Your Daily Dose of Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/פסנתר-#.m4a” /]פְּסַנְתֵּר The non-Semitic (Greek) sounding word פסנתר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/פסנתר-#.m4a” /] makes its appearance in Biblical Aramaic, in the Book of Daniel, where it appears in a list among other music instruments. It’s not clear precisely what instrument the פסנתר was in biblical times, but Modern Hebrew uses it to mean piano. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/פסנתר-#.m4a”…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/חצוצרה-#.m4a” /]חֲצוֹצְרָה Ancient Israelites used two instruments to announce their presence: a שופר[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/חצוצרה-#.m4a” /] – shofar or a horn, and a חצוצרה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/חצוצרה-#.m4a” /] – a metallic instrument like the modern-day trumpet. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/חצוצרה-#.m4a” /]תִּקְעוּ שׁוֹפָר בַּגִּבְעָה, חֲצֹצְרָה בָּרָמָה. (הושע ה’, ח’) Sound the shofar on the hill, the trumpet on the plateau. (Hosea 5:8) Here’s an…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/להקת-זאבים-#.m4a” /]לַהֲקַת זְאֵבִים You may know someone named Zev. This is the Hebrew name זאב[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/להקת-זאבים-#.m4a” /], which means wolf. What is a pack of wolves in Hebrew? It’s להקת זאבים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/להקת-זאבים-#.m4a” /], where להקה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/להקת-זאבים-#.m4a” /] (the stand-alone version of להקת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/להקת-זאבים-#.m4a” /]) means a band. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/להקת-זאבים-#.m4a” /]בטיול שלנו בחוג הארקטי ראינו להקת זאבים….

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/החוג-הארקטי-#.m4a” /]הַחוּג הָאַרְקְטִי If you’ve got basic Hebrew down, you most likely know the word for holiday – חג[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/החוג-הארקטי-#.m4a” /]. How about the Arabic word for pilgrimage – حاج (haj)? Both have to do with people coming in from outer circles to a central place – in Islam, Mecca, and in Judaism, Jerusalem (until about…

חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-1.mp3″ /] 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 . Scatter . Gravity . Test [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-2.mp3″ /]שבת שלום, וסוף שבוע נעים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/פצע-#.m4a” /]פֶּצַע If you look at the word פצע[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/פצע-#.m4a” /] – wound, cut, bruise – you’ll see that the first two letters are פ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/פצע-#.m4a” /] and צ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/פצע-#.m4a” /].  Hebrew roots that start with פ.צ have to do with splitting of some kind, for example לפצל[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/פצע-#.m4a” /] – to split off, לפצח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/פצע-#.m4a” /]…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/לגרד-#.m4a” /]לְגָרֵד The word לגרד[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/לגרד-#.m4a” /] means both to scratch and to itch. For example: [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/לגרד-#.m4a” /]דוד, אל תגרד את הגלד. David, don’t scratch the scab. and [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/לגרד-#.m4a” /]העור שלי מגרד וזה מציק לי. My skin itches and it bothers me. לגרד is an active-intensive פיעל verb.

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/להציק-#.m4a” /]לְהָצִיק להציק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/להציק-#.m4a” /], also means to poke, but its main usage is to pester. For example: הוא אלוף בלהציק לאחותו.[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/להציק-#.m4a” /] He’s excellent at pestering his sister. להציק is an active-causative הפעיל verb of the root צ.ו.ק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/להציק-#.m4a” /]. Note that להציק – literally to pester – means here pestering, though הצקה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/להציק-#.m4a” /] also…

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/אלוף-בשחמט-#.m4a” /]אַלּוּף The Hebrew word for a military general is אלוף[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/אלוף-בשחמט-#.m4a” /]. For example: אורנה ברביבאי היא האלופה הראשונה בצה”ל.[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/אלוף-בשחמט-#.m4a” /] Orna Barbivai is the first (female) general in the IDF. אלוף also means champion, extended in slang to refer to someone who is really good at something. For example: הוא אלוף בשחמט.[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/אלוף-בשחמט-#.m4a” /] He’s…

חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/review-1.mp3″ /] 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 . Scatter . Gravity . Test [audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/ששחש-1.m4a” /]שבת שלום, וחג שמח! Shabbat Shalom, and happy holiday!

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/רובע-#.m4a” /]שְׁכוּנָה, רֹבַע The Hebrew word for neighborhood is שכונה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/רובע-#.m4a” /], as in: הוא גר בשכונה הירושלמית מקור חיים.[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/רובע-#.m4a” /] He lives in the Jerusalem neighborhood Mekor Haim (Source of Life). The root of שכונה is ש.כ.נ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/רובע-#.m4a” /] meaning dwelling, the same as that of the word שכינה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/רובע-#.m4a” /] –…