1. religion and spirituality
2. judaism

‫עברית‬
‫רגע ש‬
‫ל‬
‫סיפורן של מילים‬
‫ ד"ר גבי שטרית‬:‫כתב‬
Written by: Dr Gabi Shetrit
Translated by: Ariella Rosen
‫קייקנה‬/‫קיץ‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬1
Amount of time: 4-5 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the word: Aramaic
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary definition: A summer ‫( מעון‬home), a ‫( מרגוע מקום‬relaxing place), especially on the
hot summer days.
Phrases:
‫קיץ מחנה‬- Summer camp
‫קיץ בגד‬- Summer clothes
‫קיץ בית‬- Summer house
‫קיץ גידולי‬- Summer crops
‫חופשי יום‬- Day off
Key Words:
‫ קיץ‬-Summer
‫חופש‬, ‫דרור‬- Freedom
‫פגרה‬- Vacation
‫חידוש‬-Renewal
‫משמעות‬-Meaning
‫ארמית‬-Aramaic
‫שפה‬-Language
‫מקבילה‬-Parallel
‫מגדיר‬, ‫הגדרה‬-Definition
‫מעון‬-Home
‫מרגוע‬-Relaxation
‫שחרור‬- Free
‫עונה‬-Season
‫חובה‬-Duty
‫ השיחה מהלך‬Developing the conversation
Where do you think we got the word ‫ קייטנה‬or ‫ קיץ‬that we say throughout the ‫( קיץ‬summer)? Is
there a connection between the words ‫ קיץ‬and ‫?קייטנה‬
The word ‫ קייטנה‬sounds like the word ‫קיט‬- and also ‫קיץ‬.
The word ‫ קיץ‬and ‫ קיט‬are sister words- ‫ קיץ‬is a Hebrew word and ‫קיט‬- from the word ‫קייטא‬which means summer (‫ )קיץ‬in Aramaic. There is a saying in Aramaic: ‫מדקייטא קשים דקייטא שלהי‬.
"The end of summer is harder than the summer itself."
In modern Hebrew we have taken words from the Aramaic language, but gave them a ‫משמעות‬
‫מיוחדת‬- a special meaning, or meaning that is slightly different from the meaning of the word in
Hebrew. For example, the word ‫ כורסא‬is the Aramaic ‫( מקבילה‬parallel) of the word ‫( כסא‬chair) in
Hebrew.
This is how the word ‫קיט‬, was given a renewed meaning, ‫חידוש‬
as summer relaxation, and also as relaxation in general. Avraham Even Shoshan, who made
‫“( החדש המילון‬The New Dictionary”) popular around fifty years ago, still writes that ‫ קייטנה‬is a
‫קיץ מעון‬, (a summer home), a ‫ מרגוע מקום‬a place of relaxation. However, in newer dictionaries,
the ‫( הגדרה‬definition) of this word teaches us that ‫ קייטנה‬is a framework for children’s activities
during vacation days, mainly during the summer vacation, but there are also of course ‫קייטנות‬
‫( חורף‬winter).
In honor of ‫הקיץ חופשת‬, summer vacation, let’s look at other words that are connected to ‫קיץ‬:
‫חופש‬, ‫חופשה‬, ‫( פגרה‬vacations). The concept of ‫ חופש‬is translated in dictionaries as ‫חירות‬,
freedom.
In common speech, these words became mixed up and today we say ‫ חופש‬instead of ‫חופשה‬. For
example, “I requested ‫ חופש‬in order to finish my work.” ‫הקיץ חופשת‬, the summer vacation for
schoolchildren (in the months of July and August) is called ‫( הגדול החופש‬the Big Vacation).
However, ‫ חופשה‬is really a time of ‫שחרור‬, freedom, from work, from studies, or ‫מסוימת חובה‬,
regular duties or responsibilities.
Some say that ‫ חופשה‬is ‫פגרה‬, and that the root of the word ‫ פגרה‬is also Aramaic. In the Talmud in
Masechet Shabbat, it is said: “ ‫רבנן ביה דמפגרי יומא‬,” which means a day during which the rabbis
were free, a day off. This is a vacation during a set time from season to season, ‫עונה‬, that is given
to someone who works or studies. For Example: there is school vacation, court recess, the
summer break in the Knesset, and more.
‫אחת רגל על‬-On One Foot
The word ‫ קיץ‬is related to ‫קיט‬, which means a ‫קיץ בית‬, “summer house” in Aramaic, or a place of
relaxation for the summer. Are we relaxed at summer camp, our ‫?קיץ בית‬
‫למחשבה‬- For Thought
What is the connection between ‫ קיץ‬and ‫תאנה‬, fig?
‫עברית‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬2
Amount of Time: 4-5 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: ‫עברית‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition: The ancient, historical language of the Jews, the language in which
traditional holy texts were written, and a nickname for Aramaic, the language spoken by Jews
during the period of the Tanaim and Amoraim (the rabbis who wrote the Mishnah and the
Talmud).
Phrases:
‫חציה מעבר‬- Crossing line
‫תעבורה כלי‬- Traffic tools that help drivers on the road
‫אורח עובר‬- One who comes and goes- Traveler
‫העולם מן עבר‬- Dies
Key Words:
‫מצווה לקיים‬-Do a mitzvah
‫נולד‬-Born
‫דעה‬-Opinion
‫מקור‬-Source
‫נכד‬-Grandson
‫מצור‬-Siege
‫להפחיד‬-Scare
‫מגביר‬-Increases
‫נרדפת מילה‬-Synonym
‫לשון‬, ‫שפה‬-Language
‫העיכול לפני המזון את ללוש‬- Knead the food before digestion
‫מוח‬-Brain
‫עבר‬-Beyond
‫ השיחה מהלך‬Developing the conversation
Why is our language called ‫ ?עברית‬Many people ask me this. The answer, ‫לעברים עברית‬, is
written in the Talmud in Masechet Megilah, where it also says, “Greek for Greeks.” That is to
say, ‫ לעברים עברית‬means that one who speaks Hebrew should read Megilat Esther (read on Purim)
in Hebrew, in order ‫המצווה את לקיים‬.
Still confused by this answer? Rashi explains it: ‫ עברית‬is the language of those ‫הנהר עבר‬- beyond
the river. This explanation comes from the place in which Avraham ‫נולד‬, he was from beyond the
Euphrates River.
According to another ‫דעה‬, the ‫ מקור‬of the term ‫ עברי‬comes from the name of Noah’s ‫ נכד‬in the
Torah: ‫( עבר‬Ever). The ‫( עברי‬Hebrew) nation was already mentioned at the time of the Tanakh
(Bible), so what was their language called? When Ravshakeh the messenger of the king of Ashur
comes to put a ‫ מצור‬on the people of Jerusalem, ‫ אותם להפחיד‬the leaders of the people ask him to
speak Aramaic, not ‫“( יהודית‬Jewish” language), so the rest of the people would not understand
and become afraid, but Ravshakeh just raised, ‫ מגביר‬his voice: ‫“ יהודית גדול בקול ויקרא‬He called
out in ‫ יהודית‬in a loud voice.” If this is accurate, the language of the Hebrews in the Tanakh was
called “‫יהודית‬.” From the Middle Ages and on, this language has been known as ‫עברית‬, Hebrew.
Words that are used as ‫ נרדפת מילה‬to ‫ עברית‬are ‫ לשון‬and ‫שפה‬. What is the connection between
‫ לשון‬and ‫ שפה‬which are parts of the body (the tongue and lips), to language that we speak?
There is a connection! ‫ לשון‬that is in our mouth, the tongue, comes from the root word ‫לוש‬, and
from this we understand that just as the tongue’s job is ‫העיכול לפני המזון את ללוש‬, so too does ‫לשון‬
as language "knead" the thoughts that come from the ‫ מוח‬into words.
‫למחשבה‬- For Thought
Why are we called ‫?יהודים‬
‫אחת רגל על‬-On One Foot
The ‫ עברים‬are the children of Avraham, people who came ‫לנהר מעבר‬, from beyond the river, and
they were also the descendants of ‫עבר‬, the grandson of Noah.
For Your Entertainment
This story makes sense only in Hebrew. Try to pick up on the wordplay!
‫דוד ומגן העברי בית האלף סוד‬- The Secret of the Alef Bet and the Magen David
The ‫ דוד מגן‬is the shape that is found on the Israeli flag, and that is very special to all Jews.
Look! Inside this wonderful shape, which is made up of two triangles (or two pyramids if you
wish), you can see every letter of the Alef Bet! Take a look:
For Advanced Hebrew Speakers: ‫( בספרדית חולם‬Dream in Spanish) by Ehud Manor
I wake up in ‫ עברית‬in the morning,
And drink coffee in ‫עברית‬,
I pay in Hebrew,
For all things that I buy.
In the language of King David
I live and make my voice heard,
And read stories to a child,
Always from right to left.
In ‫ עברית‬there are words,
To express almost everything
It has ‫( שקה‬outlet) it has ‫( תקה‬plug),
But there is not word in ‫ עברית‬for “tact.”
I get excited in ‫ עברית‬when I see a flower,
And deliver prayers in ‫עברית‬,
I get angry in ‫ עברית‬in a moment,
And “hit” in ‫ עברית‬with a curse.
‫פזמון‬:
I think and I write
In ‫ עברית‬without difficulty,
I love to love you
In exquisite ‫עברית‬.
It’s a wonderful language,
There will be no other for me,
But at night, at night,
I dream in Spanish.
‫גוף וחלקי לשון‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬3
Amount of time: 4-5 ‫דקות‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition: The organ in the mouth that works to determine taste, aids in eating and
digestion, and helps in speaking.
Phrases:
‫בעין עין‬- To see eye to eye, to agree with someone
‫אחת רגל על‬- In short
‫עין תחת עין‬- This for that (the consequence matches the action)
‫הקודש לשון‬- A nickname for the Hebrew language
‫הרע לשון‬- Gossip or slander
‫נקייה לשון‬- Nice and polite language (“clean” language)
‫נהור סגי לשון‬- The opposite of what someone says
‫רכה לשון‬- Polite language
Key Words:
‫מגופה‬- Body
‫כיסוי‬- Cover
‫מסתיר‬- Hide
Internal- ‫פנימיות‬
‫רוחנית‬- Spiritual
‫אצבעות פרקי‬- Knuckles
‫עזרה‬- Help
‫כוח‬- Power
‫להשפיע‬- Influence
‫נובע מעיין‬- Flowing Spring
‫מזינה‬- Sustaining
‫המשקל שיווי מרכז‬- Equilibrium Center
‫איזון‬- Balance
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
‫לשון‬
What is the connection between ‫ לשון‬and ‫ שפה‬which are parts of the body (the tongue and lips),
to language that we speak?
There is a connection! ‫ לשון‬that is in our mouth, the tongue, comes from the root word ‫לוש‬, and
from this we understand that just as the tongue’s job is ‫העיכול לפני המזון את ללוש‬, so too does ‫לשון‬
as language knead the words and sentences that come from the ‫מוח‬.
‫גוף‬
Coming from ‫מגופה‬, in order words ‫כיסוי‬. The ‫ גוף‬is the material that covers and ‫ מסתיר‬the ‫פנימיות‬
‫ רוחנית‬of a person.
‫יד‬
It’s number value is 14 (in Gematria: yod=10 and dalet=4), which represents the fourteen ‫פרקי‬
‫אצבעות‬. When we need ‫עזרה‬, we use two hands. That is to say, the word ‫ כוח‬is equivalent to 28
‫פרקים‬, twice the number value of ‫יד‬.
‫עין‬
The job of the ‫ עין‬is ‫להשפיע‬, influence, our brains and thoughts. ‫ עין‬comes from ‫ מעיין‬that ‫נובע‬
(flows) ‫( ומשפיע‬influences).
‫אוזן‬
The ‫ אוזן‬also ‫( מזינה‬sustains) a person’s brain through information that surrounds us. It’s well
known that the ‫ המשקל שיווי מרכז‬is located in the ‫אוזן‬, which is related to the word ‫( איזון‬and
‫מאזניים‬, or scale).
The parts of the body also have related verbs (actions):
‫יד‬-‫לידות‬- - To throw
‫עין‬- ‫ לעיין‬To look up
‫רגל‬- ‫לרגל‬- To spy
‫לשון‬- ‫להלשין‬- To slander
‫אוזן‬- ‫להאזין‬- To listen
‫ שן‬-‫לשנן‬- To memorize
‫)א(ופרידה מפגש ברכות‬
‫ולקרוב לרחוק שלום שלום‬
Greetings for Meeting and Leaving
Shalom, Shalom to Those Far and Near
‫שלום‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬4
Amount of Time: 3-4 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: ‫עברית‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition:
Rest, ‫שלווה‬, quiet, the opposite of war, the greeting between two people.
