Hebrew Described
Hebrew Described Hebrew Adjectives and Expressions Defined and Explained, Selected from Your Daily Dose of Hebrew - Ktzat Ivrit yddh.ulpan.com
Ami M. Steinberger
www.ulpan.com
Copyright © 2013 by Ami Steinberger and Ulpan La-Inyan All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the author.
Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………...…………………………....1 Day to Day Life…………………………….……………..…………………...4 I’m Feeling………………………………………………………………...….26 People Are…………………………………………………...……………….43 Politics and the Life Cycle.……...…………………………………………….54 Wow, That’s……………...…………………………………………………...73 Good Expressions to Know……..…………………………………………...91 Appendix A: Basic Hebrew Reading…………..…………………………….103 Appendix B: The Seven Hebrew Verb Forms…………………...…………..106
Introduction ָמה ָדּ ְק ַה One of the key mental mechanisms in learning a foreign language is association: when we associate a word with an image, a sound, a related word or an emotional experience, we form an anchor in our mind, so that the new word becomes, to some degree, lodged in our memory. This book takes words and phrases introduced in Your Daily Dose of Hebrew and presents them according to theme, so that you’ll learn to associate your new pieces of vocabulary with one another, with the emotional experiences of “Day-to-Day Life,” “People Are…” and “I’m Feeling,” and with the images conjured when prompted to think of wild animals and being happy through the roof. In this ebook edition, you’ll also be able to associate your new words and phrases with their native-spoken sounds, as well as imitate these sounds, growing your active Modern-Hebrew vocabulary. As those of you who have followed Your Daily Dose of Hebrew for some time can expect, the contents of this book will provide you with access to Modern Hebrew as it is spoken on the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. They will also take you back in linguistic time to Mishnaic and Biblical Hebrew, the major sources of the vibrant language of the electrifying people of Modern Israel. The ebook version of this book links Hebrew text to audio files, so that those of you who don’t yet know how to read Hebrew can hear these words and phrases pronounced instead of reading them. We’ve also got basic reading tutorials, which you’ll find in Appendix A and online. This book also references the seven Hebrew verb forms: , פועל, פיעל, נפעל,פעל הפיעל, התפעלand הופעל. Appendix B provides a handy reference for getting to 1
know these forms. All books have, or want, an audience, and most books are written with an audience in mind but without their input. This one, in contrast, was written over several years of daily delivery and thus benefited from frequent feedback. I am indebted to the readers and fans of Your Daily Dose of Hebrew as well as the students, teachers and staff at Ulpan La-Inyan, who have kept this initiative alive and growing, inspiring me to deliver you with useful and entertaining educational content. I’d also like to acknowledge Eytan Kessler, whose hard work, exquisite attention to detail and great dedication enabled this book to become a reality – a ַשּׁם ֵ ְתגּ ִה ֹםֶשׁ ֲלו ח (see chapter called “Good Expressions to Know”). Enjoy!
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Dedication ָשׁה ָדּ ְק ַה To my parents - to Abba, who taught me the Hebrew language outside of his native land, and to Mom for supporting him in doing so. I know it wasn’t easy. I love you both and am grateful to you for all I have.
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Day-to-Day Life ֹם ֹמיו ְ ֵיּיַהיּו ַח
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“Nice to Meet You”
ִכּיר ַה ָעיםְל ִ נ When I go to the pool, I’m usually there to swim laps, so I use the fast lane. One night, as I was swimming at my regular pace, an older man suddenly cut into my lane and started doing a slow breaststroke. Out of respect for his age and out of fear for my ego, I laughed it off instead of saying something about his intrusion. When we both rested at the end of the lane, I introduced myself - and when he introduced himself, I was amazed. Alas, I mustn’t share with you this man’s identity, as I’m sworn to secrecy. But I can share with you the right Hebrew phrase to use in lieu of the English nice to meet :you ִכּיר ַה ָעיםְל ִ – נliterally, it’s a pleasure to make (your) acquaintance Another version of נעים להכירthat you may know is ֹד ָעיםְמא ִ – נliterally, very pleasant. Mind you, the active-causative הפעילverb, להכיר, is the one to use when expressing meeting someone for the first time. להכירmeans literally, to become acquainted or familiar with. להכירis also the correct word to use when saying I know someone – it’s right-brain, spatial-emotional knowledge, as distinguished from left-brain factual knowledge, where ַעת ָד ַ לis the correct word. ֹשׁ ִפגּו ְ לalso means to meet, while ֵשׁ ָפּג ִה ְלmeans to meet with – but these lack the right-brain, first-impression quality that comes with the word להכיר. An example of להכירin action: .ָכה ֵר ְבּ ֵןַבּ ְני ַע אָדםְמ ָ ִתּי ְר ַכּ ֹלִה ְתמו ֶא Yesterday I met an interesting person at the pool.
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“My Name Is…”
…ִמי ִאיםִלי…ְשׁ ֹר ְ קו In English, we say, my name is … In Hebrew, we say that literally as well, with … ִמי (ְשׁif you say the long version …ִלּי ֵשּׁםֶשׁ ה, ַyou’ve given yourself away as a foreigner). You’d use … שמיin slightly formal settings or in a context where you’re trying to be polite. But if you’re meeting someone casually, it’s better to use the literal translation of (they) call me… – …ִאיםִלי ֹר ְ קו. Here’s an example of this phrase flipped as a question: ? ִאיםָל ֹר ְ ֵאי קו What’s your (a female’s) name? (Literally, what do (they) call you?) You may know that the word קוראיםmeans not only calling, but also reading. That’s because in the days of old, when the vast majority of the world was illiterate, those who knew how to read would hold a text in their hands and call it out to the listening masses. Case in point – ֹרה ָ ִריאַתַהתּו –ְקthe reading of the Torah – where one person skilled in reading the non-vocalized Hebrew text inscribed on the Torah scroll, reads it out loud to the congregants. To distinguish your more common reading to oneself from reading out loud for others, Modern Hebrew uses an active-causative הפעילverb for the latter: ִריא ְק ַה ל. ְ
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“A Clear, Beautiful Morning”
ֹקרַצח ֶ בּ The Jewish festival of love, known as Tu B’Av, ט”ו באב, is usually a gorgeous day in Jerusalem. A brisk, clear morning in Hebrew is called ֹקרַצח ֶ בּ, where צחmeans clear, pure, unblemished. It’s not only a description of the morning itself – it’s also a wish you might bestow upon someone, much like ֹב – בוקר טוgood morning. You can use the same word to wish someone a good evening, especially if it’s nice outside, with ֶרבַצח ע. ֶ
“(Four) in the Morning”
ֹקר ֶ ֹת בּ ְפנו ִל In English, we describe the wee hours of the morning as, simply, the morning. For example 4am is colloquially called four in the morning. Hebrew uses a different expression. To mean, four in the morning, in Hebrew, you’d say, ֹקר ֶ ֹת בּ ִפנו ְ ַע ל אַרבּ. ְ This means, literally, four to the turning of the morning – or, as the pioneering Biblical commentator and prolific Hebrew philologist Rashi explains, ֹא ָבו ֶה ל ֹונ ֹקר פּ ֶ ַהבּ ְעתֶשׁ ֵ – לat the time when the morning turns itself to approach. The expression לפנות בוקרneed not be connected to a particular time in those wee hours of the morning. The Israeli musician Ehud Banai uses the term, for instance one of his songs, ַסל ְפ ַסּ ַלַה יתיָל ע ִִכּ ִח ֶשׁ ְכּ- When I Waited for You on the Bench. He opens the song with, ַשׁנוּ לפנות בוקר ְ ִפגּ ְ – נwe met in the early morning... not mentioning exactly when the two met, but making it clear it was before daybreak.
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“Have a Good Time”
ָעים ִ ִבּלּוּי נ Suppose your friends are all going out to see a movie... but you’ve got something better to do. You’d probably wish them a good time, and then go about your business. Here’s how to do so in Hebrew: !ָעים ִ ִבּלּוּי נ בילויis the noun form (gerund) of the word ֹת ַלּו לב, ְwhich means to spend time. לבלות is an active-intensive פיעלverb. It is possible ֹפא ֵ ֶצלָהרו ָעהֵא ֹתָשׁ ַלּו –ְלבto spend an hour at the doctor’s, and it is possible ָם ֹףַהיּ ֹתְבּחו ַלּו –ְלבto spend time at the beach. But if you use the word לבלותby itself, you’re talking about having a good time. Hence, בילויalso means going out and having a good time.
“Point of Departure”
ֹצא ָ ַדּת מו ֻק ְנ The Hebrew root א.צ.י, (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 – ֹצא ָ מו, which, in Modern Hebrew, has also come to mean ethnicity or ancestry. For example: .ִני ָמ ֶר ְ ֹצא גּ ָ ִהיאִממּו She is of German ancestry. Another modern application of the word מוצאis in the expression for starting point or point of departure: ֹצא ָ ַדּת מו ֻק נ,ְas in: .ֵתּק ַר ָקרְמ ְח ֶמ ֹצאְל ָ ַדּת מו ֻק ְנ ֵמּשִׁכּ ַשׁ פּוּחְמ ַ ַתּ ֹןִעםַה ְניוּטו ֹןֶשׁל ָסּיו ִנּ ַה Newton’s experience with the apple serves as a point of departure for fascinating research. 8
“To the Left” & “To the Right”
ָה ֹאל ְשׂמ,ָה ִמינ ְי This entry will help you understand directions given to you in Israel and provide them yourself when requested. The Hebrew terms for right and left are ָמין ִ יand ֹאל שׂמ, ְrespectively. That’s right and left by themselves. But when giving and receiving directions – where in English we talk about to the right and to the left, Hebrew adds the ah vowel to the end of the word, so that we have: ָה ִמינ ְי – to the right and ָה ֹאל –ְשׂמto the left For example: .ָכּר ִכּ ָהַבּ ֹאל ְואָזְשׂמ ,ֹר ְמזו ַר ָהָבּ ִמינ ְי ֹת ִפנו ְ ִרי ל ָצ You have to (literally, one must) turn right at the traffic light, and then left at the roundabout. This ah ending, used in Biblical Hebrew, gives a noun a directional sense. Some other examples in contemporary use are: ָה ֹונ –ָצפto the north/northward ֹמה ָ –ָדּרוto the south/southward ָחה ָר ְז –ִמto the east/eastward ָבה ֲר ָ –ַמעto the west/westward And of course, one of Israel’s political parties in the 2013 election: ימה ִָד –ָקforward
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“Nearby”
ֹם ַבתָמקו ְר ִק ְבּ To say in Hebrew that something is close, you’d use a form of the word ֹב קרו. ָ Likewise, you could talk about the nearby town – ֹבה ָ ְקּרו ָרהַה ָ ֲעי ה. ָIn that case, ( קרובהa form of )קרובis describing the town - the word is an adjective. However, if you want to say the town is located nearby or he lives nearby the synagogue you’re describing the action, so you’d have to use an adverb. The Hebrew expression taking care of this situation is ֹם ַבתָמקו ְר ִק בּ. ְ In our examples: .ֵצאת בקרבת מקום ְמ ִנ ָרה ָ ֲעי ָה and .ֶסת ֶ ְכּנ ֵביתַה ָר בקרבת מקוםְל הוּא גּ He lives nearby the synagogue.
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“To the East”
ָחה ָר ְז ִמ The Torah portion Va’etchanan, ַן ַחנּ ְת ֶא ו,ָfeatures the plea of Moses to be allowed to lead the People of Israel into their land, after having led them for forty years en route. Part of God’s response is to show Moses the land, inviting him to look out in all directions and see the good land, including eastward, to the east bank of the Jordan River. Eastward or to the east are both ָחה ָר ְז ִמin Hebrew, taking the word ַרח ְז ִמfor east and adding a directional הto the end of the word. Likewise: westward or to the west is ָבה ֲר ָ ;מע ַ southward or to the south is ֹמה ָ ָ;דּרו and northward or to the north is ָה ֹונ צפ. ָ A Modern-Hebrew example: .ֶרת ֶ ִכּנּ ֹתַבּ ְשׂחו ֵדיִל ָהְכּ ֹונ ִעיםָצפ ֹס ְ ַחנוּ נו ְ ֲאנ We are traveling to the north in order to swim in the Sea of Galilee. In Biblical Hebrew, the directional ה- is appended to the end of any name of a place, such as ָמה ְי ַר ְצ –ִמto Egypt, ָמה ָ – יtoward the sea, etc. Modern Hebrew use of the directional ה- is much more limited.
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“Upwards” or “To Heaven”
ֶאלַעל It’s very likely that you’re familiar with Israel’s flagship air carrier, El Al, especially if you’ve made aliyah through the Jewish Agency or Nefesh B’Nefesh. The idiom ַל ֶאל עmeans upward or skyward. I came across this term while reading an article on Ynet about a speech United States President Obama gave concerning the Middle East: .ַל ִריאֶאל ע ְמ ָמה שׁוּבַמ ֹבּ ָ ָרק או ָשׂיאָבּ ִ ָהוַּלנּ ְני ַת ְנ ַתחֵבּין ֶמּ ַה The tension between Netanyahu and President Barack Obama is again “taking off skyward.”
“Crosswalk”
ָה ָצי ֲברֲח ַ ַמע In the USA, it’s called a crosswalk. In The UK, it’s called a zebra crossing. In Israel, it’s called a .ָה ֲצי ָ ֲבר ח ַ ַמע מעברcomes from the root ר.ב.ע, (a.b.r), meaning transition. And חציהcomes from the root י.צ.ח, (kh.ts.y), meaning half. What does half have to do with crossing? Think about it this way: when you cross the street, you’re effectively splitting it in two – or in half… like the Children of Israel did with the Red Sea.
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“Dead End”
ֹצא ָ ְל א מו The Hebrew phrase for point of departure is ֹצא ָ ַדּת מו ֻק נ.ְ The Hebrew term for a dead end - a point without departure or a place with no way out is ֹצא ָ ֹםְל א מו מקו. ָTo refer to a particular type of dead end, substitute the word for place – ֹם –ָמקוwith your specific noun. For example: ֹצא ָ ֹבְל א מו ְרחו dead-end street and: ֹצא ָ ֶשׁרְל א מו ֶק dead-end relationship Another expression meaning dead end or cul-de-sac is ֹיָסתוּם מבו, ָliterally a blocked alley.
“Medical Center”
פוּאי ִ ְר ָכּז ְר ֶמ A center is a ָכּז ְר מ. ֶFor example, the greater Tel Aviv metropolis is considered ַכּז ְר ֶמ אָרץ ֶ –ָהthe center of the country. The root of מרכזis ז.כ.ר, (r.k.z), meaning concentration. The practice of medicine is רפוּאָה.ְThus a medical center is a פוּאי ִ ְר ָכּז ְר מ, ֶwhere the ee sound at the end of the רפואיturns the feminine noun of רפואהinto a masculine adjective describing the masculine noun מרכז.
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“Security Check”
ֹני ִ ְטחו ִבּדּוּקִבּ I once had guests visiting from Europe for a few days. For both of them it was their first time in Israel, and therefore their first time encountering the psychologically-astute Israeli security team at the airport. A security check is a ֹני ִ ְטחו בּדּוּקִבּ. ִ Let’s break that down. בידוק The verb for to check is ֹק ְבדּו ל, ִof the active-simple ַל ָע פּform and the root ק.ד.ב (b.d.k). And a check or a checkup is a יקה ִָד בּ. ְ But since a security check is a more involved process than a simple checkup, we invoke the noun form of an intensive verb, yielding the word .בידוק בטחוני בטחוניcomes from the word ֹן ָטּחו –ִבּsecurity. בטחוניis an adjective, so we add a יto the end of the word בטחון. Putting these two pieces together, we get a security check – בידוק בטחוני.
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“Make Yourself at Home”
ִית ַבּ ִגּישׁוַּבּ ְר ַתּ In order to make their guest feel welcome, hosts will often say, make yourself at home. The Hebrew expression, when speaking to more than one person, is ִית ַבּ ִגּישׁוַּבּ ְר תּ. ַ This means, literally, you shall feel at home, where תרגישוis a future-tense conjugate of the active-causative הפעילverb, ִגּישׁ ְר ַה –ְלto feel. But guests don’t always come in pairs or groups. To one male, use: ִית ַבּ ִגּישַׁבּ ְר ַתּ And to one female, use: ִית ַבּ ישׁיַבּ ִִגּ ְר ַתּ
“Sautéed”
ָפּץ ְק ֻמ I once had dinner with my friend Avi, who takes pride in his delicious, healthy cooking. He fried us up some schnitzel, but when I commented that he was frying it in olive oil instead of Canola; he corrected me, saying that was sautéing, not frying. Sauté comes from French. The closest Hebrew word we have that captures the meaning is ָץ ְקפּ –ֻמso that sautéed (or stir-fried) vegetables are מוקפצים ִ ֹת ָרקו י.ְ מוקפץmeans, literally, caused to jump. The word fits into the הופעלverb paradigm, the passive form of the הפעיל. To fry, on the other hand, is ֵן ַטגּ ל, ְa פיעלverb. I maintain that Avi was frying. Either way, the schnitzel came out tasty. 15
“To Gain Weight”
ִמין ְשׁ ַה ְל Just as do people of other cultures and religions, Jews have a tendency to gain weight during their holiday season. The Hebrew word for to gain weight is ִמין ְשׁ ַה ל, ְof the root נ.מ.ש, (sh.m.n), meaning fat. So whereas in English you might say to a close male friend, “you’ve gained weight,” in Hebrew you’d say .ְנת ַמ ְשׁ ִה להשמיןis an active-causative הפעילverb. Professionals and people being more polite are likely to use ָקל ְשׁ ִמּ ֹתַבּ ֲלו ַלעto mean to gain weight (literally, to go up in the weight), rather than the more informal and in-your-face להשמין.
