Glossary
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Hebrew is a language that is as fascinating as it is ancient. As such, it contains spellings and pronunciations which are unique. By being able to properly pronounce the many Hebrew terms presented in this book, your overall enjoyment of the story will be increased. You can feel confident in your ability to say the words properly as well as to understand their meaning. You will be ready to visit Israel and interact with the wonderful people who live there.
Therefore, please take a moment to read and enjoy the handy glossary and pronunciation guide.
The glossary is organized alphabetically for easy reference.
GLOSSARY
abba
AH-buh
Dad; father
ad meach ve esrim
add may-AKH vay ess-REEM
ad meach = and 100
ve esrim = with 20
agurot
ah-goo-ROTE
Plural; singular = agurah (ah-goo-RAH)
Israeli money in the form of coins. 100 agurot = one NIS (New Israeli Shekel). Similar to 100 pennies = one USD (United States Dollar).
adain lo!
uh-DINE low
Not yet
Adain = still
Lo = no
Thus, “not yet”.
The opposite of adain ken!, meaning “still yes!”
aleph
AH-leff (short a)
The first letter of the Hebrew alphabet. There are 26 letters. Hebrew appears in two forms, printed (such as in a Bible, newspaper, magazine, online, etc.) and handwritten, which are different from the printed letters. Also, Hebrew is read from right to left. In English, adjectives come before nouns. But in Hebrew, adjectives come after nouns, similar to French, for example. Thus, “a red car” in English; “un voiture rouge” in French, and “auto adom” (ah-DOME; Hebr. Red). Words are also conjugated according to gender, meaning there is a masculine and feminine form of each. Hebrew also does not employ upper- or lower-case letters (as is done in English, for example).
ani
uh-NEE
I
Ashdod
ash-DODE
A lovely beach town.
From Wikipedia:
Ashdod is the sixth-largest city and the largest port in Israel accounting for 60% of the country's imported goods. Ashdod is located in the Southern District of the country, on the Mediterranean coast where it is situated between Tel Aviv to the North and Ashkelon to the South. Jerusalem is to the east. The city is also an important regional industrial center. Its history dates back thousands of years.
There is a very good restaurant on the beach called Petra. They specialize in Georgian cuisine. We recommend the Imaruli, which is similar to a calzone, and the Greek Salad.
Bamba
BAHM-buh
A delicious light, crispy, fluffy Israeli snack (made by food company Osem), similar to cheese puffs, but peanut butter flavored. Bamba is also available in many grocery stores in the USA. Look for it in the International Foods section/aisle. It is also available on Amazon.
Baruch atah, Adonai…
This is the traditional blessing spoken during the lighting of the “Shabbat” candles (“Welcoming the Shabbat”), as well as during the lighting of all holiday candles (welcoming the holidays). Specifically, when celebrating Hanukkah, this beautiful traditional Blessing is spoken during the lighting of Hanukkah candles, each night of the holiday celebration:
Baruch atah, Adonai Eloheinu, Melech haolam, asher kid'shanu b'mitzvotav v'tsivanu l'hadlik ner shel Hanukkah.
Blessed are You, Adonai our God, Sovereign of all, who hallows us with mitzvot, commanding us to kindle the Hanukkah lights.
Baruch (bah-ROOKH) blessed
Atah (ah-TAH) you (masculine)
Adonai (add-OH-NYE) God
Eloheinu (ay-lo-HAY-noo) our Lord
Melech (meh-lekh) king
haolam (ha-oh-LAHM) the world, the universe
Asher (ah-SHERR) that/who has
Kid’shanu (kid-SHAH-noo) blessed us; made us sacred/holy
B’mitzvotav (bay meets-vo-TAHV) with His commandments
V’tsivanu (vay tsee-VAH-noo) and has commanded us
L’hadlik (lay had-LEEK) to light
Ner (nerr) a candle
Shel (shell) of (possessive)
Hannukah (hah-noo-KAH) Hanukkah
beit-knesset
bait kuh-NESS-ette
Synagogue
Beit = home/house
Knesset = place of gathering
bet
bet
The second letter in the Hebrew alphabet. See aleph above for more information about the Hebrew alphabet and how to read and write Hebrew.