Phrases:
‫עליכם שלום‬- A greeting between two people-literally, peace be upon you
‫אמת שלום‬- A stable peace
‫בית שלום‬- Keeping peace in the family
‫שלום דרישת‬- To ask after the well-being of someone
‫שלום ועידת‬- A gathering for the purpose of making a peace agreement
‫שלום שבת‬- A greeting between friends on Shabbat
‫שלום רודף‬- Someone who tries to make peace between people- literally, a pursuer of peace
Key Words:
‫שלווה‬- Peace
Fixed -‫קבוע‬
‫ידידות‬- Friendship
‫יסוד‬, ‫בסיס‬-Basis
‫שלמות‬-Integrity
‫ונפשית גופנית‬-Physical and Mental
‫בטחון‬- Security
‫תקינים יחסים‬- Normal Relations
‫הקשרים‬- Contexts
‫ניגוד‬- Conflict
‫מלחמה‬- War
‫כבולים צירופים‬- Bound Phrases
‫ניבים‬- Idioms
‫ברכה‬- Greeting
‫פרידה‬- When we leave someone
‫נכרי‬- Foreign
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
‫ולרחוק לקרוב שלום שלום‬- ‫לכולם שלום‬
Shalom, Shalom to those near and far- Shalom to everyone
The word ‫ שלום‬is one of the foundational words in Hebrew. The root ‫ש‬.‫ל‬.‫מ‬. teaches us about it’s
most basic meaning (‫)בסיסית‬- a situation of ‫שלמות‬: ‫ שלמות‬that is both ‫ונפשית גופנית‬, that is ‫ביטחון‬,
that is ‫ תקינים יחסים‬between people, between nations, and more.
In the Tanakh the word appears in many ‫הקשרים‬, all of which reflect this basic notion.
In modern Hebrew, the main meaning of the word ‫ שלום‬is the opposite of war.
The source of this meaning is in the Tanakh, such as “‫ ”שלום ועת מלימה עת לשנא ועת לאהב עת‬A time
to love, a time to hate, a time for war, and a time for ‫שלום‬, peace. Ecclesiasties (Kohelet) 3:8.
The word ‫ שלום‬in modern Hebrew comes mainly in ‫ כבולים צירופים‬and in ‫ניבים‬.
Today, we often use the word ‫ שלום‬as a ‫ברכה‬, usually when we meet someone and leave- ‫פרידה‬.
A story was told of Rabban Yochana ben Zakkai ‫ בשוק נכרי ואפילו מעולם שלום אדם הקדימו שלא‬He
would always greet another person first, even a gentile in the marketplace. (Talmud Bavli
Brachot 17a).
Even today, when we ask ‫שלומך מה‬, one can answer, ‫ טוב שלומי‬or ‫טוב לא שלומי‬. In the Tanakh,
the structure of this question was different, as was the answer. Joseph asked his brothers, ‫השלום‬
‫ ?הזקן אביכם‬Is your father, the old man, well? They answered, ‫לאבינו לעבדך שלום‬- our father is
well.
We separate ‫ שלום‬into different greetings: ‫אליכם שלום‬, peace be upon you,‫ שלום היו‬, be at peace,
‫ לשלום לכו‬go in peace, ‫ לשלום צאתכם‬, depart in peace.
‫)ב(ופרידה מפגש ברכות‬
Greetings for Meeting and Leaving
‫שלום‬, ‫יאלה‬, ‫ביי‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬5
Amount of Time: 4-5 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: ‫עברית‬, Arabic, English
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Key Words:
‫שפה‬- Language
‫זאת למרות‬- In spite of this
‫עצמך על תשמרי‬- Take care
‫תפוזים‬- Oranges
‫צעידה‬- Marching
‫להתפלל‬- Pray
‫שיבוש‬- Word corruption
‫ההכתרה נאום‬- Inauguration Speech
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
“How do you say ‫ שלום‬in three ‫( שפות‬languages)?
‫טוב‬, ‫יאללה‬, ‫!ביי‬
(“Okay, yalla, bye!”)
We used to say goodbye in shortened ways, like “lehit,” “ciao,” or “bye,” but today, ‫זאת למרות‬,
even my grandmother won’t get off the phone without saying “‫טוב‬, ‫יאללה‬, ‫ביי‬.”
The words ‫ עצמך על תשמרי‬or ‫( עצמכם על תשמרו‬take care of yourself) used to be said by anyone
close to me.
“How, exactly, can I take care of myself?” I asked one of these greeters. I figured she did not
mean that I should start eating three ‫ תפוזים‬a day, or to go on a ‫ צעידה‬for an hour.
“You are right,” she answered. There is nothing you can do, just ‫להתפלל‬. In other words, pray
that God takes care of you. “‫טוב‬, ‫יאללה‬, ‫ ”ביי“ ”ביי‬And the conversation was over.
This idea is exactly what the words ‫ ביי יאללה‬mean.
The word ‫ יאללה‬is actually two separate words joined together: ‫יא‬- ‫אללה‬. In simple Hebrew, “‫הו‬
‫אלוקים‬.” (“Oh, God.”)
The word ‫ ביי‬just comes from the English word “goodbye.” “Goodbye” is simply a ‫ שיבוש‬of the
phrase “God be with you.” In the 16th century, people began shortening this phrase to “God
b.w.y.” After many more ‫שיבושים‬, the phrase turned into “goodbye” as we know it today.
So, ‫עצמכם על תשמרו‬. Or, ‫טוב‬, ‫אלוקים הו‬, ‫אתכם יהיה שהאלוקים‬- Good, Oh God, may God be with
you! Amen!
On One Foot ‫אחת רגל על‬
When we leave someone, we say to them in three different languages: ‫טוב‬, ‫ביי יאללה‬
For Thought- ‫למחשבה‬
Which American president used in his ‫ הכתרה נאום‬words that exist in three languages? Yes We
Can!
‫סלנג )ג( ופרידה מפגש ברכות‬
Greetings for Meeting and Leaving- Slang
‫עברי בסלנג ”שלומך מה”ל תשובות‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬6
The words: ‫הפנים על‬, ‫אחלה‬, ‫אכבר‬, ‫כף‬, ‫סבבה‬, ‫ז”חבל‬, ‫פיצוץ‬
Origin of the Words: Mostly Arabic
Intended Audience: Everyone
Key Words:
‫פנים‬- Face
‫מקוצר‬- Abbreviated
‫מקבילה‬- Parallel
‫ליפול‬- To fall
Satisfaction-‫רצון שביעות‬
‫מתוק‬- Sweet
‫בהשאלה‬- Figuratively
‫הנאה‬- Pleasure
‫חשיש‬- Cannabis
‫משימה‬- Task
‫היגיון‬- Reason
‫בזבוז‬- Waste
‫חוויה‬- Experience
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
What is the source of the saying “‫”?הפנים על‬
The saying “‫ ”הפנים על‬is a ‫ מקוצר‬saying. In Yiddish, “panim,” or “punim,” is used in many
sayings, most of which were translated into Hebrew. For example, “‫( ”פנים פון אראפ‬Araf fun
punim) became “‫הפנים לו ירדו‬,” “his face fell.” In other words, he has just reacted to something
bad that happened, just as what happened in the Torah in Genesis (Breisheet), “‫פניו נפלו‬,” “his
face fell.”
The phrase “‫( ”פנים א פור וואס‬Vas for a punim) became “‫( ”?לי יהיה פרצוף איזה‬What an expression
I will have on my face)!
The phrase “‫( ”פנים אין פאטש א‬a patsch in punim), a slap in the face, in English also has a ‫מקבילה‬
in Russian. The saying “‫ ”הפנים על‬might be a ‫ מקוצר‬form of “‫הפנים על [מכה] קיבלתי‬.” (I got
slapped in the face.) In other words, "I’m not doing great." There is another ‫ מקבילה‬in Hebrew,
“‫( ”הפנים על ליפול‬to fall on one’s face), which is found in the song “‫ ”געגוע‬by Yehudit Ravitz: "I
swore to guard my beliefs/ I didn’t know how to avoid falling on my face."
‫אחלה‬
This word means good, excellent, a word of ‫רצון שביעות‬. In Arabic, ‫ אחלה‬means very ‫מתוק‬.
When understood ‫בהשאלה‬, it means "good," "wonderful."
‫אכבר‬
It means “the greatest,” and there are many phrases in Hebrew that use this word. For example,
‫( גבר אכבר‬a great man), and of course, the saying “‫( ”אכבר אללהו‬Allah, or God, is the greatest).
‫כיף‬
This word means both ‫ הנאה‬and ‫ חשיש‬in Arabic.
‫סבבה‬
This word means great or excellent in Arabic. In Hebrew in recent years, there has been a shift in
usage of this word: In the past ‫ סבבה‬was used to describe ‫ רצון שביעות‬with something. Now, we
often use the word when talking about an unpleasant ‫משימה‬. For example, “Honey, could you
please wash the dishes?” “‫סבבה‬.”
The saying ‫ אגוזים סבבה‬is similar to “‫”טופי יופי‬- a silly way of saying that everything is good.
‫ז”חבל‬
This is a shortened version of the phrase “‫ ”הזמן על חבל‬which is said when someone wants to
explain why there is no ‫ היגיון‬for ‫ בזבוז‬of time.
Today, the saying has another function as well. Rather than take the time to describe in detail
how incredible a ‫ חוויה‬was, simply, say “‫הזמן על חבל‬.” In the past, people responded to questions
with “‫הכיפאק על‬,” “‫אחלה‬,” etc. but now, that answer is “‫הזמן על חבל‬.”
‫פיצוץ‬
This word has its origins in the army, meaning explosion. It’s meaning in slang is "wonderful,"
"excellent."
‫החדשה העברית השפה‬- ‫וסבו נכד בין שיח דו‬
(A conversation between a grandfather and grandson demonstrating the “New Hebrew”)
Grandson: Hey, Sabba
Grandfather: Shalom
Grandson: ‫ ?כיאיף‬What’s up?
Grandfather: What?
GS: ‫ ?שלומך מה‬How are you?
GF: Ah, good ‫תודה‬, and you?
GS: ‫סבבה‬
GF: I asked you ‫?שלומך מה‬
GS: And I answered... excellent
GF: I didn’t understand. How is school?
GS: ‫ עשר‬Ten
GF: Excellent. A Ten is the best grade you can get.
GS: That’s not my grade, that’s how school is.
GF: When do you finish?
GS: I finish in two months
GF: And then, you will begin to work?
GS: No, there’s no work in my field right now.
GF: So what will you do?
GS: ‫סתלבג‬, ‫בטן‬-‫גב‬. Saddle bag, on my stomach and my back.
GF: What?
GS: I’ll hang out and do nothing.
GF: And how will you support yourself?
GS: ‫ !כרים אללה‬Allah will provide!
GF: What, now you’ve converted to Islam?
GS: No, it’s a saying.
GF: How is your girlfriend?
GS: ‫ כוסית חתיכת‬A great slice.
GF: What?
GS: ‫פצצה‬
GF: What explosion? There was another ‫( ?פיגוע‬terrorist attack)
GS: No, it’s a saying that means, like, really pretty.
GF: When will you get married?
GS: What is burning? Who died?
GF: Someone in our family died!?
GS: No, it’s a saying.
GF: How is your apartment?
GS: ‫ הזמן על חבל‬It’s incredible.
GF: You’ve only lived there for two minutes, and you are already anxious about time?
GS: No, it’s a saying.
GF: Are your parents helping you at all?
GS: Nada, Maniakim! (Maniacs!)
GF: I don’t understand- they have mental problems?
GS: No, it’s a saying. They aren’t helping even though they are heavy (‫)כבדים‬
GF: Fat?
GS: No, full of money.
GF: Oh, okay. It’s so nice that you came to visit me today. You don’t have school?
GS: I became the breeze.
GF: What, you work in plumbing?
GS: No... it’s a... yes.
GF: This is what comes out of all of your studies? Installation?
GS: ‫סתאאאאאאאם‬. Just kidding...
For Thought- ‫למחשבה‬
Try to translate the slang words in the story below.
‫ ?ישראלי מיהו‬Who is an Israeli
(For staff and older)
Should I explain to you who is an Israeli?
He is ‫( אניוואן‬anyone) who gets up in the morning, jumps into ‫( שורטס‬shorts), goes outside
‫( וגינג’לג‬jogging), like anyone else. In the meantime, his wife dresses the ‫( בייביס‬babies) in
‫( טיששרטס‬t-shirts), puts on their ‫( קיקרס‬kickers, sneakers), feeds them ‫( קוטג‬cottage cheese),
gives them chocolate milk to drink until the ‫ קרייזי‬returns. She puts the ‫( טוסטר‬toaster) ‫( און‬on)
and when he returns, they sit ‫( לברקפסט אניהאו‬anyhow for breakfast) of ‫ספלנדיד וקפה קריקרס‬
(crackers and splendid coffee). And before you can say “Jack Robinson,” he is already stuck in
‫( טרפיק‬traffic) on his way ‫( לדאונטאון‬downtown).
She in the meantime begins ‫( ראן טו‬to run) the ‫( משינרי‬machinery), ‫( וההלנדר המיקסר‬the mixer
and the blender), ‫( והשטינקר הקלינר‬the cleaner and the “stinker”-dog), that ran outside!
And the husband, after he quit two or three ‫( טיים‬times), began smoking “Kent” (“Marlboro is
not his ‫טי אופ קאפ‬- cup of tea!). He made a ‫( קול דיסטנס לונג‬long distance call) to his brother in
Miami and three to his broker and went ‫( סואיסייד קומיט טו‬to commit suicide) in a pile of ‫פיילס‬
(files).
And she, where is she? ‫( ?במינימרקט‬in the minimarket?)- No. ‫( ?בסופרמרקט‬In the supermarket?)No and no. ‫( ?בהיפרמרקט‬in the hypermarket?)- No, No, No! ‫( קיי או‬okay), ‫( !בדראגסטור‬In the
drugstore!) Who else but her is buying ‫( באגי‬baggy) pants and ‫( בוטס איטאליין‬Italian boots), ‫לליידי‬
(for a lady). And what for him? Maybe a ‫( בלייזר‬blazer) or ‫( אפטרשייב‬aftershave). Or, perhaps a
“‫( ”פנטהאוז‬Penthouse) with ‫( גרלס נייקיד‬naked girls). ‫נו יו‬, ‫( !איט לייקס הי‬You know, he likes it!)
