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…
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 צוֹם קַל! Have an easy fast! listen and repeat
סָגוּר! listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? סָגוּר listen and repeat means literally closed, but it is also used informally to mean decided and confirmed, as in: אָז נִפָּגֵשׁ בִּשְׂדֵה הַתְּעוּפָה. סָגוּר! So we’ll meet at the airport. Done deal! listen As does its English equivalent, !סגור comes from the business expression…
מַלָּח listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Hebrew word for sailor, appearing already in Biblical Hebrew, is מַלָּח listen and repeat. For example: הַמַּלָּחִים עוֹבְדִים עַל הַסְּפִינָה. The sailors are working on the ship. listen With an ah-AH vowel sequence and an emphasized second root letter, מַלָּח follows the…
מִשְׁאָלָה listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? The simple word for a request is בַּקָּשָׁה listen and repeat, so that the common Hebrew term for please – literally, with request – is בְּבַקָּשָׁה listen and repeat. But a wish is more than a simple request, as it expresses hopes and dreams. The Hebrew word for a wish is…
קָשֶׁה listen and repeat Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Hebrew word for hard both in the physical and metaphorical senses is קָשֶׁה listen and repeat. For example: יֵשׁ הַרְבֵּה סוּגֵי גְּבִינוֹת קָשׁוֹת. There are many types of hard cheeses. listen and קָשֶׁה לָצוּם. It’s hard (difficult) to fast/ Fasting is hard….