bevahkeshah
bay-vah-kuh-SHAH
please; you’re welcome/there you go
Birthday Song
hayom yom huledet [ha-YOME YOME hoo-LED-et] [today is a birthday]
hayom yom huledet
hayom yom huledet l’ __ (Insert name here) [leh ______]
hayom yom huledet
hayom yom huledet
hayom yom huledet l’__
chag la sameach [hahg lah suh-MAY-akh] [chag=holiday, la=to her, sameach=happy; i.e. happy holiday to her]
v'zer la poreach [v’zair lah por-AY-akh] [v’=and, zer=flower bouquet, la=to her, poreach=blooming; i.e. and a blooming bouquet to her]
hayom yom huledet l’__
boker tov
BO-ker tove
Good morning
Boker: morning
Tov: good
chametz
cha-METS
Any small remnants of grains or flour, bread, etc., which must be cleaned in preparation for the Pesach holiday.
Note the guttural “cha” sound at the beginning of the word. It is not pronounced with a “chuh” sound, as in “chocolate”. Many Anglicized Hebrew words are often spelled with “ch” rather than H, such as “Chanukkah” versus “Hanukkah”. The proper pronunciation is with the guttural “ch” sound (like when brushing your teeth): chanukkah.
dag
dag
Fish
Given its location on the Mediterranean Sea, Israel features many excellent restaurants which serve a wide variety of fresh fish. Shrimp and lobster are generally not available, however, because they are not kosher (see kosher below for more).
Dani/Daniel
danny/daniel
Hebrew name meaning “God will judge/God is my judge”. Can be male or female. Equivalent to Daniel or Danielle.
Dov
dove
Male Hebrew name meaning “bear”
dreidel
dray-dull
Traditional spinning top enjoyed by children on Hanukkah. In modern Israel, it is known as a sevivon (seh-vee-VONE). Traditional sevivonim (pl. seh-vee-voh-NEEM) are typically made of wood or plastic, while a modern sevivon is often quite fancy, adorned with flashing lights and able to play music while spinning. There are also smaller, more precision-made plastic varieties which are weighted evenly and can spin for as long as one minute.
Each side of the dreidel bears a letter of the Hebrew alphabet: נ (Nun), ג (Gimel), ה (Hei), ש (Shin), representing the sentence Nes Gadol Hayah Sham (a great miracle happened there). In this phrase, Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, Sham means “there”, hence anyone located outside of Israel would refer to “Sham” (there), meaning “Israel”. Whereas anyone based in Israel would say Nes Gadol Hayah Poh (a great miracle happened here), hence the letters of נ (Nun), ג (Gimel), ה (Hei), פ (Pey).
The Yiddish word dreydl comes from the word dreyen ("to turn"). The Hebrew word sevivon comes also from the root savav (suh-VAHV, "to turn"). Sevivon was invented by Itamar Ben-Avi when he was five years old, circa 1887.
Eilat
eye-LAHT
From Wikipedia:
[Founded in 7000 BCE (that’s a LONG time ago!)], Eilat is Israel's southernmost city, a busy port and popular resort at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on the Gulf of Aqaba. The city's beaches, coral reef, nightlife and desert landscapes make it a popular destination for domestic and international tourism.
falafel
fuh-LAH-fell
A Middle Eastern dish of spiced mashed chickpeas (garbanzo beans) formed into balls or fritters and deep-fried, usually eaten with or in pita bread, along with French fries, and side dishes such as tahini, cubed tomatoes & cucumbers, cole slaw, peppers, pickles, etc. Good falafel is fresh, and gently cooked in fresh oil. If there is a crowd of Israelis standing in line, you know the falafel is good.