And what about our ‫( ?בוי יאנג‬our young boy?) What, another six ‫( קסטות‬cassettes), ‫סיק גוד פור‬
(for God’s sake!) He also has a ‫( סטריאו‬stereo), and also ‫( וידאו‬video)! Also ‫( טייפ‬tapes)! ‫יו‬
‫( !אגזגרייט‬You exaggerate) ‫( !בוי מי‬my boy)
It’s lucky that there is also a ‫( שופ פוטו‬photo shop) here. ‫( קליק‬click)- here is a ‫פוטו פספורט‬
(passport photo). ‫( גאש‬gosh)! ‫האו אני‬, ‫( ארטר’לצ בוקינג עושים‬anyhow, we are booking a charter)
‫( בואינג‬Boeing) 707 and we are off to America!
But what? Here in Israel, we also have it all! ‫נו יו‬, ‫( פאבס יש‬you know, we have pubs), ‫יש‬
‫( נייטקלאבס‬we have nightclubs), we have lots and lots of ‫( דיסקו‬disco). ‫( נו יו‬you know), you can
also relax over ‫( דרינקס‬drinks) or simply stay ‫( הום אט‬at home)- there is plenty of ‫בטי הנטרטיינמנט‬
‫( וי‬entertainment on TV): there is Rod Stewart, and Olivia Newton-John. There is ‫( פאנק‬funk)
and more!
And this is so people don’t say that this was not what life is really like! I am saying the oppositewe have so much more now than we did before! What is there to say? ‫( קומפליין נו‬no complaint)!
I am totally ‫( האפי‬happy)! And anyone who does not feel this way should go to America! I am
staying here- I am an Israeli!
‫שבת‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬7
Amount of time: 5-6 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: Babylonia
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition: The name of the seventh day of the week, the day of rest during which
we take a break from working.
Phrases:
‫בראשית שבת‬-The first Shabbat after the holiday of Sukkot during which the first parasha in the
Torah, Breisheet, is read
‫הגדול שבת‬- The Shabbat before the holiday of Pesach
‫נחמו שבת‬- The Shabbat after Tisha B’Av
‫חזון שבת‬- The Shabbat before Tisha B’Av
‫זכור שבת‬- The Shabbat before Purim
‫שלום שבת‬- Traditional Shabbat greeting
Key Words:
‫שביתה‬- Strike
‫שבתאי כוכב‬- The planet Saturn
‫אלים‬- Idols
‫שמש‬- Sun
‫ירח‬- Moon
‫הרעם אל‬- God of thunder
‫העולם בריאת‬- Creation of the world
‫מבוסס‬- Based
‫סידורי מספר‬- Serial Number
‫תכלית‬- Purpose
‫מרכזי‬- Central
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
Why isn’t every day ‫ ?שבת‬What do you think?
Why don’t the other days of the Hebrew week have names except for ‫( ?שבת‬The other days of
the week are just called by their numbers; ‫ראשון יום‬, Sunday, is the first day of the week.)
What is the meaning of the word “‫”?שבת‬
What is the connection between the word “‫ ”שבת‬and the word “‫( ”שביתה‬meaning strike)?
What is the connection between the word “‫ ”שבת‬and “‫( ”שבתי הכוכב‬the planet Saturn)?
Did you know that the word “‫ ”שבת‬exists in many other languages?
Italians, Serbs, and Slovakians call the last day of the week “Sabato.”
In Russian, it is called “Subota”
In Hungarian, it is called “Szombat”
In German, it is called “Zamstag”
In French, it is called “Samedi”
In Christianity, the names of the days of the week are related to the names of stars and “‫אלים‬,”
and our English names reflect this as well:
Sunday is, ‫ראשון יום‬, or ‫השמש יום‬
Monday is ‫שני יום‬, or ‫הירח יום‬
Tuesday is ‫שלישי יום‬, named after the Norse god Tyr
Wednesday is ‫רביעי יום‬, named after the Anglo-Saxon god Odin (or Wodin)
Thursday is ‫חמישי יום‬, named after ‫הרעם אל‬, Thor, the Norse god of thunder
Friday is ‫שישי יום‬, named after Freya, a goddess of love
Shabbat in Judaism:
In the Torah, ‫ שבת‬was the day on which God finished creating the world, and ‫שבת‬, took a break,
from working. This is how we get the name of the day, Shabbat. In Judaism, this day became the
weekly day of rest: ‫צבאם וכל והארץ השמים ויכלו‬. ‫עשה אשר מלאכתו מכל השביעי ביום אלהים ויכל‬, ‫וישבות‬
‫עשה אשר מלאכתו מכל השביעי ביום‬. ‫אותו ויקדש השביעי יום את אלהים ויברך‬, ‫מלאכתו מכל שבת בו כי‬, ‫ברא אשר‬
‫לעשות אלהים‬.” (And the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed. God
finished creating the Shabbat day and all of God’s other word. Then God rested on the seventh
day from all of the work that God had done. God blessed theseventh day and made it holy,
because it was on this day that God stopped working and creating.)
In Hebrew, the names of the days of the week ‫ סידוריים מספרי על מבוסס‬of each of those days in
the week, except for the seventh day- we do not call it ‫ השביעי יום‬but ‫שבת‬. Why do you think that
is? One reason can be found in a midrash told about a man named Shamai HaZaken. Every
beautiful thing he found during the week he would save especially for Shabbat. This sends a
clear message to us: ‫ שבת‬is ‫השבוע תכלית‬. This is the day on which people should not work but
rest, and learn. The names of the other days of the week (or lack of names) help show us how
important ‫ שבת‬is as a ‫מרכזי יום‬, the central day of the entire week. The Romans connected this
day to the god Saturn, who is called ‫ שבתאי‬in Hebrew. In English, “Saturday” is “Saturn’s Day.”
All over Europe and America, Saturday (along with Sunday) is a day of rest.
For Thought- ‫למחשבה‬
What is the origin of the word “cholent,” the special stew that many people eat on Shabbat? It
has French origins. Chaud means ‫חם‬, hot. Lent means ‫לאט‬, slow. When you combine these words
you get the slowly cooked food that most Ashkenazi Jews know as “cholent.”
On One Foot ‫אחת רגל על‬
Shabbat is the day of breaking or resting from work, it’s name is not based on the fact that it is
the ‫ מרכז‬of the entire week.
(‫תיאום )ישיבת‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬8
Amount of time: 3-4 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the word: ‫עברית‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition: ‫( הקבלה‬parallel), the arrangement of one thing so that it matches with
another thing- to coordinate
Phrases:
‫תיאום ישיבת‬- Coordination Meeting
‫סיימים תאומים‬- Siamese twins
‫רגליים אין לשקר‬- A lie has no legs
Key Words:
‫הקבלה‬- Parallel
‫יתאים‬- Adjustment
‫סיימים תאומים‬- Siamese twins
‫בכיר‬- Senior
‫תאומים‬- Twins
‫התאמה‬- Fit
‫לתאם‬- Coordinate
‫אחידה זהות‬- Unified Identity
‫תקין‬- Proper
‫שורש‬- Root
‫אותיות שיכול‬- Anagram
‫אמת‬- Truth
‫יציב בסיס‬- Strong base
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
What does the ‫ הנהלה‬do almost every morning? What is the connection between ‫סיימים תאומים‬
and a ‫?תיאום ישיבת‬
All of the ‫ בכיר‬staff of the camp meet every morning for a meeting that we call a ‫תיאום ישיבת‬.
What words in ‫ עברית‬do you recognize that are similar to ‫ ?תיאום‬What is the connection between
‫ תאומים‬and ‫?תיאום ישיבת‬
In ‫ עברית‬there are many words like it: ‫תאומים‬, ‫התאמה‬, ‫מתאים‬, ‫לתאם‬. All of these words have a
connection to the ‫ שורש‬made of the letters ‫ת‬.‫א‬.‫מ‬.
When we do something that fits with something else, that is a ‫הקבלה‬.
The word that best explains this idea is ‫תאומים‬. This word describes two siblings who were born
at the same time. In other words, they are connected with each other. They each have a ‫הקבלה‬, a
connection.
When ‫ תאומים‬are born with their bodies connected they are called ‫סיאמים תאומים‬, and they share
a ‫אחידה זהות‬.
From here, when we have ‫ תיאום ישיבות‬every day in camp, we are coordinating and adjusting
(‫ )מתאימים‬schedules, projects, and ideas so that there will not be any confusion, and so that
everything at camp can run smoothly and be organized.
We meet in order ‫ לתאם‬everything between us.
When someone does something that is not ‫ תקין‬we say that this is “‫מתאים לא‬,” or not appropriate.
We do not think the same way about that matter. There is no ‫ התאמה‬between us, we think
differently.
For Your Entertainment:
The Vilna Gaon (a great Jewish scholar) said that ‫ת‬.‫א‬.‫מ‬. has the same ‫ שורש‬as ‫אמת‬. It’s a ‫שיכול‬
‫אותיות‬- the letters just switched places. That is to say, when we sit and meet about what happens
in camp, we are always seeking to speak about ‫האמת‬.
The word ‫ אמת‬has in it the first letter in the Hebrew alphabet- ‫א‬, the middle letter- ‫מ‬, and the last
letter- ‫ת‬. That is to say, things that are true are right from the beginning to the end. All of these
letters, ‫א‬. ‫מ‬. ‫ת‬. sit on a ‫יציב בסיס‬, but the letters ‫ש‬.‫ק‬.‫ר‬. (lie) are found near each other in the
Hebrew alphabet (and therefore do not have a strong base). In every letter in ‫ אמת‬there are two
“legs” (of the letter) on the ground, but in the word ‫שקר‬, each letter has only one leg on the
ground.
From here, we get this saying: ‫!!רגליים אין לשקר‬
On One Foot ‫אחת רגל על‬
In a ‫ תיאום ישיבת‬we coordinate the ideas, projects, and times for everything that happens at
camp.
For Thought- ‫למחשבה‬
Who were the first ‫ תאומים‬in the Torah?
‫חודש ראש‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬9
Amount of Time: 3-4 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: ‫עברית‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition: The first day of the month
Key Words:
‫שימושית‬-Useful
‫ירח‬- Moon
‫נרדפות מילים‬- Synonyms
‫חידוש‬- Renewal
‫חלק‬- Part
‫מתכנן‬- Plan
‫כוונות‬- Intentions
‫סעודה‬- Meal
‫התקדש‬- Sanctified
‫(ת)חגיגי‬- Festive
‫ירח מולד‬- New Moon
‫תואר שמות‬- Adjectives
‫תבואה‬- Grain
‫מוגש‬- Served
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
What word is the most popular and ‫ שימושית‬in Israel? ‫( !חדשות‬News!)
Today is ‫ !חודש ראש‬What words do you recognize that are related to ‫ ?חודש‬Is there a connection
between ‫ חודש ראש‬and ‫ ?ירח‬What ‫ נרדפות מילים‬are there for ‫?ירח‬
There are many words in ‫ עברית‬with the root ‫ח‬.‫ד‬.‫ש‬. For example, ‫( חדשות‬news), ‫( חדש‬new), ‫חדיש‬
(modern), and ‫חידוש‬. Before we say the ‫ שמע‬every day, in ‫ חדש אור‬we say, ‫מעשה יום בכל המחדש‬
‫בראשית‬. The One Who makes every day new with acts of Creation.
In ‫עברית‬, the word ‫ חודש‬is a period of time- around thirty days that are one ‫ חלק‬out of twelve
sections of the year. However, this was not always the meaning of that word. We can learn about
its other meaning from this story: In the book of I Samuel chapter 20, David is afraid of Saul
and says to Jonathan (Saul’s son) that his father is trying to kill him. They ‫ מתכננים‬a test for
Jonathan to check his father’s ‫כוונות‬. There was a set time that David always ate a ‫ סעודה‬with
Saul. “‫לאכול המלך עם אשב ישוב ואנכי מחר חודש הנה יהונתן אל דוד ויאמר‬.” David said to Jonathan,
“Tomorrow is a new moon, and I am supposed to sit and eat with the king. David decided that
this time, he would not come to eat with the king. “‫מושבך יפקד כי ונפקדת חדש מחר יהונתן לו ויאמר‬.”
Jonathan said to him (David), “Tomorrow is the new moon, and you will be missed, your seat
will be empty.” The meaning of the word ‫ חודש‬here is is the same as the meaning of the phrase
“‫”חודש ראש‬. This day is ‫ התקדש‬and made special with a ‫חגיגית סעודה‬.
The word ‫ חודש‬comes from the root letters ‫ח‬.‫ד‬.‫ש‬. It teaches us about the ‫ ירח‬that is renewed,
when it begins its cycle again. From this meaning of the word ‫חדש‬, we got the day in which we
see ‫הירח מולד‬. The connection between a new moon (‫ )חדש ירח‬and a month (‫ )חודש‬can also be
seen through a connection with the word ‫ירח‬, a ‫ נרדפת מילה‬with ‫חודש‬. In English (and many
other European languages), we also find connections between the words “month” and “moon.”
Words and Sayings From the Root ‫ח‬.‫ד‬.‫ש‬.
