Hebrew Described

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Hebrew Described

Hebrew Adjectives and Expressions Defined and Explained,

Selected from Your Daily Dose of Hebrew - Ktzat Ivrit

yddh.ulpan.com

Ami M. Steinberger

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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.

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Introduction

ה ָ

מ ָ

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: ,לעופ ,לעיפ ,לעפנ ,לעפ לעיפה ,לעפתה and לעפוה. Appendix B provides a handy reference for getting to

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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 ם ֵשַּׁגּ ְת ִה ֶשׁ םֹולֲח (see chapter called “Good Expressions to Know”).

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Dedication

ה ָ

שׁ ָ

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

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“Nice to Meet You”

רי ִ

כּ ַ

ה ְ

ל םי ִ

עָ

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

רי ִכּ ַה ְל םי ִעָנ – literally, it’s a pleasure to make (your) acquaintance

Another version of ריכהל םיענ that you may know is דֹא ְמ םי ִעָנ – literally, very pleasant.

Mind you, the active-causative ליעפה verb, ריכהל, is the one to use when expressing meeting someone for the first time. ריכהל means literally, to become

acquainted or familiar with.ריכהל is 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 ת ַע ַדָל is the correct word.

שֹׁוגּ ְפִל also means to meet, while שֵׁגָפּ ִה ְל means to meet with – but these lack the

right-brain, first-impression quality that comes with the word ריכהל. An example of ריכהל in action:

.ה ָכ ֵר ְבּ ַבּ ןֵי ְנ ַע ְמ ם ָדאָ י ִתּ ְר ַכּ ִה לֹומ ְת ֶא

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“My Name Is…”

…י ִ

מ ְ

שׁ

…י ִ

ל

םי ִ

א ְ

רֹ

וק

In English, we say, my name is … In Hebrew, we say that literally as well, with … י ִמ ְשׁ (if you say the long version …י ִלּ ֶשׁ ם ֵשּׁ ַה, you’ve given yourself away as a

foreigner). You’d use …ימש in 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… – …י ִל םי ִא ְרֹוק.

Here’s an example of this phrase flipped as a question:

? ָל םי ִא ְרֹוק י ֵא

What’s your (a female’s) name? (Literally, what do (they) call you?)

You may know that the word םיארוק means 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 – ה ָרֹותּ ַה תאַי ִר ְק – the 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 ליעפה verb for the latter: אי ִר ְק ַה ְל.

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“A Clear, Beautiful Morning”

ח ַ

צ ר ֶ

קֹ

בּ

The Jewish festival of love, known as Tu B’Av, באב ו”ט, is usually a gorgeous day in Jerusalem.

A brisk, clear morning in Hebrew is called ח ַצ ר ֶקֹבּ, where חצ means 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 בֹוט רקוב – good morning.

You can use the same word to wish someone a good evening, especially if it’s nice outside, with ח ַצ ב ֶר ֶע.

“(Four) in the Morning”

ר ֶ

קֹ

בּ תֹ

ונ ְ

פ ִ

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, ר ֶקֹבּ תֹונ ְפִל עַבּ ְראַ. This means, literally, four to the turning of the morning – or, as the

pioneering Biblical commentator and prolific Hebrew philologist Rashi explains,

אֹובָל הֶנֹופּ ר ֶקֹבּ ַה ֶשׁ תֵעְל – at the time when the morning turns itself to approach.

The expression רקוב תונפל need 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, ל ַס ְפ ַסּ ַה לַע ָל י ִתי ִכּ ִח ֶשׁ ְכּ - When I Waited for You on the Bench. He

opens the song with, רקוב תונפל וּנ ְשַׁגּ ְפִנ – we 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”

םי ִ

עָ

נ יוּלּ ִ

בּ

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: !םי ִעָנ יוּלּ ִבּ

יוליב is the noun form (gerund) of the word תֹולַּב ְל, which means to spend time. תולבל

is an active-intensive לעיפ verb.

It is possible א ֵפֹור ָה ל ֶצ ֵא ה ָע ָשׁ תֹולַּב ְל – to spend an hour at the doctor’s, and it is possible

םָיּ ַה ףֹוח ְבּ תֹולַּב ְל – to spend time at the beach.

But if you use the word תולבל by itself, you’re talking about having a good time. Hence, יוליב also means going out and having a good time.

“Point of Departure”

א ָ

צֹ

ומ ת ַ

דּ ֻ

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 – א ָצֹומ, which, in Modern Hebrew, has also come to mean ethnicity or ancestry.

For example:

.י ִנ ָמ ְרֶגּ א ָצֹומּ ִמ אי ִה She is of German ancestry.

Another modern application of the word אצומ is in the expression for starting

point or point of departure: א ָצֹומ ת ַדּ ֻק ְנ, as in:

.ק ֵתּ ַר ְמ ר ָק ְח ֶמ ְל א ָצֹומ ת ַדּ ֻק ְנ ִכּ שׁ ֵמּ ַשׁ ְמ ַחוּפּ ַתּ ַה ם ִע ןֹוטוּי ְנ ל ֶשׁ ןֹוי ָסּ ִנּ ַה

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“To the Left” & “To the Right”

הָ

לאֹ

מ ְ

שׂ ,הָ

ני ִ

מ ְ

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 ןי ִמָי and לאֹמ ְשׂ, 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:

הָני ִמ ְי – to the right and

הָלאֹמ ְשׂ – to the left For example:

.רָכּ ִכּ ַבּ הָלאֹמ ְשׂ זאָ ְו ,רֹוז ְמ ַר ָבּ הָני ִמ ְי תֹונ ְפִל י ִר ָ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:

הָנֹופ ָצ – to the north/northward ה ָמֹור ָדּ – to the south/southward ה ָח ָר ְז ִמ – to the east/eastward

ה ָב ָרֲע ַמ – to the west/westward

And of course, one of Israel’s political parties in the 2013 election:

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“Nearby”

םֹ

וק ָ

מ

ת ַ

ב ְ

ר ִ

ק ְ

בּ

To say in Hebrew that something is close, you’d use a form of the word בֹור ָק.

