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How to Use the Hebrew Word for Bench Posted by Ayana on Dec 17, 2018
Review the vocabulary below and try to read this short Hebrew story. Use the following translation, and if you have any question leave me a comment. Bench (masculine) = סַפְסָל (saf-sal) The bench = הַסַּפְסָל (a-saf-sal) Demonstrative pronouns for bench – זֶה, הוּא This bench = הַסַּפְסָל הַזֶּה That bench = הַסַּפְסָל הַהוּא Benches =…
Aviv and Stav: The Origin and Meaning of Two Common Hebrew Names Posted by Ayana on Dec 3, 2018
Two out of four seasons became popular Hebrew names: Aviv אָבׅיב (means “spring”) and Stav סְתָיו (means “autumn”). Aviv אָבׅיב My grandmother’s old friend never celebrated her birthday. She didn’t know the exact day, she didn’t even know the year (שָׁנָה sha-na) she was born. She only knew she was born during spring, because her…
Israel’ s Sole Olympic Gold Winner to Auction Off Medal Posted by Ayana on Nov 26, 2018
Last month, the windsurfer Gal Fridman, Israel’ s sole Olympic gold winner, published an ad on his Facebook page: “מחפש תותח אי ביי שמבין במכירה פומבית של פריט נדיר היחיד מסוגו בארץ” “Looking for an Ebay expert who understands how to auction a rare item, one of its kind in Israel” Fridman won a bronze medal at…
What happened during the 2018 Israel Municipal Election Posted by Ayana on Nov 12, 2018
The municipal election in Israel is held every five years. In Israel, a local authority (רָשׁוּת) leader’s term (כְּהֻנָּה) lasts five years. The number of terms (כְּהֻנּוֺת) a local authority leader can serve is unlimited. Residents (תּוֹשָׁבׅים) can choose their leaders again and again, for unrestricted number of terms. Quite a few mayors (רָאשֵׁי עָרׅים)…
Eating Kosher Posted by Ayana on Oct 22, 2018
Kosher (כָּשֵׁר, pronounced as ka-sher) is a Hebrew adjective, meaning “fit”, “proper”, or “correct”. כָּשֵׁר also means “fit to eat” according to the Jewish laws of Kashruth (כַּשְׁרוּת) – a set of dietary rules that dictates what kinds of food can be eaten and how it needs to be prepared. The כַּשְׁרוּת laws concerns any…
How to use the Hebrew preposition “on” Posted by Ayana on Oct 8, 2018
The Hebrew preposition עַל (pronounced as al) means “on”, “about”, or “regarding”. It’s a short word – only one syllable – but extremely important when forming grammatically correct sentences. Let’s delve into its many purposes. 1) The most common usage of עַל is as a location word. עַל means “above” or “on top of” when…
Honey, Bees and Hives in Hebrew Posted by Ayana on Sep 17, 2018
Honey (דְּבַש) is an essential ingredient in the Jewish New Year dinner, as we’ve learned in the last post. Various flavors of דְּבַש (pronounced de-vash) filled the supermarket shelves before the holiday; a small jar of דְּבַש is common among other treats given as gift; and during new year dinner, for a sweet new year…