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Putting it together…

Give gifts of food to your friends. It’s a great conversation starter… and it’s a win-win situation, making everyone feel warm and fuzzy. This is one of the mitzvahs of Purim day.

So if you’ve been following the blog throughout this past week, here’s a useful sentence that puts it all together:

מִצְוָה בְּפוּרִים לְשַׂמֵּחַ חֲבֵרִים בְּמִשְׁלוֹחַ מָנוֹת. (meets-VAH be-foo-REEM le-sah-MEH-ah hah-veh-REEM be-mish-LOH-ah mah-NOHT). This means, It’s a mitzvah on Purim to delight your friends with gift deliveries.

It’s also a mitzvah to gladden the hearts of the poor by helping them take care of their basic needs – by giving them some cash on Purim, and throughout the year.

Have a great Purim!

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פורים

The Hebrew name for the upcoming Festival of Lots is פּוּרִים (poo-REEM, more commonly pronounced in Israel as POO-reem).

The name comes from the ancient Persian word for lots, puru.

Lots of words in the Megillah come from ancient Persian and Babylonian, such as the names of the main characters.

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חברים

Friends are good to have. Attachment is what makes the world go ‘round.

The Hebrew word for friend is חָבֵר (hah-VEHR – referring to a male) or חָבֵרָה (hah-veh-RAH – referring to a female).

The plurals are חֲבֵרִים (hah-veh-REEM) and חֲבֵרוֹת (hah-veh-ROHT).

Use the term to refer to a friend of the same sex – otherwise you would probably be understood as talking about your boyfriend or girlfriend.

The root of these words is ח.ב.ר. (h.b.r), which is the concept of connection.

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חברים

Getting and making others happy… in Hebrew – http://ktzat-ivrit.ulpan.com

לשמח

The Hebrew word for happy is שָׂמֵחַ (sah-MEH-ah), or שְׂמֵחָה (smeh-HAH) for a female who is happy.

To make someone else happy is לְשַׂמֵּחַ (le-sah-MEH-ah). For example, it’s a mitzvah לְשַׂמֵּחַ חָתָן וְכַלָּה (le-sah-MEH-ah hah-TAHN ve-khah-LAH) – to cause a groom and bride to be happy.

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מצווה

When an Israeli teen gets a letter from the military to show up, s/he receives a צַו גִּיּוּס (tsahv g-ee-YOOS) – literally, this is an order of recruitment.

A mitzvah (in Hebrew it’s מִצְוָה – meets-VAH), in the purest sense of the word, is a commandment.

See the connection between the words צו and מצוה? The root of both is צ.ו.ה. – ts.w.h., the core concept of commanding or ordering.

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משלוח מנות

If there’s ever a day on the Jewish calendar to show brotherly love, it’s Purim.

One of the expressions of this love is giving gifts of food to one another.

The Hebrew term for this practice is מִשְׁלוֹחַ מָנוֹת (mee-SHLOW-ah mah-NOHT), or literally, delivery of (food) portions.

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