Likewise, you could talk about the nearby town – ה ָבֹור ְקּ ַה ה ָרָיֲע ָה. In that case, הבורק (a

form of בורק) is 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 םֹוק ָמ תַב ְר ִק ְבּ.

In our examples:

.םוקמ תברקב תא ֵצ ְמ ִנ ה ָרָיֲע ָה

and

.ת ֶסֶנ ְכּ ַה תי ֵב ְל םוקמ תברקב רָגּ אוּה He lives nearby the synagogue.

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“To the East”

ה ָ

ח ָ

ר ְ

ז ִ

מ

The Torah portion Va’etchanan, ןַנּ ַח ְ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 ה ָח ָר ְז ִמ in Hebrew, taking the word ח ַר ְז ִמ for east and

adding a directional ה to the end of the word. Likewise:

westward or to the west is ה ָב ָרֲע ַמ; southward or to the south is ה ָמֹור ָדּ;

and

northward or to the north is הָנֹופ ָצ.

A Modern-Hebrew example:

.ת ֶרֶנּ ִכּ ַבּ תֹוח ְשׂ ִל י ֵד ְכּ הָנֹופ ָצ םי ִע ְסֹונ וּנ ְחַנ ֲא

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 ה ָמ ְי ַר ְצ ִמ – to Egypt, ה ָמָי – toward the sea, etc. Modern Hebrew use of the

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“Upwards” or “To Heaven”

ל ַ

ע ל ֶ

א

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 לַע ל ֶא means 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:

.לַע ל ֶא אי ִר ְמ ַמ בוּשׁ ה ָמ ָבֹּוא ק ָר ָבּ אי ִשָׂנַּל וּהָי ְנ ַת ְנ ןי ֵבּ ח ַת ֶמּ ַה

The tension between Netanyahu and President Barack Obama is again “taking off skyward.”

“Crosswalk”

הָ

י ָ

צ ֲ

ח

ר ַ

בֲ

ע ַ

מ

In the USA, it’s called a crosswalk. In The UK, it’s called a zebra crossing.

In Israel, it’s called a .הָי ָצֲח רַבֲע ַמ

רבעמ comes from the root ר.ב.ע, (a.b.r), meaning transition. And היצח comes 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”

א ָ

צֹ

ומ א ְ

ל

The Hebrew phrase for point of departure is א ָצֹומ ת ַדּ ֻק ְנ.

The Hebrew term for a dead end a point without departure or a place with no way out -is א ָצֹומ א ְל םֹוק ָמ. To refer to a particular type of dead end, substitute the word

for place – םֹוק ָמ – with your specific noun. For example: א ָצֹומ א ְל בֹוח ְר dead-end street and: א ָצֹומ א ְל ר ֶשׁ ֶק dead-end relationship

Another expression meaning dead end or cul-de-sac is םוּת ָס יֹוב ָמ, literally a blocked

alley.

“Medical Center”

י ִ

אוּפ ְ

ר

ז ָ

כּ ְ

ר ֶ

מ

A center is a ז ָכּ ְר ֶמ. For example, the greater Tel Aviv metropolis is considered ז ַכּ ְר ֶמ ץ ֶראָ ָה – the center of the country. The root of זכרמ is ז.כ.ר, (r.k.z), meaning concentration.

The practice of medicine is האָוּפ ְר. Thus a medical center is a י ִאוּפ ְר ז ָכּ ְר ֶמ, where

the ee sound at the end of the יאופר turns the feminine noun of האופר into a masculine adjective describing the masculine noun זכרמ.

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“Security Check”

י ִ

נֹ

וח ְ

ט ִ

בּ קוּדּ ִ

בּ

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 י ִנֹוח ְט ִבּ קוּדּ ִבּ. Let’s break that down.

קודיב

The verb for to check is קֹודּ ְב ִל, of the active-simple לַעָפּ form and the root ק.ד.ב (b.d.k). And a check or a checkup is a ה ָקי ִ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 .קודיב

ינוחטב

ינוחטב comes from the word ןֹוח ָטּ ִבּ – security. ינוחטב is an adjective, so we add a י to

the end of the word ןוחטב.

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“Make Yourself at Home”

ת ִ

י ַ

בּ ַ

בּ וּשׁי ִ

גּ ְ

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 ת ִי ַבּ ַבּ וּשׁי ִגּ ְר ַתּ.

This means, literally, you shall feel at home, where ושיגרת is a future-tense conjugate of the active-causative ליעפה verb, שׁי ִגּ ְר ַה ְל – to feel.

But guests don’t always come in pairs or groups.

To one male, use:

ת ִי ַבּ ַבּ שׁי ִגּ ְר ַתּ

And to one female, use:

ת ִי ַבּ ַבּ י ִשׁי ִגּ ְר ַתּ

“Sautéed”

ץ ָ

פּ ְ

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 ץָפּ ְק ֻמ – so that sautéed (or stir-fried) vegetables are םי ִצפקומ תֹוק ָר ְי.

ץפקומ means, literally, caused to jump. The word fits into the לעפוה verb paradigm, the passive form of the ליעפה.

To fry, on the other hand, is ןֵגּ ַט ְל, a לעיפ verb.

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“To Gain Weight”

ןי ִ

מ ְ

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 ןי ִמ ְ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 .ת ְנ ַמ ְשׁ ִה

ןימשהל is an active-causative ליעפה verb.

Professionals and people being more polite are likely to use ל ָק ְשׁ ִמּ ַבּ תֹולֲעַל to

mean to gain weight (literally, to go up in the weight), rather than the more informal and in-your-face ןימשהל.

“To Lose Weight”

תֹ

וז ְ

ר ִ

ל

תֹוז ְר ִל means to lose weight, or literally, to become thin. This simple לעפ verb is derived from the adjective, ה ֶז ָר meaning thin, when referring to a male (the feminine

version is ה ָז ָר). A more professional, polite version of the term is ל ָק ְשׁ ִמּ ַבּ ת ֶד ֶרָל –

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, תרצע ינימש:

ןֹוז ָר refers to gauntness, or in the case of the prayer, famine; whereas עַבֹשׂ refers

to satiation.

