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When Do You Say Mazal Tov? What Is The English Equivalent To The Talmudic Expression Alya Ve-kots Ba (a Sheep's Tail With A Thorn In It)? What Is A Get, A Golem, A Kibbutz, A Chalutz? What Four Plant Species Are Waved During Prayers On The Harvest Festival Of Sukkot? You'll Find Answers To These Questions And Hundreds Of Others--all In Clear English--in This Remarkable Collection Of The Best Known, Most Loved Hebrew Words And Phrases In The English Speaking World. From Acharon To Zohar, This Informative And Often Humorous Dictionary Features Over Six Hundred Hebrew Words And Expressions Arranged In Alphabetical Order (the Roman Alphabet Is Used Throughout, As Well As Hebrew Head Words). The First Such Guide To Hebrew, This Volume Is More Than A Mere Lexicon--it Is A Jubilant Celebration Of Hebrew Itself, A Treasure Trove Of Jewish Wit, Wisdom, Culture, And Tradition. Lewis Glinert Provides A Concise Definition Of Each Entry, And Then Illustrates The Word's Usage With Generous Passages From The Bible And The Talmud, The Prayers And The Sayings Of Famous Rabbis, The Razor's Edge Of Jewish Humor, Excerpts From The Work Of Elie Wiesel, Adin Steinsaltz, S.y. Agnon, Martin Buber, Naomi Shemer And Other Contemporary Writers, Folklore From All Over The Jewish World, And Colorful Slices Of Modern Israeli Life. There Are Words Directly Related To The Practice Of Religion, Such As Amida (a Prayer Said Standing, Under One's Breath, Essentially A Cry For Help--for Wisdom, Health, Peace, Prosperity, And So Forth) As Well As The Names Of All The Jewish Holy Days And Religious Customs; Words From Everyday Jewish Experience, Such Peot (the Long Sidecurls Customarily Worn By The Chasidim); Many Words Familiar From Their Use In Israel, Such As Rega (literally, One Moment, It Is The Israeli Equivalent Of Mexico's Ma?ana) Or Miluim (army Reserve Service); And Many Traditional Sayings, Such As Tsarat Rabim Chatsi Nechama (a Public Woe Is Half A Comfort). In Addition, Glinert Provides At
This volume investigates the cultural, religious, and historical significance of Hebrew words and phrases that have permeated the English-speaking world. Author Lewis Glinert, a scholar of Hebrew language and literature, utilizes a lexicographical framework to bridge the gap between ancient tradition and modern usage, providing a comprehensive guide to the vocabulary that shapes Jewish identity and daily life.
What You Will Find
Experts and readers alike recognize this work as a foundational and accessible resource for those interested in the intersection of language and Jewish heritage. The text is frequently praised for its balance of academic rigor and engaging, often humorous, presentation of complex linguistic concepts.
Page Count:
304
Publication Date:
1994-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0198023812
ISBN-13:
9780198023814