“To Lose Weight”
ֹת ְרזו ִל ֹת ְרזו ִלmeans to lose weight, or literally, to become thin. This simple פעלverb is derived from the adjective, ֶזה ָר meaning thin, when referring to a male (the feminine version is ָזה )ר. ָA more professional, polite version of the term is ָקל ְשׁ ִמּ ֶדתַבּ ָר ֶ –ל literally, to go down in the weight. You may recall this root appearing in the introductory prayer for rain said during the holiday of Sh’mini Atzeret, שמיני עצרת: ֹן ָרזו refers to gauntness, or in the case of the prayer, famine; whereas ַע ֹב שׂrefers to satiation. The word ֶזה ָר appears in Shalom Hanoch’s father-son piece on homecoming: ָמה ָכּ ָתה ְי ַבּ אתַה ָָבּ ֹבֶשׁ – טוHow Great It Is That You’ve Come Home.
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“To Clear the Table”
ָחן ְל שּׁ ֹֻתֶאתַה ַפנּו ְל ֹת ְפנּו ַ לmeans to clear off. For example, I might say, ֹעִעם ַ ְנסו ֵדיִל ֹקרְכּ ֶ ֶהִליֶאתַהבּ ַפנּ ִניְמ ֲא ָם ִניתַליּ –ָדּI’m clearing (for myself) the morning in order to go (travel) to the beach (sea) with Danit. Likewise, one can clear off a table – ָחן ְל ֹתֻשׁ ְפנּו ַ ל. When I was a child and we used to have Friday night dinner as a family, this was the part where I always had to go to the bathroom. The word לפנותis an active-intensive פיעלverb of the root ה.נ.פ, (p.n.h). Some related words are ָה –ִפּנּcorner (a place sectioned off from the rest), –ָפּנוּיavailable and ֹת ַפּנּו ְת ִה –ְלto use the restroom (to relieve oneself).
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“To Wash the Dishes”
ִלים ֹףֵכּ ְשׁטו ִל Those who have studied the Talmud have probably come across the word ֵטּף ַתּ ְשׁ ִה ְל . In the Talmudic context, that word means to rinse oneself. It’s a word that is no longer used in spoken Hebrew. When pronounced by your average Israeli, להשתטףsounds just like the word for to participate – ֵתּף ַתּ ְשׁ ִה ל, ְa word that can be found of the lips of every Israeli school child and their teacher. To tell the difference between these two reflexive-intensive ֵל ַע ְתפּ ִהverbs, look at their roots: – להשתטףthe root is פ.ט.שׁ, (sh.t.p), meaning rinsing – להשתתףthe root is פ.ת.שׁ, (sh.t.p), meaning partnership While להשתטףno longer gets spoken, its root, פ.ט.שׁ, is alive and well, most commonly in the active-simple ַל ָע פּverb, ֹף ְשׁטו –ִלto rinse. Everyday expressions include: ֵלים ִ ֹף כּ ְשׁטו –ִלto rinse/wash (the) dishes ֵלים ִ יפת כּ ִַט ( –ְשׁthe act of) rinsing/washing (the) dishes and ֹח ַ יפת מ ִַט –ְשׁbrainwash Another expression that also means to rinse (the) dishes is ֵלים ִ יח כּ ִַדּ ַה ל. ְ
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“Recommended”
ָץ ְמל ֻמ ָצה ָ ְמל ַהmeans recommendation, and is the noun form of the active-causative הפעיל verb to recommend – ִליץ ְמ ַה ל. ְ The word for recommended is ָץ ְמל מ. ֻThis is an adjective derived from verb להמליץ, conforming to the passive-causative הופעלverb form. מוּמלץis used more often in Hebrew than recommended is used in English. It often appears where in English one would use the word suggested. Here are a couple of examples: .ִחיר מומלץ ֵשְׁמ ֶזּה י ֶפרַה ַסּ ֵ ל This book has a suggested price. .ָמן ְזּ ֵיַה ִפנ ְ ָעה ל ַעָשׁ ֶרב ָעה ָ ֹפ ַהו יע ל ִַגּ ַה מומלץְל It’s recommended to arrive at the show fifteen minutes in advance of the (starting) time. .ֹם הוּא מומלץְבּחו,ֶזּה?ֵכּן נּוּחַה ַ ִקּ ֶבתֶאתַה ֹה ֶ ְתּ או ַא:ִרית ְצ ָ ַמּל ֶ ל To a waitress: Do you like this dessert? Yes, it’s warmly recommended.
“Short Film”
ֹן ְרטו ִס Perhaps you know the Modern Hebrew word for movie or film – ֶרט ס. ֶThe word made its first appearances in the Hebrew language a few thousand years ago, in the bodies of Jewish literature known as the Mishnah (ָה ְשׁנ )מ ִand the Midrash (ָרש ְד )מ. ִ In those texts, סרטmeans ribbon, a less-common meaning also used today. סרט refers to movie or film, since a movie is actually played from a ribbon of sorts, at least before the digital age. Appending the ֹן וending to the word סרט, the Academy of the Hebrew Language created a “smaller” version of the word – or a diminutive: ֹן ְרטו ס, ִ 19
meaning a short film. YouTube clips fall under the סרטוןcategory.
“To Deliver the Goods”
ֹרה ָ ְסּחו ֵפּקֶאתַה ַס ְל When people keep their promises or fulfill the expectations we have of them, we say they’ve “delivered the goods” in English. The Hebrew equivalent to this expression is an almost-literal translation – ֵפּק הוּאִס ֹרה ָ ְסּחו –ֶאתַהliterally; he supplied the goods/merchandise. To supply or provide is ֵפּק ַס ל, ְan active-intensive ֵל ִפּעverb.
“Generously”
ָבה ָח ְר ָד ְבּי Languages in general often make use of concrete images to express abstract ideas. We call this figurative language. Here’s a beautiful example from Hebrew. Imagine a woman sitting on a park bench on a cool autumn day, enjoying a sandwich. As she watches the chirping birds skipping down from the trees onto the green slopes, the figure of a small boy passing by her interrupts her reverie. Glancing at the boy, the woman sees a frail figure with stooped shoulders making its way through the park. The woman’s heart sinks... and then opens up. She calls to the boy, “Are you hungry? Come over here. I’ve got something for you.” With caution but with desperate hope, the boy approaches this woman who smiles at him graciously and introduces herself. From her handbag, the woman pulls out her lunchbox, opens it up, and hands him its contents. To give generously, in Hebrew, is ָבה ָח ְר ָד ָתתְבּי ֵ – לliterally, to give with a wide hand. 20
“Consistently”
ִביּוּת ְק ִע ְבּ The root of the Hebrew words having to do with consistency – ב.ק.ע, (a.k.b), meaning heel – appears for the first time in the Torah portion Toldot, תולדות, in which the third forefather, ֹב ֲעק (ַיJacob), is introduced holding onto the heel of (his brother) Esau ָשׂו ֲקבֵע ֵ ֶזתַבּע ֹח ֶ ֹו א ָד וי.ְ There are several ways of saying consistently in Hebrew: ִבי ְק ֹפןִע ֶ ְבּא in a consistent manner ִבית ְק צוּרהִע ְָבּ in a consistent form ִביּוּת ְק ִע ְבּ with consistency
“Awake”
ֵער The Torah portion Balak, בלק, is perhaps the strangest – ֹתר ֵ ָרהְבּיו מּוּז ָ ַהof all portions, featuring a talking (female) donkey – ֶרת ֶבּ ַד ֹןְמ אָתוand a prophet-magician who seeks to curse the People of Israel, but instead blessings spring forth from his mouth. Israeli music artist Ehud Banai composed a song that draws upon the themes of this portion. He titled it ֵם ֹול ֹו ח –ֵער אAwake or Dreaming?, since prophet-magician ְעם ָ –ִבּלBalaam may very well have questioned his conscious state as his אתון opened her mouth… and since the main figure in the song questions his state as well. 21
In the song, the line is: ?ֵם ֹול ֹו ח ִניֵער א ִאםֲא ַה Am I awake or dreaming? If a woman were to sing the song, she’d say instead: ?ֶמת ֶ ֹול ֹו ח ָרה א ִניֵע ִאםֲא ַה
“To Go out of Your Mind”
ְעתּו ֹ ַדּ ָצאתִמ ֵ ל The English expression to go out of one’s (his) mind gets translated literally into Modern Hebrew: ְעתּו ַדּ ָצאתִמ ֵ ל לצאתmeans to go out, while מדעתוmeans from his mind. To use this expression, conjugate the active-simple פעלverb לצאת, and substitute the ֹו - ending with the one you wish to mean. For example: .ִתּי ְע ַדּ ֵצאִמ ִניֵא ֲא, ִשׁי ַמ ְ ָכה י ַעשָׁכּ ַר ִאםָה If the noise continues this way, I’ll go out of my mind. .ָתּהּ ְע ַדּ ָצאָהִמ ְ ִהיא י ֶמהִליֶשׁ ְד ִנ It seems to me that she’s gone crazy. A synonym for לצאת מדעתוis ֵע ַ ַתּגּ ְשׁ ִה ל, ְliterally, to go crazy.
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“Get Well Soon”
ֵמה ָ ְרפוּאָהְשׁל ,ירה ִָה ָמהְמ ָ ְחל ַה The traditional Jewish way of wishing someone a speedy recovery is saying ְרפוּאָה ֵמה ָ שׁל, ְwhich means, literally, a complete healing. But a more common expression in Modern Hebrew is ירה ִָה ָמהְמ ָ ְחל –ַהliterally, a speedy recovery. החלמהcomes from the active-causative הפעילverb, ִלים ְח ַה –ְלto recover. מהירהis the feminine form of the adjective, ִהיר –ָמquick, speedy, fast. We use מהירהand מהיר, as opposed to ָרה ֵה ְמand ֵהר מ, ַbecause we’re calling the recovery quick – whereas מהרהand מהרmean quickly, speedily, or fast as an adverb. For example: .ֹלים ִ ָלַהחו ירהְלכ ִָה ָמהְמ ָ ְחל ֲליםַה ִ ֵהםְמאַח They wish a quick recovery to all the sick people.
“A Cooling Trend”
ְררוּת ָק ְת ַמּתִה ַ ְמג Occasionally in Jerusalem, during the winter it will snow. But even after a day of snowfall, the next day the weather can change so that it’s more appropriate to wear a t-shirt and shorts. And then the next day it can get cold again. A cooling trend is a ְררוּת ָק ְת ַמּתִה ַ מג. ְ The word ַמּה ָ מג, ְone that appears in Biblical Hebrew, means a trend, tendency, direction of movement. The word ְררוּת ָק ְת ִהcomes from the word for cold – קר. ָPlugging the word קר into the התפעלform, we get a word with a back-and-forth reflexive quality - it’s as if we could see the cold spiraling down into ice and snow. 23
“To Hang in There”
ָמד ֲע ִזיקַמ ְח ַה ְל To someone having difficulty with a problem, or with just getting through a long week, we might say: ֲמד ָ ִזיקוַּמע ְח תּ, ַwhich means, literally, hold stance, in the plural. To conjugate for individuals, study the active-causative הפעילverb form. To “hang in there” is ִזיק מעמד ְח ַה ל. ְThis Hebrew expression can also refer to an object remaining intact. מעמדcomes from the root ד.מ.ע, (a.m.d) which means standing. להחזיק, to hold, comes from the root ק.ז.ח, (kh.z.k), meaning strong; holding something requires strength.
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“Don’t Go it Alone”
ָתו ֹ ְלי ֻח ֵאֵמ ַמלּ ְת ֹרִמ ֵאיןַהבּו In the Torah portion, Vayelekh, ֶל ֵיּ ו,ַMoses passes his leadership of the People of Israel on to Joshua, assuring him that God will be with him, that the burden of leadership will not fall on him alone. An ancient Talmudic expression that found its rightful place in modern Hebrew language and culture expresses the sentiment of the person who recognizes that he cannot accomplish it all himself, but that he rather must receive help in order to survive and to thrive. The expression is: .ֹ ָתו ֻלי ְ ֵאֵמח ַמלּ ְת ֹרִמ ֵאיןַהבּו The meaning: In ancient Israel, communities would dig a hole in the ground in which to store rainwater. They would cover this hole with a large stone that had a smaller hole in it, into which rainwater would be collected from higher ground through a series of pipes. The hole in the cover alone could not collect the necessary water; help was needed from surrounding areas. Thus a person must receive help from the outside as well - she cannot go it alone. Breaking down the expression: ֹר בּו Hole ֵא ַמלּ ְת ִמ Is filled up (a variation of the reflexive-intensive ֵל ַע ְתפּ ִהverb form) ֹו ָת ֻלי ְ ֵמח From/through (the hole in) its cover …where ָה ֻלי ְ חmeans cover (In Modern Hebrew more commonly, a link in a chain or a segment of the spinal cord) In plain English, The hole is not filled up through its cover. 25
…I’m Feeling ישׁה... ִגָּ ְר ישׁ/מ ִגּ ַ ְר ִניַמ ֲא
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“Lazy”
ָן ְצל ַע The Hebrew word for a male who is lazy is ָן ַצל ְ ע, while the word for a female lazy person is ַנית ִ ַצל ְ ע. The root of the word עצלןshows up in the Bar Mitzvah dance favorite, Yo Ya.
“Grateful”
ֹדה ָ ִסיר תּו ֲא One night after having fallen off my bike, I woke up at 4am with pain that prompted me to get in a cab and head to the urgent care center. They gave me cast because it wasn’t yet clear whether my scaphoid bone was broken or sprained. That early morning, I felt grateful – for the kind, professional (Arab) doctors at טרם, for having only injured my hand rather than having done something worse, and, suddenly, for lots of other people in my life, not the least of whom is my family. I suddenly started focusing on my relationships more than I usually do. Modern Hebrew doesn’t have a single proper word for grateful. Rather, we use an expression that means, literally, bound by thanks – ֹדה ָ ִסיר תּו ֲאin the masculine, and ֹדה ָ ירת תּו ִַס ֲאin the feminine. For example: ֹבֶאת ְכתּו ִל ְו ַים ִ ֹפנּ ַ ַל או ֹב ע ְרכּו ִל,ֹת ְשׂחו ֹלִל ָכו ִני י ֲא ֶשׁ ְו ,ֶבר ֵאיןִליֶשׁ ֹדהֶשׁ ָ ִסיר תּו ִניֲא ֹםֲא ַהיּו ֹאת שׁוּמהַהזּ ָ ְר ה. ָ Today I’m grateful that I don’t have a fracture, and that I can swim, ride a bike and write this posting. The Modern Hebrew expression for gratitude the noun is a bit different – ַרת ָכּ ַה ֹבה ָ – טוrecognition of a favor. (A little secret - the original Hebrew word for gratitude was ֹדה ָ תּו, but this word 27
has been replaced by the much more popular expression, thank you.)
“Daring”
ֹעז ָ נו Thanks to acts of bravery, selflessness and, at times, utter audacity on the part of Israeli soldiers , Mossad agents, security personnel and the leaders of the State, the Jewish people have a place to call home today. The Hebrew word for daring or “gutsy” is ֹעז ָ נוin the masculine and ֶזת ֹע ֶ נוin the feminine. For example: .יראק ִָע ֹמיְבּ ִ ֲאטו ָצהֶאתַהכּוּרָה ֹצ ְ ֵאל פּו ָר ְשׂ ִי ,ֶזת ֹע ֶ ָה נו ְפעוּל ִבּ In a daring operation, Israel bombed the nuclear reactor in Iraq. Israel did so to protect itself… as well as the world.
“Aggressive”
ִני ָפ ֹק ְ תּו When asked to translate the word aggressive into Hebrew, many Israelis are likely to say יבי ִִס ֶר אַג, ְ simply a transliteration from the English. However, you’re likely to hear in the media as well as from the lips of the generation currently being educated in Israeli universities the word ִני ָפ ֹק ְ – תּוalso, aggressive. Likewise, aggressiveness is ָפנוּת ֹק ְ תּו. These words come from the active-simple פעלverb ֹף ְתקו ל, ִmeaning to attack. לתקוףappears in various forms in Biblical Hebrew, but is borrowed from Aramaic. You may recognize the word’s root, פ.ק.( תt.k.f), in a few other words: קוּפה ָ תּ, ְ meaning period of time and ֹקף ֶ תּ, meaning validity. Collecting the data, we might observe that the common denominator among validity and aggressiveness is power. 28
“To Get Refreshed”
ֵן ֲענ ַר ְת ִה ְל Raanana – ָה ָננ ֲע ַר – is a city in Israel. The word רעננהmeans fresh, when speaking of something feminine such as a city. ...ֵף ִניָעיּ ָשׁיוֲא ְכ –ַעRight now, I’m tired... ֵן ֲענ ַר ְת ִה ֹצהְל ֶ ִני רו ֲא …ו ַ – ...and I want to get refreshed. The word להתרענןmeans to get refreshed.
“Exhausted”
ָמוּר גּ,מוּתשׁ ָ Ever have one of those weeks that seem to just fly by? You might feel good that the week is over and that you got a lot done, but you might also feel ֵף עיּ, ָtired – or to a greater extreme, exhausted. To say, exhausted, I and the male readers would use the word ׁש מוּת, ָ and the female readers would use ֶשׁת מוּת. ֶ A synonym in slang: ָמוּר גּor מוּרה ָ ְגּ – finished.
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“I Can’t Wait”
רוּח ַ ֹצר ֶ ֹתְבּק ַחכּו ְל The literal translation of I can’t wait! is: ֹת ַחכּו ֹלְל ָכו ִני א י –ֲאwhen spoken by a male ֹת ַחכּו ָהְל ֹול ְיכ ִני א –ֲאwhen spoken by a female But the more common, more descriptive expression is that which translates the English expression, to wait with bated (shortness of) breath – רוּח ַ ֹצר ֶ ֹתְבּק ַחכּו ל. ְ ֹת ַחכּו ְלis an active-intensive פיעלverb meaning to wait. ֹצר ֶ קmeans shortness. רוּח ַ means literally, wind. For example: .ֹת ִחירו ְבּ ֹתַה ֹצאו ְ רוּחְלתו ַ ֹצר ֶ ָעתְבּק ֵ ִכּים כּ ַח ִבּיםְמ ַר ִלים ֵא ָר ְשׂ ִי Lots of Israelis can’t wait right now for the election results (literally, Lots of Israelis are now waiting with bated breath for the election results).