Gabby/Gabriel
Male Hebrew name meaning “God is my strength”.
Can be shortened to nickname Gabby.
Gal
Gal
Female Hebrew name, “wave”
gogo
go-go
The seed or pit in the center of an apricot.
Golan Heights
go-LAWN heights
A mountainous region northeast of the Sea of Galilee. Mount Hermon is there, home to ski resorts. Also home to some of Israel’s most spectacular landscapes and adventures.
Haggadah
hah-guh-DAH
Comes from lehagid (lay-ha-GEED) which means “to tell”.
A small prayer/holy book describing the story of the Jewish people being liberated from slavery in Egypt and celebrating their freedom on Pesach. It is read on Pesach eve during the seder, used for practicing rituals, singing songs, and offering blessings.
hakol besedder
hah-COLE beh-SEH-derr
hakol: all/everything
besedder: good/well/alright
This is a very common phrase in Israel. It is often used, for example, in a restaurant, when being asked if your food is alright. The server will come and say, “Hakol besedder?” And you can reply, “Ken, metsuyan, todah rabbah.”
ken = yes
metsuyan (met-sue-YAWN) = perfect
todah (toe-DAH) = thank you
rabbah (rah-BAH) = very much
When eating in a restaurant in Israel, don’t be shy about raising your hand to get a server’s attention if you need something.
“Hakol besedder” is also a popular answer when people are asked how they are feeling. “Hakol besedder, Toda La-El,” meaning “All is well, thank God.”
Hamishi
hah-mee-SHEE
Thursday, or the fifth day of the week (the week begins with Sunday); comes from hamesh (ha-MESH), meaning “five”.
hamudeem sheli
Ha-moo-DEEM shuh-LEE
My sweet ones
Hamudeem is the plural form of hamood (also chamud; note the “ch” is a guttural, not a “chuh” sound). Hamood means “sweet”. It is common to refer to a child as “sweetie” using the female/feminine conjugation hamoodah (ha-moo-DAH) for a girl and the male/masculine conjugation hamoodee (ha-MOO-dee) for a boy.
Sheli means “my” or “mine”.
Hanukkah
HAH-noo-kah
The Festival of Lights
Noteworthy because of the miraculous ability of one tiny pot of oil in the temple to provide enough light for the menorah (Hebrew hanukiah (hah-noo-kee-YAH) see below) to burn for eight days and nights.
hanukkiah
Ha-NOO-kee-YAH
Traditional eight-tipped candle holder used to kindle candles for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah.
Note: Most of us think of the Hanukkah candles being kindled on a candelabra-like candle holder with eight candles. This is, of course, the menorah (meh-nor-AH). Menorah means “lamp”. Over time, it came to be associated with Hanukkah and thought of as the traditional candle holder for the holiday. In Israel, however, this candle holder is referred to as the hanukkiah (ha-NOO-kee-YAH), a name derived from the name of the holiday itself (Hanukkah). Also of note is that the nightly candles should be lit from right to left, the outside first and gradually work leftward each night as a candle is added. Light the center candle first (the shamash candle or priest candle) and use it to light the others, one at a time, beginning with the candle furthest to the right and working your way left, adding a candle each night, until all nine candles are lit (the shamash plus the additional eight), representing the eight-day miracle.
Har Ha’zeyteem
har (mountain)
zay-TEEM (olives)
The Mount of Olives
Ha Yarkon Park
hah yar-CONE
From Wikipedia:
Yarkon Park is a large park in Tel Aviv, Israel, with about sixteen million visits annually. Named after the Yarkon River which flows through it, the park includes extensive lawns, sports facilities, botanical gardens, an aviary, a water park, two outdoor concert venues, a hot-air balloon, and lakes.
hayom yom huledet
ha-YOME YOME who-LED-et
today is a birthday
(see Birthday Song above for more!)
