Rabbi Julian Sinclair dips into the dictionary
By Rabbi Julian Sinclair
Always be prepared for the Bulmus Attack
Rechev is the standard word for car and comes from the biblical verb lirkov, which means to ride.
A tikkun is a correction. In kabbalistic circles it refers to a spiritual correction for some fault.
A male convert is called a ger; a female convert is called a giyoret.
Charif means hot and spicy, not for the faint-hearted. It also means intelligent and insightful.
Literally, “What suddenly”, mah pitom can be translated as “No way” or “Don’t be daft.”
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An Arabic word that has made its way into Hebrew, fadicha describes much more than a faux pas. It is a slip-up that verges on the pathetic.
The literal meaning of the Aramaic word yuhara is luminous gem.
Eitan means strong, lasting.
Bechor means firstborn, referring both to children and livestock in the Bible.
“It is a tradition to buy wheat and distribute it to the poor for Pesach.” So writes Rabbi Moshe Isserlis (the Rema), a 16th century rabbinic leader of Ashkenazi Jewry.
Kitniyot are pulses or beans in Hebrew.
Mugmar is a talmudic term that refers to the spices put over the coals at the end of a meal in order to fragrance the room.
In modern Hebrew, nin means “great-grandson”.