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“Average”
ָצּע ֻמ ְמ The Hebrew word for (the) middle is ַצע ְמ א. ֶ For example: .ֶדר ֶח ַצעַה ְמ ֶא ֶדתְבּ ֹמ ֶ ִהיא עו She is standing in the middle of the room. The root of אמצעis ע.צ.מ, (m.ts.a), which appears as an active-intensive פיעלverb ַע ֵצּ ַמ ְל- in the Mishnah: .ַעם ֵביןָה ֹוְל ֹוֵבּינ ְצּע ַמ ֶהְמ ֻמנּ ְמּ ַה ְו ,אַחרֶזה ַ ִריןֶזה ֹב ְ ַעם עו ָלָה ֶר כּ ֶדּ- ִרים ֵח ַחםֶאתֲא ֵ ֶשׁהוּאְמנ ְכּ (’ משנה א,’)סנהדרין פרק ב When he (the high priest) consoles others - it is customary for all the people to pass by one another, and the designated (priest) splits him between him (the high priest) and the people. (Sanhedrin Chapter 2, Mishnah 1) Likewise, that which is split down the middle is ָצּע ֻמ מ, ְa passive פועלversion of the verb ַע ֵצּ ַמ ל. ְ In Modern Hebrew, we take this concept of split down the middle and use the word ממוצעto mean average - or that which is in the middle. For example: .ֵשׁשׁ ְו ִרים ְשׂ ָצּעֹפּה הוּאֶע ֻמ ְמּ ִגּילַה ַה The average age here is twenty six.
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“Capable”
ֶת ֶגּל ֻס ְמ,ָל ֻסגּ ְמ Suppose you’re with a friend at the British Museum, and your friend doesn’t know how to read the hieroglyphics on the Rosetta Stone. If you, however, are thus versed, you might say about yourself, I can! or I’m capable! Here’s how to say it in Hebrew, if you’re a male: ָל ֻסגּ ִניְמ ֲאand if you’re a female: ֶת ֶגּל ֻס ִניְמ א. ֲ
“Over-the-Moon Ecstatic”
ַג ַחַעדַהגּ ֵמ ָשׂ Barack Obama (along with his family) was over-the-moon ecstatic with joy after being reelected as President of the United States. A Hebrew expression that befit him at the time is ַג ַחַעדַהגּ ֵמ שׂ. ָIt means, literally, happy to the roof. Bear in mind that joy in Hebrew is an active-simple פעלverb, ֹח ְשׂמו ל. ִ Here’s an example of the expression in action: .ַג ְחנוַּעדַהגּ ַמ ָשׂ,ָהםַבּת ֶ ָדה ל ֹל ְ ְענוֶּשׁנּו ַמ ָשּׁ ֶשׁ ְכּ When we heard that a baby girl was born to them, we were ecstatic with joy (happy to the roof).
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“Childish”
דּוּתי ִ ַל ְ י The Hebrew word for child – probably related to the English word – is ֶד ֶילfor a male and ָדּה ַל ְ יfor a female. Words that in English have -hood, -ism, etc. at the end of the word, in Hebrew typically have an וּת- ending. So childhood is ַלדּוּת ְ י. Childish, seeming like a child or as if in childhood, is דּוּתי ִ ַל ְ י. For example: .דּוּתי ִ ַל ְ ַצת י ֹכןְק ֶ ָלַהתּ ָמד אָב ֶח ְ ֶפר נ ֵס ַה The book is cute (nice) but the content is a bit childish. The English word childlike, however, has a more positive connotation that childish. To mean childlike, Hebrew usually uses ִמים ָתּin the masculine, literally, innocent, and ימה ִָמ ְתּin the feminine.
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“Naughty”
ָן ְרי ֲב ַ ע The Hebrew word ָנים ִ ְרי ֲב ַ עappears in the introductory line to the well-known prayer, ֵרי ְד ִנ ָל – כּKol Nidrei. עברייניםis usually translated as criminals, though that translation lacks a certain punch associated culturally with the word. So let’s take apart the word and see that the root is ר.ב.ע, (a.b.r), meaning to pass. The root makes its way into the word ָן ְרי ֲב ַ עby virtue of the fact that עברייניםare those who bypass the law. You likewise may be familiar with the closely-related word ָרה ֲב ֵ –ע crime or transgression. In today’s Hebrew, the word עברייןtends to refer to those who seem to always get into trouble, as well as those involved in organized crime. Parents might use the term sarcastically when disciplining their children: they use the term not to implicate their children as proper criminals, but rather to call them something roughly equivalent to the English term, “naughty naughty.” A more salient, less culturally-loaded translation of criminal into Hebrew would be ֹשׁע ֵ פּו.
“Appropriate”
ֵם ֹל הו ֵם ֹול הmeans appropriate in the same ways as the English word. There’s ֵם ֹול –ִבּגּוּד הappropriate attire, both in the social sense and in response to the weather. And there’s ֶמת ֶ ֹול ֲגוּת ה ַה ְתנ –ִהappropriate behavior. And, of course, there’s ֹדה ָ ֲבו ְפיָהע ִ ֶמת ל ֶ ֹול ֹרת ה ֶ ְשׂכּו –ַמAn appropriate salary according to the job.
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“Wasted”
ְסטוּל ַמ,ָמוּר גּ While some refrain from excessive celebration on פּוּרים, ִ Purim, others… just go for it. Once they’ve done so, many of them find themselves passed out on the couch. One might point to such a male and say, ֵרי ַמ ְ ָמוּרְלג – הוּא גּhe’s totally gone (i.e., he is passed out). For a female, it’s מוּרה ָ גּ.ְLiterally, these words mean done or finished, and can be applied to other situations in which a person’s strength or wit has run out. One might also point to a female and say ָה ְסטוּל –ִהיאַמshe’s out of it. For a male, it’s ְסטוּל מ. ַThis word is borrowed from Arabic and means intoxicated or bewildered.
“Tense” or “Primed”
ָדּרוּ A phrase often seen in newspapers translates literally, “The world is following with tenseness the developments in the Middle East…” – ַחר ִריכוּתֲא ְד ֹקבִבּ ֵ ָם עו ֹול ָהע ֹן ִתּיכו ַרחַה ְז ִמּ ֹתַבּ ְתּחוּיו ַפּ ְת ִה ַה דריכותmeans tenseness or preparedness. To use the adjective form, one might say The soldier is ready for battle (literally, war) – ָמה ָח ְל ִמ ָלָדּרוּךְל ַחיּ ה. ַ
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“Ready for Action”
ֻמּן ָ וּמז ְמוּכן ָ The English phrase ready for action implies that a person is on alert, prepared to do what is necessary to achieve a goal. The Hebrew expression ֻמּן ָ וּמז ְמוּכן, ָ found in the literature of the Rabbis of the classical period as well as in today’s Jewish daily prayers, means essentially the same thing: ready and on alert. The word מזומןitself comes from the root נ.מ.ז, (z.m.n), meaning time. The word implies that a person who is on alert is bound by a time that will beckon. For example: .ָבר ָלָדּ ָדשׁ מוכן ומזומןְלכ ָח ִעירֶה ֹאשָׁה ר The new mayor is ready for anything that might come his way (literally, for everything). An example in the feminine: .ָצּב ָלַמ ֶתְלכ ֻמּנ ֶ וּמז ְָה מוּכנ ָ ִהיא She is ready for any situation.
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“Peace of Mind”
ִשׁי ַפ ְ ֶקט נ ֶשׁ There was much excitement when the deal for the release of Gilad Shalit was first drawn up and then later executed. However, many people lost their excitement when they saw what the cost would be. A Hebrew expression that means, roughly, peace of mind is ִשׁי ַפ ְ ֶקט נ שׁ. ֶIt means, literally, quiet of the soul – where the יending on the word ֶפש ֶ נturns the noun into an adjective. While it was a high cost, it is certain that the trade gave Gilad Shalit’s parents peace of mind. This state of being, so yearned for in our era of over-stimulation, has at least two other terms in Hebrew. יישוב הדעת The first takes the root ב.שׁ.י, (y.sh.b), meaning setting to create ַעת ַדּ –ִישּׁוּבַה literally, the setting of the mind. יישובis the abstract-noun form of the active-intensive פיעלverb, ַשּׁב ֵ ְליmeaning to settle something. This term for peace of mind is the type that requires elimination of distraction and is a means of achieving a goal. For example: .מּוּדים ִ ַלּ ִ יח בּ ִַל ְצ ַה ֵדיְל ַעתְכּ ַדּ ִריִישּׁוּבַה ָצ Peace of mind is needed in order to succeed in (the) studies. שלוות הנפש The second term takes ָוה ְל ַשׁmeaning serenity – a synonym of the word ֹם שׁלו, ָpeace – and combines it with the word for soul – ֶפשׁ ֶ – נto create ֶפשׁ ֶ ַותַהנּ ְל שׁ. ַThis means, literally, serenity of the soul. 37
“Guilty Feelings”
ָמה ְשׁ ֹתַא ְגשׁו ִר The Torah portion, Vayikra, ָרא ְק ִיּ ו,ַunveils the spiritual life of those Jews living in the times of the Temple - more specifically, the rituals they practice to express their devotion to God… as well as their sorrow at having sinned. One of the five types of ritual sacrifices is called ָשׁם ַבּןָא ְר –ָקguilt offering. Say the word אשםout loud and note how similar it sounds to the English word, shame. ָמה ְשׁ ַאis the word used in Modern Hebrew to refer to guilt. Then again, the word בּוּשׁה ָ also sounds a bit like shame. Guilt – אשמהand shame – בושהare not the same thing. ָמה ְשׁ ֹתַא ְגשׁו ִר – guilty feelings – come when a person believes, “I’ve done something bad.” These feelings motivate this person to fix what has become broken. The feeling of בושה, on the other hand, comes when a person believes “I am bad.” This experience is unhealthy and maladaptive, and can only be released when expressed fully – to self or, preferably, to another.
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“Anonymous”
ֹני ִ אַלמו ְ ,ימי ִֹנ ִ אָנו The more commonly-used translation of anonymous is also the one borrowed from another language (English, which in turn formed the word from Greek) – ימי ִֹנ ִ אָנו. But as a participant in the (enormously successful) effort to revitalize the ancient language of Hebrew in modern-day use, the Israeli media prefers to use words originating in ancient Jewish literature – the Bible and the Talmud, among others – when saying something that could otherwise be expressed using foreign words. Thus you’re likely to find in the media the word ֹני ִ אַלמו ְ used to mean anonymous, such as in this newspaper byline: .ֹני ִ אַלמו ְ ֵדיִאישׁ ְי ַל ֹתל ע ֶ ֱזבַבּכּ ָ ֹרהֶנע ָ ֶפר תּו ֵס A Torah scroll was left at the Wailing Wall by an anonymous man. So what is the source in ancient Jewish literature? It’s in the Bible – more specifically, Ruth 4:1, where an anonymous relative of Boaz, ֹני ִ אַלמו ְ ֹני ִ ְפּלוrefuses to marry Ruth… so instead Boaz marries her, and together they engender a line of descendants leading to King David. And as for ?פלוני אלמוניWell, he fades into anonymity.
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“Contagious”
ֵבּק ַדּ ִמ The way to translate contagious disease into Hebrew is ֶקת ֶבּ ַדּ ָהִמ ֲחל מ, ַthe latter word meaning contagious. But whereas in English, we’d normally say, stay away from me, I’m contagious, in Hebrew such a statement borders on slang, invoking the active-intensive פיעלverb form to say, ֶקת ֶבּ ַד ִניְמ א/ק ֲ ֵבּ ַד ִניְמ א. ֲ Spoken properly, it’s יקה ִָבּ ְד ִניַמ א/יק ֲ ִבּ ְד ִניַמ א, ֲusing the active-causative הפעילverb form and meaning, literally, I am infecting. Some examples: ִבּיק ְד ָבר אַמ ִניְכּ ֹםֲא ָלַהיּו אָב,ֶה ֹול יתי ח ִִי ה. ָ I was sick, but today I’m no longer contagious (infecting). ֵבּק ַדּ ָהִחיּוּ ִמ ֹלָהי ְתמו ָהֶא ֲחתוּנ ָתןַבּ ַח ָ ל. The groom at the wedding last night had a contagious smile.
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“To Crack Up Laughing”
ֹק ְצּחו ַעִמ ֵקּ ַפּ ְת ִה ְל Laughing is one of the most enjoyable of all human activities. To crack up, to fall off one’s seat, to die of laughter – these all have equivalents in Hebrew, though the most widely used is ֹק ְצּחו ַעִמ ֵקּ ַפּ ְת ִה ל. ְIt means, literally, to burst from laughter. להתפקעis a reflexive-intensive התפעלverb. The root is ע.ק.פ, (p.k.a). An example: .ֹק ְצּחו ָעהִמ ְקּ ַפּ ְת ִה ְו ֶרט ֶסּ ָתהֶאתַה ֲא ָר ִהיא She watched (saw) the movie and cracked up laughing. Some synonyms: ֹק ֹבְצחו ֵסּאֵמרו ִכּ ַלַה ֹלֵמע ִפּו ל To fall off of a (from on the) chair from so much laughter ֹק ְצּחו ָמוּתִמ ל To die of laughter
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“Lonely”
ֹדד ֵ בּו I once joined Mekete, an Ethiopian-Jew whose parents had already passed away, at his Bar Mitzvah celebration in Holon. The people at Mekete’s school really went above and beyond to make sure that he had a fun, meaningful occasion - and that he would feel enveloped in love. After Meteke was called up to the Torah, the group went to the Wolfson Medical Center where they visited and delighted the sick in order to perform a mitzvah – ָוה ְצ ִמimmediately after the “Bar Mitzvah” ceremony. Only after these activities did the group arrived at the hall, where, instead of dancing to music (Mekete was in the year of mourning the loss of his mother), the school administration and teachers showered Meteke with blessings and played with the crowd educational games designed to make everyone feel good about the Jewish tradition we were all taking part in. I can’t see into Mekete’s heart. I can only assume he missed his mother and father yesterday terribly. But I also assume that he didn’t feel alone – ַבד ְלor ָדד (ָבּa more literal usage), or lonely – ֹדד ֵ בּו. All these Hebrew words are adverbs; they stay the same regardless of whether it is a male or female, one or many people feeling lonely or alone. The Torah Portion Metzora, ֹרע ָ מּצ, ְprescribes the laws of the ֹרע ַ –ְמצa person afflicted with a skin disease often referred to as leprosy – ַעת ַר (ָצrelated to psoriasis?). The Sages of the Midrash explain that people would become ill with צרעתas a result of antisocial speech – badmouthing others, speaking rudely, etc. The treatment? ...ֹשׁבו ָ ֶה מו ֲחנ ַמ ֵשׁבֵמחוּץְל ֵ ָדד י ָבּ Alone shall he dwell, outside the camp of his dwelling… By speaking antisocially, this person has put up a wall of pride between himself and his fellows. Thus his cure is to be completely isolated from them, where he can internalize the consequences of his action.
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People Are… ...ָשׁיםֵהם ִ ֲאנ
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“Enlightened”
ֹר ָאו נ A couple of years ago I worked with a man named ֹר ָאו נ, who runs a non-profit organization in Tel Aviv. His name means enlightened. The female version of the word/name is ֹרה ָ נאו.ְ The word/name is actually a derivative of the נפעלverb form, and its root is the word ֹר אוmeaning light.
“Brilliant”
ִריק ְב ַמ The Hebrew word for lightning – or a sparkle of light – is ָרק בּ. ָIt’s also the name of a hero in ִטים ֹפ ְ ֶפר שׁו –ֵסthe Book of Judges – as well as the first name of the current American president. Something shining in such a way as to describe it as brilliant is called, in Hebrew, ִריק ְב –ַמan adjective deriving from the active-causative הפעילform. A couple of examples: ֹן מבריק ֲיו ַרע –ֶזהthat’s a brilliant idea; אָדם מבריק ָ –ִהיאֶבּןshe’s a brilliant person (Note מבריקis used in the masculine, since it describes the word אדם, a masculine word used nevertheless to refer to people of both genders.) Contrary to what you might expect, מבריקis not related to the English word maverick.
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“Friendly”
רוּתי ִ ְב ֶח,ידוּתי ִ ִד ְי Words for friendship include ֵברוּת ֲחand ִדידוּת י.ְThe word – חברותbased on the root ר.ב.ח, (kh.b.r), meaning connection – implies a well-established bond of friendship. ידידות, on the other hand - of the root ד.ו.ד, (d.v.d), meaning endearment – can be used to describe a growing relationship of positive feelings. These words can be used in adjective form as well. For example, to express that a product is environment-friendly, you’d say, יבה ִָב ַסּ ְ ידוּתי ל ִ ִד ְי – הוּאliterally, it’s friendly to the environment. To say that a person is friendly or sociable, you’d use a word based on the ר.ב. חroot: רוּתי ִ ְב ח. ֶFor example, רוּתית ִ ְב חוּרהֶח ָ –ִהיאָבּshe’s a sociable young woman. These adjectives create nouns of their own as well: ידוּתיּוּת ִ ִד ְי means friendliness, while רוּתיּוּת ִ ְב ֶחmeans sociability. ד.ו.ד, (d.v.d), is the root for the words associated with friendliness… as well as the words for aunt and uncle – ֹד דּוand ֹדה ָ דּו, which once meant, simply, beloved one. The name of the Jewish month of ֱאלוּלis said to be an acronym for ֹדי ִ ְודו ֹדי ִ ִניְלדו ֲא –ִליI am for my Beloved, and my Beloved is for me
“International”
ִמּי ֻא ְל ינ ְֵבּ To create the word international, English takes the word national and affixes to it the prefix, inter-. Hebrew does the same, where the word ִמּי ֻא ְלmeaning national gets the word inter/between/among – –ֵבּיןadded to the beginning, yielding ִמּי ֻא ְל ְ בּינ. ֵ For example: 45
.טק-י ֶַה ְתחוּםַה ימהִבּ ִָה ְד ִמּיַמ ֻא ְל ְ ְצוּאֵבּינ ַמת י ָר ֵשׁ ֵאל י ָר ְשׂ ִי ַת ִדינ ְמ ִל Israel has an amazing level of international export in the field of high-tech.