The word ה ֶז ָר appears in Shalom Hanoch’s father-son piece on homecoming: ה ָמ ָכּ ה ָת ְי ַבּ ַה ָתא ָבּ ֶשׁ בֹוט – How Great It Is That You’ve Come Home.

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“To Clear the Table”

ן ָ

ח ְ

ל ֻ

שּׁ ַ

ה ת ֶ

א תֹ

ונּ ַ

פ ְ

ל

תֹונּ ַפְל means to clear off. For example, I might say, ם ִע ַעֹוס ְנ ִל י ֵד ְכּ ר ֶקֹבּ ַה ת ֶא י ִל הֶנּ ַפ ְמ י ִנ ֲא םָיַּל תי ִנ ָדּ – I’m clearing (for myself) the morning in order to go (travel) to the beach (sea) with Danit.

Likewise, one can clear off a table – ן ָח ְל ֻשׁ תֹונּ ַפְל. 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 תונפל is an active-intensive לעיפ verb of the root ה.נ.פ, (p.n.h). Some related words are הָנּ ִפּ – corner (a place sectioned off from the rest), יוּנ ָפּ – available and תֹונּ ַפּ ְת ִה ְל – to use the restroom (to relieve oneself).

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“To Wash the Dishes”

םי ִ

ל ֵ

כּ ףֹ

וט ְ

שׁ ִ

ל

Those who have studied the Talmud have probably come across the word ף ֵטּ ַ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, ףטתשהל sounds just like the word for to

participate – ף ֵתּ ַ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 לֵעַפּ ְת ִה verbs, look at their roots: ףטתשהל – the root is פ.ט.שׁ, (sh.t.p), meaning rinsing ףתתשהל – the root is פ.ת.שׁ, (sh.t.p), meaning partnership

While ףטתשהל no longer gets spoken, its root, פ.ט.שׁ, is alive and well, most commonly in the active-simple לַעָפּ verb, ףֹוט ְשׁ ִל – to rinse.

Everyday expressions include:

םי ִלֵכּ ףֹוט ְשׁ ִל – to rinse/wash (the) dishes

םי ִלֵכּ תַפי ִט ְשׁ – (the act of) rinsing/washing (the) dishes

and

ַ

חֹמ תַפי ִט ְשׁ – brainwash

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“Recommended”

ץָ

ל ְ

מ ֻ

מ

ה ָצָל ְמ ַה means recommendation, and is the noun form of the active-causative ליעפה verb to recommend – ץי ִל ְמ ַה ְל.

The word for recommended is ץָל ְמ ֻמ. This is an adjective derived from verb ץילמהל,

conforming to the passive-causative לעפוה verb form.

ץלמוּמ is 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:

.ץלמומ רי ִח ְמ שֵׁי ה ֶזּ ַה רֶפ ֵסַּל This book has a suggested price.

.ן ָמ ְזּ ַה יֵנ ְפִל ה ָע ָשׁ עַב ֶר ה ָעָפֹוהַל ַעי ִגּ ַה ְל ץלמומ

It’s recommended to arrive at the show fifteen minutes in advance of the (starting) time. .םֹוח ְבּ ץלמומ אוּה ,ן ֵכּ ?ה ֶזּ ַה ַחוּנּ ִקּ ַה ת ֶא תֶב ֶהֹוא ְתּ ַא :תי ִר ָצְל ֶמַּל

To a waitress: Do you like this dessert? Yes, it’s warmly recommended.

“Short Film”

ןֹ

וט ְ

ר ִ

ס

Perhaps you know the Modern Hebrew word for movie or film – ט ֶר ֶ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 (הָנ ְשׁ ִמ) and the Midrash (ש ָר ְד ִמ).

In those texts, טרס means ribbon, a less-common meaning also used today. טרס refers to movie or film, since a movie is actually played from a ribbon of sorts, at least before the digital age.

Appending the ןֹו ending to the word טרס, the Academy of the Hebrew Language created a “smaller” version of the word – or a diminutive: ןֹוט ְר ִס,

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meaning a short film.

YouTube clips fall under the ןוטרס category.

“To Deliver the Goods”

ה ָ

רֹ

וח ְ

סּ ַ

ה ת ֶ

א ק ֵ

פּ ַ

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 – ק ֵפּ ִס אוּה ה ָרֹוח ְסּ ַה ת ֶא – literally; he supplied the goods/merchandise.

To supply or provide is ק ֵפּ ַס ְל, an active-intensive לֵע ִפּ verb.

“Generously”

ה ָ

ב ָ

ח ְ

ר

דָ

י ְ

בּ

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.

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“Consistently”

תוּיּ ִ

ב ְ

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, תודלות, in which the

third forefather, בֹקֲעַי (Jacob), is introduced holding onto the heel of (his brother) Esau -ו ָשׂ ֵע ב ֵקֲעַבּ תֶז ֶחֹא ֹודָי ְו.

There are several ways of saying consistently in Hebrew:

י ִב ְק ִע ן ֶפֹא ְבּ in a consistent manner תי ִב ְק ִע ה ָרוּצ ְבּ in a consistent form תוּיּ ִב ְק ִע ְבּ with consistency

“Awake”

ר ֵ

ע

The Torah portion Balak, קלב, is perhaps the strangest – ר ֵתֹוי ְבּ ה ָר ָזוּמּ ַה of all

portions, featuring a talking (female) donkey – ת ֶר ֶבּ ַד ְמ ןֹותאָ and 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 םֵלֹוח ֹוא רֵע – Awake or Dreaming?, since prophet-magician ם ָעְל ִבּ – Balaam may very well have questioned his conscious state as his ןותא opened her mouth… and since the main figure in the song questions his state as well.