‫וחדיש חדש‬
These are two similar ‫תואר שמות‬, one that is old and one that is new: ‫חדש‬, (from the Torah),
represents something that did not exist before, was not used before, or something new that you
own. ‫חדיש‬, (from modern Hebrew), describes something that is modern, a style that we did not
have before now. Now, can you tell the difference between a telephone that is ‫ חדש‬versus a
telephone that is ‫?חדיש‬
‫תוציאו חדש לפני וישן‬
Something which is new pushes out the old. According to the Torah in Leviticus (Vayikra)
26:10, “‫תוציאו חדש מפני וישן נושן ישן ואכלתם‬.” The ‫ תבואה‬will be so plentiful that you will have to
move out the old grain to make room for the new!
‫לבקרים חדשים‬, ‫לבקרים חדשות‬
We say this about things that occur often. It comes from Lamentations (Eicha) 3:23 (read on
Tisha B’Av): “‫ ”אמונתך רבה לבקרים חדשים‬and means, “They are new in the mornings, great is your
faithfulness.”
‫השמש תחת חדש אין‬
This comes from Ecclesiasties (Kohelet) 1:9: “‫חדש כל ואין שיעשה הוא שנעשה ומה שיהיה הוא שהיה מה‬
‫השמש תחת‬.” “What was will be, and what was done will be done. There is nothing new under the
sun.”
‫חדש בקנקן ישן יין‬
Old wine in a new jug. We say this about something that is old and good that is ‫ מוגש‬in
something new. According to the Mishnah Avot 4:20, “‫בו שיש במה אלא בקנקן תסתכל אל אומר רבי‬.”
“Rabi said, don’t look at the container but what is inside of it.”
On One Foot ‫אחת רגל על‬
From this root, we have words that are related to ‫( התחדשות‬renewal).
For Thought- ‫למחשבה‬
Do you know other words for the word ‫( ירח‬moon)?
‫ספורט‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬10
Amount of Time: 3-4 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: Greek
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition: All physical activities of the body
Key Words:
‫המציא‬- Invented
‫יציאה‬- Exit
‫העיר לשערי מחוץ אל יציאה‬- Outside the gates of the city
‫עתיקה‬- Old
‫ומתפתח הולך‬- Is developing
‫סיבולת‬- Endurance
‫פולחן‬-Cult
‫בריאים‬- Healthy
‫סיסמה‬- Slogan
‫לצעירים שייך העולם‬- The world belongs to young people
‫הגופניות פעילויות‬- Physical activities
‫התעמלות‬- Gymnastics
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
What ‫ ענף‬is the most popular at camp? ‫ספורט‬, of course! All summer, we play on ‫הספורט מגרשי‬.
We love football, ‫בסיס כדור‬, ‫כדורגל‬, tennis, ‫כדורעף‬, ‫סל כדור‬, and more!
See how we say this word in other languages:
English: sport
Italian: sport
German: sport
French: sport
Russian: sport
Spanish: deporte
These words all sound the same! From where did we take this word in the first place? ‫המציא מי‬
‫ ?ספורט‬What is the connection between ‫ ספורט‬and the holiday of ‫ חנוכה‬and the Maccabees?
The origin of the word sport is the Latin word “desperate” which means ‫לשערי מחוץ אל יציאה‬
‫( העיר‬outside the gates of the city). In Ancient Greece, the mother of modern sport, physical
activities were very important. Since then, ‫( ומפתח הולך ספורט‬is developing). There is another
opinion that says that the word comes from the Latin word “support,” which means endurance,
‫סיבולת‬. Some say that the origin of the word “sport” is the Greek city-state Sparta, because there
sport was considered like a ‫פולחן‬, a cult. Spartans believed that people needed to be ‫ בריאים‬and
beautiful. Their ‫ סיסמה‬was: ‫לצעירים שייך העולם‬.
In Hebrew, all ‫ הגופניות פעילויות‬are called ‫התעמלות‬, from the root ‫ע‬.‫מ‬.‫ל‬, meaning work. Surely,
when we exercise the different parts of our body, they are working hard.
On One Foot ‫אחת רגל על‬
The word “sport” comes from Sparta. All ‫ ספורט‬activities we call ‫התעמלות‬.
For Thought- ‫למחשבה‬
One of the great Jewish wise men said: ‫( בריא בגוף בריאה נפש‬a healthy soul in a healthy body).
Who was this wise man? What was he talking about?
‫זמריה‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬11
Amount of Time: 3-4 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: ‫עברית‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition: A gathering of singers to present songs.
Key Words:
‫מ מורכבת‬- Consists of
‫להעשיר‬- Enrich
‫סיומת‬- Suffix
‫אוסף‬- Collection
‫לחתוך‬, ‫לקצץ‬- To cut
‫ובנפשינו בגופינו והשליליים הרעים הענפים‬- The bad and negative branches of our bodies and souls
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
What word do you see repeated in the verses below from our ‫?תפילות‬
“‫”בעודי לאלוהי אזמרה בחיי ’לה אשירה‬
(I will sing to God in my with my life, I will sing to God with my strength)
‫בתודה נזמרה‬
(We will sing in thanks)
‫השבת ליום שיר מזמור‬
(We will sing a song to the Shabbat day)
Answer: the word ‫ זמר‬which means song, or ‫שיר‬, and its verb ‫ לזמר‬which means to sing, ‫לשיר‬.
What do we do during a ‫ ?זמריה‬During a ‫זמריה‬, we sing!
The word ‫ מורכבת זמריה‬from: ‫זמר‬+‫יה‬. This is one of the ways ‫ להעשיר‬the Hebrew language: we
take a noun and add a special ‫סיומת‬. For example, the suffix ‫ יה‬can mean:
a. place- ‫ספריה‬, ‫( מאפיה‬library, baker)
b. collection of things- ‫צמחיה‬, ‫( ברזיה‬vegetation, a drinking fountain)
c. vessels and tools- ‫אזניה‬, ‫מטריה‬, ‫שמשיה‬, ‫( מימיה‬earphone, umbrella, parasol, canteen)
d. a smaller version of something- ‫עוגיה‬, ‫( נקניקיה‬cookie, hot dog)
e. articles of clothing- ‫שכמיה‬, ‫( מצחיה‬shawl, visor)
f. food- ‫לחמניה‬, ‫עגבניה‬, ‫( פטריה‬bun/roll, tomato, mushroom)
The ‫ סיומת‬- ‫ יה‬in the word ‫ זמריה‬represents an ‫ אוסף‬of songs by the different ‫ עדות‬at camp. Each
‫ עדה‬sings a special song.
Do you know another meaning of the word ‫?לזמר‬
Here’s a hint: One of the 39 ‫( מלאכות‬the types of work we are not supposed to do on Shabbat) is
‫לזמר‬, like ‫לחתוך‬, ‫לקצץ‬. So what is the connection between ‫לזמר‬, to sing, and ‫לזמר‬, to cut?
Rav Kook said that songs are very important and can help us. When we sing, we cut all of the
‫ובנפשינו בגופינו והשליליים הרעים הענפים‬, The bad and negative branches of our bodies and souls.
On One Foot ‫אחת רגל על‬
The word ‫ זמריה‬comes from the word ‫לזמר‬, to sing, and it also has a connection with the action
of cutting branches.
For Your Entertainment:
The Academy for Hebrew Language decided that the word “jungle” would be called a ‫ זמריר‬in
Hebrew, from the root ‫זמר‬, or song.
For Thought- ‫למחשבה‬
How can we cut the bad branches, ‫ הרעים ענפים‬on Shabbat specifically? On Shabbat we say the
line: ‫השבת ליום שיר מזמור‬. What do you think this means? What might the connection be?
‫מחזמר‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬12
Amount of Time: 5-6 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: ‫עברית‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition: A combination of ‫( מחנה‬play) and ‫( זמר‬song)- a musical
Key Words:
‫זוכרים‬- Remember
‫מרשים‬- Impressive
‫הצגה‬- Show
‫קרנף‬- Rhinoceros
‫רכבל‬- Cable railway
‫כדורגל‬- Soccer
‫מגדלור‬- Lighthouse
‫מראה‬- Appearance
‫התגלות‬- Revelation
‫מחזאי‬- Playwright
‫לחזות‬- Visualize
‫בכוכבים חוזה‬-Astrologer
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
What do we ‫ זוכרים‬most about camp many years later? What is the thing that is most ‫ מרשים‬and
amazing over the course of the summer? Of course, the play that each ‫ עדה‬does is the most fun
part of the summer!
But how did we get the word ‫ ?מחזמר‬Do you recognize any other words in Hebrew that are a
combination of two nouns? This word is made up of the two nouns ‫ מחזה‬+ ‫זמר‬, what we also call
a ‫הצגה‬.
This is another way to enrich the Hebrew language. Here are more examples of words that are
combinations of two nouns:
‫קרן‬+ ‫) אף‬horn + nose(= ‫קרנף‬
‫רכב‬+‫) כבל‬car + cable(=‫רכבל‬
‫כדור‬+‫)רגל‬ball +foot(=‫כדורגל‬
‫מגדל‬+‫) אור‬tower +light(=‫מגדלור‬
We already talked about the word ‫ ;זמר‬what about the word ‫ ?מחזה‬The word ‫ מחזה‬can mean a
‫מראה‬, a picture. This word is found many times in the Tanakh, such as here in Genesis
(Breisheet): “‫( ”במחזה אברהם אל דבר ’ה דבר היה‬The word of God came to Abraham in a vision.) In
other words, Abraham has a ‫ התגלות‬of God in a ‫מחזה‬, a ‫מראה‬.
What do we call someone who writes a ‫ ?מחזה‬A ‫!מחזאי‬
From this word, we also get the verb ‫לחזות‬, such as in Psalm 27:” ‫( ”בהיכלו ולבקר ’ה בנועם לחזות‬To
look at God’s beauty and to visit God’s temple.). Or, in the ‫ עמידה‬every day: “‫בשובך עינינו ותחזינה‬
‫( ”לציון‬May our eyes see Your return to Zion). We also have the saying “‫בכוכבים חוזה‬.”
On One Foot ‫אחת רגל על‬
When we come to see a show that includes songs, we are seeing a ‫מחזמר‬.
For Thought- ‫למחשבה‬
Who was the ‫( חוזה‬dreamer) of the Jewish state?
‫ריקודיה‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬13
Amount of Time: 5-6 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: ‫עברית‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition: A collection of dances and dancers.
Phrases:
‫משהו של החליל לפי לרקוד‬- Dance to the tune of something
‫חתונות שתי על לרקוד‬- Dance at two weddings
Key Words:
‫ריקוד‬- Dance
‫וחלילה חס‬- Heaven forbid
‫חלילה חוזר‬-Back again
‫מציגה‬- Displays
‫אוסף‬- Collection
‫במחול יוצא‬- Dance out
‫נרדפת מילה‬- Synonym
‫בכרמים מחוללות‬- Dancing in the vineyards
‫השידוכים יום‬- Matchmaking Day
‫מקיף‬- Goes around
‫במחזוריות‬- Cycle
‫ושלום חס‬- God forbid
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
What is another word that you know for ‫ ?ריקוד‬What is the connection between ‫ ריקוד‬and ‫חס‬
‫ וחלילה‬and ‫ ?חלילה לחזור‬What is the connection between ‫ ריקוד‬and Yom Kippur?
We’ve already discussed ‫ זמריה‬and ‫מחזמר‬, but we also love ‫לרקוד‬, and at camp there are many
times that we dance. We also have a special evening in which each ‫ עדה‬can ‫ ;ריקוד מציגה‬we call
this ‫ריקודיה‬.
We’re already talked about the suffix ‫יה‬. We said that it can represent an ‫ אוסף‬of something. Just
as we have an ‫ אוסף‬of songs that we call ‫זמריה‬, we also have an ‫ אוסף‬of dances that we call
‫ריקודיה‬.
The word ‫ ריקוד‬means to move, ‫במחול לצאת‬, to jump for joy.
From this, we get the saying: ‫משהו של החליל לפי לרקוד‬. In other words, to carry something out
according to one’s own understanding. (To march to your own beat)
We also have the saying: ‫חתונות שתי על לרקוד‬, or to do two things at once.
In Hebrew, we have a ‫ נרדפת מילה‬for ‫ ;ריקוד‬that word is ‫מחול‬. We have written in the Mishnah
(Taanit 4:8): Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: There were no days as good for the Jews as the
15th of Av or Yom Kippur, because on those days, the young women of Israel would go out in
borrowed white garments so as not to embarrass those who did not have much. All of the
garments needed to be dipped (in the Mikvah). And the daughters of Jerusalem would go out
and ‫בכרמים מחוללות‬.
If ‫ ריקוד‬is the same as ‫מחול‬, then ‫( רקדן‬dancer) is the same as ‫מחולל‬. As it is written in the Torah,
‫ובמחולות בתופים אחריה הנשים כל ותצאנה בידה התוף את אהרון אחות הנביאה מרים ותקח‬.” (And Miriam the
prophet, the sister of Aaron, took the drum in her hand and all of the women came out after her
with drums and dance.)
This is what we call ‫האהבה יום‬, the day of love, ‫השידוכים יום‬. The daughters of Israel go out to the
vineyards and there they would dance and meet young men.
The meaning of ‫ וחלילה חוזר‬is to return again and again, something ‫ מקיף‬and comes back to its
starting point. ‫ חלילה‬is linked with the word ‫ מחול‬or ‫ריקוד‬, and ‫ מחוללים‬is the same as ‫רוקדים‬. The
concept of going in a circle is the link between them. The ‫ מחולל‬dances in a circle, and the ‫חלילה‬
is the return of something over and over to its starting point, just like a circle.