“Irritating”
ִעיק ֵמ Sometimes we just need to call a spade a spade and label an event, a song, or a person’s actions as irritating or bothersome – ִעיק מ. ֵThe feminine form of this term is יקה ִָע מ. ֵ מעיקcomes from the Biblical Hebrew word still used today, ָקה מוּע ָ – distress. The root of these words is ק.ו.ע, (a.v.k). מעיקis an adjective deriving from the active-causative הפעילverb, ִעיק ָה –ְלto irritate (emotionally, not physically). To say irritated, you’d use a different word – ִני ָבּ ַצ ְ ע, which also means nervous and anxious.
“Devoted”
ָמסוּר One of the themes of the Holiday of ֻכּה ָ –ֲחנHanukkah – is devotion to a cause. The Maccabees were devoted – סוּרים ִ –ְמto the cause of defending the right of Jews to practice their religion. Thanks to their ִסירוּת –ְמdevotion – the Jewish people are here today. If a woman is devoted to a cause, she is סוּרה ָ מ. ְIf a man is devoted, he is מסוּר. ָ The root of these words is ר.ס.מ, (m.s.r), one of the roots for the concept of giving. מסירותis giving oneself over, as in the phrase, ֶפש ֶ ִסירוּת נ –ְמgiving over oneself, or, less literally, making self-sacrifice.
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“Attentive”
ָקשּׁוּב When a parent/caregiver is sensitive to or attentive of the emotional cues the baby gives, the baby and adult enjoy a relationship of closeness and security. The baby internalizes this relationship and learns to relate to others, throughout life, from a place of security. The Hebrew word for attentive is קשּׁוּב, ָor שּׁוּבה ָ ַקin the feminine. It’s related to a word you’ve certainly come across if you’ve taken a course with Ulpan La-Inyan, ִשׁיב ְק ַה –ְלto listen. For example: .ַת ֵבַהזּוּל ָםְלל ְוג ,ֹ ְלבּו ִ ֹתַקשּׁוּב ל ְהיו ִרי ִל אָדםָצ ָ A person needs to be attentive to his own heart, as well as to the heart of the other.
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“Vulnerable”
יע ִַג ָפּ Brené Brown, in a video that I (you too, undoubtedly) can relate to so well, says that at the core of being able to love is the willingness to be vulnerable – to put oneself “out there” where one might get hurt. Vulnerable, in Hebrew, is ָגיע ִ פּfor a male and יעה ִָג ְפּfor a female. Likewise, vulnerability is ִגיעוּת פּ.ְ These words come from the root ע.ג.פ, (p.g.a), whose basic meaning is contact, usually the type that hurts. For example: .ִבים ֹה ֲ ִכי או ִמיֶשׁאָנוֲּה ְעיםְבּ ִ ֹג אָנוּ פּו We hurt whom we love most. It’s the same root as פּגּוּע,ִthe official Hebrew term for terror attack. Vulnerability is also about taking risks, where the results could be terrible... but they could also be wonderful. And, according to Brené, vulnerability is necessary if one is to really love.
“Unavailable”
ִמין אָז When traveling abroad, it becomes difficult to stay in contact with people, especially when you are traveling to places that do not have Wifi. To say I’m not available for a man would be – ִמין ִני אָז א, ֲand for a woman – ִני א ֲא ָה ִמינ ז.ְ Note the root of these words – נ.מ.ז, (z.m.n), the concept of time.
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“Unforgivable”
ַח ְסל ִנ ִתּי ְל ִבּ This entry was written in the wake of the Itamar Massacre The butchering of an innocent family is an unforgivable act – ַח ְסל ִנ ִתּי ְל ֲשׂהִבּ ֶ מע. ַ The word נסלחfalls into the נפעלverb pattern, though the word itself functions as an adjective. The root is ח.ל.ס, (s.l.kh) – forgiveness.
“Logical”
ֹני ִ ְגיו ֶה In English, to think is a general term, while to ponder, to contemplate, to surmise, etc. are related to thinking but are more specific. Hebrew works the same way, with ֹב ַחשׁו ְ לmeaning to think while other words denote something more specific. For example, the Biblical and Modern Hebrew ֹת ֲגו ַה לmeans to pronounce, but also to ponder. Likewise, ֹן ָיו הגּ, ִin Biblical Hebrew, refers to the act of pondering (ִלּים י”ט ִה –ְתּPsalms 19). In Medieval times, the study of logic became a central discipline for scholars. So for Jewish scholars, the word הגיוןtook on a meaning even more specific than pondering – it came to mean logic, which is what the word means to this day. That which is logical is ֹני ִ ְגיו ה. ֶ
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“Professional”
ֹעי ִ ְקצו ִמ The Modern Hebrew word for profession – ֹע ְקצו –ִמappears in the Bible meaning the side of a room/a geometrical figure. The root is ע.צ.ק, (k.ts.a), a root that shares its first two letters with other roots of a similar meaning: ה.צ.ק, (k.ts.h), – edge; ר.צ.ק, (k.ts.r), – short (in length); etc. What does a side have to do with a profession? By gaining a profession, a person acquires his/her side or corner in the workforce. Think carving a niche. To describe someone as professional you’d use ת/ֹעי ִ ְקצו מ. ִFor example, הוּא ֹעי ִ ְקצו ֹרִמ ָטו ֶטל ְס ינ ְ –ִאhe is a professional plumber. By contrast, to say someone is a professional, you’d use ֹען ָ ְקצו ִמor ִנית ֹע ָ ְקצו מ. ִ
“Reliable”
אָמין ִ You’re certainly familiar with the word אָמן ֵ – amen. The three-letter root of the word makes up the entire word. Its core meaning is trust. Thus the word for reliable is אָמין, ִ or ָה אָמינ, ִ when speaking of a female or a feminine object. For example: .אָמין ִ ֶכב ֶר ֶזה This is a reliable vehicle.
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“Rich”
ִשׁיר ָע The Hebrew word for wealth is ֹשׁר ֶ – עnot to be confused with the word for happiness. Thus the word for wealthy is ִשׁיר ָעin the masculine and ירה ֲָשׁ ִ עin the feminine. For example: .ִטים ְנ יד ִַס ֹק ְ ִטיאו אַנ ְִיריםְבּ ֲשׁ ִ ָלים ע ִ ֲאכ ֹלַמ ֶאכו ֱ ָחשׁוּב ל It’s important to eat foods that are rich in antioxidants. ?ֹת ֲניּו ִ ֹת ע ִדינו ְמ ֵעִל ַ ַסיּ ֹתְל ִריכו ֹתְצ ֲשׁירו ִ ֹת ע ִדינו ִאםְמ ַה Must wealthy countries aid poor countries?
“Serious”
ָחמוּר,יני ִִצ ְר The translation of serious into Modern Hebrew, when referring to a person, an offer, etc. is יני ִִצ ְר in the masculine and ינית ִִצ ְר in the feminine. For example: .יני ִִצ ְר הוּאָבּחוּר He’s a serious young man (in Hebrew, this is a compliment). .ָרה ְשׂ ַמּ ִ ִיּים ל ינ ִִצ ְר ִדים ֳמ ָ ָמּהָמע ֵשַׁכּ י There are several serious candidates for the position. To describe a situation, an action, etc. as serious or grave, however, you’d use a different word: ָחמוּרin the masculine and מוּרה ָ ֲחin the feminine. These words usually refer to things that shouldn’t have been done. For example: .ֲשׂהָחמוּר ֶ ֶסתֶזהַמע ֶ ְכּנ ַלִקירֵבּיתַה ֹב ע ְכתּו ִל 51
To write on the wall of the synagogue is a serious act. ָחמוּרis likely not related to the word ֹר ָחמוmeaning donkey.
“Sophisticated”
ָכּם ְח ֻת ְמ If you know some Hebrew, you surely know the word for wise or smart – ָמה ָכ ח/ם ֲ ָכ ָח But sophisticated is more than smart. It takes smart to a whole different level. Thus Hebrew takes the root מ.כ.ח, (kh.k.m), and adds a ( תt) to the beginning, taking the meaning of the words derived to a whole new level. You might say, ָכּם ְח ֻת אָדםְמ ָ – הוּאhe is a sophisticated person. מתוחכםis an adjective derived from the פועלverb form.
“Strange”
ָר מוּז In Biblical Hebrew, a man from the outside, a stranger, is an אישָׁזר, ִwhile a strange woman is an ָרה ָשּׁהָז א. ִLikewise, a male foreign worker is an ֹבדָזר ֵ עו, while a female is an ָרה ֶדתָז ֹב ֶ עו. The adjectives זרand זרהbecome nouns as well, so that a strange man is sometimes called a זרand a strange woman a זרה. The word מוּזר ָ meaning simply strange or weird, in Modern Hebrew, appears once in the Bible, in ִלּים כ”ט ִה –ְתּPsalms 29: .ִמּי ֵיִא ְבנ ִריִל ָכ ְ ְונ ָחי ֶא יתיְל ִִי מוּזרָה ָ Estranged I am to my brothers and foreign to my mother’s sons. מוזרis an adjective deriving from the passive-causative הופעלverb form, so that the word means, literally, made strange. 52
“Unique”
חוּדי ִ ִי If you’ve already got some Hebrew under your belt, you probably know the word for special – ֻחד ָ מי. ְ But there’s special and there’s unique. The Hebrew word for unique is חוּדי ִ י.ִ For example: .ֹת ִחינו ָמּהְבּ ַכּ חוּדיתִמ ִ ִי ָה ִדינ ֵאלִהיאְמ ָר ְשׂ ִי Israel is a unique state in several ways (literally, from several points of view). The root is ד.ח.( יy.kh.d), meaning together. It’s related to the root ד.ח.( אa.kh.d) meaning one.
“Stunning”
ֵמּם ַה ְמ Take a look at this phrase, a Tel-Aviv spoof on similar phrases appearing in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak and other places: .ֵמּם ַה בוּשׁהְמ ָ ְתּ אְל ֹתינוִּאםַא ֵ ְשׁכוּנו ִריִבּ ֲב ְ ָא אַלַתּע ָאנּ Don’t pass through our neighborhoods if you don’t look (literally, aren’t dressed) stunning. The text reads מהמםand not ֶמת ֶמּ ַה מ, ְsince the word functions here as an adverb. Unlike adjectives, adverbs in Hebrew do not change gender or number. The word ֵמּם ַה ְמmeans stunning both in the literal sense as well as in the fashion sense. ֵמּם ַה –ְלan active-intensive פיעלverb – means to stun.
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“Vegan”
ֹני ִ ְבעו ִט The Torah portion Noah, ֹח נ, tells the story of destruction and renewal, closeness and separation… as well as vegetarianism and, well, meat-eating. A vegetarian - one who refrains from eating meat – is a ֹני ִ ְמחו *צ, ִ deriving from the word for plant or herb, ַמח צ. ֶ A vegan – one who refrains from eating all animal products – is a ֹני ִ ְבעו *ט, ִ from the word ַע –ֶטבnature. * These are the masculine versions of the words. To describe a female vegetarian or vegan, add a ת, (t), to the end of the desired word.
“Consistent”
ִבי ְק ִע Perhaps you know the Hebrew word for heel, as in the back of your foot: ֶקב ע. ֵIt’s the root of the name Jacob – ֹב ֲעק ַי , who, according to the Biblical story, was born holding onto the עקבof his twin brother, Esau – ָשׂו ע. ֵ To follow someone is ישׁהו ֵֶריִמ אַח ֲ ֹב ֲקו ַלע , evoking the image of following footsteps or heel-prints. Using the same imagery, Hebrew calls someone or something consistent – that is, behaving in a reliable, predictable manner or taking steady footsteps – ִבי ְק ִעin the masculine and ִבית ְק ִעin the feminine.
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Politics and the Life Cycle ִיּים ַח ַלַה ֲעג וּמ ַיקה ָיט ִֹל ִ ַהפּו
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“For a Change”
ֵשׁםִשׁנּוּי ְל The Hebrew word for a change is שׁנּוּי, ִthe noun form of the active-intensive פיעל verb ֹת ַשׁנּו –ְלto change (something). Its root is ה.נ.שׁ, (sh.n.h), the same as that of the following words (non-exhaustive list): ָה –ָשׁנyear ָה ִניּ –ְשׁa second ָה ְשׁנ –ִמMishnah The common denominator among all these words? Repetition: a year comes in cycles, a second is the second division of an hour after the minute, and if someone wants to really learn a Mishnah, s/he needs to repeat it many times. Repetition includes doing something for a second (or third or fourth) time, but better – which is the essence of change. The English expression for a change becomes ֵשׁםִשׁנּוּי –ְלliterally, for the name (for the sake) of change. For example: .ֵשׁםִשׁנּוּי ְל,ָט ַםָסל ָה גּ ִמינ ְז ַעםִהיאִה ַ ַהפּ This time, she ordered salad too, for a change.
“Win-Win”
ַצּח ֵ מנְַח ַצּ ֵ ְמנ A win-win situation is one in which both (or all parties) involved come out winners. One of the words in Hebrew for to win is ַצּח ֵ לנ. ְIt’s a פיעלverb coming from the root ח.צ.נ, (n.ts.kh), meaning eternity. I suppose there’s a feeling of everlasting that accompanies a win... as well as an act of conducting an orchestra, which is also .לנצח מנצח- מנצחmeans win-win. 56
“To Teach a Lesson”
ֶקח ַ ַמּד ל ֵ ְלל The Torah portion that opens the book of Deuteronomy, ִרים ָב דּ,ְis translated literally as words, where words in this context refer to words of admonition. דברים, common in Biblical Hebrew with the primary meaning words, is today a literary term for words, while the common word used in Modern Hebrew is ִלּים מ. ִ To admonish is to teach a lesson, often one that isn’t so pleasant for the learner. As does most of the language, Modern Hebrew retains terms from its classical, often quite ancient sources. To teach a lesson comes directly from Biblical Hebrew: ֶקח ַ ַמּד ל ֵ לל. ְ The word ללמד means to teach. It’s an active-intensive פיעלverb. לקחmeans a lesson, specifically a moral or life lesson. It can be found all over the Holy Writings section of the Bible, perhaps most famously in the verse: .ֹבוּ ֲעז ִתי אַלַתּ ֹר ָ תּו,ָכם ֶ ִתּי ל ָת ַ ֹב נ ֶקח טו ֶ ִכּי ל For I have given you a good lesson, do not forsake my Torah. לקחis related to the word ַחת ַקּ ַ – לto take – and its root is ח.ק.( לl.k.kh). So such a lesson is actually a taking or sorts. Flipping the scenario, we get to learn a lesson – ֶקח ַ ֹד ל ִלמו ְ ל. The word ללמודis an active-simple פעלverb of the same root as ללמד.
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“Extreme”
ֹני ִ ִקיצו The Hebrew word for edge or tip is ֶצה ק. ָThis word figures prominently in the Tabernacle blueprints laid out in the Torah portion Vayakhel, ֵהל ַק ְ ויּ.ַ Two edges are ֹת ָצו ֵיְק שׁנ. ְIn Biblical Hebrew, קצהmeans corner as well. And in Modern Hebrew, on the tip of my (literally, the) tongue is ֹן ָשׁו ֵצהַהלּ ַלְק ע. Modern Hebrew takes the concrete concept of an edge to an abstract level, creating the word for on the edge or extreme – ֹני ִ קיצו. ִ For example, one might say about a politician, ֹת ֹניּו ִ ֹתִקיצו ֹוֵדּעו ֵשׁ ל – יhe has extreme opinions.
“Moderate”
ָמתוּן The edge of something is the ֶצה ;ק ָsomeone “on the edge” or extreme is ֹני ִ קיצו. ִ But someone moderate or level-headed – in ideology or in relationships – is מתוּן. ָThe word is related to ַים ִ ְתנ –ָמhips, since the hips are a part of the body with which one might exercise restraint. The first ָה ְשׁנ –ִמMishnah – of the Ethics of the Fathers – ֹת ֵקי אָבו ְר –ִפּcalls upon the leaders of the Jewish people to be ִדּין תוּניםַבּ ִ –ְמthey should be moderate in judgment. But whether the משנהactually means the word מתוניםas moderate or something else is up for debate among the commentators. Another example: In The Godfather , it is debatable whether Al Pacino’s character, Michael, is קיצוניor מתון.
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“News Flash”
ָזק ְב ִמ The English version of Ynet (the Hebrew site is ynet.co.il) renders ִקים ָז ְב ִמ as updates instead of news flashes. I prefer to translate ָזק ְב ִמas news flash, however, because of the imagery that comes to mind when I say or hear the word. The root of מבזקis ק.ז.( בb.z.k), appearing only once in the Bible as lightning, in Ezekiel’s spectacular Vision of the Chariot, י”ד,ֵקאל א ְז ֶח ְי (Ezekiel 1:14). There, the word used is ָזק בּ. ָThus a newsflash, in Modern Hebrew, is a ֹת ָדשׁו ָזקַח ְב מ. ִ The far more common word for lightning - both in the Bible and in Modern Hebrew - is phonetically very close to the one mentioned above, ָרק בּ. ָIt could be that in Ezekiel’s time and place, the sounds corresponding to the ( רr) and ( זz) letters (at least one of the sounds corresponding to )זwere nearly identical. In the Arabic (one of Hebrew’s sister-languages) alphabet anyway, the letters for רand ז look almost identical: زand ر. What about the phone company? You may know that Israel’s largest phone company is ֶזק בּ, ֶa word that appears in the Bible as the name of a city. Look at the word, and you’ll find that all three letters from the root of מבזקare there - phone communication involves sound flashing back and forth.
