Hebrew Fruits Vocabulary Posted by Ayana on May 21, 2018
The first step to realize my New Year’s resolution – losing weight – was to drop all the snacks I’ve enjoyed between meals. No more Bamba or Cow Chocolate for me. From now on – only fruits to maintain my sugar level. Fig תְּאֵנָה On a diet, figs are definitely a better option than a…
Counting of the Omer Posted by Ayana on May 7, 2018
In the Book of Leviticus [chapter 23], God announces to Moses the appointed festivals that are to be sacred assemblies. First to be appointed is the Sabbath, second is Passover, and third is Counting of the Omer (סְפׅירַת הָעוֹמֶר). Counting (feminine) = סְפִירָה (se-fi-ra) Counting of the Omer = סְפׅירַת הָעוֹמֶר (se-fi-rat a-o-mer) סְפׅירַת הָעוֹמֶר…
Israel Independence Day Celebrations Posted by Ayana on Apr 16, 2018
Every year around April, excitement fills the streets when Israel celebrates its birthday. Flags decorate every corner; the radio broadcasts Hebrew songs from all times; and people getting ready to the family barbecue. Israelis observe this special day with the same traditional rituals. The main event is the official ceremony on Independence Day eve that…
Hebrew Grammar: Feminine Nouns Posted by Ayana on Apr 2, 2018
Nouns in Hebrew – any noun – has gender: feminine or masculine. A noun’s gender is quite important because it can impact an entire sentence. The gender of the noun doesn’t only affect the pronoun, changing it to she or he. It also affects most of the words in the sentence. In Hebrew, adjectives and…
Get Ready for Passover: the Seder Plate Posted by Ayana on Mar 26, 2018
Passover Seder (לֵיל הַסֵּדֶר) will be celebrated this year at the end of March. On the evening of Friday, March 30, 2018, Jewish families from all over the world will gather around their large family table to observe the Jewish exodus from Egypt. Food and wine will be generously served, and the traditional Seder plate…
Hebrew: The Metric System of Languages Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 20, 2018
Guest Post by Bob Canter It was an off-hand comment from our rabbi, in response to a question I had posed to him, that triggered my investigation. I asked the rabbi if the Hebrew word for “Western, ” – מערבי – as in the Western Wall – derives from the same root as the word…
The Different Languages in Israel Posted by Ayana on Mar 12, 2018
The Israeli population is a linguistically diverse community. The state of Israel absorbs immigration daily, and thus we have many languages spoken in one small country. According to Ethnologue there are 37 languages in Israel. For comparison, there are only 24 in Germany, 15 in Spain, 12 in Switzerland. Language (feminine) = שָׂפָה Languages = שָׂפוֺת Official (to…