ima
EE-muh
Mom; mother
kaduray basar
kah-doo-RAY buh-SAR
Kaduray: balls, from kadur (kah-DO-er), ball
Basar: meat
ken
ken
Yes
The opposite of ken is lo, meaning “no”, (pronounced low, rhymes with slow).
keved
kuh-VED
Liver
kippah
KEY-puh
A small, round hat approximately six inches in diameter, typically worn by men of the Jewish faith to practice humility before the Lord. Also known as a yamaka or yarmulke, perhaps from Yiddish or Polish although the origin of these words are less well understood. In modern Israel/Hebrew, kippah is the typical word choice.
kosher
KOH-sherr
Foods which are acceptable for consumption according to Jewish tradition and practice. Certain animals, such as pigs, are forbidden, as are sea creatures which live on the sea floor such as shrimp and lobster, and meat is never consumed with dairy.
Lag BaOmer
lag bah-OHmer
holiday celebrated on the 33rd day of the Counting of the Omer
levivot
lev-ee-VOTE
plural, potato pancakes; singular, levivah (lev-ee-VAH)
Typically enjoyed during Hanukkah as the perfect traditional food complimentary to sufganiyot.
lyla tov
ly-luh TOVE
goodnight
lyla: night
tov: good
Note: the proper Hebrew/Israeli pronunciation of tov is with a long O and a V. Sounds like “tove”. This should be distinguished from the often heard “mozzle toff!”, which is an American and/or Yiddish pronunciation of a phrase meaning “congratulations,” often exclaimed at weddings. Authentic Hebrew spoken by Israelis is “mazal tov”, pronounced muh-ZAL tove. “Mazal” means “luck” and “tov” means “good”. So, “good luck!”
The corollary to lyla tov is boker tov. “Good morning.” Boker (bo-kerr) = morning; tov (tove) = good.
matzah
mahTSAH
Crispy, crunchy, delicious crackers made from unleavened flour and eaten during the holiday of Pesach. Matzot (maht-ZOTE; plural) are large squares approximately eight inches wide and can be enjoyed with cream cheese, jam, avocado, Nutella, HaShachar (Israeli chocolate spread), or plain. Or whatever you like to put on them.
Mazal
muh-ZAL
Female Hebrew name, “Luck”
mazal tov
muh-ZAL tove
Mazal: luck
Tov: good
Good luck
Note: the proper Hebrew/Israeli pronunciation of tov is with a long O and a V. Sounds like “tove”. This should be distinguished from the often heard, mispronounced “mozzle toff!”, which is an American and/or Yiddish pronunciation of a phrase meaning congratulations, often exclaimed at weddings. Authentic Hebrew spoken by Israelis is “mazal tov”, pronounced muh-ZAL tove. “Mazal” means “luck” and “tov” means “good”. So, “good luck!”
ma zay?
MAH-zay
“What’s this?” Can be used as an expression of curiosity or interest, or as an expression of surprise or dismay.
menorah
meh-nor-AH
Lamp
Note: Most of us think of the Hanukkah candles being kindled on a candelabra-like candle holder with eight candles. This is, of course, the menorah. Menorah means “lamp”. Over time, it came to be associated with Hanukkah and thought of as the traditional candle holder for the holiday. In Israel, however, this candle holder is referred to as the hanukkiah (ha-NOO-kee-YAH), a name derived from the name of the holiday itself (Hanukkah).
Also, Menorah (מנורה) is a seven branched-candelabrum that has been used as a symbol of Israel since ancient times. The national emblem of the State of Israel includes a Menorah, flanked by two olive branches.
metukah
meh-too-KAH
Sweetie or sweetheart, used to address a female, usually a young girl. The male version is matok or matoki (muh-TOKE/muh-TOKE-ee). Both words come from the word matok (muh-TOKE) meaning “sweet”.
my’im
mime
water
Netanya
neh-TAHN-yuh
Hebrew meaning: God has given (Natan = has given; Ya = God)
From Wikipedia:
[Founded in 1929], Netanya is a city in the Northern Central District of Israel, and is the capital of the surrounding Ezra plain. It is north of Tel Aviv, and south of Haifa, between the 'Poleg' stream and Wingate Institute in the south and the 'Avichail' stream in the north. Netanya was named in honor of Nathan Straus of Macy's, a prominent Jewish American merchant and philanthropist in the early 20th century.
