Archive for October, 2013
Building Your Vocabulary: Eating Out (2) Posted by Sean Young on Oct 30, 2013
At the restaurant, cafe, or snack bar, wherever you go to eat or have a snack, you may have some dietary restrictions to keep in mind. Some are voluntary, others may be for health reasons. So you need to be prepared with the following phrases – just in case you need them. Eating kosher or…
Building Your Vocabulary: Eating Out (1) Posted by Sean Young on Oct 26, 2013
We’re going to visit the restaurant again, but this time, let’s build up our vocabulary and phrases so we can enjoy the experience better. Arriving at the restaurant A table for two? – שׁוּלְחָן לִשְׁנַיִים? A table for five, please – שׁולחן לחמישה, בבקשה. Looking over the menu May I have a menu? – אֶפְשָׁר…
Insight into Hebrew: Shibboleth Posted by Sean Young on Oct 24, 2013
The term originates from the Hebrew word שִׁבֹּלֶת (shee-BOH-let), which literally means the part of a plant containing grains (an ear of corn or a stalk of grain). The modern usage derives from an account in the Hebrew Bible, in which pronunciation of this word was used to distinguish Ephraimites, whose dialect lacked a “sh”…
Using Facebook in Hebrew Posted by Sean Young on Oct 17, 2013
About a year and a half ago, I wrote an article on planning a Hebrew immersion day. And as a part of that immersion experience, I thought about Facebook and how you can use it to help you learn Hebrew. VOCABULARY לְהִכָּנסֵ – log in שֵׁם מִשְׁתַּמֵּשׁ – username סִיסְמָה / סִיסְמָא – password Signing…
Exploring Israel: The Western Wall Posted by Sean Young on Oct 11, 2013
The Western Wall or Ha-Kotel (הַכֹּתֶל הַמַּעֲרָבִי; Arabic:حائط البراق) is a remnant of the ancient wall that surrounded the Jewish Temple’s courtyard, and is the second most sacred site recognized by the Jewish faith (the Temple Mount itself is the most sacred site). הַכֹּתֶל refers not only to the exposed section facing a large…