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“Not Necessarily”
ַח ֵר ְכ ֶה אְבּ,ָקא ְו ָאוַדּ ל A useful expression in English is not necessarily. In Hebrew, we say either ָקא ְו ָאוַדּ לor ַח ֵר ְכ ֶה אְבּ. For example: .ֵאל ָר ְשׂ ִי ֵצאתְבּ ְמ ִנ ָקא ְו ָאוַדּ ַים ל ִ רוּשׁל ָ ְי ֵשׁם ִעירְבּ A city by the name of Jerusalem isn’t necessarily located in Israel.* or .ֵאל ָר ְשׂ ִי ֵצאתְבּ ְמ ִנ ַח ֵר ְכ ֶה ַים אְבּ ִ רוּשׁל ָ ְי ֵשׁם ִעירְבּ (same meaning) * There are cities called Jerusalem in the United States and probably other places as well. The pronunciation presented here of לא בהכרחis the most correct one, but you’re more likely to hear Israelis saying ַרח ְכ ֶה אְבּ. To say that something is necessary logically, use the word ִחי ֵר ְכ ה. ֶOtherwise, use ָחוּץ נ to mean necessary, as in: .ַטּיּוּל ִ ִביאִבּגּוּדָחם ל ָה ָחוּץְל נ (It’s) necessary to bring warm clothing for the trip.
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“Of Course”
!מּוּבן ָ ַכּ,ָבּרוּר,ַטח ֶבּ The Hebrew word for security is ֹן ָטּחו בּ, ִwhose root is ח.ט.( בb.t.kh) meaning sureness and security. To say, for sure! or of course! in Hebrew, you’d use one of several terms. Here are three of them: בטח A less formal way of expressing of course or for sure is to say !ַטח בּ. ֶThis word means, literally, securely! To strengthen the tone of agreement, some say !ֵכּן ַטחֶשׁ –ֶבּ literally, of course it is so! Take this short dialogue for example: ?ֶרט ַסּ ֶ ָתּנוּ ל ָתּהָבּאִא ַא ֵכּן ַטחֶשׁ !בּ ֶ Are you (a male) coming with us to the movie? Of course I am! ברור Another informal way of saying of course uses the word for clearly – .ָבּרוּר כמובן The more formal word for of course is מּוּבן ָ כּ. ַIt means, literally, as that which is understood, with ַכּmeaning as that which or as the, and מוּבן ָ meaning understood. מובןis an adjective deriving from the passive-causative הופעלverb form, the opposite of the active-causative verb, ִבין ָה –ְלto understand. Take another short dialogue for example: ?ָבּה ִס ַמּ ְ ִנים ל ָמ ְז ִאםֵהםֻמ ַה מּוּבן ָ !כּ ַ Are they invited to the party? Of course! 61
“On the Contrary”
ָבּה ַר אַד ְ One way of saying on the contrary in Hebrew is ֶפך ֶה –ְלliterally, to the opposite. A synonym with an edge is ָבּה ַר אַד. ְ It comes from Babylonian Aramaic and is used mostly in academic circles… and in the ָרש ְד –ֵבּיתִמreligious house of study. For example: !ָן ֻציּ ֹןְמ ְעיו ַר ָבּה?ֶזה ַר אַד ְ Why not? (just the opposite!) It’s a great idea!
“Sort of…”
…סוּגֶשׁל When they want to express similarity without being too specific (or to say “no” or “not really” without actually saying it), English speakers use the expression sort of or kind of. Often this is a response to a question. For example: Q: Is he tall? A: Well, he’s kind of tall... Colloquial Hebrew has adopted this expression in direct translation from the English: סוּגֶשׁל- literally, a type/sort/kind of. To translate the Q&A above: ?ֹה ָ ָבו הוּא גּ:ָה ֵאל ְשׁ סוּגֶשׁל:שׁוּבה ָ …תּ ְ
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“Conflict of Interest”
ִסים ֶר ֶט ינ ְִנגּוּדִא In English we talk about a conflict of interest. In Hebrew, we call this ִסים ֶר ֶט ינ ְִגּוּדִא נ. The first word, ניגוד, comes from the preposition ֶד ֶנג , meaning against or opposite. Another Hebrew word formed by the root ד.ג.( נn.g.d) is ֵד ַנגּ ְת ִה –ְלto be opposed (to something). The second word in the phrase comes from a Latinate language, most likely Spanish.
“Doesn’t Go Together with…”
ָחד ֶהֶא ָקנ ֶהְבּ ֹל א עו In the Torah portion Miketz, ֵקּץ מ, ִPharaoh dreams about wheat, cattle and the future of Ancient Egypt: (כ”ב:אשׁית מ”א ִֵר )בּ ְ…ֹת ֹבו ְוטו ֹת ִריאו ְבּ,ָחד ֶהֶא ָקנ ֹ תְבּ ֳלים ע ִ ַעִשׁבּ ֵהֶשׁב ִהנּ ְו And behold, seven heads of grain growing (literally, rising) on a single stalk – (they were) healthy and good…(Genesis 41:22) This imagery of different heads of grain growing together lends itself to the Hebrew expression used today to mean different ideas cooperating – ָחד ֶהֶא ָקנ ֹתְבּ ֲלו (ַלעliterally, to rise in one stalk). Far more commonly, however, speakers will use the opposite expression: .ָחד ֶהֶא ָקנ ֹתְבּ ֹלו ָמין א עו ִ ַהיּ ְו ֹאל ְשּׂמ ֹתֶשׁלַה ֵדּעו ַה The opinions of the left and the right don’t go together.
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“Judgmental”
פּוּטי ִ ִשׁ The Torah portion, Mishpatim, ִטים ָפּ ְשׁ מ, ִtranslates literally to ordinances or rules. The root of this word is ט.פ.( שׁsh.p.t) meaning judgment. To judge, in both the legalistic sense and in the interpersonal sense, is ֹט ְשׁפּו ל, ִwhile a ֹפט ֵ שׁוis a (male) judge. The Biblical story of Moses and the Israelite slaves expresses both senses of to judge in the phrase, ֵינו ֹפטָעל ֵ ְושׁו ִאישָׁשׂר ְמ ְל –ִמיָשׂwho placed you as a minister and judge upon us? The Israelite slaves in that passage are referring to Moses as a judge as well as a man being judgmental. The Modern Hebrew word for judgmental is פּוּטי ִ שׁ. ִLikewise, nonjudgmental is simply פּוּטי ִ אִשׁ. And judgmentalism is פּוּטיּוּת ִ שׁ. ִ
“Who’s Who?”
ָמי ִ ִמי ו The Hebrew term for an illustrious who’s who list ִמי ָו –ִמיliterally, who and who, as in ָשׁה ָד ֲח ֶסתַה ֶ ְכּנ ִמיַבּ ו-י ִָמּ –ַהthe who’s who in the new Knesset. The phrase first appears in ֹת ֶפרְשׁמו ֵסthe Biblical Book of Exodus: ,ִמי ָו יכם;ִמי ֶה’ֱאֵה-ְבדוֶּאת ְלכוִּע,ֵהם ֶ ֹאמרֲאל ֶַויּ ,ֹה ְרע פּ-ל ַ ֶא,ֹן אַהר-ת ֲ ֶא ְו ֹשׁה ֶ מ-יּוּשׁבֶאת ַ ַו (’ח:’ֹת י )שׁמו ְ?ִכים ֹל ְ ַהה And Moses and Aaron were summoned back to Pharaoh, and he said to them, “Go, worship the L-rd your God – who and who is going?” (Exodus 10:8) In Modern Hebrew, we might encounter: .אָביב ִ ִמיֶשׁלֵתּל ו-י ִָמּ ָלַה ְמנוּ כּ ְז ֲרוּכהֻה ָ ַתּע ַ ל All the who’s who of Tel Aviv were invited to the exhibition.
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“The Partition Plan”
ֻקּה ָ ֲחל ִניתַה ְכ ָתּ November 29th marks the day that the UN General Assembly adopted the Partition Plan for Palestine in 1947. The Hebrew translation for that loaded term is ֻקּה ָ ֲחל ִניתַה ְכ תּ. ָEmploying ִמיכוּת ְס or construct state, that’s literally, the plan of the partition. חלוקהmeans partition or division, but also distribution. For example, giving out prizes is ִסים ָר ֻקּתְפּ ַ חל. ֲThe root of חלוקהis ק.ל.ח, (kh.l.k), meaning part – both in the sense of participation (sharing) as well in the sense of to depart and political party (separation).
“Terror Attack”
ִפּגּוּע Modern Hebrew’s word for an attack of terror is פּגּוּע.ִThe word comes from the root ע.ג.פ, (p.g.a), which bears the concept of harm.
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“Two States for Two Nations”
ִמּים ֵיַע ְשׁנ ֹתִל ִדינו ֵתּיְמ ְשׁ The root for the word for a change is ה.נ.שׁ, (sh.n.h), and its core concept is repetition, but it’s also important to point out that the word for two is related as well: something repeated is done for at least the second time. Here are the ways to say two in Hebrew: ַים ִ ְשׁנ ִים ַתּ ְשׁ שניםrefers to two people or objects that are grammatically masculine, or a pair in which one is masculine and the other is feminine. שתיםrefers to two people or objects that are grammatically feminine. For example: .ֵשֹׁפּה? שנים ָשׁים י ִ ָמּהֲאנ ַכּ How many people are here? Two. (People can be either two males or a male and a female) ֵשֹׁפּה? שתים ָשׁים י ִ ָמּה נ כּ. ַ How many women are here? Two. In Modern Hebrew, שניםand שתיםare used where two is used as a noun, such as in an answer to a question. But far more commonly in speech, we use two as an adjective. In that case, Hebrew uses a different form, meaning literally, two of… The two forms are: ֵי –ְשׁנtwo (of) masculine people or objects, or one masculine and the other feminine ֵתּי –ְשׁtwo (of) feminine people or objects For example: 66
ָשׁים ִ ֵיֲאנ ֵשֹׁפּהְשׁנ י. There are two people here. .ָשׁים ִ ֵתּי נ ֵשֹׁפּהְשׁ י There are two women here. Here is a more controversial concept using the word two .ִמּים ֵיַע ְשׁנ ֹתִל ִדינו ֵתּיְמ ְשׁ Two states for two nations. We use the feminine שתיin the phrase שתי מדינות, since the word for state – ָה ִדינ ְמ – is a feminine noun. We use the masculine שניin the phrase לשני עמים, since the word for people – –ַעם is a masculine noun.
“A Moment of Silence”
ָיּה דּוּמ ִ ַעֶשׁל ֶרג ,ָיּה דּוּמ ִ ָקּה ַדּ One appropriate emotional response to tragedy such as that which took place in Sandy Hook, Connecticut in December 2012, is to be silent. On a communal level, sometimes a moment of silence is observed. Hebrew has two terms for this: ָה דּוּמיּ ִ ָקּה ַדּ literally, a silent minute (a minute of silence) ָה דּוּמיּ ִ ַעֶשׁל ֶרג literally, a moment of silence
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“Haredi”
ִדים ֵר ֲח “Ultra-Orthodox” is the English term that describes a large group of Jews, whose religious practice tends to be very strict and whose dress remains very conservative, reminiscent of Eastern Europe before modernity. Many English speakers are familiar with another term that describes this group –Haredim. This is the English spelling of the Hebrew word, ִדים ֵר ח. ֲ What does חרדיםmean? The word first appears in the Biblical book of Isaiah: (ה:ָהוּ ס”ו ְעי ַשׁ )י ְ’...ֹ ָברו ְדּ ִדיםֶאל ֵר ֲח ַה,’ַבר ה ְדּ ְמעוּ ’שׁ ִ Hear the word of God, (you) who tremble at His word... (Isaiah 66:5) Another example: ?ָשׁה ָד ֲח ָהַה יצי ְֹאָל ִַקּו ְרפוּ ל ָט ִצ ְ ֹת י ִדיּו ֵר ֲח ֹתַה ָגו ְפל ִמּ ִאםַה ַה Will the Haredi parties join to the new coalition? ֹד ַחרו ֲ ל, an active-simple פעלverb, means to tremble or to quake. The root is ד.ר.ח (kh.r.d). So, by calling themselves חרדים, the Ultra-Orthodox are stating that they tremble before the word of God. So it turns out that in dress, religious devotion and name as well, this Jewish group parallels the American Quakers. Their theologies share similarities as well, but also considerable differences. A Haredi man is an ִדי ֵר אישֲׁח, ִwhile a Haredi woman is an ִדית ֵר ָשּׁהֲח א. ִ
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“Jew”
הוּדי ִ ְי The word Jew is a household term, just as Christian and Muslim are. But where does the word Jew come from? The Hebrew version is הוּדי ִ ְי for a male and ָה הוּדיּ ִ ְי for a female. These are the Hebrew terms that refer someone of the Jewish faith, who holds the Torah as the most sacred of books. But if you’ve read the Torah – in Hebrew or in English, you probably noticed that the words יהודיand יהודייהare strikingly... absent. How could that be? The answer has more to do with geography than with religion. יהודיand יהודייהcome from the name הוּדה ָ ְי – one of the sons of Jacob, but also the piece of land named after that son. In English, we call that piece of land Judea. Twelve Israelite tribes inhabited Ancient Israel, until the Assyrians came and exiled the majority. The major remaining tribe, יהודה, continued to reign until the Babylonians came and exiled them as well. The people from the land of ( יהודהtoday a large chunk of Modern Israel, including Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh and the southern part of the West Bank) were taken to Babel. Many migrated from there to ancient Persia, where the Purim story takes place and presents us with the first person to be referred to as a – יהודיa Jew: ָה ְגל ֶשׁרָה ֲא,יני ִִמ ְי ִעיֶבּןִקישִׁאישׁ ְמ ָאירֶבּןִשׁ ִ ַכיֶבּן י ֳד ְר ֹוָמ וּשׁמ ְירה ִָבּ שׁוּשׁןַה ַ ָהְבּ הוּדיָהי ִ ְי ִאישׁ ...ַים ִ ירוּשׁל ָ ִמ ו-ה:אסתר ב A Jewish man (a man from Judea) was in Shushan the capital, and his name was Mordecai the son of Yair the son of Shim’i the son of Kish, a man from Yemin (the more specific land of Benjamin); who was exiled from Jerusalem... (Esther 2:5-6) So what was once an ethnicity – יהודיor יהודייהreferring to a person from the land of Judea – gradually came to refer to a religion, as the Jewish people wandered from place to place, with their religious practice uniting them... as well as their hope to one day return to הוּדה ָ ְי ֶרץ –ֶאthe Land of Judea and the rest of Israel. 69
“New Year’s Resolution”
ָשׁה ָד ָהֲח ָשׁנ ָטהְל ָ ְחל ַה Resolution is a word of a high register in English, but it in the case of New Year’s resolutions; it means, essentially, decision. Hebrew preserves this simplicity by translating New Year’s resolution into ָטה ָ ְחל ַה ָשׁה ָד ָהֲח ָשׁנ –ְלliterally, a decision for a new year. And unlike in English, where New Year’s resolution is a staple of the yearly cycle and therefore a phrase that doesn’t tolerate much modification or conjugation, החלטה לשנה חדשהis not quite as rigid, allowing for variations such as: .ָשׁה ָד ֲח ָהַה ַשּׁנ ָ ָטה ל ָ ְחל ַתַה ַבּל ַק Making (literally, receiving) a decision for the New Year. and, in context: ?ָשׁה ָד ֲח ָהַה ַשּׁנ ָ ְתּ ל ַל ְ ֹתִקבּ ָטו ְחל ֵאלּוַּה What resolutions have you made (which decisions have you received) for the New Year?
“Irreversible”
ִפי ִתּיָה ְל ִבּ The word ִתּי ְל ִבּcomes before another word to do what the prefixes “un-” and “in-” do in English. Some examples of such phrases ִקּי ִתּיֻח ְל –ִבּillegal, and ִתּיָצפוּי ְל ִבּ – unexpected. To describe a situation as irreversible, you’d call it הפיך.ִפיך ִתּיָה ְל ִבּis a variation of the word ֶפך –ֶהopposite or contrary. You might say, for example: .ִפיך ִתּיָה ְל ֲשׂה הוּאִבּ ָ ַנּע ֲשׂהֶשׁ ֶ ַמּע ַה 70
The deed that was done is irreversible.
“Long Term”
ָח טוְ ֹר ֲא With the 2012 military operation in Gaza came to an close, 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 ָוח ֹר ְט א, ֲwhere ארוךmeans long and טווח means term. For example: .ָוח ֹר ְט ֹןֲא ְתרו ֶשׁתִפּ ֶקּ ַב ֵאלְמ ָר ְשׂ ִי Israel is seeking a long-term solution. Alternatively, ֹר ָוח אָ ְט –ִלfor a long term – can be used to mean the same thing. For example: ֹר ָוח אָ ְט ֶקטִל ֶשׁ long-term quiet
“Passed Away”
ָמו ֹ ֹל ַל ְלעו ָה The colloquial expression for passed away, in Hebrew, is ָטר ִפ ְ נfor a male and ָרה ְט ִפ ְ נ for a female. These are conjugations of the infinitive ֵטר ָפּ ִה ל, ְa verb of the נפעל variety. Don’t confuse this term with ֵטּר ַפּ ְת ִה ל, ְto resign – it could create an uncomfortable moment. להתפטרis of the reflexive-intensive התפעלverb form. נפטרis what most people say, but the more literary term used by the press when announcing someone’s passing is ָמו ֹול ְע ַל ל ָהfor a male and ָמה ָ ֹול ְע ָכה ל ְל ָהfor a female. The term means, literally, has gone to his/her eternity, where ָם ֹול עmaintains its 71
original Biblical meaning as eternity, as opposed to the word’s late- and post-Biblical meaning of world. The image evoked is that of a person entering his/her final and eternal resting place. A variation of the term first appears towards the end of the relatively-late Biblical book of ֶת ֹהל ֶ ק, Ecclesiastes.
