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הָאָדָם הַקַּדְמוֹן listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? Some of you may recall the 1992 movie Encino Man. It’s about a frozen caveman who is dug up in a suburban backyard and helps two high school seniors become the most popular kids in school. I recently watched the movie again and relived…
לְהַרְאוֹת listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? Seeing is one of the simplest concepts to describe in language. Hebrew expresses it using a verb of the “simple” verb form: לִרְאוֹת , of the root ר.א.ה (r.a.h). To express causing someone to see something – showing it to them – Hebrew employs the causative verb form, yielding…
מַתָּנָה, שַׁי listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? Just like the English word gift comes from the verb give, colloquial Hebrew’s word for it is מַתָּנָה listen and repeat, coming from the verb לָתֵת listen and repeat – to give. For example: לֹא רַק יְלָדִים אוֹהֲבִים לְקַבֵּל מַתָּנוֹת. Not only children like receiving…
חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן Review Material listen and repeat 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! listen and repeat
חַלּוֹן, צֹהַר listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Hebrew word for the physical window found on the sides of homes and buildings is חַלּוֹן listen and repeat. Though חלון is a masculine noun, it looks feminine in the plural: מַעֲרֶכֶת הַהַפְעָלָה שֶׁל מִיקְרוֹסוֹפט נִקְרֵאת “חַלּוֹנוֹת.” Microsoft’s operating system is called Windows. listen …
יְקוּם listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? Biblical Hebrew uses the word יְקוּם listen and repeat to mean substance or existence – coarsely, stuff. For example, in the story of the Flood, G-d says: …וּמָחִיתִי אֶת כָּל הַיְּקוּם אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה… …and I will wipe out all the substance that I…
מַעֲבָר listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? Getting back to the routine is a transition. The Hebrew word for transition is מַעֲבָר listen and repeat. It literally means passage, as a transition is a passage from one state of being to another. For example: יֵשׁ שְׁלֹשָׁה מַעֲבָרֵי גְּבוּל בֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל לְיַרְדֵּן. There…
טֶבַע הָאָדָם, הַטֶּבַע הָאֱנוֹשִׁי listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? In observance of the Jewish holidays, I took off some time from blogging. Now it’s back to the routine, with a dose of Hebrew that brings themes of the holidays together with themes of the Torah portions being read these weeks by…
קִשּׁוּט listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Hebrew word for to decorate first appears in the Mishnah, where it refers to people adorning themselves, using the reflexive verb לְהִתְקַשֵּׁט listen and repeat. Since then, the word has taken on the meaning of decorating objects as well, employing the active-intensive verb, לְקַשֵּׁט listen and…
פְּרִי listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Hebrew word for fruit very closely resembles the English word, though the Online Etymological Dictionary doesn’t see the connection. The Hebrew word is פְּרִי listen and repeat, and like in English, is used both literally: תַּפּוּחַ הוּא פְּרִי. An apple is a fruit. listen …
עֲלֵה תְּאֵנָה listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? A leaf in Hebrew is עָלֶה listen and repeat. For example: יֵשׁ הַרְבֶּה עָלִים עַל הָאֲדָמָה. There are lots of leaves on the ground. listen A fig leaf is עֲלֶה תְּאֵנָה listen and repeat, both in the literal sense as well as in the sense borrowed…