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In the song, the line is:

?םֵלֹוח ֹוא רֵע י ִנ ֲא ם ִא ַה Am I awake or dreaming?

If a woman were to sing the song, she’d say instead:

?ת ֶמֶלֹוח ֹוא ה ָר ֵע י ִנ ֲא ם ִא ַה

“To Go out of Your Mind”

ֹ

ותּ ְ

ע ַ

דּ ִ

מ תא ֵ

צָ

ל

The English expression to go out of one’s (his) mind gets translated literally into Modern Hebrew:

ותּ ְע ַדּ ִמ תא ֵצָל

תאצל means to go out, while ותעדמ means from his mind.

To use this expression, conjugate the active-simple לעפ verb תאצל, and substitute the ו-ֹ ending with the one you wish to mean.

For example:

.י ִתּ ְע ַדּ ִמ א ֵצ ֵא י ִנ ֲא , י ִשׁ ְמַי ה ָכ ָכּ שׁ ַע ַר ָה ם ִא

If the noise continues this way, I’ll go out of my mind. .הּ ָתּ ְע ַדּ ִמ האָ ְצָי אי ִה ֶשׁ י ִל ה ֶמ ְד ִנ

It seems to me that she’s gone crazy.

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“Get Well Soon”

ה ָ

מֵ

ל ְ

שׁ האָוּפ ְ

ר ,ה ָ

רי ִ

ה ְ

מ ה ָ

מָ

ל ְ

ח ַ

ה

The traditional Jewish way of wishing someone a speedy recovery is saying האָוּפ ְר ה ָמֵל ְשׁ, which means, literally, a complete healing.

But a more common expression in Modern Hebrew is ה ָרי ִה ְמ ה ָמָל ְח ַה – literally, a speedy recovery.

המלחה comes from the active-causative ליעפה verb, םי ִל ְח ַה ְל – to recover.

הריהמ is the feminine form of the adjective, רי ִה ָמ – quick, speedy, fast. We use הריהמ and ריהמ, as opposed to ה ָר ֵה ְמ and ר ֵה ַמ, because we’re calling the

recovery quick – whereas הרהמ and רהמ mean quickly, speedily, or fast as an adverb.

For example:

.םי ִלֹוח ַה לָכ ְל ה ָרי ִה ְמ ה ָמָל ְח ַה םי ִלֲחאַ ְמ ם ֵה They wish a quick recovery to all the sick people.

“A Cooling Trend”

תוּר ְ

ר ָ

ק ְ

ת ִ

ה

ת ַ

מַּ

ג ְ

מ

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 תוּר ְר ָק ְת ִה ת ַמַּג ְמ.

The word ה ָמַּג ְמ, one that appears in Biblical Hebrew, means a

trend, tendency, direction of movement.

The word תוּר ְר ָק ְת ִה comes from the word for cold – ר ָק. Plugging the word רק

into the לעפתה form, 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.

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“To Hang in There”

ד ָ

מ ֲ

ע ַ

מ

קי ִ

ז ְ

ח ַ

ה ְ

ל

To someone having difficulty with a problem, or with just getting through a long week, we might say: ד ָמֲע ַמ וּקי ִז ְח ַתּ, which means, literally, hold stance, in the plural.

To conjugate for individuals, study the active-causative ליעפה verb form.

To “hang in there” is דמעמ קי ִז ְח ַה ְל. This Hebrew expression can also refer to an

object remaining intact.

דמעמ comes from the root ד.מ.ע, (a.m.d) which means standing.

קיזחהל, 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”

ֹ

ותָ

י ְ

ל ֻ

ח ֵ

מ אֵ

לּ ַ

מ ְ

ת ִ

מ רֹ

ובּ ַ

ה ןי ֵ

א

In the Torah portion, Vayelekh, לֵֶיּ ַ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:

.ֹותָי ְלֻח ֵמ אֵלּ ַמ ְת ִמ רֹובּ ַה ןי ֵא 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: רֹובּ

Hole אֵלּ ַמ ְת ִמ

Is filled up (a variation of the reflexive-intensive לֵעַפּ ְת ִה verb form)

ֹ

ותָי ְלֻח ֵמ

From/through (the hole in) its cover

…where הָי ְלֻח means 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.

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I’m Feeling…

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“Lazy”

ןָ

ל ְ

צ ַ

ע

The Hebrew word for a male who is lazy is ןָל ְצַע, while the word for a female lazy

person is תי ִנַל ְצַע.

The root of the word ןלצע shows up in the Bar Mitzvah dance favorite, Yo Ya.

“Grateful”

ה ָ

דֹ

ותּ

רי ִ

ס ֲ

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 םרט, 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 – ה ָדֹותּ רי ִס ֲא in the masculine, and ה ָדֹותּ ת ַרי ִס ֲא in the feminine.

For example:

ת ֶא בֹותּ ְכ ִל ְו ם ִיַנּ ַפֹוא לַע בֹוכּ ְר ִל ,תֹוח ְשׂ ִל לֹוכָי י ִנ ֲא ֶשׁ ְו ,רֶב ֶשׁ י ִל ןי ֵא ֶשׁ ה ָדֹותּ רי ִס ֲא י ִנ ֲא םֹויּ ַה תאֹזּ ַה ה ָמוּשׁ ְ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 – ת ַר ָכּ ַה ה ָבֹוט –recognition of a favor.

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has been replaced by the much more popular expression, thank you.)

“Daring”

ז ָ

עֹ

ונ

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 ז ָעֹונ in the masculine and ת ֶז ֶעֹונ in the feminine.

For example:

.קא ָרי ִע ְבּ י ִמֹוט ֲא ָה רוּכּ ַה ת ֶא ה ָצ ְצֹופּ ל ֵא ָר ְשׂ ִי ,תֶז ֶעֹונ הָלוּע ְפ ִבּ In a daring operation, Israel bombed the nuclear reactor in Iraq.

Israel did so to protect itself… as well as the world.