The process of ‫מחזוריות‬, the repeating of something in a cycle, is described in the Mishnah as
‫חלילה חוזר‬.
There is a new saying, ‫וחלילה חס‬, that combines the idea of ‫ חלילה‬from the Tanakh and ‫ושלום חס‬
from the Talmud. Today, we say ‫וחלילה חס‬. In the Middle Ages, people would say: ‫וחס חלילה‬.
Today, we have similar sayings that come from many different time periods: ‫ חלילה‬from the
Tanakh, ‫ ושלום חס‬from the Talmud, ‫ וחס חלילה‬from the Middle Ages, and ‫ וחלילה חס‬from our
time. None are linked in their origin to ‫חלילה חוזר‬.
On One Foot ‫אחת רגל על‬
The words ‫ לחולל‬and ‫ לרקוד‬have the same meaning. In a ‫רקודיה‬, we all dance.
For Thought- ‫למחשבה‬
According to the idea that ‫ לחולל‬and ‫ לרקוד‬are synonyms, what additional name would the
Academy of Hebrew Language suggest for ‫?רקודיה‬
‫תמוז ז’י‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬14
Amount of Time: 5-6 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: Babylonian
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition: The fourth month of the Biblical calendar
Key Words:
‫צמים‬- Fast
‫מקור‬- Source
‫העברי השנה לוח‬- Hebrew calendar
‫בבל גלות‬- Babylonian Exile
‫אליל‬- Idol
‫הפריון אל‬- God of fertility
‫חום‬- Heat
‫נמוך מחום שניתכת מתכת‬- Low heat melts metal
‫נמסות‬- Melting
‫סרטן‬- Crab
‫הכוכבים מערכת‬- Constellation
‫המתרבים המים סרטני‬- Multiplying water crabs
‫צרות‬- Troubles
‫ירושלים על המצור החל‬- Began the siege of Jerusalem
‫אבלות מנהגי‬- Mourning customs
‫הברית לוחות נשברו‬- Tablets (of the commandments) were broken
‫המצרים בין‬- Between the bridges
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
Who knows the origin of the word ‫ ?תמוז‬Why do we ‫ צמים‬on ‫ ?תמוז ז”י‬How much time is there
between ‫ תמוז ז”י‬and ‫ ?באב תשעה‬What do we call these days between the two fasts?
The ‫ מקור‬of the name of the month is like that of all of the other names of the months ‫השני בלוח‬
‫העברי‬: they all originated ‫בבל בגלות‬. The name “‫ ”תמוז‬is mentioned in the Tanakh as the name of
the Babylonian ‫אליל‬: the ‫הפריון אל‬. This ‫ אליל‬is mentioned in the book of Ezekiel (8:14): “‫ויבא‬
‫התמוז את מבכות ישבות הנשים שם והנה הצפונה אל אשר ’ה בית שער פתח אל אתי‬.” (Then He brought me to
the opening of the gate of God’s house in the north, and behold, there were women sitting and
crying for Tammuz.) The origin of the name, according to the commentators discussing this
verse, is an aramaic word that means ‫חום‬. This god would use heat to do his work, and his eyes,
which would ‫נמוך בחום שניתכת ממתכת‬, were portrayed as ‫נמסות‬, so that it looked like the statues
of him were crying. This name was given to the month in the middle of the summer, to
symbolize the heat of the summer.
The name ‫ תמוז‬is also the Arabic and Turkish name for the month of July, on the Gregorian
Calendar.
The astrological sign of the month is ‫סרטן‬, because of the ‫ כוכבים מערכת‬that looks like a ‫ סרטן‬that
can be seen in the sky during this month, and also because of ‫ המתרבים המים סרטני‬during this
month.
The month of ‫ תמוז‬is very important in ‫העברי השנה לוח‬, because it was during this month that the
people of Israel experienced many ‫ צרות‬throughout history.
The date ‫תמוז ז”י‬, when ‫ירושלים על המצור הכל‬, was established by the rabbis as a fast day that
begins ‫השבועות שלושת‬, the three weeks between ‫ תמוז ז”י‬and ‫באב תשעה‬, when the Temple was
destroyed in Jerusalem.
These three weeks are called “‫ ”המצרים בין‬because of a verse in ‫( איכה‬Lamentations 1:3): “‫גלתה‬
‫מעני יהודה‬, ‫המצרים בין השיגוה רודפיה כל מנח מצאה ולא בגויים ישבה היא עבודה ומרב‬.” (Judah has gone into
exile because of affliction and great slavery. She dwells among the nations and finds no rest. All
of her pursuers overtook her between the bridges.)
During this period, many Jewish communities adopted the custom of observing ‫ אבלות מנהגי‬on
this day.
There are five things that the rabbis described happening on ‫ תמוז ז”י‬and five on ‫באב תשעה‬:
On ‫תמוז ז”י‬: the ‫ תמיד‬sacrifice was discontinued, ‫הברית לוחות נשברו‬, the city was breached,
Apastimos burned the Torah, and an idol was put up in the hall of the Temple.
On ‫באב תשעה‬: Our ancestors were told that they would not enter the land of Israel, the first
Temple was destroyed, the second Temple was destroyed, Beitar was captured, and the city of
Jerusalem was destroyed.
As it says in Mishnah Taanit 4:6: “‫( ”בשמחה ממעטין אב משנכנס‬When Av starts, we decrease our
happiness)
On One Foot ‫אחת רגל על‬
The name ‫ תמוז‬is that of a Babylonian god who dies and is born anew during the summer. In
Judaism, this is the fourth month, the month during which the walls of Jerusalem were broken.
For Your Entertainment:
There is a verse in the Tanakh, in Genesis (Breisheet 15:13) that includes all of the fast days:
“‫( ”זרעך יהיה גר כי תדע ידוע‬It will surely be known to you that your offspring will be strangers.)
‫טבת ’י = ידע‬
‫באב תשעה = תדע‬
‫כיפור יום = כי‬
‫(אסתר תענית) אדר ג”י = גר כי‬
‫(גדליה צום) תשרי ’ג = גר‬
‫תמוז ז”י = זרעך יהיה‬
‫אב חודש‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬15
Amount of Time: 5-6 ‫דקות‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Origin of the Word: Babylonian
Dictionary Definition: The fifth month of the biblical calendar. The month in which, according
to tradition, the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed.
Key Words:
‫אביב‬- Spring
‫קנים‬, ‫סוף קני‬- Reeds
‫לקצור‬- To harvest
‫אש‬- Fire
‫היבולים חודש‬- Month of harvest
‫המזבח שעל המערכה לצורך עצים חתכו‬- Cut trees for the altar campaign
‫חושפים‬- Exposes
‫פורענות‬- Calamity
‫אבלות‬- Mourning
‫שיא‬- Peak
‫חורבן‬- Destruction
‫אריה‬- Lion
‫גאולה‬- Redemption
‫ממעטים‬- Reduce
‫מקפידים‬- Careful
‫אקרוסטיכון‬- Acrostic
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
What important word does the word ‫ אב‬remind you of? What is the connection between ‫ אבא‬and
the month of ‫ ?אב‬What is the connection between ‫ אב‬and ‫ ?אביב‬The month of ‫ אב‬is the fifth
month of the year beginning with ‫ניסן‬, the first month of the year in the time of the first Temple.
The name of the month, just like the names of the other months, comes from ‫בבל גלות‬, the
Babylonian exile. It’s root is from the Akkadian word “abo,” or ‫קנים‬. In Babylonian, the meaning
of the word is ‫אש‬. This month is called ‫ אב‬because of the great heat that we feel at this time of
year. Others say that the name comes from “abo sarni” which means ‫היבולים חודש‬. During this
month, it was customary ‫ הקנים את לקצור‬for different needs. In the Temple, the month of ‫אב‬
marked the end of the time in which, according to the Babylonian Talmud (Bava Batra 121a)
they ‫המזבח שעל המערכה לצורך עצים חתכו‬.
The word ‫גלות‬, or exile, is one of the most important words in the history of the Jewish people.
This was the event during which the people had to leave the land of Israel for other lands that did
not belong to them, lands in which they did not choose to live. The word ‫ גלות‬usually refers to
the land to which the Jews were exiled, or to the land from which they were expelled. The phrase
‫יהודה גלות‬, for example, refers to the exile of the people of Judah, who were expelled to live in
Babylonia by the Babylonians.
The root of the word ‫ גלות‬is ‫ג‬.‫ל‬.‫ה‬, and from it we get the similar word ‫גולה‬, or diaspora. From this
root we recognize other words, such as ‫( גלוי‬revealed), ‫( תגלית‬discover), and more. What is the
connection between these words and the people who went into ‫ ?גלות‬One who goes into ‫ גלות‬is
someone whom others ‫ חושפים‬from his or her place of origin, from his or her land.
When we talk about something that is long and boring, we say: ‫( הגלות כאורך ארוך‬as long as the
exile).
The month of ‫ אב‬is also called ‫( אב מנחם‬Av of Consolation) because many believe that this is a
month of ‫ ואבלות פורענות‬on the Hebrew calendar, that came to ‫ שיא‬with the ‫ חורבן‬of the Temple
on ‫באב תשעה‬. There is an aggadah in the Talmud that tells that the Mashiach will be born during
the month of ‫ אב‬and his name will be ‫( מנחם‬Menachem).
According to Jewish tradition, the astrological sign of this month is an ‫אריה‬. This sign is
connected with the blessing of Bilam: ‫( ”יתנשא וכארי יקום כלביא עם הן‬They are a nation that rises
up like a lion.) That is to say, despite the decrees and troubles that they faced, the nation will rise
up from the ‫ חורבן‬to ‫גאולה‬.
The rabbis said in the Mishnah (Taanit 26:2): “‫( ”בשמחה ממעטין אב משנכנס‬When the month of Av
comes in, we reduce our happiness), because the days of this month are days of mourning for the
destruction of the Temple. Therefore, we do not make celebratory feasts, eat meat, or drink wine.
Sephardic Jews are ‫ מקפידים‬only for the week of ‫באב תשעה‬, from after the end of ‫ חזון שבת‬until
after ‫באב תשעה‬.
On One Foot ‫אחת רגל על‬
The name of the month of ‫ אב‬comes from the word ‫( אביב‬barley), the crop that is harvested
during this month. During this month we mourn for the ‫ חורבן‬of the Temple and the ‫גלות‬.
For Thought- ‫למחשבה‬
What book of the Tanakh has five chapters, four of which are written in ‫?אקרוסטיכון‬
For Your Entertainment:
In the Shulchan Aruch, there is a trick to remember all of the important Jewish holidays,
beginning with Pesach. It goes according to the language of ‫( ש”ב ת”א‬The first and last letters
match up, 2nd and 2nd from last, and so on).
First day of Pesach (‫)א‬
Second day of Pesach (‫)ב‬
Third day of Pesach (‫)ג‬
‫)ת( באב תשעה‬
Shavuot, Yom Yerushalayim (‫)ש‬
Rosh Hashana and Rishon (first days)
of Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret (‫)ר‬
Fourth day of Pesach (‫)ד‬
Fifth day of Pesach (‫)ה‬
Sixth day of Pesach (‫)ו‬
Seventh day of Pesach (‫)ז‬
Simchat Torah (Kriyat-Reading the
Torah) (‫)ק‬
Yom Kippur (and other Fast Days) (‫)צ‬
Purim (‫)פ‬
Yom Haatzmaut (‫)ע‬
‫במחנה חשובות שבתות‬
‫ חזון שבת‬+ ‫נחמו שבת‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬16
Amount of Time: 5-6 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Words: ‫עברית‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Word Key:
‫נבואית תמונה‬- Prophetic picture
‫ולהתבונן להסתכל‬- To observe
‫חוזה‬- Prophet
‫מפורסמים‬- Famous
‫המדינה הקמת‬- Establishment of the (Jewish) state
‫מחזה‬- Play
‫מחזאי‬- Playwright
‫חזיון‬- Vision
‫חזות‬- Outlook
‫אוויר מזג‬- Weather
‫חזאי‬- Forecaster
‫נחמו‬- Comfort
‫סדרה‬- Series
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
‫חזון שבת‬
The ‫ שבת‬before ‫ באב תשעה‬is called “Shabta Deporanuta” and also ‫חזון שבת‬, named after the ‫הפטרה‬
that begins with the words: “‫( ”אמוץ בן ישעיהו חזון‬The vision of Isaiah son of Amotz)
A ‫ חזון‬is a ‫נבואית תמונה‬, a prophecy that the world will become a better place. The word ‫חזון‬
comes from the root ‫ח‬.‫ז‬.‫ה‬. The meaning of the word ‫ לחזות‬means ‫ולהתבונן להסתכל‬. A person who
is a ‫ חוזה‬generally refers to someone who can see the future, things that a normal person would
not be able to see. A person who looks at the stars for signs of prophecy is called a “‫חוזה‬
‫בכוכבים‬.” Benjamin Ze’ev (Theodore) Herzl wrote the book “‫( ”היהודים מדינת‬The Jewish State)
more than 120 years ago, and in it he spoke of a state that would one day belong to the Jews.
When we speak of the prophets of Israel, many ‫ מפורסמים חזונות‬come to mind: “‫”הימים אחרית חזות‬
(The vision of the end of days) was the prophecy of Isaiah which predicted the days in which
there would be peace all over the world. “‫( ”היבשות העצמות חזון‬The vision of the dry bones) was
the prophecy of Ezekiel which spoke of the dead coming back to life. The prophecy of Herzl and
his fellow dreamers about ‫ ישראל מדינת הקמת‬is called “‫( ”הציוני החזון‬The Zionist Vision).
