Your Daily Dose of Hebrew

  having trouble seeing the print? נְיַר עֲטִיפָה Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program: LOCAL courses in Israel  DISTANCE courses online A good Hebrew term to know as the end of fall approaches is that for wrapping paper: נְיַר עֲטִיפָה.  נייר  – paper – first appears in the Hebrew language in Mishnaic literature, while עטיפה  – wrapping – comes from the…

  having trouble seeing the print? לָצֵאת מִדַּעְתּוֹ Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program: LOCAL courses in Israel  DISTANCE courses online The English expression to go out of one’s (his) mind gets translated literally into Modern Hebrew: ֹלָצֵאת מִדַּעְתּו לצאת means to go out, while מדעתו  means from his mind. To use this expression, conjugate the verb לצאת, and…

  having trouble seeing the print? לְהַפְצִיר Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program:  LOCAL courses in Israel  DISTANCE courses online To beg, in Hebrew, is לְהִתְחַנֵּן . But there’s a certain type of begging that doesn’t let up. To beg in such a manner is לְהַפְצִיר . This word is used, albeit in a different verb form, in Biblical Hebrew,…

  having trouble seeing the print? דַּחַף Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program: LOCAL courses in Israel  DISTANCE courses online The Hebrew word for to push is לִדְחוֹף .  For example: הִיא דָּחְפָה אֶת עַצְמָהּ לְהֶשֵּׂגִים מַרְשִׁימִים. She pushed herself to impressive achievements. Modern Hebrew regards an urge (or impulse, compulsion, desire, etc) as an internal push – the word is…

  having trouble seeing the print? אַלּוּף Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program:  LOCAL courses in Israel  DISTANCE courses online     this week’s video The Torah portion to be read this Shabbat by Jews around the world introduces the Biblical term for a chief or the head of a tribe: אַלּוּף. Today this word refers to modern-day…

  having trouble seeing the print? לְלֹא מוֹצָא Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program:  LOCAL courses in Israel  DISTANCE courses online Yesterday we saw the Hebrew expression for point of departure – נְקֻדַּת מוֹצָא.  דֶּרֶךְ לְלֹא מוֹצָא dead-end road The Hebrew term for a dead end – a point without departure or a place with no way out – is מָקוֹם…

  having trouble seeing the print? לְמַצְמֵץ Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program:  LOCAL courses in Israel  DISTANCE courses online The ancient Hebrew word for to peek is לְהָצִיץ, as in: הִנֵּה זֶה עוֹמֵד, אַחַר כָּתְלֵנוּ מַשְׁגִּיחַ מִן הַחַלֹּנוֹת, מֵצִיץ מִן הַחֲרַכִּים (שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים ב:ט) Here he stands beyond our wall, watching from the windows, peeking through…

  having trouble seeing the print? נְקֻדַּת מוֹצָא Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program:  LOCAL courses in Israel  DISTANCE courses online The Hebrew root י.צ.א (y.ts.a), meaning exiting, gave rise to many words throughout Hebrew’s history. One of these words is that of origin as well as that which has exited/departed – מוֹצָא, which, in Modern Hebrew, has also…

having trouble seeing the print? קְרִיצַת עַיִן Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program:  LOCAL courses in Israel  DISTANCE courses online Yesterday I introduced the Hebrew word for to blink – לְמַצְמֵץ. I mentioned that that word has a synonym, לִקְרוֹץ.  But whereas למצמץ meaning to blink is a modern creation from the Biblical-Hebrew word להציץ(to peek), a form…

  having trouble seeing the print? הַסְלָמָה Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program   this week’s video In light of this past week’s events in southern Israel and Gaza, coupled with the appearance of the mystical, prophetic Jacob’s ladder – סֻלַּם יַעֲקֹב – appearing in the Torah portion to be read this Shabbat by Jews around the…

  having trouble seeing the print? אֲרֹךְ-טְוָח Check out our world-class  conversational Hebrew program With the military operation in Gaza that has just come to an end, Israel sought an end to the barrage of missiles and rockets not just for the next few months, but for the long term. The Hebrew expression for long-term is אֲרֹךְ טְוָח,…