Nimrod
neem-RODE
Male Hebrew name, “rebel”
od
ode
more
oof!
oof
No formal meaning in Hebrew; a phrase spoken to express frustration, often by children.
Orit
ore-EET
Female Hebrew name meaning “light”, from “or” (light)
oznei haman
ozeNAY hah-MAHN
Hebrew meaning: Haman’s ears (literally “ears of Haman”)
Delicious triangular cookies baked during the celebration of Purim.
Pesach
PAY-sakh
Passover
A very important holiday denoting the liberation of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt.
Purim
poo-REEM
Jewish holiday that commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, who was not a nice man. It is customary to bake special cookies (oznei haman= ears of Haman/Haman’s ears) and to dress up in costume, similar to Halloween.
Rishon
ree-SHONE
First; also “Sunday”, the first day of the week. Comes from “rosh” (head).
Rishon is also a coastal city south of Tel Aviv. It features a world-renowned vineyard, an amusement park, and a lovely beach with beachfront restaurants where you can dine with your feet in the sand. Rishon also hosts a great mall called the G Center, inside of which is Cinema City. The bottom floor features stores and restaurants. The second floor is theaters and concessions. Outside the mall is a dinosaur playground featuring dozens of life-sized dinosaurs and Transformers.
Rosh Hashana
rōsh hah-shuh-NAH
Akin to mazal tov, Rosh Hashanah features a long O sound in “Rosh” (like in “rose”) rather than a short O sound (like in “soft”).
Meaning “First of the year” or “head of the year”, Rosh Hashanah represents the Jewish New Year and is the first of the Jewish High Holy Days (which usually occur in the early autumn). Note that because of the use of the Hebrew calendar (as opposed to the western Gregorian calendar), Rosh Hashanah and the other Hebrew/Israeli holidays occur at slightly varying times of the year. It is celebrated with a lavish meal.
Rosh Hashanah commemorates the creation of the world and marks the beginning of the Days of Awe, a 10-day period of introspection and repentance that culminates in the Yom Kippur holiday, also known as the Day of Atonement. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the two “High Holy Days” in the Jewish religion.
rotse
rote-ZAY
to want
sabba
SAH-buh
Grandfather/grandpa
savta
SAHV-tuh
Grandmother/grandma
seder
SAY-der
An extravagant meal eaten during Pesach (Passover).
sevivon
seh-vee-VONE
Traditional spinning top enjoyed by children on the eve of Hanukkah. Also known as a dreidel (dray-dull). In modern Israel, it is known as a sevivon. Modern sevivonim (seh-vee-VOH-NEEM, pl.) are often quite fancy, adorned with flashing lights and able to play music while spinning. There are also smaller, more precision-made varieties which are weighted evenly and can spin for 20 to 30 seconds or more. As of this writing, the unofficial world record seems to be between two to three minutes.
Each side of the dreidel bears a letter of the Hebrew alphabet: נ (Nun), ג (Gimel), ה (Hei), ש (Shin), representing the sentence Nes Gadol Hayah Sham (a great miracle happened there). In this phrase, Nes Gadol Hayah Sham, Sham means “there”, hence anyone located outside of Israel would refer to “Sham” (there), meaning “Israel”. Whereas anyone based in Israel would say Nes Gadol Hayah Poh (a great miracle happened here), hence the letters of נ (Nun), ג (Gimel), ה (Hei), פ (Pey).
Shabbat
shuh-BOT
The Sabbath; Saturday
God’s rest day. According to the Book of Genesis, God created the world in six days and on the seventh day, He rested.
shalom
SHAH-lome
Literally, “peace”.