“Aggressive”

י ִ

נ ָ

פ ְ

קֹ

ותּ

When asked to translate the word aggressive into Hebrew, many Israelis are likely to say י ִבי ִס ֶר ְגאַ, 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 י ִנ ָפ ְקֹותּ – also, aggressive. Likewise, aggressiveness is תוּנ ָפ ְקֹותּ. These words come from the

active-simple לעפ verb ףֹוק ְת ִל, meaning to attack. ףוקתל appears in various forms in

Biblical Hebrew, but is borrowed from Aramaic.

You may recognize the word’s root, פ.ק.ת (t.k.f), in a few other words: ה ָפוּק ְתּ,

meaning period of time and ף ֶקֹתּ, meaning validity. Collecting the data, we might

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“To Get Refreshed”

ןֵ

נ ֲ

ע ַ

ר ְ

ת ִ

ה ְ

ל

Raanana – הָנָנֲע ַר – is a city in Israel. The word הננער means fresh, when speaking of

something feminine such as a city.

...ףֵיּ ָע י ִנ ֲא וי ָשׁ ְכ ַע – Right now, I’m tired...

ןֵנֲע ַר ְת ִה ְל ה ֶצֹור י ִנ ֲא ַו… – ...and I want to get refreshed.

The word ןנערתהל means to get refreshed.

“Exhausted”

רוּמָ

גּ ,שׁ ָ

תוּמ

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 ףֵיּ ָע, tired – or

to a greater extreme, exhausted.

To say, exhausted, I and the male readers would use the word שׁ ָתוּמ, and the female

readers would use ת ֶשׁ ֶתוּמ.

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“I Can’t Wait”

ַ

חוּר ר ֶ

צֹ

ק ְ

בּ תֹ

וכּ ַ

ח ְ

ל

The literal translation of I can’t wait! is:

תֹוכּ ַח ְל לֹוכָי א י ִנ ֲא – when spoken by a male תֹוכּ ַח ְל הָלֹוכ ְי א י ִנ ֲא – when 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 – חוּר ר ֶַ צֹק ְבּ תֹוכּ ַח ְל.

תֹוכּ ַח ְל is an active-intensive לעיפ verb meaning to wait.

ר ֶצֹק means shortness. ַ

חוּר means literally, wind.

For example:

.תֹורי ִח ְבּ ַה תֹוא ְצֹות ְל ַחוּר ר ֶצֹק ְבּ תֵעָכּ םי ִכּ ַח ְמ םי ִבּ ַר םי ִל ֵא ָר ְשׂ ִי Lots of Israelis can’t wait right now for the election results

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“Average”

ע ָ

צּ ֻ

מ ְ

מ

The Hebrew word for (the) middle is ע ַצ ְמ ֶא. For example:

.ר ֶד ֶח ַה ע ַצ ְמ ֶא ְבּ ת ֶד ֶמֹוע אי ִה

She is standing in the middle of the room.

The root of עצמא is ע.צ.מ, (m.ts.a), which appears as an active-intensive לעיפ verb -

ַ

ע ֵצּ ַמ ְל - in the Mishnah:

.ם ַע ָה ןי ֵב ְל ֹוני ֵבּ ֹוע ְצּ ַמ ְמ הֶנּ ֻמ ְמּ ַה ְו ,ה ֶז ר ַחאַ ה ֶז ןי ִר ְבֹוע ם ַע ָה לָכּ ֶר ֶדּ - םי ִר ֵח ֲא ת ֶא ם ֵחַנ ְמ אוּה ֶשׁ ְכּ

(’א הנשמ ,’ב קרפ ןירדהנס)

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 ע ָצּ ֻמ ְמ, a passive לעופ version of the verb ַע ֵצּ ַמ ְל.

In Modern Hebrew, we take this concept of split down the middle and use the word עצוממ to mean average - or that which is in the middle.

For example:

.שׁ ֵשׁ ְו םי ִר ְשׂ ֶע אוּה ה ֹפּ ע ָצּ ֻמ ְמּ ַה לי ִגּ ַה The average age here is twenty six.

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“Capable”

תֶ

לֶ

גּ ֻ

ס ְ

מ ,לָ

גּ ֻ

ס ְ

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: לָגּ ֻס ְמ י ִנ ֲא and if you’re a female:

תֶלֶגּ ֻס ְמ י ִנ ֲא.

“Over-the-Moon Ecstatic”

גַ

גּ ַ

ה

ד ַ

ע

ַ

ח ֵ

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 גַגּ ַה דַע ַח ֵמ ָשׂ. It means, literally, happy to the roof.

Bear in mind that joy in Hebrew is an active-simple לעפ verb, חֹומ ְשׂ ִל.

Here’s an example of the expression in action:

.גַגּ ַה דַע וּנ ְח ַמ ָשׂ ,תַבּ ם ֶהָל ה ָד ְלֹונּ ֶשׁ וּנ ְע ַמ ָשּׁ ֶשׁ ְכּ

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“Childish”

י ִ

תוּדּ ְ

לַ

י

The Hebrew word for child – probably related to the English word – is דֶלֶי for a male and ה ָדּ ְלַי for a female.

Words that in English have -hood, -ism, etc. at the end of the word, in Hebrew typically have an תוּ- ending. So childhood is תוּדּ ְלַי.

Childish, seeming like a child or as if in childhood, is י ִתוּדּ ְלַי.

For example:

.י ִתוּדּ ְלַי ת ַצ ְק ן ֶכֹתּ ַה לָבאָ ד ָמ ְחֶנ רֶפ ֵ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 םי ִמ ָתּ in the masculine, literally, innocent, and ה ָמי ִמ ְתּ in the feminine.

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“Naughty”

ןָ

י ְ

ר ַ

בֲ

ע

The Hebrew word םי ִנָי ְר ַבֲע appears in the introductory line to the well-known prayer, י ֵר ְד ִנ לָכּ – Kol Nidrei. םיניירבע is 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 ןָי ְר ַבֲע by virtue of the fact that םיניירבע are

those who bypass the law.

