אַרְצוֹת הַבְּרִית Can’t read Hebrew yet? Earlier this week we saw the Hebrew versions of a couple of “united” political bodies: הָאוּמוֹת הַמְּאֻחָדוֹת (הָאוּ”ם) the United Nations (the UN) and הַמַּמְלָכָה הַמְּאֻחֶדֶת the United Kingdom Both of these use the word מְאֻחָד – unified. …
הַמַּמְלָכָה הַמְּאֻחֶדֶת Can’t read Hebrew yet? The other day we saw that the United Nations, in Hebrew, is האומות המאחדות . or, usually abbreviated to האו”ם . Here’s another “united” political body, except this one’s in the singular: הממלכה המאחדת is the United Kingdom. But unlike in English where the phrase…
מִסְפָּר חָסוּם, מִסְפָּר חָסוּי Can’t read Hebrew yet? If you’re ready for some mini immersion, change your phone settings to Hebrew. It’s a great way of picking up some new vocabulary in the area of communications. Whereas on an English screen, you might get a call from a “blocked” number,…
הָאוּ”ם Can’t read Hebrew yet? The only organization whose name has been appearing in the news as often as Hamas recently is the United Nations. The Hebrew translation is הָאוּמוֹת הַמְּאֻחָדוֹת , or in short, like “the UN,” הָאוּ”ם . Broken down: האומות – plural of האומה ,…
חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן Review Material Can’t read Hebrew yet? Review, practice and test yourself on this week’s doses of Hebrew! Flashcards Game Test שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם, וְסוֹף שָׁבוּעַ נָעִים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!
מָנוֹס Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Torah portion to be read this Shabbat by Jews around the world includes: לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְלַגֵּר וְלַתּוֹשָׁב בְּתוֹכָם, תִּהְיֶינָה שֵׁשׁ הֶעָרִים הָאֵלֶּה, לְמִקְלָט לָנוּס שָׁמָּה, כָּל מַכֵּה נֶפֶשׁ בִּשְׁגָגָה. For the Children of Israel, and for the sojourner and the resident among them, shall…
תְּעַדְכֵּן אׂתִי Can’t read Hebrew yet? In English, we use the term to update mostly when discussing the news and professionally-related topics. In Hebrew, however, it’s used in lieu of the everyday expressions let me know and keep me posted. The word is לְעַדְכֵּן , an active-intensive verb of the four-letter root ע.ד.כ.נ (a.d.k.n)….
הַפְסָקַת אֵשׁ Can’t read Hebrew yet? The Hebrew word for a break is הַפְסָקָה , an active-causative verb of the root פ.ס.ק (p.s.k) meaning pause. For example: הָעוֹבְדִים יָצְאוּ לְהַפְסָקַת צָהֳרַיִם. The employees went out for an afternoon break. And אֵשׁ is fire. So a ceasefire, or a…
חֹמֶר לְשִׁנּוּן Review Material Can’t read Hebrew yet? Review, practice and test yourself on this week’s doses of Hebrew! Flashcards Game Test שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם, וְסוֹף שָׁבוּעַ נָעִים! Shabbat Shalom, and have a nice weekend!
חָלוּץ Can’t read Hebrew yet? Modern Hebrew finds its roots in Biblical, though as time has progressed, words have taken on meanings that depart from their original usage, to varying degrees. The essential meaning found in the root, however, tends to remain the same. One such example is the word חָלוּץ In Biblical…
סֻלָּם Can’t read Hebrew yet? If the Modern-Hebrew word for escalation is הַסְלָמָה , its root is ס.ל.מ (s.l.m), forming a very ancient word, סֻלָּם – ladder. I say ancient because the word appears already in Genesis, in Jacob’s dream: וְהִנֵּה סֻלָּם מֻצָּב אַרְצָה וְרֹאשׁוֹ מַגִּיעַ הַשָּׁמָיְמָה… and behold, a ladder placed on the earth,…