Shalom is a customary word to say hello to someone.
It is also common to say Shabbat shalom on Friday afternoon and evening, welcoming the Sabbath.
shavua tov
shuh-VOO-uh TOVE
Good week
It’s customary to begin the week in Israel with the Blessings and good wishes of saying “Shavua tov!” on Saturday night.
Shavuot
shav-oo-OTE
Literally “oaths”
A two-day holiday which commemorates God giving the Torah to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai more than 3,300 years ago. In present day, it is customary to eat dairy foods, including cheesecake.
Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) commemorates the revelation of the Torah on Mt. Sinai to the Jewish people, and occurs on the 50th day after the 49 days of counting the Omer. Shavuot is one of the three biblically-based pilgrimage holidays known as the shalosh regalim (shah-LOWSH ray-guh-LEEM) (the other two being Pesach/Passover and Sukkot). It is associated with the grain harvest in the Torah.
shekel
SHEH-kull
Unit of currency in Israel. Typically abbreviated as N.I.S. (New Israeli Shekel). Akin to dollars in USA. Currency exchange rates in recent years have been approximately 4:1 (NIS:USD). If you went to a grocery store in Israel and bought 100 NIS worth of groceries, that would equal approximately $25.00. Also, when visiting Israel and you want to exchange your country’s currency for shekels, there are often exchange centers in shopping malls. They are private businesses and tend to charge a lower commission than banks. Credit cards can also be used virtually everywhere, though sometimes not at gas stations. So also carry cash shekel notes.
shemesh
SHEH-mesh
sun
sherutim
sherr-roo-TEEM
Restroom
Literally means “services”.
Shishi
shee-SHEE
Friday, the sixth day of the week (beginning with Sunday); comes from shesh, meaning six.
It’s customary to have a nice family-gathering dinner on Erev Shishi (Friday’s evening, or on Saturday afternoon, Shabbat). Blessing and welcoming the Shabbat (the Sabbath) with a delicious meal, praying, drinking red wine, raising toasts, saying thanks to God as well as lighting the Shabbat candles on Erev Shishi to welcome the Shabbat.
Simhat Torah
sim-HAHT tore-AH
Happiness of the Torah/Bible (rejoicing of the Torah)
Simhat Torah marks the beginning of the Torah’s yearly reading cycle, while Celebrants sing and dance with the Torah scrolls, touching and kissing them. It also symbolizes the Jewish ongoing commitment to truth and learning.
From Wikipedia:
A Jewish holiday that celebrates and marks the conclusion of the annual cycle of public Torah readings, and the beginning of a new cycle.
Smodar
smoh-DAR
female Hebrew name
sufganiyot
soof-gan-ee-OTE
Plural of sufganiyah (soof-gan-ee-AH)
Traditional donuts eaten during Hanukkah. Traditional sufganiyot were filled with strawberry jam and topped with powdered sugar. Modern-day variants include chocolate/Nutella, maple, or whipped cream filling. They can be quite elaborate, with sprinkles and frosting as well, usually found in bakeries such as Roladin (roll-uh-DEEN). They begin appearing in supermarkets several weeks before the actual holiday. It is best to go to a small bakery and purchase sufganiyot soon after they are baked so they can be enjoyed while they are still warm. Warming them very briefly in the microwave at home is also possible. But don’t cook them too long (a maximum of perhaps 20-30 seconds), otherwise the filling will liquefy and run out all over the place and the donut becomes very chewy. Baking them briefly in the oven to re-heat them is also an option and makes them far more delicious than in the microwave.
sukkah
soo-KAH
Plural: sukkot (soo-KOTE)
A temporary booth or hut constructed during the festival of Sukkot. It is customary for the sukkah to be open to the sky, and it is therefore topped with palm fronds for a roof, and is decorated with colorful lights and pictures hand-drawn by children. Meals are eaten inside the sukkah for the duration of the holiday (seven days), as it serves as a gathering place. A lot of people will construct the sukkah in their back yard or on their apartment balcony.
