, נֹגַהּ I’ve got a copy of the classic guide to dating and love, Men are From Mars and Women are from Venus, sitting on my desk. But this copy can only be read by those who can read Hebrew (get started!). my borrowed copy The Hebrew title is גְּבָרִים מִמַּאֲדִים וְנָשִׁים…
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/החלל-החיצון-1.m4a” /]הֶחָלָל הַחִיצוֹן This one’s for all of you Star Wars fans. Last week, we saw the term for personal space – מרחב אישי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/החלל-החיצון-2.m4a” /]. The word מרחב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/החלל-החיצון-3.m4a” /] there refers to space in the sense of an expansive place, or a place where events take place. The word for space as in empty space or a cavity is…
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[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/אצלי-1.m4a” /]אֶצְלִי I used French in the title because English doesn’t really have this word, although some American Jews with a Yiddish-speaking heritage do have a word for this – by – as in Can I stay by you? which, in standard English, is May I stay with you/at your place? אצל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/אצלי-2.m4a” /] incorporates possession and/or location….
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/סולמית-1.m4a” /]סֻלָּמִית You may know the word סולם[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/סולמית-2.m4a” /] – ladder – from the dream of Jacob: (וְהִנֵּה סֻלָּם מֻצָּב אַרְצָה וְרֹאשׁוֹ מַגִּיעַ הַשָּׁמָיְמָה… (בראשית כ”ח י”ב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/סולמית-3.m4a” /] And behold, a ladder resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven… (Genesis 28:12) To name the number sign that appears on the bottom-right of…