You likewise may be familiar with the closely-related word ה ָר ֵבֲע –

crime or transgression.

In today’s Hebrew, the word ןיירבע tends 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

ע ֵשֹׁופּ.

“Appropriate”

םֵ

לֹ

וה

םֵלֹוה means appropriate in the same ways as the English word.

There’s םֵלֹוה דוּגּ ִבּ – appropriate attire, both in the social sense and in response to the weather.

And there’s ת ֶמֶלֹוה תוּגֲהַנ ְת ִה – appropriate behavior.

And, of course, there’s ה ָדֹובֲע ָה י ִפְל ת ֶמֶלֹוה ת ֶרֹוכּ ְשׂ ַמ – An appropriate salary according to the job.

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“Wasted”

לוּט ְ

ס ַ

מ ,רוּמָ

גּ

While some refrain from excessive celebration on םי ִרוּפּ, 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, י ֵר ְמַגְל רוּמָגּ אוּה – he’s totally gone (i.e., he is passed out).

For a female, it’s ה ָרוּמ ְ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 הָלוּט ְס ַמ אי ִה – she’s out of it. For a male,

it’s לוּט ְס ַמ. This word is borrowed from Arabic and means intoxicated or bewildered.

“Tense” or “Primed”

וּר ָ

דּ

A phrase often seen in newspapers translates literally, “The world is following with tenseness the developments in the Middle East…” – ר ַח ֲא תוּכי ִר ְד ִבּ ב ֵקֹוע םָלֹוע ָה ןֹוכי ִתּ ַה ח ַר ְז ִמּ ַבּ תֹויוּח ְתּ ַפּ ְת ִה ַה

תוכירד means tenseness or preparedness.

To use the adjective form, one might say The soldier is ready for battle (literally, war) –

(41)

“Ready for Action”

ן ָ

מֻּ

ז ְ

מוּ ן ָ

כוּמ

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 ן ָמֻּז ְמוּ ן ָכוּמ, 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 ןמוזמ itself 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:

.רָב ָדּ לָכ ְל ןמוזמו ןכומ שׁ ָד ָח ֶה רי ִע ָה שׁאֹר

The new mayor is ready for anything that might come his way (literally, for everything).

An example in the feminine:

.ב ָצּ ַמ לָכ ְל תֶנ ֶמֻּז ְמוּ הָנ ָכוּמ אי ִה She is ready for any situation.

(42)

“Peace of Mind”

י ִ

שׁ ְ

פַ

נ ט ֶ

ק ֶ

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 י ִשׁ ְפַנ ט ֶק ֶשׁ. It means,

literally, quiet of the soul – where the י ending on the word ש ֶפֶנ turns 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.

תעדה בושיי

The first takes the root ב.שׁ.י, (y.sh.b), meaning setting to create ת ַע ַדּ ַה בוּשּׁ ִי –

literally, the setting of the mind. בושיי is the abstract-noun form of the active-intensive לעיפ verb, ב ֵשַּׁי ְל meaning 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:

.םי ִדוּמּ ִלַּבּ ַחי ִל ְצ ַה ְל י ֵד ְכּ תַע ַדּ ַה בוּשּׁ ִי י ִר ָצ

Peace of mind is needed in order to succeed in (the) studies.

שפנה תוולש

The second term takes ה ָו ְל ַשׁ meaning serenity – a synonym of the word םֹול ָשׁ, peace –

and combines it with the word for soul – שׁ ֶפֶנ – to create שׁ ֶפֶנּ ַה תַו ְל ַשׁ. This means, literally, serenity of the soul.

(43)

“Guilty Feelings”

ה ָ

מ ְ

שׁ ַ

א תֹ

ושׁ ְ

ג ִ

ר

The Torah portion, Vayikra, א ָר ְ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 ם ָשׁ ָא ן ַבּ ְר ָק – guilt offering. Say the word םשא out loud and note how similar it sounds to the English word, shame.

ה ָמ ְשׁ ַא is the word used in Modern Hebrew to refer to guilt.

Then again, the word ה ָשׁוּבּ also sounds a bit like shame.

Guilt – המשא and shame – השוב are not the same thing. ה ָמ ְשׁ ַא תֹושׁ ְג ִ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 השוב, on the other hand, comes when a person believes “I am bad.” This experience is unhealthy and maladaptive, and can only be released when

(44)

“Anonymous”

י ִ

נֹ

ומ ְ

לאַ ,י ִ

מי ִ

נֹ

ונאָ

The more commonly-used translation of anonymous is also the one borrowed from another language (English, which in turn formed the word from Greek) – י ִמי ִנֹונאָ.

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 י ִנֹומ ְלאַ used to mean anonymous,

such as in this newspaper byline:

.י ִנֹומ ְלאַ שׁי ִא י ֵד ְי לַע ל ֶתֹכּ ַבּ בָזֱעֶנ ה ָרֹותּ רֶפ ֵ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, י ִנֹומ ְלאַ י ִנֹול ְפּ refuses to marry Ruth… so instead Boaz marries her, and together they engender a line of descendants leading to King David.

(45)

“Contagious”

ק ֵ

בּ ַ

דּ ִ

מ

The way to translate contagious disease into Hebrew is ת ֶק ֶבּ ַדּ ִמ הָלֲח ַ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 לעיפ verb form to say, ת ֶק ֶבּ ַד ְמ י ִנ ֲא/קֵבּ ַד ְמ י ִנ ֲא.

Spoken properly, it’s ה ָקי ִבּ ְד ַמ י ִנ ֲא/קי ִבּ ְד ַמ י ִנ ֲא, using the active-causative ליעפה verb

form and meaning, literally, I am infecting. Some examples:

קי ִבּ ְד ַמ א רָב ְכּ י ִנ ֲא םֹויּ ַה לָבאָ ,הֶלֹוח י ִתי ִי ָה.

I was sick, but today I’m no longer contagious (infecting). ק ֵבּ ַדּ ִמ וּיּ ִח הָי ָה לֹומ ְת ֶא הָנוּת ֲח ַבּ ן ָת ָחַל.