Sukkot
sue-KOTE
A weeklong Jewish holiday that commemorates the harvest and God’s protection of the children/people of Israel when they fled Egypt.
Sussita
soo-SEE-tuh
Small four-door automobile produced by Autocars Co. Ltd, Israel’s first car manufacturer, founded in Haifa in 1957. Sussita comes from sus (soose; rhymes with goose), the Hebrew word for “horse”. Thus sussita = little horse.
Ta-eem, na-hone?
tah-EEM, nah-HONE?
Ta-eem: delicious
Na-hone: right/correct?
A common way of saying, “Isn’t it delicious?”
takumi
tah-KOO-me
Wake up (Feminine)
Tamar
tuh-MAR
Female Hebrew name, “date” (like the fruit)
Tel Aviv
tell uh-VEEV
Literally “tell of spring”.
From Wikipedia:
[Founded in 1909], Tel Aviv is the most populous city in the largest metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the country's Mediterranean coastline and with a population of approximately 450,000, it is the economic and technological center of the country. Tel Aviv is known for impressive architecture, entertainment and performing arts, art galleries and museums, restaurants and nightlife, and its beautiful beaches.
todah
toe-DAH
Thank you
Torah
tore-AH
The first five books of the Holy Bible.
From Wikipedia:
1. Bəreshit (bear-uh-SHEET) Genesis; literally "In the beginning" or “Creation”
2. Shəmot (shmote) Exodus; literally “Names”
3. Vayikra (VAH-yeh-KRAH) Leviticus; literally “And he called”
4. Bəmidbar (bah-mid-BAR) Numbers; literally “In the desert”
5. Dəvarim (dvar-EEM) Deuteronomy; literally “Things” or “Words”
Tu Bishvat
TOObee shvaht
A holiday similar to Earth Day, on which thanks are given to God for the blessings of the harvest. Schoolchildren enjoy planting a plant or a tree as a symbol of giving back to the Earth.
wafflim
VAHF-leem
Cookies, typically of the airy, crispy waffle-like variety with a creamy layer between two light and flaky outer layers. Particularly ta-eem when dipped in coffee or hot cocoa.
Yair
yah-EER
Male Hebrew name, “whom God enlightens”
Yaron
yah-RONE
Male Hebrew name, “to sing and rejoice”
yeladim
yell-uh-DEEM
Children, (pl.) from yeled, child (m.)
Boy = yeled (YELL-ed)
Girl = yelda (yell-DAH)
yofee
YOH-fee
Nice, good. Colloquial. Comes from yefay (yeh-FAY), meaning pretty or lovely.
yofee toffee
YOH-fee TOH-fee
Similar to above, a colloquial term comprised of a pun on “toffee” which rhymes with “yofee”.
Yom Kippur
yome kip-POOR
Day of Atonement
Yom: day
Kippur: forgiveness
From Merriam-Webster:
A Jewish holiday observed in September or October during which Jewish people do not eat or drink anything and pray to ask for forgiveness for mistakes made during the year.
Girls under the age of 12 and boys under the age of 13 are not required to participate in the 24-hour fast which begins at sunset on Yom Kippur’s eve and concludes at the appearance of the first star in the sky the following evening. During this time, no one works or drives, and everything is very quiet and calm. Religious men will often spend the entire 24 hours in a beit-knesset (synagogue) reading the Torah and praying for the goodness and blessings of the family and for all during their fast. People will often gather outside the beit-knesset awaiting the sound of the shofar (show-FAR), a sacred musical horn typically made from a ram’s horn. The blowing of the shofar signals the conclusion of Yom Kippur. People then walk home and conclude their fast, often with a serving of cake and a mug of hot tea, prior to enjoying a full meal. It is also on this evening that it is customary to place the first yated (yah-TED, peg) of the sukkah, as the beginning of the building of the sukkah for Sukkot holiday and celebrations.
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