“Temporary”
ִנּי ַמ ְז When the wife of a friend of mine gave birth to a boy, the new father wrote the following in an email: .(ִנּי ַמ ְז )שׁם ְֵרץ ַו ֶ’הְשׁ ֹימל ֵֶדתְשׁלו ַ ַל ל ֵשּׂר ע ַב ִחיםְל ֵמ אָנוְּשׂ We are happy to announce the birth of Shloimele Schwartz (temporary name). It is customary not to name the newborn boy until after the circumcision. But rather than calling their baby “It,” they gave the baby a “temporary name.” The craftspeople of Modern Hebrew ingeniously took the concept of time – נ.מ.ז, (z.m.n), and added a י, yielding the word ִנּי ַמ ְז – temporary.
“Eternal”
ִחי ְצ ִנ There are a few ways of saying forever in Hebrew. One is ָם ֹול ְע ל, employing the original Biblical meaning of the word – עולםeternity. In Modern Hebrew, as well as in late Biblical Hebrew, עולםmeans world. Another way of saying forever is ֶצח ַ ָלנ . The word נצחitself also means eternity in Biblical Hebrew. Two other ways of expressing the concept of forever in Modern Hebrew are ִמיד ָת –ְל literally, for always; and ִמיתוּת ִצ ְ – לpermanently. To say eternal, Hebrew employs the word נצח, creating ִחי ִצ ְ נ. But to say the eternal nation? That’s ֶצח ַ –ַעםַהנּliterally, the nation of eternity. 72
Wow, That’s… …ֶזה,ָאי וו
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“Lucky”
ָל מזּ-ת ַ ַבּ,-ַבּר To say that a person is lucky, you’d use ָל מזּ-ר ַ ַבּfor a male and מזל-ַבּתfor a female. These phrases mean, literally, a son of luck and a daughter of luck, respectively. Likewise, the phrase ֹב מזל טוmeans literally, good luck.
“Amusing”
ַע ֲשׁ ֵ ַשׁע ְמ The Hebrew word for amusing – ֲשׁע ֵ ַשׁע –ְמcame up in a lesson I gave in Jerusalem. This three-letter root, ע.ע.ש, (sh.a.a), turned-four-letter root, ע.ש.ע.ש, (sh.a.sh.a), appears in several places in the Bible, where in some it means delights – ֲשׁוּעים ִ שׁע. ַ Today, a playground in Israel is called .ֲשׁוּעים ִ ַןַשׁע גּ – משעשעamusing – comes from the verb ֲשׁע ֵ ַשע –ְלto amuse. It’s an active-intensive פיעלverb.
“Entertaining”
ַח ֵדּ ַב ְמ There are a few words for entertaining in Hebrew. There’s ֵדּר ַב מ, ְcoming from the more common word, בּדּוּר. ִThere’s ִחיק ְצ מ, ַmeaning funny. There’s ֵשׁע ְע ַשׁ מ, ְmeaning amusing. Here’s a word that doesn’t get used as often as the others… except for Purim. On Israeli radio during Purim, it’s likely that you’ll hear the expression: ֵדּח ַב וּמ ְַח ֵמ פּוּריםָשׂ ִ – (Have a) happy and entertaining Purim. מבדחcan also mean hilarious, but it is seldom used as such. 74
“Essential”
יּוּני ִִח One of the four principles of the Pimsleur method is that it demands of learners ֹף ְשׁלו (ִלto pull out) words that they’ve learned just when they’re about to forget them, thus maximizing long-term memory potential. This is the principle of “graduated-interval recall.” Another one of Pimsleur’s principles is that of “core vocabulary” – that is, we (Pimsleur aficionados, such as the teachers at Ulpan La-Inyan) start off assisting students to learn the most essential words, phrases and structures necessary for basic communication. Essential words would be called, in Hebrew, ֹת יּוּניּו ִִלּיםִח מ. ִOne essential word would be יּוּנית ִָהִח מלּ. ִThe root is ה.י.( חkh.y.h) meaning life.
“Marginal” or “Insignificant”
שׁוּלי ִ The Hebrew word for margins – as in the side of a paper or the side of a road – is ַים ִ שׁוּל. To say that something is insignificant or marginal, you’d use שׁוּלי. ִ For example: .ֵברוּת ְעוּמתֲח ַ שׁוּלי ל ִ ָבר ֶסףֶזהָדּ ֶכּ Money is an insignificant thing when compared with friendship.
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“Soft”
ַר The Torah portion Vayetze, ֵצא ֵ ויּ,ַtells that ֹת ַרכּו ֵאָה ֵי ל –ֵעינLeah’s eyes were soft. רכותis the plural form of the word רך,ַmeaning soft or tender, when describing something linguistically feminine such as eyes. The word רךalso refers to things that are tender and soft both in physical texture as well as human perception, such as small children. Early childhood, in Hebrew, is appropriately called ַרך ִגּילָה ה. ַ
“Useful”
מּוּשׁי ִ ִשׁ If you’re conversant in Hebrew, you most likely know the Hebrew word for to use something: ֵמּש ַתּ ְשׁ ִה ל, ְas in ָשׁו ְכ ָעטַע ֵ ֶשׁת בּ ֶמּ ַתּ ְשׁ –ִהיאִמshe is using the pen now. The root is ש.מ.ש, (sh.m.sh), meaning use, appearing most prominently in Mishnaic Hebrew. To express, this pen has many uses or purposes, you’d say, ֹים ִש ֶבּהִשׁמּוּ ְר ֵשַׁה ֶזּה י ָעטַה ֵ ל. Likewise, something useful is מּוּשׁי ִ שׁ, ִand something multi-purpose is שימושי-רב.ַ
“Perfect”
ַם ְשׁל ֻמ The Modern Hebrew word for perfect is ַם ְשׁל מ. ֻIt’s an adjective deriving from the passive-causative verb form, הופעל. It can be declined in the feminine, ֶמת ֶ ְשׁל מ, ֻ such as ֹאת מושלמת רוּחהַהזּ ָ ֲא –ָהthis meal is perfect – as well as in the plural. The root? Same as that of peace, שלום, bearing the core concept of completeness – מ.ל.ש, (sh.l.m).
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“Mysterious”
ֹרי ִ ְסתּו ִמ The Hebrew word, ִתּיר ְס ַה ל, ְwhich means to conceal, has the root ר.ת.ס. (s.t.r). Another application of ר.ת. סis in the expression for hideout or place or refuge –.ֹר ְסתּו ִמ מסתורalso conveniently serves as the basis for the Hebrew word for mysterious – ֹרי ִ ְסתּו ִמin the masculine and ֹרית ִ ְסתּו ִמin the feminine. .ֹרי ִ ְסתּו ַערִמ ַ ְנסוְּלי ְכ ִנ ֵהם They entered a mysterious forest. As for a mystery, the word is ֹרין ִ ְסתּו מ, ִor its synonym, ֲלוּמה ָ תּע. ַ Note that the root ר.ת. סalso bears the meaning contradiction. The word for contradiction is ירה ִָת ס. ְ
“Convenient”
ֹח ַ נו The word, ֹח ַ נוcan mean both comfortable and convenient. For example, you could say either: .ָפּה ַסּ ַלַה ֹחִלי ע ַ נו I’m comfortable (literally, it’s comfortable for me) on the sofa. or .ֵש ָפּג ִה ֹחִליְל ַ ַמן נו ְז ֶרבֶזה ָע ֶ ַשׁע בּ ֵתּ Nine in the evening is a convenient time for me to meet. Convenience or comfort is ֹחוּת נו. Another example – at Ulpan La-Inyan we try to offer classes ֹחים ִ ִנים נו ָמ ְז –ִבּat convenient times. 77
“Crucial” or “Fateful”
ִלי ֹר ָ גּו In the Book of Esther, the Jewish-Persian queen is faced with a fateful decision: either risk her life by attempting to persuade the king to spare the Jewish people, or sit in the palace while her people are systematically wiped out. In Hebrew, we’d call this ִלי ֹר ָ ַע גּו ֶרג – a fateful moment or a crucial moment. ֹרל ָ גּוmeans fate or destiny.
“Readable”
ִריא ָק The word ָעיס ִ לmeans chewy or chewable. This adjective comes from the simple פעל verb ֹס ְעו ִל ל. A different verb with the same structure is ִריא ק, ָmeaning legible or readable, deriving from the פעלverb ֹא ְקרו ִלmeaning to read (or to call out – since texts were once read out loud by the literate elite to the illiterate masses). Note how the adjectives ִריא ָקand ָעיס ִ לhave identical vowel patterns, as do the verbs they derive from, ֹא ְקרו ִלand ֹס ְעו ִל ל. The feminine version of readable is ִריאָה ק, ְwhich looks and sounds the same as the word for the act of reading.
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“Exclusive”
ִדי ָע ְל ִבּ Oftentimes the developers of Modern Hebrew are faced with the challenge of creating a new word for a concept that didn’t quite exist in Biblical and Mishnaic times. One such concept is exclusivity. One of the Hebrew words meaning without, ַדי ְע ָ בּל, ִcan be combined with suffixes to form phrases such as without me, without you, etc. Modern Hebrew’s developers borrowed the basic concept of without to label the modern concept of exclusivity - or, being without most others. The word they came up with is ִדיּוּת ְע ָ בּל. ִLikewise, exclusive is ִדי ְע ָ ִבּלwhen referring to something masculine and ִדית ְע ָ ִבּלwhen referring to something feminine. For example: !ַראי ְשׁ ִטיסַא ְר יקיַכּ ִֵז ְח ַמ ַרקְל ,ִדי ְע ָ ָצעִבּל ְב ִמ Exclusive deal, only for credit-card holders! בלעדיis the official word that is becoming more and more in style. Many Israelis are still using, however, יבי ִלוּס ִ ְק ְס ְק א. ֶ
“Efficient”
ָעיל ִ י The Hebrew word for both effective and efficient is ָעיל ִ י. It comes from the same root, ל.ע.( יy.a.l) as one of the words for benefit – ֶת ֹעל ֶ תּו. To take something and make it more efficient is ֵל ָע לי, ְan active-intensive פיעלverb. For example: .ִרים ָב ְדּ ֵל ָע ַעתְלי ֹד ַ ֶל יו ָרה גּוּג ְב ֶח ַה The company, Google, knows how to make things efficient.
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“Exciting” or “Stirring Emotion”
ֵשׁ ַרגּ ְמ To get excited in Hebrew is ֵש ַרגּ ְת ִה ל. ְIt comes from the root ש.ג.ר, (r.g.sh), which means, in Modern Hebrew, emotion. The word להתרגשfalls into the התפעלverb pattern. To say that something is exciting or stirring of emotion, you’d use the word ֵש ַרגּ מ. ְ מרגשis an adjective that comes from the ֵל ִפּעverb pattern.
“Spectacular”
ִהיב ְר ַמ One Hebrew word for spectacular is ִהיב ְר מ. ַThis active-causative הפעילverb derives from the root ב.ה.ר, (r.h.b). ַהב ַר is the Biblical name of a Canaanite god synonymous with the sea. The great body of water is something gripping and spectacular, as one might observe at the beach (or while lost at sea), and as the ancients knew very well. An example of :מרהיב ִהיב ְר ֶרטַמ ֵיַפּי” הוּאֶס “חיּ ַ Life of Pi is a spectacular film.
“Illegal”
ִקּי ִתּיֻח ְל ִבּ The phrase for illegal in Hebrew is ִקּי ִתּיֻח ְל בּ. ִThe word בלתיfunctions in Hebrew in a similar way to how the prefixes in- and un- function in English – such as in impossible – ִרי ָשׁ ְפ בלתיֶא, and unforgettable – ַכּח ְשׁ ִנ בלתי. You can hear the phrase בלתי נשכחin Ehud Banai’s song entitled, ֹם –ַהיּוToday.
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“Unexpected”
ִתּיָצפוּי ְל ִבּ Suppose you’re sitting on the sofa one stormy evening covered in a warm blanket, reading a book, when suddenly there’s an unexpected knock on the door. Expected or foreseen in Hebrew is צפוּי, ָfrom the root ה.פ.צ, (ts.p.h), meaning watching. It’s the same root as in ֹפים ִ –ָהרַהצּוMount Scopus – the site of the Hebrew University’s main campus. Unexpected is ִתּיָצפוּי ְל בּ, ִas in: .ָה ִתּיְצפוּי ְל יקהִבּ ִָפ ְדּ ִתּי ְע ַמ ָשׁ I heard an unexpected knock.
“Bittersweet”
ִריר מ-ֹק ָ ָמתו This entry was written on Yom Ha’Atzmaut (Israel Independence Day) 2013. Though the mood is great today here as the political nation of Israel celebrates 65 years of existence and prosperity, there’s a bittersweet element as well, as we remember the people of Boston who have experienced a type of event this week that we in Israel know all too well. The Hebrew term for bittersweet combines the words for sweet: ֹק ָמתו and bitter: ִריר ָמ Yielding: ִריר מ-ֹק ָ ָמתו
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“Chewable”
ָעיס ִ ל Whereas the Hebrew word for bubble gum, ִטיק ְס מ, ַcomes from Ancient Greek and is related to the English word masticate, the Modern Hebrew word chewable comes from what appears to me an authentic Semitic root, though not found in Biblical Hebrew: , ס.ע.ל, (l.a.s). The words ָעיס ִ לand יסה ְָע ִ לmean both chewable, as in chewable medicine – and chewy, as in chewy granola bars. Likewise, the Modern Hebrew word for to chew is ֹס ְעו ִל ל, an active-simple פעלverb.
“Sharp”
ַחד The word for pencil sharpener is – ֹת ֹנו ֶפרו ְ ֵדּד ע ַח מ, ְliterally, a sharpener of pencils, where מחדדmeans sharpener. מחדדcomes from the root ד.ד.ח, (kh.d.d), meaning sharp. The proper word to describe a sharp object is ַחדfor something masculine such as ֹן ָפּרו ע,ִa pencil, and ָדּה ַחfor something feminine, such as ִכּין ס, ַa knife. The root seems to make an appearance in the Torah portion Yitro, ְתרו י,ִin the phrase ְתרו ִי ְדּ ַח ִיּ ַו – and Yitro rejoiced. I say seems, because despite the Midrashic reading, that Yitro’s skin became “sharp” with goosebumps, the word is more likely related to one of the terms for joy, ָוה ְד ח. ֶ
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“Smooth” or “Slippery”
…ַק ַקל ְ ֲחל,ַמק ְק ַמ ֲח A word used to describe Mohamed Bodya, the Algerian fine-arts-aficionado/playboy behind many terror attacks in Europe and in Israel, is ַמק ְק ַמ ח. ֲIt means slippery, as in, he would slip through the hands of those trying to apprehend him. חמקמקderives from the word ֵמּק ַח ְת ִה ל, ְwhich means to escape, to evade, or to get out of doing something. For example, if you have a boy who would rather watch television than do his dishes, you might say to him, ָריוּת אַח ְָה ֵמּקֵמ ַח ְת – אַלִתּdon’t run away from the (your) responsibility. להתחמקis a reflexive-intensive התפעלverb. One of several synonyms is ַק ַקל ְ –ֲחלsmooth (as in smooth criminal) – coming from the root ק.ל.ח, (kh.l.k), meaning… smooth.
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“A Bit Sweet”
ַתּק ְק ַת ְמ The Hebrew word for to tick – ֵתּק ְק ַת ל, ְwhose present-tense (active participle) masculine-singular form is ֵתּק ְק ַת מ, ְsounds very similar to the Hebrew word ַתּק ְק ַת מ, ְbut while the former word comes from English, the latter comes from an authentic Hebrew root. On ָה ָשּׁנ ֹאשַׁה – רRosh Hashanah, Jews wish one another a תוּקה ָ וּמ ְֹבה ָ ָה טו –ָשׁנa good and sweet year. The word for sweet is ֹק ָמתוin the masculine and תוּקה ָ ְמin the feminine. To say something is a bit sweet or lightly sweetened, you’d use the word ַתּק ְק ַת ְמin the masculine and ָקה ְתּ ְק ַת ְמin the feminine. מתקתקis a diminutive form of מתוק. For example: .ַתּק ְק ַת ָטּהְמ ֹתִעםִח ָרקו ְי ָט ָסל A lightly-sweet vegetable salad with wheat .ָקה ְתּ ְק ַת ָמהְמ ָד פּוּחיֲא ֵ ידתַתּ ִַט ְשׁ ַפּ A lightly-sweet potato quiche
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“Salty” & “Saltbush”
לוּח ַ ָמ My ָתּא ְב ס, ַgrandmother, is a great cook. She learned how to prepare delicious dishes from her mother back in Hungary before the war. סבתאhas Hungarian taste in food. So from time to time she asks me, ֹהב ֵ ָתּה או ֲא לוּח ַ –ָדּגָמDo you like salty fish? I say no. Once, on a Hebrew-music radio show I hosted, I played a song that contained the word מלוח. The line goes: ִים ָמּ ַלַה לוּח ע ַ ָמּ יחַה ֵַר …ו ְ On air, I translated the line thus: …and the smell of salt on the water (referring to the Jordan River). Something didn’t make sense in my translation, but I continued reading. After the show, my aunt Bila (’סבתאs daughter) called me and let me know that the word מלוחin the song actually refers to a plant growing on the banks of the Jordan. In English, this plant is a saltbush. The line then actually made a lot more sense to me. If you’re familiar with Israeli folk music, you’ve more than likely heard the song I’m talking about, Naomi Shemer ’s classic ִליפּטוּס ַק ֶא ַשׁתָה ְר –ֻחThe Eucalyptus Grove.