(46)

“To Crack Up Laughing”

קֹ

וח ְ

צּ ִ

מ ַ

ע ֵ

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 קֹוח ְצּ ִמ ַע ֵקּ ַפּ ְת ִה ְל. It means, literally, to burst from laughter.

עקפתהל is a reflexive-intensive לעפתה verb. The root is ע.ק.פ, (p.k.a). An example:

.קֹוח ְצּ ִמ ה ָע ְקּ ַפּ ְת ִה ְו ט ֶר ֶסּ ַה ת ֶא ה ָת ֲא ָר אי ִה

She watched (saw) the movie and cracked up laughing.

Some synonyms:

קֹוח ְצ בֹור ֵמ א ֵסּ ִכּ ַה לַע ֵמ לֹופִּל

To fall off of a (from on the) chair from so much laughter קֹוח ְצּ ִמ תוּמָל

(47)

“Lonely”

ד ֵ

דֹ

ובּ

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 –

ה ָו ְצ ִמ immediately 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 – ד ַב ְל or ד ָד ָבּ (a more

literal usage), or lonely – ד ֵדֹובּ. 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, ע ָרֹצ ְמּ, prescribes the laws of the ע ַרֹצ ְמ – a person afflicted with a skin disease often referred to as leprosy – ת ַע ַר ָצ (related

to psoriasis?). The Sages of the Midrash explain that people would become ill with תערצ as a result of antisocial speech – badmouthing others, speaking rudely, etc.

The treatment?

...וב ָשֹׁומ הֶנ ֲח ַמ ְל ץוּח ֵמ ב ֵשֵׁי ד ָד ָ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.

(48)

People Are…

(49)

“Enlightened”

רֹ

ואָ

נ

A couple of years ago I worked with a man named רֹואָנ, who runs a non-profit organization in Tel Aviv. His name means enlightened. The female version of the word/name is ה ָרֹוא ְנ.

The word/name is actually a derivative of the לעפנ verb form, and its root is the word רֹוא meaning light.

“Brilliant”

קי ִ

ר ְ

ב ַ

מ

The Hebrew word for lightning – or a sparkle of light – is ק ָר ָבּ. It’s also the name of a

hero in םי ִט ְפֹושׁ רֶפ ֵס – the 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,

קי ִר ְב ַמ – an adjective deriving from the active-causative ליעפה form.

A couple of examples:

קירבמ ןֹויֲע ַר ה ֶז – that’s a brilliant idea; קירבמ ם ָדאָ ן ֶבּ אי ִה – she’s a brilliant person

(Note קירבמ is used in the masculine, since it describes the word םדא, a masculine word used nevertheless to refer to people of both genders.)

Contrary to what you might expect, קירבמ is not related to the English word maverick.

(50)

“Friendly”

י ִ

תוּר ְ

ב ֶ

ח ,י ִ

תוּדי ִ

ד ְ

י

Words for friendship include תוּר ֵב ֲח and תוּדי ִד ְי. The word תורבח – based on the

root ר.ב.ח, (kh.b.r), meaning connection – implies a well-established bond of

friendship. תודידי, 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, ה ָבי ִב ְסַּל י ִתוּדי ִד ְי אוּה – literally, 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.ח root:

י ִתוּר ְב ֶח. For example, תי ִתוּר ְב ֶח ה ָרוּח ָבּ אי ִה – she’s a sociable young woman.

These adjectives create nouns of their own as well: תוּיּ ִתוּדי ִד ְי means friendliness,

while תוּיּ ִתוּר ְב ֶח means 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 – דֹודּ and ה ָדֹודּ, which once meant, simply, beloved one.

The name of the Jewish month of לוּל ֱא is said to be an acronym for י ִדֹוד ְו י ִדֹוד ְל י ִנ ֲא י ִל – I am for my Beloved, and my Beloved is for me

“International”

י ִ

מּ ֻ

א ְ

ל ְ

ני ֵ

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 י ִמּ ֻא ְל meaning national gets the word inter/between/among – ןי ֵבּ – added to the beginning, yielding י ִמּ ֻא ְלְני ֵבּ.

(51)

.ק ֶט-י ַה ַה םוּח ְת ִבּ ה ָמי ִה ְד ַמ י ִמּ ֻא ְלְני ֵבּ אוּצְי ת ַמ ָר שֵׁי ל ֵא ָר ְשׂ ִי תַני ִד ְמ ִל Israel has an amazing level of international export in the field of high-tech.

“Irritating”

קי ִ

ע ֵ

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 – קי ִע ֵמ. The feminine form of this term is ה ָקי ִע ֵמ.

קיעמ comes from the Biblical Hebrew word still used today, ה ָק ָעוּמ – distress. The root of these words is ק.ו.ע, (a.v.k).

קיעמ is an adjective deriving from the active-causative ליעפה verb, קי ִע ָה ְל – to irritate (emotionally, not physically).

To say irritated, you’d use a different word – י ִנ ָבּ ְצַע, which also

means nervous and anxious.

“Devoted”

רוּס ָ

מ

One of the themes of the Holiday of ה ָכֻּנ ֲח – Hanukkah – is devotion to a cause. The Maccabees were devoted – םי ִרוּס ְמ – to the cause of defending the right of Jews

to practice their religion. Thanks to their תוּרי ִס ְמ – devotion – the Jewish people are

here today.

If a woman is devoted to a cause, she is ה ָרוּס ְמ. If a man is devoted, he is רוּס ָמ.

The root of these words is ר.ס.מ, (m.s.r), one of the roots for the concept of giving. תוריסמ is giving oneself over, as in the phrase, ש ֶפֶנ תוּרי ִס ְמ – giving over oneself, or, less literally, making self-sacrifice.

(52)

“Attentive”

בוּשּׁ ָ

ק

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 בוּשּׁ ָק, or ה ָבוּשּׁ ַק in the feminine. It’s related to a

word you’ve certainly come across if you’ve taken a course with Ulpan La-Inyan,

בי ִשׁ ְק ַה ְל – to listen.