There are other words that come from the root ‫ח‬.‫ז‬.‫ה‬. When we to go the theater, we see a ‫מחזה‬,
and the person who wrote it is called a ‫מחזאי‬. A show that we both see and hear is called a ‫חזיון‬.
The way things seem to us: people, homes, and more about our lives, is called ‫חזות‬, or outlook.
When we want to know what the ‫ אוויר מזג‬will be, to know what kind of clothing to wear, we
listen to ‫( האוויר מזג תחזית‬the weather forecast) on the television or radio, to hear what the ‫חזאי‬
says. The ‫חזאי‬, just like the ‫חוזה‬, predicts something; he predicts ‫האוויר מזג‬.
‫נחמו שבת‬
There is another important ‫ שבת‬during the month of ‫אב‬, called ‫נחמו שבת‬. This is the first ‫ שבת‬after
‫באב תשעה‬. This ‫ שבת‬also gets its name from the first words of its ‫הפטרה‬, in which Isaiah tells the
people “‫( ”עמי נחמו נחמו‬Be comforted, my people). After this ‫שבת‬, we begin to read a ‫ סדרה‬of
seven ‫ הפטרות‬of ‫( נחמה‬comfort) that lead up to ‫השנה ראש‬. These ‫ שבתות‬are known as “‫שבעה‬
‫( ”דנחמתא‬the seven of comfort).
For Thought- ‫למחשבה‬
Can you read this sentence?
‫אבאאבאבאבאבלאבבבאב‬
Hint: It is connected with the month of ‫אב‬.
(‫הורים )יום‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬17
Amount of Time: 4-5 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: ‫עברית‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition: A mother and father
Key Words:
‫הוראה‬- Teaching
‫המוריה הר‬- Mount Moriah
‫כיוון‬- Direction
‫התפקיד‬- Role
‫הוקם‬- Established
‫להראות‬- To show
‫מור‬- Myrrh
‫יראה‬- Fear
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
In your opinion, what is the relationship between: ‫הורים‬, ‫הוראה‬, ‫מורים‬, ‫?המוריה הר‬
They all come from the same root in ‫עברית‬: the letters ‫י‬.‫ר‬.‫ה‬. which means ‫כיוון‬, way, and indeed,
the ‫ תפקיד‬of ‫ הורים‬is ‫להורות‬, to instruct, ‫ להראות‬the correct way, just like a ‫( מורה‬teacher) and ‫הר‬
‫המוריה‬, upon which the Temple ‫הוקם‬.
The rabbis suggested many explanations for the name “‫”מוריה‬:
-From the language of ‫הוראה‬- It was from ‫ המוריה הר‬that ‫ הוראה‬to the people of Israel.
-From the language of ‫מור‬- It was from this mountain that sacrifices were offered, and the
incense rose.
-From the language of ‫יראה‬- This mountain evokes ‫(’ה יראת‬the fear of God)
On One Foot ‫אחת רגל על‬
The role of ‫הורים‬, ‫מורים‬, ‫ המוריה והר‬is ‫ להראות‬the correct ‫כיוון‬, the right path.
For Your Entertainment:
A student once wrote to me:
In school they want us to,
-get up in the morning like ‫( תרנגולים‬chickens)
-run to school like ‫( איילות‬gazelles)
-to be diligent like ‫( נמלים‬ants)
-to copy from the blackboard like ‫( קופים‬monkeys)
-and to sit quietly like ‫( דגים‬fish)
... after all of that, the teachers are angry and wonder why we act like ‫( חיות‬animals)!
(‫דואר )יום‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬18
Amount of Time: 4-5 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: Aramaic
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition: A way of sending letters, telegrams, and packages all over the world
Phrases:
‫אוויר דואר‬- Air mail
‫רשום דואר‬- Certified mail
‫דואר תא‬- PO box
‫דואר יונת‬- Carrier pigeon
‫אלקטרוני דואר‬- E-mail
Key Words:
‫כדור‬- Ball
‫דוור‬- Mailman
‫מדורה‬- Campfire
‫להעביר‬- Transfer
‫משלוח‬- Shipping
‫חבילה‬- Package
‫הסתובב‬- Turned
‫קדם בימי‬- In ancient times
‫הודעה‬- Message
‫מעגל‬, ‫ עגול‬-Round
‫דור‬- Generation
‫דירה‬- Apartment
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
Is there a connection between ‫ כדור‬and ‫ דואר‬or ‫ ?דוור‬How is ‫ מדורה‬connected to these words as
well?
Well, ‫ דואר‬is a way ‫ להעביר‬words in text or money, or ‫ משלוח‬by means of a letter or a ‫חבילה‬.
Anything that is sent in the ‫ דואר‬is called a “‫דואר דבר‬.” The ‫ דואר‬is delivered by the ‫דוור‬.
The meaning of the word ‫ דואר‬comes from the Aramaic word for ‫הסתובב‬. This is because ‫בימי‬
‫קדם‬, in order ‫ להעביר‬something, one would need ‫ להסתובב‬for many days in order to deliver
‫ההודעה‬. At first, people passed ‫ הודעות‬on orally, through word of mouth, but when writing
developed, they began sending written ‫ הודעות‬on paper and papyrus.
If the word ‫ דואר‬is connected with the word ‫( סביב‬moving around), you can also see that a ‫ כדור‬is
‫עגול‬, it rolls, and ‫מסתובב‬.
From this, we can also connect the word ‫דור‬- it’s connected to the rotation (‫ )סבב‬of the years,
‫( חיים מעגל‬the circle of life).
The word ‫ דירה‬is also connected to ‫ דור‬words, because in the past, homes were built in the shape
of a ‫מעגל‬.
Even ‫ מדורה‬is related- we sit in a ‫ מעגל‬around it.
The ‫מסתובב דוור‬, he walks around, and delivers ‫דואר‬.
On One Foot ‫אחת רגל על‬
The word ‫ דואר‬comes from ‫ דור‬which means to go around. From here, we get words like: ‫דוור‬,
‫כדור‬, ‫דואר‬, ‫מדורה‬. All of these words relate to the concept of going around.
For Thought- ‫למחשבה‬
What word did Eliezer ben Yehuda first come up in Hebrew instead of “‫?”דואר‬
Hint: The runners went out quickly (to deliver the message).
For Your Entertainment:
The Arabic saying ‫ באלאק דיר‬is related to our word ‫ דואר‬as well. Just as we explained that ‫ דור‬and
‫ דירה‬are related to ‫ הסתובב‬and going around, when we say ‫ באלאק דיר‬we mean to say to be
careful, change your focus and attention, and turn to go in the right direction.
‫באב טו‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬19
Amount of Time: 4-5 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: ‫עברית‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition: A holiday that was established in Israel during the time of the Second
Temple, during which the young women of Jerusalem would go out and dance in the vineyards.
Key Words:
‫שנאה‬- Hatred
‫פיוס‬- Reconciliation
‫הדים‬- Echoes
‫שאולין לבן בכלי יוצאות‬- Go out in borrowed white clothing
‫לביש‬- To cause shame
‫בכרמים (רוקדות) מחוללות‬- Dancing in the vineyards
‫זוג בני למצוא‬- Find partners
‫בציר‬- Vintage
‫המדינה הקמת‬- Establishment of the (Jewish) state
‫הוא החילוני בציבור המסורתיים אירועים‬- It is traditional events in the secular public
‫זמר מופעי‬- Performances
‫אימצה‬- Adopted
‫ופנויות פנויים‬- Singles
‫חתונות‬- Weddings
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
In your opinion, what is the meaning of the word ‫( אהבה‬love)? ‫ ?שנאה‬What is the connection
between Yom Kippur and ‫?באב טו‬
The fifteenth day of ‫ אב‬is celebrated in the fifth month (according to the biblical calendar). The
month of ‫ אב‬is filled with mourning, until we get to ‫ באב טו‬which is a day of happiness and love.
In Israel, ‫ באב טו‬is celebrated as a day of ‫ אהבה‬and ‫פיוס‬. The ‫ הדים‬of this holiday can be found in
the Tanakh in the book of ‫( שופטים‬Judges). In the Mishnah, as the end of Tractate Taanit the day
is described:
Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said, “There were no days as great in Israel as ‫ באב טו‬and ‫יום‬
‫הכפורים‬. On these days, the young women of Jerusalem ‫שאולין לבן בכלי יוצאות‬, in order not ‫לביש‬
anyone who did not have their own. And the young women of Jerusalem went out and ‫מחוללות‬
)‫בכרמים (רוקדות‬.”
On this holiday, the young women of Jerusalem would wear white clothing and go out to dance
in the vineyards in order ‫זוג בני למצוא‬.
From the Tanakh, it’s clear that this holiday is mentioned as related to ‫ כרמים‬and to ‫בציר‬. The
holiday of ‫ באב טו‬comes at the time of ‫( הענבים בציר‬grape harvest), between July and September.
The connection between ‫ כרמים‬and ‫ אהבה‬can be found in the book ‫( השירים שיר‬Song of Songs).
In modern Israel, after ‫המדינה הקמת‬, we have come back to this holiday, and call it ‫וולנטיין יום‬
(Valentine’s Day). One of the ‫ הוא החילוני בציבור המסורתיים אירועים‬an evening of love (‫)אהבה ליל‬
on the beach of the ‫( כינרת‬Sea of Galilee). There are ‫ זמר מופעי‬for anyone who attends. In recent
years, the religious community ‫ אימצה‬this day, and there are many gatherings of ‫ ופנויות פנויים‬as
well as many ‫ חתונות‬all over the country on ‫באב טו‬.
On One Foot ‫אחת רגל על‬
The holiday of ‫ באב טו‬is a day of love that we first learn about in the book of ‫( שופתים‬Judges) in
the Tanakh.
For Thought- ‫למחשבה‬
The numeric value (in gematria) of ‫ אהבה‬is 13. What else in Judaism is connected to the number
13?
For Your Entertainment:
There are many holidays in Judaism that come on the 15th day of the month. “‫אורה היתה ליהודים‬
‫( ”ושמחה‬For the Jews there was light and happiness). When there is light, there is happiness:
The 15th of ‫ ניסן‬is ‫פסח‬
The 15th of ‫ אב‬is ‫( האהבה חג‬The holiday of love)
The 15th of ‫ תשרי‬is ‫סוכות‬
The 15th of ‫ שבט‬is ‫בשבט טו‬, ‫( האילנות חג‬Tu Bishvat, the holiday of the trees)
The 15th of ‫ אדר‬is ‫פורים שושן‬
‫ושנאה אהבה‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬20
Amount of Time: 4-5 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: ‫עברית‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition: ‫אהבה‬- A strong feeling of connectedness and being drawn to another
person. ‫שנאה‬- The opposite of ‫אהבה‬.
Phrases of ‫אהבה‬:
‫אפלטונית אהבה‬- Platonic love
‫עצמית אהבה‬- Egoism, loving yourself
‫הבריות אהבת‬- Love for other people
‫בצע אהבת‬- Love of money
Phrases of ‫שנאה‬:
‫חמס שנאת‬- Hatred of cruelty
‫חינם שנאת‬- Hate for no reason
‫מוות שנאת‬- Strong hatred
‫עולם שנאת‬- Everlasting hatred
Key Words:
‫דמיון‬- Similarity
‫התאהבות‬- Falling in love
‫אחווה‬- Brotherhood
‫הצרפתית המהפכה של העקרונות שלושת‬- The three principles of the French Revolution
‫חירות‬, ‫שוויון‬, ‫אחווה‬- Liberty, Equality, Fraternity
“‫”לוחמים אחוות‬- “Brotherhood of Warriors”
‫אנטישמיות‬- Antisemitism
‫קוצני שיח היה הסנה‬- The bush was a thorny bush
‫עוקץ‬- Sting
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
This is a great opportunity to explain the origin of the word ‫אהבה‬. Let’s look at the word ‫ אהבה‬in
different languages:
‫בעברית אהבה‬
Hub in Arabic
Love in English
Amour en Francais
Amore in Italien
Amor in Espanol
Shalik in Swedish
We see that there is a ‫ דמיון‬between many of the the languages, such as French, Italian, and
Spanish, which are all Latin-based languages. The origin of the word “love” is related to ‫לב‬, or
heart. When we were kids, we drew ‫לבבות‬, hearts, and wrote “love” in English.
In ‫עברית‬, the origin of the word ‫ אהבה‬is from “‫”הב‬, or to give something. What is ‫ אהבה‬then in
this case? Is it just the desire to receive something from another person? No! “‫”כמוך לרעך ואהבת‬
(love your neighbor as yourself)- just as I enjoy receiving something from another person, so too
do I want to give him/her, because someone else is happy to receive something from me.
In English, there is one word that distinguishes between “to love” and “to fall in love.” It seems
that it is not a coincidence that this extra word, to fall, is exactly what happens in ‫התאהבות‬. We
fall when we love and are loved.
‫אחווה‬
The word ‫ אחווה‬means friendship, closeness between people. ‫המהפכה של העקרונות שלושת‬
‫ הצרפתית‬are: ‫חירות‬, ‫שוויון‬, ‫אחווה‬. The word ‫ אחווה‬comes from the word ‫אח‬, which teaches the
idea that the connection between people is similar to that between siblings.