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“Enough”
ַדּי,ִפּיק ְס ַמ There are two words in Hebrew that mean enough. מספיק ִפּיק ְס ַמcomes from the root ק.פ.ס, (s.p.k), meaning sufficiency. מספיקis an adjective and adverb deriving from the active-causative הפעילverb ִפּיק ְס ַה ל, ְmeaning to suffice or to manage to get something done. For example: .ֶל ֹכ ִפּיק א ְס ָנוַּמ ֵשׁ ל י We have enough food. .ֵהר ִפּיקַמ ְס ָרץַמ הוּא א He doesn’t/didn’t run fast enough. די The word ַדּיin the sense of enough is used in Modern Hebrew primarily in the exclamation, ! – דיenough! ! מספיקis used in the same sense. דיalso means quite when vocalized ֵדּי, as in the sentence: .ָכה ָר ְד ַמּ ִ ֹב ל ָהֵדּיָקרו ֹונ ִהיא ח She is parked quite close to the sidewalk. In Biblical and Mishnaic Hebrew, דיusually appears with a suffix, the best-known example of which is the title of the Passover Seder favorite song, ֵנוּ דּיּ.ַ
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“Frozen”
ָקפוּא The Hebrew word for frozen is .ָקפוּא קפואcomes from the active-simple פעלintransitive verb to freeze – ֹא ְקפּו ל. ִ For example: .ָפא ָםָק ֲאג ָה The lake froze. and .ֹר אתיִמקּו ִָפ ָק I froze from (the) cold. Mind you, that’s to freeze – just to freeze. But to freeze something else – that’s ִפּיא ְק ַה ל, ְan active-causative הפעילtransitive verb. For example: .ִפים ְט ְפ ַט ְמּ ִיםַה ַמּ ִפּיאָהֶאתַה ְק רוּחִה ַ ָה The wind froze the dripping water. Likewise, a ִפּיא ְק ַמis a freezer.
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“Really Cold Weather”
ָבים ִ ֹרְכּל קו For those south of the equator (and those who suffer when others turn on the air conditioning), here’s a colorful expression for really, really cold weather. ָבים ִ ֹרְכּל קוmeans, literally, cold of dogs. Imagine dogs barking because they’re stuck outside in the cold. קורis cold the noun, as in the cold. ֶב –ֶכּלdog – is the singular form of כלבים.
“Really Hot Weather”
ימים ִֹםֵא חו When Israelis talk about how hot it is, they often say: !ימיםַבּחוּץ ִֹםֵא חו It’s really, really hot outside! ֹם חוmeans heat. Don’t confuse it with חוּםmeaning brown. אימיםis related to the word ימה ֵָאmeaning horror or terror. So חום אימיםmeans, literally, heat of horrors.
“Humid”
ָחוּת ל,ַח ל Israel in the summer – especially along the coast – can get pretty humid. The Hebrew word for humid is ַח – לsounding kind of like the Scottish pronunciation of Loch in Loch Ness. And humidity is ָחוּת ל. For example, ָחוּת ֹהבֶאתַהלּ ֵ ִני או –ֲאI like (the) humidity. 88
“Wintry”
ִפּי ְר ָח By bicycle, the ride home from the Jerusalem open market – shuk, – שׁוּקis normally twelve minutes long. Though clouds were gathering one night, I took my bike out to buy some essential foods for sandwiches and salads, such as lettuce, tomatoes, basil and brown rice. As I was riding up the hill on Agrippas St. approaching the שוק, a drizzle was becoming proper rain and strengthening; I arrived at the שוקand found an awning under which to lock my bike just in time, for about a minute later a heavy downpour began. After I finished my shopping and the rain abated some, I ventured out for the downhill ride home, with ָמים ִ –ְבּלbrakes – that had been wearing down recently. The ride took me about twenty minutes as I was applying the בלמיםcontinuously, dodging cars, pedestrians, and sticking as close to trees and poles as possible to avoid being struck by lightning. The befitting dose of Hebrew is wintry – ִפּי ְר ח. ָThis is the adjective form of the Modern Hebrew word for winter, ֹרף ֶ ח, which is itself related to the word for sharp or acute in thinking, tone of voice or physical taste, ִריף ;ח ָthe word ֹרף חו, or winter, is the time of acute or biting cold. In Biblical Hebrew, חורףrefers also to the rains of autumn. Note the pronunciation of –ָחרפיthe kamatz symbol under the letter ח, which normally dictates the ah vowel in Modern Hebrew, here dictates a short oh vowel. For example, ִפּי ְר ָהָח ַיל ְ ָה הוּא ל ַיל ְ –ַהלּtonight is a wintry night.
“Magical”
ָקסוּם One might say that Jerusalem is a magical city – סוּמה ָ עירְק.ִ קסומהis used instead of קסוּם, ָsince a city is a feminine noun in Hebrew. Those of 89
you who live in Raanana might know the stationery shop on ָמים ִ ֶשׁתַהיּ ֹבֵשׁ ְרחו – Six Days (War) Street – by the name of ַערַהקּסוּם ַ –ַהיּThe Magical Forest. קסוםand קסומהcome from the Biblical Hebrew word, ֶסם –ֶקmagic or sorcery.
“Fascinating”
ֵתּק ַר ְמ In Ulpan La-Inyan’s Level 3 course, 21-year-old ַי ַחגּtells his date, ַעת ִפ ְ יall about his trip to Nahal Yehudiya, including the heroic act he performs there. יפעתmight exclaim, ֵתּק ַר יזהִספּוּרְמ ֶ –ֵאwhat a fascinating story! ֵתּק ַר ְמmeans fascinating.
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Good Expressions to Know ַעת ָד ַ ֹבים ל ִ טּוּיים טו ִ ִבּ
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“Good Luck”
!ָחה ָ ְצל ַה ְבּ How to go about wishing someone well varies from language to language and from culture to culture. In English, we say good luck – wishing the person good fortune, that the stars line up for them, that they find a four-leaf clover. In Hebrew, we say ָחה ָ ְצל ַה –ְבּliterally, with success. A variation of that wish found in more religious circles is ָחה ָ ְצל ַה ְו ָכה ָר –ְבּbut more often pronounced as in Yiddish, broh-KHEH veh-hahtz-LOH-kheh – blessing and success. This likely derives from the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s staple wish to those in his personal audience, ( ברכה והצלחה בכל העניינים...beh-KHOHL hah-een-yah-NEEM - but pronounced by the Rebbe, beh-KHOHL hoh-een-YOH-nim) – blessing and success in all (the) matters. I believe Hebrew’s choice of בהצלחהreflects a more proactive orientation than that of the English good luck - that Jewish/Israeli culture emphasizes the individual’s power to shape their destiny as at least equal to the power of external forces, even divine ones.
“Self-Controlled”
ַפּק ֻא ְמ Don Corleone in The Godfather is a great example of an ַפּק ֻא אָדםְמ. ָ He says little and does much, as suggested in ֹת ֵקי אָבו ְר –ִפּEthics of the Fathers; although Don Corleone probably learned this from another source. This passive-intensive פועלverb means not only self-controlled, but also reserved and even restrained. The feminine form is ֶקת ֶפּ ֻא מ. ְ
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“3D”
ַמד מ-ַת ֵ ְתּל Modern Hebrew borrows words from Aramaic for many official and legal terms. Using the word three as an adjective is one such case, as in the phrase meaning three-dimensional space: ַמד מ-ַת ֵ תּל. ְ The word תלתis the Aramaic equivalent of Hebrew’s three – שׁ ש. ָNote that ( תt) in Aramaic replaces the Hebrew ( שsh), but otherwise it’s essentially the same word. מימדmeans dimension, as in, ?ָן ְני ִבּ ִדּיםֶשׁלַה ַמ ֵמּ –ַמהַהwhat are the dimensions of the building?
“Mental Retardation”
ִלי ְכ ִפּגּוּרִשׂ Mental retardation is a condition that affects individuals and families in every ethnic group and every nation on the planet. The Hebrew word for retardation is פּגּוּר,ִderived from the verb ֵר ְפגּ ַ ל, meaning to lag or to slow down. It is sometimes used in everyday Hebrew to mean to be late or slow. For example, one might say, ֵר ַפגּ ִלּיְמ ֹןֶשׁ ָשּׁעו –ַהMy watch is slow. לפגרis an active-intensive פיעלverb. The word for mental in Hebrew is ִלי ְכ שׂ, ִderived from the word for intellect, ֶל שׂכ. ֵ You may know the word from Yiddish .
“Acquiring a Language”
ָפה ישׁתָשׂ ִַכ ְר To buy something is ֹת ְקנו ל. ִTo acquire, or purchase something, is ֹש ְרכו ל. ִThe act of acquiring or purchasing is ישׁה ִָכ ר.ְ So the acquiring of a language is ָפה ישׁתָשׂ ִַכ ר.ְThe הin the word רכישהbecomes a ת, as 93
the word is connected to the following word in a linguistic relationship called ִמיכוּת –ְסthe construct state.
“Distance Learning”
ֹק ָרחו ידהֵמ ִָמ ְל Distance learning has become quite an industry. In Hebrew, it’s ֹק ָרחו ידהֵמ ִָמ ל. ְ Literally, that’s learning from afar. We use למידהas opposed to למּוּד, ִwhich means teaching.
“Unless”
ָאִאםֵכּן ֶאלּ Some parts of speech have very clear translations from one language to another. For example, a noun such as tree has a clear equivalent in all languages, with Hebrew being no exception: ֵץ ע. Likewise, the active-causative הפעילverb ִמין ְז ַה ְל means to invite or to order. Other parts of speech become a bit trickier to translate. Take, for example, the prepositional prefix –ב, (b). In some contexts it means in, while in other contexts it means with, and still others it means by means of. And take conjunctions. Some translate nicely, such as the word ָל אָבmeaning but, and the prefix -ו, meaning and. But others are a bit clumsy – such as the Hebrew phrase meaning unless - .ָאִאםֵכּן ֶאלּ – אלא אם כןsometimes abbreviated as אא”כ- means, literally, rather if so. Truth is, the English word unless is also composed of two distinct parts – un and less. אלא אם כןappears in Mishnaic Hebrew. Here’s an example of this phrase’s usage: .ֶשׁם ֶ ֵרד גּ ֵ ָאִאםֵכּן י ֶאלּ,ֹת ַחיּו ַןַה ָחרְלג ַסּעָמ ִנ We’ll go (travel) tomorrow to the zoo, unless it’ll rain. 94
“Make a Dream Come True”
ִשׁים ְג ַה ְל The root of this one comes from ֶשׁם ֶ גּ, the Hebrew word for rain. To make it rain – or, to make something materialize is ִשׁים ְג ַה ל. ְFor example, ֲלוּצים ִַהח ֹמם ָ ֲלו ִשׁימוֶּאת ח ְג –ִהthe pioneers made their dream come true (literally, realized their dream). This is the הפעילusage of the root. To say dreams are coming true, you’d use the התפעל form, saying, ִמים ַשּׁ ְ ְתגּ ֹתִמ ֹמו ֲלו ח. And a dream come true, in Hebrew, is ַשּׁם ֵ ְתגּ ִה ֹםֶשׁ ֲלו – חliterally, a dream that has come true.
“To Draw Close”
ֵרב ָק ְת ִה ְל The root ב.ר.ק, (k.r.b), has the meaning of closeness. ִריב ְק ַה ְלmeans to sacrifice, give something up or to bring something close – and its passive form is ָרב ְק מ. ֻThese are the causative forms: הפעילand הופעל. ָרב ְק ִלmeans to draw close to someone or to approach. This is the active-simple verb form, בניין קלor פעל. The root does not appear in the נפעלform. ֵרב ָק ְלmeans to pull someone else close – and its passive form is ֹרב ָ –ְמקpulled close. These are two of the three intensive forms: פיעלand פועל. The reflexive form, the third of the intensives, is ֵרב ָק ְת ִה ְלmeaning to get close to one another. It’s also used to mean to approach. Gilad Segev uses the following phrase in a song about his older brother who was killed serving in the IDF: .ִבים ְר ָק ְת ַחנוִּמ ְ ֲאנ ִתּיֶשׁ ַשׁ ְ ְרגּ ִה I felt that we were drawing close. 95
“To Keep a Distance”
ֵחק ַר ְת ִה ְל,ִחיק ְר ַה ְל The Hebrew root for distance is ק.ח.ר, (r.kh.k); far is ֹק רחו.ָ To move something or someone away is ִחיק ְר ַה ל, ְwhich is an active-causative הפעיל verb. For example: .ִית ָבּ ַה ֶלֵמ ֶזּב ִחיקֶאתַה ְר הוּאִה He distanced the garbage from the house. But if you wish to express distancing oneself from something or someone, the word is ֵחק ַר ְת ִה ל, ְa reflexive-intensive התפעלverb. For example: .ַרע יחָה ֵַר ָה ָקהֵמ ֲח ַר ְת ִהיאִה She distanced herself from the bad smell.
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“Ladies and Gentlemen”
ֹתי ָ ַרבּו ְו ֹתי ָ ִבירו ְגּ The Hebrew expression for ladies and gentlemen is ֹתי ָ ַרבּו ְו ֹתי ָ ִבירו גּ.ְWhile a ירה ִָב ְגּ is a lady of stature – related to the word בוּרה ְָגּ meaning boldness, among many other common words, ַרב means… well, rabbi. Sounds strange, especially when the speech is being given to a group of people who are not rabbis. We must thus look at the essential meaning of the word for rabbi – רב. Perusing the Bible, we find that the word itself meant great or many before it came to refer to a person who is great, or a spiritual leader – a rabbi. Calling upon the essential element of greatness in the word רב, Modern Hebrew takes the liberty of showing respect to an audience of ladies and gentlemen using – גבירותי ורבותיmy ladies and my great/honorable men. If the audience is just men, the speaker is likely to say, ֹתי ָ ַרבּו ְו ֹרי ָ – מוmy teachers and my honorable men.
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“Back to School”
ֶפר ֵסּ ֵביתַה ָרהְל ָ ֲחז In English, we have the verbs to come back and to return. Both phrases describe the same situation, but while the former describes a day-to-day return, the latter describes a more dramatic or formal one. Likewise in Hebrew, there are two words that mean to return to a place: ֹר ַחזו ְ לand ָשׁוּב ל. Both are active-simple פעלverbs. לחזורmeans to come back, while לשובmeans to return. An example using a variation of לחזור: .ִטּיּוּל ַה ָתהֵמ ְי ַבּ ָרהַה ְז ִהיאָח She came back home from the trip. And an example using a variation of לשוב: .ָתה ְי ַבּ ֹףָשׁבַה ָל סו ֹף כּ הוּא סו,ָרב ְקּ ִבּיםַבּ ַר ִשׁים ָד ֵריָח אַח ֲ After many months in battle, he finally returned home. Translating back to school into Hebrew using the appropriate word for returning, we get: ֶפר ֵסּ ֵביתַה ָרהְל ָז –ֲחliterally, a return to the school. Another well-known usage of the word חזרהis in the Hebrew translation of Back to the Future (literally, with return to the future) – ִתיד ָע ָ ָרה ל ָז ֲח בּ. ְ
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“Make Me…”
ֵיּב ַח ְל,ֹם ְגרו ִל,יח ִַר ְכ ַה ְל Though Israeli kids certainly tend to have a healthy share of ָפּה ֻצ ְ – חhutzpah, no equivalent of the English expression “make me” comes to my mind. There are, however, several ways of saying to make someone do something. Here are some of the expressions. Which phrase to use depends on the situation: להכריח ִריח ְכ ַה ְלmeans to force or to coerce. להכריחis an active-causative הפעילverb. For example: .ָהּ ֹונ ְרצ ֶד ִריםֶנג ָב ְדּ ֹת ֲשׂו ֹתהַּלע ָ יח א ִַר ְכ ַה ָשׁרְל ְפ ָה –ִאיֶא ֹול ְגּד ָדּה ַל ְ ִהיא י She’s a big kid – you can’t (it’s impossible) force her to do things against her will. לגרום ֹם ִגרו ְ לmeans to cause. לגרוםis an active-simple פעלverb. For example: .ָרוּץ ֶב ל ַכּל ֶ ָרם ל ַ ָכ גּ ְו ֵקּל ַמּ ַרקֶאתַה הוּאָז He threw the stick and thus made the dog run. לחייב ֵב ַחיּ –ְלto require, force, coerce, necessitate. לחייבis an active-intensive פיעלverb. For example: .ָבּד ְכ ִנ ֵםְסכוּם ַשׁלּ ֹתהְּל ָ ֵב א ַחיּ ֶטתְתּ ֹפ ֶ ַהשּׁו The (female) judge will require her to pay a substantial sum.
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“Wild Animals”
ֹתַבּר ַחיּו In Rabbinic literature, ָה (ַחיּcoming from the word ָחיmeaning living) refers specifically to non-domesticated animals; while ָמה ֵה ְבּrefers to a domesticated animal. But in Modern Hebrew, חיהis the generic word for animal. A specifically wild animal is a ַתַבּר חיּ, ַwhere the ( הh) in חיהbecomes a ( תt) in this “of” relationship (construct – ִמיכוּת )ס ְ– literally, an animal of the wild. And בר means wild. A synonym of חיית ברis ֶרא ַתֶפּ –ַחיּalso wild animal.
“The Immune System”
ִחסּוּן ֶכתַה ֲר ֶ ַמע We tend to be most aware during the winter time that we need to shift into high gear with strengthening our immune systems. In Biblical and early Rabbinic times, however, people talk about such physiological systems, so there was no need for a term for them. Modern Hebrew created names for these systems based on Biblical roots and concepts. Here’s the one for the immune system. System – מערכת Modern Hebrew derives its word for system, ֶכת ֲר ֶ מע, ַfrom the Ancient Hebrew root כ.ר.( עa.r.k) meaning value: a system is a group of individually valued units working together. Some of the other words deriving from that root include ֶרך –ֶעvalue, and ֲריך ִ ַהע –ְלto appreciate or evaluate. Immunity – חיסון The Modern Hebrew word for to immunize comes from the Biblical (and Modern) Hebrew word ֹסן ֶ חmeaning foundation or stability, mobilized into the active-intensive פיעלverb, ֵסּן ַח ל: ְimmunizing is strengthening the foundations of 100
health. The noun form of that verb – immunity or immunization – is חסּוּן, ִfollowing the same vowel pattern as speech – ִדּבּוּר and a visit – בּקּוּר. ִ Putting together the Modern Hebrew words for system and immunity, we get ֶכת ֲר ֶ ַמע ִחסּוּן –ַהthe immune system.