For example:

.תַלוּזּ ַה בֵלְל םָג ְו ,ֹובּ ִלְל בוּשּׁ ַק תֹוי ְה ִל י ִר ָצ ם ָדאָ

(53)

“Vulnerable”

ַ

עי ִ

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 עי ִגָפּ for a male and ה ָעי ִג ְפּ for a female. Likewise, vulnerability is תוּעי ִג ְ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:

.םי ִב ֲהֹוא י ִכ ֲה וּנאָ ֶשׁ י ִמ ְבּ םי ִעְגֹופּ וּנאָ

We hurt whom we love most.

It’s the same root as עוּגּ ִפּ, 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”

ןי ִ

מ ָ

ז

א

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 – ןי ִמ ָז א י ִנ ֲא, and for a woman – א י ִנ ֲא הָני ִמ ְז.

(54)

“Unforgivable”

חַ

ל ְ

ס ִ

נ י ִ

תּ ְ

ל ִ

בּ

This entry was written in the wake of the Itamar Massacre

The butchering of an innocent family is an unforgivable act – חַל ְס ִנ י ִתּ ְל ִבּ ה ֶשֲׂע ַמ.

The word חלסנ falls into the לעפנ verb pattern, though the word itself functions as an adjective. The root is ח.ל.ס, (s.l.kh) – forgiveness.

“Logical”

י ִ

נֹ

וי ְ

ג ֶ

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 בֹושׁ ְחַל meaning to think while other words

denote something more specific. For example, the Biblical and Modern Hebrew

תֹוגֲהַל means to pronounce, but also to ponder. Likewise, ןֹויָגּ ִה, in Biblical Hebrew,

refers to the act of pondering (ט”י םי ִלּ ִה ְתּ – Psalms 19).

In Medieval times, the study of logic became a central discipline for scholars. So for Jewish scholars, the word ןויגה took on a meaning even more specific than

pondering – it came to mean logic, which is what the word means to this day.

(55)

“Professional”

י ִ

עֹ

וצ ְ

ק ִ

מ

The Modern Hebrew word for profession – עֹוצ ְק ִמ – appears 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/י ִעֹוצ ְק ִמ. For example, אוּה י ִעֹוצ ְק ִמ רֹוטָל ֶט ְס ְני ִא – he is a professional plumber.

By contrast, to say someone is a professional, you’d use ן ָעֹוצ ְק ִמ or תי ִנ ָעֹוצ ְק ִמ.

“Reliable”

ןי ִ

מאָ

You’re certainly familiar with the word ן ֵמאָ – amen. The three-letter root of the word makes up the entire word. Its core meaning is trust.

Thus the word for reliable is ןי ִמאָ, or הָני ִמאָ, when speaking of a female or a

feminine object. For example:

.ןי ִמאָ בֶכ ֶר ה ֶז

(56)

“Rich”

רי ִ

שׁ ָ

ע

The Hebrew word for wealth is ר ֶשֹׁע – not to be confused with the word

for happiness. Thus the word for wealthy is רי ִשׁ ָע in the masculine and ה ָרי ִשֲׁע in the

feminine.

For example:

.םי ִט ְנ ַדי ִס ְקֹואי ִט ְנאַ ְבּ םי ִרי ִשֲׁע םי ִלָכ ֲא ַמ לֹוכ ֱאֶל בוּשׁ ָח It’s important to eat foods that are rich in antioxidants. ?תֹויּ ִנֲע תֹוני ִד ְמ ִל ַעֵיּ ַס ְל תֹוכי ִר ְצ תֹורי ִשֲׁע תֹוני ִד ְמ ם ִא ַה Must wealthy countries aid poor countries?

“Serious”

רוּמ ָ

ח

,י ִ

ני ִ

צ ְ

ר

The translation of serious into Modern Hebrew, when referring to a person, an offer, etc. is י ִני ִצ ְר in the masculine and תי ִני ִצ ְר in the feminine.

For example:

.י ִני ִצ ְר רוּח ָבּ אוּה

He’s a serious young man (in Hebrew, this is a compliment). .ה ָר ְשׂ ִמַּל םי ִיּ ִני ִצ ְר םי ִד ָמֳע ָמ ה ָמּ ַכּ שֵׁי

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: רוּמ ָח in the masculine and ה ָרוּמ ֲח in the feminine. These words

usually refer to things that shouldn’t have been done.

For example:

(57)

To write on the wall of the synagogue is a serious act.

רוּמ ָח is likely not related to the word רֹומ ָח meaning donkey.

“Sophisticated”

ם ָ

כּ ְ

ח ֻ

ת ְ

מ

If you know some Hebrew, you surely know the word for wise or smart – ה ָמ ָ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 ת (t) to the beginning, taking the meaning of the words derived to a whole new level.

You might say, ם ָכּ ְח ֻת ְמ ם ָדאָ אוּה – he is a sophisticated person. םכחותמ is an adjective derived from the לעופ verb form.

“Strange”

רָ

זוּמ

In Biblical Hebrew, a man from the outside, a stranger, is an ר ָז שׁי ִא, while a strange woman is an ה ָר ָז ה ָשּׁ ִא. Likewise, a male foreign worker is an ר ָז דֵבֹוע, while a female is an ה ָר ָז ת ֶד ֶבֹוע.

The adjectives רז and הרז become nouns as well, so that a strange man is sometimes called a רז and a strange woman a הרז.

The word ר ָזוּמ meaning simply strange or weird, in Modern Hebrew, appears once in

the Bible, in ט”כ םי ִלּ ִה ְתּ – Psalms 29:

.י ִמּ ִא יֵנ ְב ִל י ִר ְכָנ ְו י ָח ֶא ְל י ִתי ִי ָה רָזוּמ

Estranged I am to my brothers and foreign to my mother’s sons.

רזומ is an adjective deriving from the passive-causative לעפוה verb form, so that the word means, literally, made strange.

Hebrew Described