The saying “‫ ”לוחמים אחוות‬emphasizes the special relationship between people who go to war
together and find themselves in tough situations.
‫שנאה‬
What is the origin of the word ‫?שנאה‬
The Talmud (in Tractate Shabbat Chapter 9) explains the source of ‫ אנטישמיות‬through a play on
words: God gave the Torah to the Jews on ‫( סיני הר‬Mount Sinai), and ‫ סיני‬and ‫ שנאה‬sound similar.
Because the Torah was given at ‫סיני‬, there is ‫ שנאה‬in the world against Jews. As the Gemara
explains, “ ‫( ”לעולם שנאה ירדה מכאן כי‬from here, hatred descended on the world).
There are some who say that ‫ שנאה‬comes from the ‫( באש הבוער סנה‬the burning bush). ‫שיח היה הסנה‬
‫ קוצני‬that Moses saw. From here, we understand that someone who ‫ שונא‬is someone who ‫עוקץ‬
someone else, just like the ‫ קוץ‬on the ‫סנה‬.
Who is a ‫( חבר‬friend)? One who ‫מתחבר‬, helps you to connect with others.
And the ‫( ידיד‬friend)? He is someone who gives you ‫ יד‬+ ‫ ;יד‬when you combine them you get the
number value 28 (each ‫ =יד‬14). The number 28 also represents ‫( כח‬strength). This teaches us that
our friends, our ‫ידידות‬, have ‫כח‬.
‫העצמאות יום‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬21
Amount of Time: 4-5 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: ‫עברית‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition: The national holiday of the State of Israel that recognizes that day on
which the state was declared.
Key Words:
‫עצמאות‬- Independence
‫עצם‬- Bone
‫חוגגים‬- Celebrating
‫הזדמנות‬- Opportunity
‫ב תלוי להיות לא‬- Not be dependent on
‫עצמו בכוחות שמתפקד מי‬- Functions on its own
‫תלותי‬- Dependent
‫עצמו‬- Itself
‫עצמי בטחון‬- Self-confidence
‫עצמיים רחמים‬- Self- pity
‫עצמי שירות‬- Self-service
‫עצמי כבוד‬- Self-respect
‫אופקיים פסים עשר שלושה‬- Thirteen horizontal stripes
‫כוכבים חמישים ובו כחול מלבן‬- Blue rectangle with fifty stars
‫מסמלים‬- Symbolize
‫המקוריות המושבות עשרה שלוש‬- The thirteen original colonies
‫מרדו‬- Rebelled
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
According to your opinion, is there a connection between ‫ עצמאות‬and ‫?עצם‬
This time of year, we ‫ העצמאות חג את חוגגים‬in the United States of America, so this is an ‫הזדמנות‬
to talk about the word ‫ עצמאות‬and on words that are connected to it.
To be ‫( עצמאי‬independent) means ‫ תלוי להיות לא‬on others. Someone who is ‫ עצמאי‬is ‫שמתפקד מי‬
‫עצמו בכוחות‬. The opposite of ‫ עצמאי‬is ‫תלותי‬, which comes from the word ‫תלות‬, which is the
opposite of the word ‫עצמאות‬. Someone who is ‫ תלוי‬on another person or thing is ‫תלותי‬.
The word ‫ עצמו‬means: oneself, and no one else. The word ‫ בעצמו‬means: to do someone oneself
without anyone else’s help. For example: Moses ‫ עצמו‬did the work to save his people. Him, and
no one else. Also: Moses did the work ‫בעצמו‬, without the help of anyone else. We say that an
egoist only loves ‫עצמו את‬, thinks only about ‫עצמו‬, and worries only about ‫עצמו‬.
Someone who is confident in ‫ עצמו‬has ‫עצמי בטחון‬, and one who pities ‫ עצמו‬has ‫עצמיים רחמים‬.
Let’s think of more: ‫ עצמי שירות‬and ‫עצמי כבוד‬.
The American Flag:
The flag of the United States (‫ )הברית ארצות דגל‬is a flag that has ‫ אופקיים פסים עשר שלושה‬that are
red and white, and ‫כוכבים חמישים ובו כחול מלבן‬. The fifty stars ‫ מסמלים‬the fifty states of the
United States, and the thirteen stripes ‫ מסמלים‬the ‫ המקוריות המושבות עשרה שלוש‬that ‫ מרדו‬against
the British, and that were the first states of the United States.
On One Foot ‫אחת רגל על‬
The word ‫ עצמאות‬is related to ‫עצמאי‬, or ‫תלוי לא‬. Someone who is not ‫ תלוי‬on anyone else is ‫עצמאי‬.
For Your Entertainment:
The Rav Kook said that the word ‫ עצמאות‬is a combination of ‫ עצם‬+ ‫א‬. The letter ‫ א‬represents
‫אמונה‬, or faith. With the ‫עצם‬, or physical body, a person also needs strong ‫אמונה‬, and then that
person can have ‫עצמאות‬.
For Thought- ‫למחשבה‬
How many presidents have there been in the United States? How old is the United States?
‫בזמן הקשורים מושגים‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬22
Amount of Time: 4-5 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: ‫עברית‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Key Words:
‫שעשועים‬- Amusement
‫שעה‬- Contact, Cleared
‫מנחה‬- Offering
‫פנאי‬- Leisure
‫לב תשומת כפליים‬- Twice as much attention
‫מקדישים‬- Devote
‫שוועה‬- Prayer
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
‫שעה‬
According to your opinion, how did we get the word “‫ ?”שעה‬Is there a connection between this
word and ‫( שעון‬clock)? We sing: “‫( ”שעשועים ילד אם אפרים לי יקיר הבן‬Is my son Efraim dear? Is he
a delightful child?). We say in the Amidah: “‫”ישראל לעמך שעה‬. We sing on Shabbat: “‫שוועת שעה‬
‫”עמי בני‬. What is the relationship between ‫ שעה‬and ‫ שעון‬as well as ‫?שעשועים‬
Our story begins with one of the first stories in the Tanakh, when God received the ‫ מנחה‬from
Hevel (Abel), “‫שעה לא מנחתו ואל קין ואל‬.” This means that God did not accept Cain’s offering. God
did not ‫שעה‬, wasn’t open to him, wasn’t ‫ פנאי‬to him. In other words, when I have fun with
someone, I have ‫שעה‬, I am ‫( פנוי‬open), I have ‫פנאי‬. If ‫ שעה‬means ‫פנה‬, to face someone, then
‫ שעשועים‬is twice the ‫פנאי‬, and ‫לב תשומת כפליים‬.
On Shabbat we are open, ‫פנויים‬, just as the writer of ‫ יקרא דרור‬wrote: “‫( ”עמי בני שוועת שעה‬Take
heed of the cry of my people), turn to accept the prayers of the people of Israel. Just as You paid
attention to the ‫ מנחה‬of Abel, just as You accepted this offering and received it, so too should
You accept my prayer.
A child whom we love a lot and to whom we ‫ מקדישים‬a lot of time, is a child of ‫שעשועים‬. Just as
Jeremiah said, God loves the people of Israel, who is for God a ‫שעשועים ילד‬, a child that God
‫מקדיש‬, to whom God devotes a lot of time and love.
In the time of Eliezer Ben Yehuda, a clock was called “‫( ”השעות מורי‬instructor of the hours). He
invented the word ‫שעון‬. A ‫ שעון‬shows us why we ‫ שועה‬and give attention to things. It is the
teacher of our time.
On One Foot ‫אחת רגל על‬
The word ‫ שעה‬can mean ‫פנאי‬, free time. From here we get the word ‫שעון‬, which shows us the
‫שעות‬, our free time.
For Your Entertainment:
When Eliezer Ben Yehuda arrived:
Instead of calling it a book of words (‫ )מילים ספר‬he called it a ‫( מילון‬dictionary)
Instead of calling it pajamas, he called it ‫נמנמת‬
Instead of calling it houses of eyes (‫)עיניים בתי‬, he called it ‫( משקפיים‬glasses)
Instead of calling it a teacher of the hours (‫ )השעות מורי‬he called it a ‫( שעון‬clock)
For Thought- ‫למחשבה‬
1. How was a ‫ שעון‬called in the Tanakh? (Hint: You can find it in II Kings 20)
2. Who wrote the song ‫( ?יקרא דרור‬Hint: You can find the answer in the beginning of each
stanza)
‫הזמן מילות‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬23
Amount of Time: 4-5 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: ‫עברית‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Key Words:
‫למשש‬- Feel
‫במדויק אותו להגדיר‬- To precisely define
‫העברית השפה של היוצרים‬- The creators of the Hebrew language
‫ושינוי תנועה‬- Movement and change
‫התחדשות‬- Renewal
‫תנועה‬- Movement
‫במקרה‬- Unintentionally
‫השנייה החלוקה‬- Second division
‫שאל‬- Borrowed
‫קטן‬- Growing smaller
‫חידק‬- Germ
‫עצמי כבוד‬- Self-respect
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
The word ‫ זמן‬comes from two words: ‫ ?מן זה‬It’s impossible ‫ למשש‬it and ‫במדויק אותו להגדיר‬.
The ‫ העברית השפה של היוצרים‬understood that ‫ זמן‬is a process of changes. If there is no change
and everything remains static, and yesterday is no different from tomorrow, it’s as if there is no
‫זמן‬. It seems that all words related to ‫ זמן‬have meanings related to ‫ושינוי תנועה‬:
‫שעה‬
As we saw earlier, it comes from the concept of ‫( פנייה‬openness), ‫תנועה‬.
‫חודש‬
From renewal, ‫התחדשות‬
‫ירח‬
Comes from ‫רוח‬, wind, another type of ‫תנועה‬
‫שנה‬
Comes from ‫שינוי‬
‫שנייה‬
It repeats itself constantly, it changes and comes back again
‫שנייה‬
The word ‫ שנייה‬in ‫ עברית‬is a “second” in English. Many people may ask: is it ‫ במקרה‬that there is
one word both in Hebrew and in English that has the same two meanings? ‫ שנייה‬means both
coming after what is first, as well as a unit of time. This is not ‫במקרה‬. In the year 1891 Eliezer
Ben Yehuda explained why he chose the word ‫ שנייה‬to represent 1/60 of a minute, or a second.
He said it means, ‫השנייה החלוקה‬.
The rabbis agreed to divide each rotation (hour) into sixty units, called minutes. One of these
sixty units was further divided into sixty units, each called a ‫שנייה‬. Ben Yehuda ‫ שאל‬the word
‫ שנייה‬from other languages, and translated it into ‫עברית‬.
In Italian, for example, they still use the original terms of these words: “minuti primi” and
“minuti secondi.” The word “minute” comes from the Latin word “minus” which means ‫קטן‬, and
is represented by a small line.
The word ‫( דק‬minute) is also used to describe things that are small, such as ‫חידק‬, or ‫חי‬-‫( דק‬a
small life). This, ‫במקרה‬, is the same process that led to the word “microbe”- it comes from the
words “micro bio.”
For Your Entertainment:
‫לשעון מסביב‬
We don’t use the phrase “around the clock” in Hebrew. There is a saying from the Tanakh
instead: ‫( ולילה יומם‬day and night). This phrase originates in the book of Joshua. God tells Joshua
after the death of Moses: “‫( ”ולילה יומם בו והגדת מפיך הזה התורה ספר ימוש לא‬This Torah should not
leave your mouth, but you should speak of it day and night). You can also say: All of the hours
in the day- the whole day and the whole night. Or: without pause.
‫כתב עזרא אבן והפרשן המשורר‬:
‫העבר‬- ‫אין‬
The past- is no more
‫העתיד‬- ‫עדיין‬
The future- is not yet
‫ההווה‬- ‫עין כהרף‬
The present- like the blink of an eye
‫דאגה‬-‫מנין‬
Worry- for what?
‫והזמן השעון‬
Let me describe a bank that deposits 86,400 shekel into your account each morning. The bank
does not transfer over what is left at the end of each day to the next day, and each night, it
removes whatever money that was not spent during the day.
What would you do?
Spend every shekel, of course!
In reality, everyone has a bank like this- it’s called ‫זמן‬. Every morning, it gives you 86,400 ‫שניות‬.
Every night, like a lost opportunity, it erases every second that you did not use for a worthy
cause. It does not transfer over whatever was not spent during the day. It does not allow for any
“overdraft.”
Each day, it opens a new account for you. Every night, it eliminates the remaining balance from
the day. If you fail to use the moments of the day, the loss is completely your own. There is no
way to go back. There is no way to save for tomorrow’s account. You must live in the present in
the moments of today. This investment is for your betterment, for your health, for your
happiness, and for your success!
The clock ticks, reflecting the best parts of the day!
‫זמן‬- ‫הזדמנות‬
The word ‫ הזדמנות‬refers to a situation in which the time is right to do something. We often use
the phrase “‫( ”הזדמנויות חלון שנפתח‬that the window of opportunity opened). In other words, now is
the right time to carry out something that had previously been difficult to do, as if the window
had been closed before now. The word “‫ ”הזדמנות‬is from the root ‫ז‬.‫מ‬.‫נ‬., because ‫ הזדמנות‬is related
to the right ‫ זמן‬to do something.
There are different types of ‫הזדמנויות‬. Some are ‫ הזדמנויות‬that need to be utilized immediately,
and we call these “‫( ”חוזרת בלתי הזדמנויות‬opportunities that won’t return, what we would call
“once in a lifetime”), or “‫”פז הזדמנות‬, which in English is known as a “golden opportunity.”
