A little space with key words to the Service

• PREFIXES:
  Hebrew uses prefixes for prepositions, so the following letters in the beginning of a word actually signify a separate word in Spanish or English

  • ל   l' - to
  • ב   b' - in or with
  • ה   ha' - the
  • מ   m' - from



• Gadol - גדול -  large

  • This word follows the noun Nes on the dreidel, to call Hanukkah a great miracle



• Hakadosh Baruch Hu - הקדוש ברוך הוא - The Holy One Blessed Be He

  • This phrase is used as a name for God, simply The Holy One
  • The key word here is Kadosh - קדוש - Holy
  • We use this root for kidush, kadish, kiddushin, and kodesh



• Hayah - היה - was or happened

  • A difficult word because Hebrew has no verb "to be" in the present
  • But in the past we say hayah, and in the future we say yihyeh
  • When Moses asked God's name, God replied Ehyeh asher Ehyeh - I will be what I will be (I am who I am)



• Hiney - הנה - here or behold

  • Used as the first line of "Hiney Mah Tov"
  • Also, the famous response of Abraham to God, Hineini (here I am), when asked to sacrifice Isaac



• Kalah - כלה - bride / Hatan - חתן - groom

  • These words are used most famously in "L'cha Dodi", which ends with bo'i kalah
  • At a wedding, in the seven blessings



• Malach - מלאך - angel

  • We find angels in many parts of the Tanakh (the Jewish Bible) - i.e., when three angels appear to Abraham
  • Isaiah sees angels flying around the throne of God, singing Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, which we say in the "Amidah"
  • In "Shalom Aleichem" we greet angels of peace:  Malachei Hashalom



• Melech - מלך - king

  • Appears in every blessing as Melech HaOlam, King of the Universe
  • In "Shalom Aleichem" we refer to God as the Melech Malchei HaM'lachim, the King of King of Kings
  • We sometimes call Shabbat HaMalkah, the Queen



• Nes - נס - miracle

  • The central word of Hanukkah
  • We also say the prayer "Al HaNisim", which thanks God for the miracles of Hanukkah



• Sameach -  שמח - happiness

  • Used in both versions of "Yismechu", to describe our happiness on Shabbat
  • We also call a Jewish special event a Simchah !



• Shalom - שלום - peace, hello, goodbye

  • We commonly use it to mean Peace and to signify a greeting
  • In "Shalom Aleichem" it is a greeting:  "Peace be Unto You"
  • Also used in Arabic with the same meaning:  "Asalam Aleikem"
  • Comes from the same root as Shalem, which means whole, or complete
  • To pay bills in Israel is L'shalem - the same root



• Sham - שם - there

  • Dreidels in the Diaspora refer to the miracle in the land of Israel
  • Dreidels in Israel say Poh - פה - here, declaring that the miracle happened in our homeland



• Shamayim - שמים - heavens / aretz - ארץ - earth

  • Used repeatedly in the Psalms to describe Creation rejoicing:  Y'smechu hashamayim, v'tagel ha'aretz
  • Also notice the creation prayer which uses these common words
  
  

• Shema - שמע -  hear or listen

  • Used in the Shema
  • Also used in "Sh'ma Koleinu", which asks God to hear our voice during the High Holidays



• Tov - טוב - good

  • We find this word in the "Hiney", and also in "Mah Tovuh", the opening of the morning service
  • We also tell students tov m'od - very good



• Yom - יום - day

  • Plural:  yamim
  • Yom tov - holiday  (yuntif in yiddish)
  • Also used in creation prayers, thanking God for day



• Zamar - זמר / shir - שיר -  song

  • These roots appear often in the psalms, as in mizmor shir, "sing a song for Shabbat"