Our fingers are ten little body parts with great importance. The thumb tells your kid \u201fgood job\u201d from across the room; the second finger is for pointing; the middle finger expresses your anger; the fourth finger carries your wedding ring; and the pinky finger helps you swear to be there for a friend. Now, don’t you think they are important enough to learn their Hebrew names?<\/p>\n
The Hebrew word for finger is \u05d0\u05b6\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2.<\/p>\n
For example:<\/p>\n
\u05d9\u05b5\u05e9\u05c1 \u05dc\u05c5\u05d9 \u05e2\u05b6\u05e9\u05c2\u05b6\u05e8 \u05d0\u05b6\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05e2\u05d5\u05ba\u05ea<\/p>\n
I have ten fingers<\/p>\n
\u05dc\u05b8\u05d0\u05b6\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2 \u05d4\u05b2\u05db\u05c5\u05d9 \u05e7\u05b0\u05d8\u05b7\u05e0\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e7\u05d5\u05ba\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0\u05c5\u05d9\u05dd \u05d6\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05ea<\/p>\n
The smallest finger is called pinky<\/p>\n
\u05e9\u05c1\u05c5\u05d9\u05dc\u05b7\u05d1\u05b0\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b6\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05e2\u05d5\u05ba\u05ea<\/p>\n
We crossed our fingers<\/p>\n
\u05d0\u05b6\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2 is also the short name of the index finger. The index finger full name is \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b6\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2 \u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4 (literally means the index finger), but we usually omit the predicate in this clause, and use only the short name \u2013 \u05d0\u05b6\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2 (finger). It’s seems a bit confusing, but actually it’s easier to remember: the name of this \u05d0\u05b6\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2 is \u05d0\u05b6\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2.<\/p>\n
The \u05d0\u05b6\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2 that carries our wedding ring is \u05e7\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05e6\u05b8\u05d4 (the ring finger). During the Jewish wedding ceremony, the bride hands over her right hand. The groom put the wedding ring on her \u05d0\u05b6\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2 \u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4 to symbolize their bond. When the ceremony ends, the bride removes the ring to her left \u05e7\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05e6\u05b8\u05d4 for the rest of her life.<\/p>\n
Between \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b6\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2 \u05d4\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4 and the \u05e7\u05b0\u05de\u05b4\u05d9\u05e6\u05b8\u05d4 is the middle finger. The middle finger is the longest finger in the human body, and in Hebrew it is called \u05d0\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4 (the middle finger).<\/p>\n
The biggest \u05d0\u05b6\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2 has two names in Hebrew: \u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d4\u05b6\u05df and \u05d0\u05b2\u05d2\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3\u05b8\u05dc. \u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d4\u05b6\u05df is the biblical word for thumb. For example:<\/p>\n
\u201d\u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05d1\u05bc\u05b9\u05d5\u05d4\u05b6\u05df \u05d9\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea \u05d5\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05dc \u05d1\u05bc\u05b9\u05d5\u05d4\u05b6\u05df \u05e8\u05b7\u05d2\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05dd \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05b0\u05de\u05b8\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea\u201f<\/p>\n
\u201fOn the thumb of their right hand and the big toe of their right foot\u201d<\/p>\n
[Exodus, chapter 29, verse 20]<\/p>\n
\u201d\u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b4\u05e8\u05b0\u05d3\u05bc\u05b0\u05e4\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b9\u05d0\u05d7\u05b2\u05d6\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05b0\u05e7\u05b7\u05e6\u05bc\u05b0\u05e6\u05d5\u05bc \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05d4\u05b9\u05d5\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea \u05d9\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5 \u05d5\u05b0\u05e8\u05b7\u05d2\u05b0\u05dc\u05b8\u05d9\u05d5\u201f<\/p>\n
\u201fThey chased him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and his big toes\u201d<\/p>\n
[Judges, chapter 1, verse 6]<\/p>\n
Although the English translation of the bible distinguishes between the hand thumb and the foot big toe; the Hebrew origin refers to both as \u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d4\u05b6\u05df. In the Hebrew dictionary \u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d4\u05b6\u05df defined as:<\/p>\n
\u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b6\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2 \u05d4\u05b6\u05e2\u05b8\u05d1\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b8\u05d3 \u05d0\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05d2\u05b6\u05dc<\/p>\n
The thick finger of the hand or the feet<\/p>\n
\u05d0\u05b2\u05d2\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3\u05b8\u05dc is the Talmudic word for thumb. It originated in a later period than \u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d4\u05b6\u05df, but it means exactly the same. As it shows in idiom like:<\/p>\n
\u05e2\u05b8\u05e7\u05b5\u05d1 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e6\u05b7\u05d3 \u05d0\u05b2\u05d2\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3\u05b8\u05dc<\/p>\n
One foot in front of the other (literally translated to heel next to big toe); which means to walk slowly; to do something slowly and punctiliously.<\/p>\n
Although there is no difference between \u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d4\u05b6\u05df and \u05d0\u05b2\u05d2\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3\u05b8\u05dc in the Jewish texts, spoken Hebrew does use the two antonyms to discern between the palm\u2019s thumb and the feet\u2019s big toe. \u05d0\u05b2\u05d2\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3\u05b8\u05dc \u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b8\u05d3 (hand’s thumb) and \u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05d4\u05b6\u05df \u05d4\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05d2\u05b6\u05dc (foot’s big toe) are in common use in the fields of biology and anatomy.<\/p>\n
While \u05d0\u05b2\u05d2\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3\u05b8\u05dc derived from the root \u05d2-\u05d3-\u05dc (g-d-l, means big), \u05d6\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05ea is probably derived from the root \u05d6-\u05e2-\u05e8 (z-a-r, means small). Because \u05d6\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05ea is the Hebrew word for pinky.<\/p>\n
\u05d6\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05ea \u05d4\u05c5\u05d9\u05d0 \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b6\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2 \u05d4\u05b7\u05e7\u05bc\u05b0\u05d8\u05b7\u05e0\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4<\/p>\n
Pinky is the baby finger<\/p>\n
In summary, remember the verse from the Talmud, naming the fingers from the smallest to the biggest:<\/p>\n
\u05d6\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d6\u05b6\u05e8\u05b6\u05ea, \u05d6\u05d5\u05b9 \u05e7\u05b0\u05de\u05c5\u05d9\u05e6\u05b8\u05d4, \u05d6\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d0\u05b7\u05de\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4, \u05d6\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d0\u05b6\u05e6\u05b0\u05d1\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2, \u05d6\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d0\u05b2\u05d2\u05d5\u05bc\u05d3\u05b8\u05dc<\/p>\n
This is baby finger, this is ring finger, this is middle finger, this is index finger, this is thumb<\/p>\n
The foot fingers weren’t honored enough in the Hebrew language to receive names, except for the big toe, so we left with only six Hebrew fingers names to learn. Use this nursery to practice the names and their pronunciation:<\/p>\n