Sometimes we waste a ‫הזדמנות‬, we don’t take advantage of it when it comes, but sometimes we
are given a “‫( ”שנייה הזדמנות‬second opportunity or second chance).
There are many words that come from the root ‫ז‬.‫מ‬.‫נ‬. that remind us that so much of what we do is
dependent on time, and how much we need to think about it. When we receive a ‫הזמנה‬
(invitation), it tells us what time the event what we will be attending will start. When we say
during the Pesach Seder “‫( ”מצרים ביציאת לספר ומזומן מוכן הנני‬I am ready and invited to tell the
story of the Exodus from Egypt), we mean that the time has come to read the story. When we
pay “‫( ”במזומן‬in cash), we are saying that we have money at the right time, which is right now.
‫תפילה‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬24
Amount of Time: 4-5 ‫דקות‬
Origin of the Word: ‫עברית‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition: A request to God, a plea
Key Words:
‫לקוות‬- To hope
‫מחשבה‬- Thought
‫שופטים‬- Judges
‫להפליל‬- To incriminate
‫ולזכרון לאות‬- Memorial sign
‫אמת למשפט לשאוף‬- To aspire for true law
‫אמונה‬- Faith
‫גורל‬- Destiny
‫תשובה‬, ‫הגזירה רוע את מעבירים וצדקה תפילה‬- Repentance, prayer, and charity remove the evil decree
‫המרכזי התפילה גרעין‬- The main center of prayer
‫צורות‬- Forms
‫חייבים‬- Must
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
In ‫עברית‬, the word ‫ תפילה‬comes from the root ‫פ‬.‫ל‬.‫ל‬. which means ‫לקוות‬. As it says in Genesis
48:11: “‫יוסף אל ישראל ויאמר‬: ‫פללתי לא פניך ראה‬, ‫( ”זרעך את גם אלהים אתי הראה והנה‬Israel said to
Joseph: I had not hoped to see your face, but God has shown me both you and your offspring).
According to the Maharal of Prague (a great rabbi), ‫ תפילה‬is connected to ‫מחשבה‬, as in “‫עצה הביאו‬
‫( ”פלילה עשו‬You brought advice and made judgment), just as the ‫ שופטים‬are called ‫פלילים‬
(arbitrators), because they judge according to their ‫מחשבות‬. And people are thinkers... this relates
to the meaning of ‫ תפילין‬as well: ‫ תפילין‬are ‫ ולזכרון לאות‬between the eyes, and ‫זכרון‬, memory, is in
one’s ‫מחשבה‬.
According to another interpretation of the word ‫תפילה‬, the word comes from ‫להפליל‬, to judge
ourselves. ‫ אמת למשפט לשאוף‬on myself. According to traditional religious ‫אמונה‬, through ‫תפילה‬
one’s situation and ‫ גורל‬can change for the better, as we say on Rosh Hashanah: ‫תשובה‬, ‫”תפילה‬
‫הגזירה רוע את מעבירים וצדקה‬.”
In Judaism, ‫( מתפללים‬we pray) three ‫ תפילות‬each day. The morning ‫ תפילה‬is called ‫שחרית תפילת‬the ‫ תפילה‬of the ‫בוקר‬. The afternoon ‫ תפילה‬is called ‫מנחה תפילת‬, and the evening ‫ תפילה‬is called
‫ערבית תפילת‬. On Shabbat, holidays, and Rosh Chodesh, there is an additional ‫ תפילה‬after ‫שחרית‬
called ‫מוסף תפילת‬, which we do in place of ‫מוסף קרבן‬, the sacrifice that was brought in the Temple
on these days. For all of these ‫תפילות‬, the ‫ המרכזי התפילה גרעין‬that we repeat in different ‫ צורות‬is
‫עשרה שמונה תפילת‬, also known as ‫עמידה תפילת‬, which comes from the fact that we are ‫לעמוד חייבים‬,
to stand for it.
On One Foot ‫אחת רגל על‬
The word ‫ תפילה‬comes from ‫פ‬.‫ל‬.‫ל‬. Each person judges him or herself, and establishes his or her
‫גורל‬.
For Your Entertainment:
‫ותפילות אבות‬
The rabbis taught: The forefathers established our ‫תפילות‬: Abraham established ‫שחרית תפילת‬,
Isaac established ‫מנחה תפילת‬, and Jacob established ‫( ערבית תפילת‬Jerusalem Talmud Tractate
Brachot 4).
We can see that ‫תשנייה האות‬, the second letter of each of their names hints at the first letter of the
‫ תפילה‬that they established:
‫ב‬
‫א רהם‬- ‫בקר‬
‫יצחק‬- ‫צהריים‬
‫יעקב‬- ‫ערב‬
We can also use ‫השלישית האות‬, the third letter of their names matches the third letter of the ‫תפילה‬
that they established:
‫אברהם‬- ‫שחרית‬
‫יצחק‬- ‫מנחה‬
‫ישראל=יעקב‬- ‫מעריב‬
For Thought- ‫למחשבה‬
What is the meaning of the word “‫ ”אמן‬that we use so often during ‫ ?תפילה‬Is there a connection
with the word ‫?אמונה‬
‫תקשורת‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬25
Amount of Time: 4-5 ‫דקות‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Dictionary Definition: Communication, all of the actions that are done in order to connect to
another person, and to pass information from place to place.
Key Words:
‫תקשורת‬- Communication
‫תלבושת‬- Clothing
‫תרכובת‬- Compound
‫תכתובת‬- Correspondence
‫גשר‬- Bridge
‫שיח דו‬- Dialogue
‫שיח רב‬- Symposium
‫הסעודה בשעת משיחין אין‬- No talking while eating
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
What word reminds you of the word ‫ ?תקשורת‬Is there a connection with the word ‫?גשר‬
This word shares the same form in Hebrew as the words in this rhyme: ‫( תקטולת‬killing ability)
sounds like ‫תלבושת‬, and ‫ תרכובת‬and ‫תכתובת‬.
The word ‫ תקשורת‬represents that which is related to ‫קשר‬, or connection.
When we connect two things, we are using a ‫גשר‬, which is a type of ‫קשר‬.
While we are talking about ‫תקשורת‬, we should also talk about:
‫שיח דו‬
A conversation between two people, a dialogue
‫שיח רב‬
A conversation between more than two people, what we would call a symposium.
The word ‫ שיח‬comes from ‫שיחה‬, or conversation.
From this word we get the saying: ‫הסעודה בשעת משיחין אין‬.
On One Foot ‫אחת רגל על‬
The word ‫ תקשורת‬refers to everything related to the ‫קשר‬, connection, between people and places.
For Your Entertainment:
We spoke in ‫ מספר שיחה‬8 about ‫ תיאום ישיבת‬and ‫תיאומים‬. We spoke about the word ‫אמת‬, and how
each of its parts are ‫( ותואמים מתאימים‬fitting and coordinate). The opposite of ‫ אמת‬is ‫( שקר‬lie). A
‫ שקר‬has no ‫( תיאום‬coordination), there is no ‫ קשר‬between different pieces of it. Therefore, a ‫שקר‬
is the opposite of a ‫קשר‬. From this idea, we get the saying: ‫תשקורת היא התקשורת לפעמים‬
(sometimes communication is a lie).
For Thought- ‫למחשבה‬
How did we get the word ‫( מכונית‬car)? What about ‫?אוטו‬
‫המחשב עולם‬
‫ מספר שיחה‬26
Amount of Time: 4-5 ‫דקות‬
Intended Audience: ‫חניכים‬, ‫מדריכים‬, ‫הנהלה‬
Origin of the Word: Latin, English, Greek
Key Words:
‫מונחים‬- Terms
‫ותיקה‬- Veteran
‫דיון‬- Discussion
‫הקודש ספרי‬- Holy books
‫מבדילים‬- Distinguish
‫סמלים‬- Symbols
‫לשפוך‬, ‫להתיך‬- Pour, melt
‫יציקה‬- Casting
‫החשמל מערכת‬- Power system
‫חוט‬- Wire
‫מדי גדול זרם מעבר‬- When an electric current that is too large crosses
“‫המנגנון את ”מקפיץ‬- Pop-up mechanism
‫שקפץ המתג‬- Jumping switch
‫טעמים‬- Flavors
‫לערבב‬- To mix
‫נוזלים‬- Fluids
‫הטיפול‬- Treatment
‫בחזרה נשפך‬- Spill back
‫כריכה‬- Binding
‫תכריכים‬- Burial shroud
‫להקיף‬, ‫לעטוף‬- Surround, envelop
‫עקבו על כרוך נחש אפילו‬- Even if a snake is wrapped around his heel
Developing the conversation- ‫השיחה מהלך‬
The computer only recently entered our world, but now it is difficult to live without it. It’s
worthwhile to note that for all of the different ‫ מונחים‬that are used in ‫המחשב עולם‬, there are
corresponding words in ‫עברית‬.
Don’t say “computer,” say ‫מחשב‬.
Don’t say “screen,” say ‫מסך‬.
Don’t say “mouse,” say ‫עכבר‬.
Don’t say “e-mail,” say ‫אלקטרוני דואר‬
Don’t say “ethernet,” say ‫מרשתת‬.
Don’t say “printer,” say ‫מדפסת‬.
Don’t say “file,” say ‫קובץ‬.
Don’t say “site,” say ‫אתר‬.
Don’t say “forum,” say ‫דיון קבוצת‬.
Don’t say “chat,” say ‫ברשת לשוחח‬.
Don’t say “attachment,” say ‫ מצורף קובץ‬or ‫נספח‬.
Don’t say “disk on key,” or “USB,” say ‫נייד החסן‬.
Don’t say “backup,” say ‫גיבוי‬.
Don’t say “font,” say ‫גופן‬.
‫פונט‬
The word ‫( גופן‬font), is similar to the word ‫( גוף‬body). This is not only a nice word, but it is also
‫ותיקה‬, and comes from the Babylonian Talmud. There, it has the same meaning: The ‫ דיון‬in
Tractate Megillah discusses the letters with which ‫ הקודש ספרי‬were written. It says there: Here,
in our ‫גופן‬, and there, in their ‫גופן‬. (This means, we ‫ מבדילים‬between each ‫( גופן‬script), our own
writing in ‫עברית‬, and writing in other languages.) In some places in the Talmud, the word as
written as “‫”גרפן‬, a form that is more related to its original root in Greek, “graph.” All of the
words coming from this root are related to ‫ סמלים‬and ‫אותיות‬, letters.
The source: The Latin verb “fundere” means ‫לשפוך‬, ‫להתיך‬. From here we get the English word
“foundry,” ‫ ליציקה‬or a ‫בית‬-‫( יציקה‬place for casting).
That which spills and flows is “fusus” in Latin. From here, we get the word “fuse” which is in
‫החשמל מערכת‬. A fuse is called a ‫ נתיך‬in ‫עברית‬.
In the past, not many years ago, there was a “jam” in our power system that was given the
Hebrew name ‫נתיך‬, because it had a ‫ חוט‬that would melt when ‫מדי גדול זרם מעבר‬. Today, there is
no ‫( נתיך חוט‬melting wire) in fuses. Instead, there is a part that has a “‫ המנגנון את ”מקפיץ‬and stops
the flow of electricity. In order to renew the flow, one needs to restore the ‫ שקפץ המתג‬to its
proper place. Despite the change in technology, we still call the fuse “‫נתיך‬.”
This melting, called “fusion” in English, also occurs in the kitchen, when there is a melting, or a
mixing of ‫טעמים‬. Are you confused? It seems that you are suffering from confusion, which
comes from the same source as “fusion”: Confusion comes from the Latin root “confundere,”
which means to pour together, ‫לערבב‬. And just so that you don’t end up in a difficult situation
when you need an “infusion,” an insertion of fluid, ‫ נוזלים‬are poured into your body. ‫וחלילה חס‬
(heaven forbid) that these ‫ נוזלים‬would exit your body by “diffusion,” known as ‫ פעפוע‬in ‫עברית‬. In
any case, all of this ‫ טיפול‬costs a lot of money that you probably won’t get back. If you do, it’s
called a “refund,” ‫החזר‬, which comes from that same Latin root, meaning that which is ‫נשפך‬
‫בחזרה‬, in the opposite direction. And if they don’t want to refund your money, that is a “refusal,”
or ‫דחיייה סירוב‬.
‫@ = שטרודל או כרוכית‬
Is there a connection between the words ‫( כריך‬sandwich) to ‫ כריכה‬or ‫?תכריכים‬
They are all related to the root ‫כ‬.‫ר‬.‫ך‬. which means ‫להקיף‬, ‫לעטוף‬. In the Mishnah in Tractate
Brachot we read: “‫עקבו על כרוך נחש אפילו להפסיק לו אסור עשרה שמונה המתפלל‬.” (One who is praying
the Shmoneh Esreh cannot stop in the middle, even if a snake is wrapped around his heel.) From
here, we can understand that ‫ הספר כרך‬is the part that ‫ עוטף‬a book, the ‫כריכה‬.
In addition, ‫עוטפים תכריכים‬, wrap, the dead. Also, a ‫כרוכית‬, or strudel, is a type of cookie that
comes from this root, because the dough wraps around the filling. A ‫ כריך‬is a sandwich, which
gets its name from the Duke of Sandwich who would ‫ כורך‬his meals in two slices of bread.
In the Pesach Haggadah we learn about Hillel who would ‫ כורך‬matzah and maror together.
Because of this, the name “‫ ”הללית‬was proposed as another term for sandwich.