“Overnight”
ָה ַיל ְ ִבּן ל During the Arab Spring, the online front page of one of Israel’s major newspapers, ֹת ֹנו אַחרו ֲ ֹת ִדיעו ְי read: ָה ַיל ְ יראקִבּן ל ְַע ִ ָכה ל ְפ “ה ָ :ָה יסיּ ִתּוּנ ִ ְציאַת ִ י.” Exodus from Tunisia: “Turned into Iraq overnight.” To say that something occurs overnight, you’d use the expression, ָה ַיל ְ בּן ל. ִ To say that something has happened instantly, or over just a moment, you’d use ַע ֶרג בין.
“When There’s a Will, There’s a Way”
ֹן ָרצו ֵיָה ְפנ ֹמדִבּ ֵ ָבר עו ֵאיןָדּ The human will is capable of more than its bearers realize. They say we use only ten percent of our brains’ capacity... which means that our potential for more is enormous. We catch a glimpse of this potential when we encounter stories such that of Byron Katie, whose innate will to live brought her to wake up one morning with a clarity that would lead her and countless others out of the darkness and into happiness and fulfillment, after years of an ominous depression that was tearing apart every fabric of her professional, personal and family life. In English, we say, Where there’s a will, there’s a way. 101
In Hebrew, we say, ֹן ָרצו ֵיָה ְפנ ֹמדִבּ ֵ ָבר עו –ֵאיןָדּnothing stands in the face of (the) will. ֹן ָרצוis the noun form of that most basic active-simple פעלverb, ֹת ְרצו ל, ִto desire or to want. ֵי ְפנ ִבּis the construct form of …ִניםֶשׁל ַפּ ָ – בּin the face of…, just as ֵי ִפנ ְ ל, meaning before (regarding both time – “I was here before you” – and space – “I am standing before you”), is the construct form of …ִניםֶשׁל ְפ ָ – לto the face of.
102
Appendix A: Basic Hebrew Reading Empower yourself to read Hebrew by becoming familiar with the Hebrew alphabet of consonants, as well as vowel symbols below, or by watching the video tutorials at read.ulpan.com. Remember that Hebrew reads from right to left. Consonants Sound (Modern Hebrew pronunciation)
Name of letter
Hebrew letter
glottal stop, sometimes silent
alef
א
b
bet
בּ
v
vet (soft bet)
ב
g
gimel
ג
d
dalet
ד
h
heh
ה
v
vav
ו
z
zayin
ז
kh
khet
ח
t
tet
ט
y, or ee when following a vowel
yod
י
k
kaf
כּ
kh
khaf (soft kaf)
כ 103
kh, sometimes k in poetry
final khaf
ך
l
lamed
ל
m
mem
מ
m
final mem
ם
n
noon
נ
n
final noon
ן
s
samekh
ס
glottal stop
ayeen
ע
p
peh
פּ
f
feh (soft peh)
פ
f
final feh
ף
ts
tsadi
צ
ts
final tsadi
ץ
k
kuf
ק
r
reish
ר
sh
sheen
שׁ
s
seen
שׂ
t
tav
ת
vowels on next page
104
Vowel marks Sound (Modern Hebrew pronunciation)
Name of vowel mark
Vowel mark
usually ah, occasionally oh
kamats
ָא
ah
patakh
ַא
eh
segol
ֶא
eh, sometimes eh-ee
tsereh
ַא
ee
kheereek
ִא
oh
kholam
א ֹ
oo
shoorook
oo
kooboots
ֻא
oh
khataf kamats
ֳא
ah
khataf patakh
ֲא
eh
khataf segol
ֱא
אוּ
To learn to read using our video tutorials, visit read.ulpan.com.
105
Appendix B: The Seven Hebrew Verb Forms Hebrew verbs fall into seven structural patterns, or בנינים. These patterns are easily recognizable, for the most part, once you get the hang of them. Here's a table that categorizes the seven בנינים. This categorization is a rule of thumb; it's not always true, but it should help you make more sense of Hebrew verbs and start to gain mastery over their use.
Simple
Intensive
Causative
Active
ַעל ָפּ
ֵעל ִפּ
ִעיל ְפ ִה
Passive
/ַעל ִפ ְ נ
ֻעל ַ פּ
ַעל ְפ ֻה
Reflexive
ַעל ִפ ְ נ/
ֵעל ַפּ ְת ִה
---
106
ַל The active simple form: ָפּע ֹב Examples of the two basic variations: ְכתּו ֹד ִ(to write) andל ִלמו ְ ) (to learnל
107
– pastעבר
–presentהווה
– futureעתיד
אני
ִתּי ְב ַת ָכּ ִתּי ְד ָמ ַ ל
ֶבת ֹת ֶ ֹתב ,כּו ֵ כּו ֶדת ֹמ ֶ ֹמד ,לו ֵ לו
ֹב ְכתּו ֶא ַמד ְל ֶא
אנחנו
ְבנוּ ַת ָכּ ְדנוּ ָמ ַ ל
ֹת ֹתבו ְ ִבים ,כּו ֹת ְ כּו ֹת ֹמדו ְ ִדים ,לו ֹמ ְ לו
ֹב ְכתּו ִנ ַמד ִל ְ נ
אתה
ָתּ ְב ַת ָכּ ָתּ ְד ָמ ַ ל
ֹתב ֵ כּו ֹמד ֵ לו
ֹב ְכתּו ִתּ ַמד ְל ִתּ
ֹב ְכּתו ַמד ְל
את
ְתּ ְב ַת ָכּ ְתּ ְד ָמ ַ ל
ֶבת ֹת ֶ כּו ֶדת ֹמ ֶ לו
ִבי ְתּ ְכ ִתּ ִדי ְמ ְל ִתּ
ִבי ְת ִכּ ִדּי ְמ ִל
אתם
ֶתּם ְב ַת ְכּ ֶתּם ְד ַמ ְל
ִבים ֹת ְ כּו ִדים ֹמ ְ לו
ְתּבוּ ְכ ִתּ ְמדוּ ְל ִתּ
ְתבוּ ִכּ ְמדּוּ ִל
אתן
ֶתּן ְב ַת ְכּ ֶתּן ְד ַמ ְל
ֹת ֹתבו ְ כּו ֹת ֹמדו ְ לו
ְתּבוּ ְכ ִתּ ְמדוּ ְל ִתּ
ְתבוּ ִכּ ְמדּוּ ִל
הוא
ַתב ָכּ ָמד ַ ל
ֹתב ֵ כּו ֹמד ֵ לו
ֹב ְכתּו ִי ַמד ִל ְ י
היא
ָבה ְת ָכּ ָדה ָמ ְ ל
ֶבת ֹת ֶ כּו ֶדת ֹמ ֶ לו
ֹב ְכתּו ִתּ ַמד ְל ִתּ
הם
ְתבוּ ָכּ ָמדוּ ְ ל
ִבים ֹת ְ כּו ִדים ֹמ ְ לו
ְתּבוּ ְכ ִי ְמדוּ ִל ְ י
הן
ְתבוּ ָכּ ָמדוּ ְ ל
ֹת ֹתבו ְ כּו ֹת ֹמדו ְ לו
ְתּבוּ ְכ ִי ְמדוּ ִל ְ י
ציווי –imperative
The active “intensive” form: ֵל ִפּע ֵבּר Example: ַד )ְ(to speakל – pastעבר
108
–presentהווה – futureעתיד
ציווי –imperative
אני
ִתּי ְר ַבּ ִדּ
ֶרת ֶבּ ַד ֵבּרְ,מ ַד ְמ
ֵבּר ַד ֲא
אנחנו
ְרנוּ ַבּ ִדּ
ִרים, ְבּ ַד ְמ ֹת ְבּרו ַד ְמ
ֵבּר ַד ְנ
אתה
ָתּ ְר ַבּ ִדּ
ֵבּר ַד ְמ
ֵבּר ַד ְתּ
ֵבּר ַדּ
את
ְתּ ְר ַבּ ִדּ
ֶרת ֶבּ ַד ְמ
ִרי ְבּ ַד ְתּ
ִרי ְבּ ַדּ
אתם
ֶתּם ְר ַבּ ִדּ
ִרים ְבּ ַד ְמ
ְבּרוּ ַד ְתּ
ְבּרוּ ַדּ
אתן
ֶתּן ְר ַבּ ִדּ
ֹת ְבּרו ַד ְמ
ְבּרוּ ַד ְתּ
ְבּרוּ ַדּ
הוא
ֵבּר ִדּ
ֵבּר ַד ְמ
ֵבּר ַד ְי
היא
ָרה ְבּ ִדּ
ֶרת ֶבּ ַד ְמ
ֵבּר ַד ְתּ
הם
ְבּרוּ ִדּ
ִרים ְבּ ַד ְמ
ְבּרוּ ַד ְי
הן
ְבּרוּ ִדּ
ֹת ְבּרו ַד ְמ
ְבּרוּ ַד ְי
The active “causative” form: ִעיל ְפ ִה ִמין Example: ְז ַה )ְ(to invite, to orderל – pastעבר
109
–presentהווה – futureעתיד
ציווי –imperative
אני
ִתּי ְנ ַמ ְז ִה
ָה ִמינ ְז ִמיןַ,מ ְז ַמ
ִמין אַז ְ
אנחנו
ַמנּוּ ְז ִה
ינים, ִמִ ְז ַמ ֹת ִמינו ְז ַמ
ִמין ַז ְ נ
אתה
ָתּ ְנ ַמ ְז ִה
ִמין ְז ַמ
ִמין ְז ַתּ
ֵמן ְז ַה
את
ְתּ ְנ ַמ ְז ִה
ָה ִמינ ְז ַמ
יני ִמִ ְז ַתּ
יני ִמִ ְז ַה
אתם
ֶתּם ְנ ַמ ְז ִה
ינים ִמִ ְז ַמ
ִמינוּ ְז ַתּ
ִמינוּ ְז ַה
אתן
ֶתּן ְנ ַמ ְז ִה
ֹת ִמינו ְז ַמ
ִמינוּ ְז ַתּ
ִמינוּ ְז ַה
הוא
ִמין ְז ִה
ִמין ְז ַמ
ִמין ַז ְ י
היא
ָה ִמינ ְז ִה
ָה ִמינ ְז ַמ
ִמין ְז ַתּ
הם
ִמינוּ ְז ִה
ינים ִמִ ְז ַמ
ִמינוּ ַז ְ י
הן
ִמינוּ ְז ִה
ֹת ִמינו ְז ַמ
ִמינוּ ַז ְ י
The reflexive “intensive” form: ֵל ַפּע ְת ִה ֵשּׁר Example: ַק ְת ִה )ְ(to make a phone callל – pastעבר
110
–presentהווה
– futureעתיד
ציווי –imperative
אני
ִתּי ְר ַשּׁ ַק ְת ִה
ֵשּׁר, ַק ְת ִמ ֶרת ֶשּׁ ַק ְת ִמ
ֵשּׁר ַק ְת ֶא
אנחנו
ְרנוּ ַשּׁ ַק ְת ִה
ִרים, ְשּׁ ַק ְת ִמ ֹת ְשּׁרו ַק ְת ִמ
ֵשּׁר ַק ְת ִנ
אתה
ָתּ ְר ַשּׁ ַק ְת ִה
ֵשּׁר ַק ְת ִמ
ֵשּׁר ַק ְת ִתּ
ֵשּׁר ַק ְת ִה
את
ְתּ ְר ַשּׁ ַק ְת ִה
ֶרת ֶשּׁ ַק ְת ִמ
ִרי ְשּׁ ַק ְת ִתּ
ִרי ְשּׁ ַק ְת ִה
אתם
ֶתּם ְר ַשּׁ ַק ְת ִה
ִרים ְשּׁ ַק ְת ִמ
ְשּׁרוּ ַק ְת ִתּ
ְשּׁרוּ ַק ְת ִה
אתן
ֶתּן ְר ַשּׁ ַק ְת ִה
ֹת ְשּׁרו ַק ְת ִמ
ְשּׁרוּ ַק ְת ִתּ
ְשּׁרוּ ַק ְת ִה
הוא
ֵשּׁר ַק ְת ִה
ֵשּׁר ַק ְת ִמ
ֵשּׁר ַק ְת ִי
היא
ָרה ְשּׁ ַק ְת ִה
ֶרת ֶשּׁ ַק ְת ִמ
ֵשּׁר ַק ְת ִתּ
הם
ְשּׁרוּ ַק ְת ִה
ִרים ְשּׁ ַק ְת ִמ
ְשּׁרוּ ַק ְת ִי
הן
ְשּׁרוּ ַק ְת ִה
ֹת ְשּׁרו ַק ְת ִמ
ְשּׁרוּ ַק ְת ִי
The passive “intensive” form: ַל ֻפּע ָבּר Example: ֻד )ְ(spoken ofמ – pastעבר
111
–presentהווה – futureעתיד
אני
ִתּי ְר ַבּ ֻדּ
ֶרת ֶבּ ֻד ָבּרְ,מ ֻד ְמ
ַבּר ֻד ֲא
אנחנו
ְרנוּ ַבּ ֻדּ
ִרים, ָבּ ֻד ְמ ֹת ָבּרו ֻד ְמ
ַבּר ֻד ְנ
אתה
ָתּ ְר ַבּ ֻדּ
ָבּר ֻד ְמ
ַבּר ֻד ְתּ
את
ְתּ ְר ַבּ ֻדּ
ֶרת ֶבּ ֻד ְמ
ִרי ְבּ ֻד ְתּ
אתם
ֶתּם ְר ַבּ ֻדּ
ִרים ָבּ ֻד ְמ
ְבּרוּ ֻד ְתּ
אתן
ֶתּן ְר ַבּ ֻדּ
ֹת ָבּרו ֻד ְמ
ְבּרוּ ֻד ְתּ
הוא
ַבּר ֻדּ
ָבּר ֻד ְמ
ַבּר ֻד ְי
היא
ָרה ְבּ ֻדּ
ֶרת ֶבּ ֻד ְמ
ַבּר ֻד ְתּ
הם
ְבּרוּ ֻדּ
ִרים ָבּ ֻד ְמ
ְבּרוּ ֻד ְי
הן
ְבּרוּ ֻדּ
ֹת ָבּרו ֻד ְמ
ְבּרוּ ֻד ְי
ציווי –imperative
The passive “causative” form: ַל ְפע ֻה ָץ Example: ְמל )ֻ(recommendedמ
112
– pastעבר
–presentהווה – futureעתיד
אני
ִתּי ַצ ְ ְמל ֻה
ֶצת ֶ ְמל ָץֻ,מ ְמל ֻמ
ַץ ְמל ֻא
אנחנו
ַצנוּ ְ ְמל ֻה
ָצים, ִ ְמל ֻמ ֹת ָצו ְמל ֻמ
ַץ ֻמל ְ נ
אתה
ָתּ ַצ ְ ְמל ֻה
ָץ ְמל ֻמ
ַץ ְמל ֻתּ
את
ְתּ ַצ ְ ְמל ֻה
ֶצת ֶ ְמל ֻמ
ְצי ִ ְמל ֻתּ
אתם
ֶתּם ַצ ְ ְמל ֻה
ָצים ִ ְמל ֻמ
ְצוּ ְמל ֻתּ
אתן
ֶתּן ַצ ְ ְמל ֻה
ֹת ָצו ְמל ֻמ
ְצוּ ְמל ֻתּ
הוא
ַץ ְמל ֻה
ָץ ְמל ֻמ
ַץ ֻמל ְ י
היא
ְצה ָ ְמל ֻה
ֶצת ֶ ְמל ֻמ
ַץ ְמל ֻתּ
הם
ְצוּ ְמל ֻה
ָצים ִ ְמל ֻמ
ְצוּ ֻמל ְ י
הן
ְצוּ ְמל ֻה
ֹת ָצו ְמל ֻמ
ְצוּ ֻמל ְ י
ציווי –imperative
The active-passive-reflexive “simple” form: ַל ִפע ְ נ ֵס Example: ָכּנ ִה )ְ(to enterל
113
– pastעבר
–presentהווה – futureעתיד
אני
ִתּי ַס ְ ְכנ ִנ
ֶסת ֶ ְכנ ִנ ָס, ְכנ ִנ
ֵס ָכּנ ֶא
אנחנו
ַסנוּ ְ ְכנ ִנ
ֹת ָסו ְכנ ִנ ָסים, ִ ְכנ ִנ
ֵס ָכּנ ִנ
אתה
ָתּ ַס ְ ְכנ ִנ
ָס ְכנ ִנ
ֵס ָכּנ ִתּ
ֵס ָכּנ ִה
את
ְתּ ַס ְ ְכנ ִנ
ֶסת ֶ ְכנ ִנ
ִסי ְנ ָכּ ִתּ
ִסי ְנ ָכּ ִה
אתם
ֶתּם ַס ְ ְכנ ִנ
ָסים ִ ְכנ ִנ
ְנסוּ ָכּ ִתּ
ְנסוּ ָכּ ִה
אתן
ֶתּן ַס ְ ְכנ ִנ
ֹת ָסו ְכנ ִנ
ְנסוּ ָכּ ִתּ
ְנסוּ ָכּ ִה
הוא
ַס ְכנ ִנ
ָס ְכנ ִנ
ֵס ָכּנ ִי
היא
ָסה ְנ ְכ ִנ
ֶסת ֶ ְכנ ִנ
ֵס ָכּנ ִתּ
הם
ְנסוּ ְכ ִנ
ָסים ִ ְכנ ִנ
ְנסוּ ָכּ ִי
הן
ְנסוּ ְכ ִנ
ֹת ָסו ְכנ ִנ
ְנסוּ ָכּ ִי
ציווי –imperative
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