Little by Little: Mandrakes, Water and a ‘Few’ Biblical Phrases
As the 1950’s song says, little things mean a lot. And this includes the many Hebrew words that describe littleness.
Hebrew: Beautifying Sukkot With an Etrog
What is the connection between beauty and citrus fruits, editors and Talmudists? They come together in a Hebrew root that sometimes provides dubious pairings.
Adapting to Good Fortune, and Purple Cabbage
What do Passover, the Chosen People, the color purple, a vowel sound, bees, a hamsa and university faculty have to do with each other?
A Tragicomic Tale of Marital Love and Cognitive Decline
A.B. Yehoshua's most recent novel, The Tunnel, is a tragicomic case study of marital love and cognitive decline.
A Prayer For Our Friends and Family
One of the fiercest quarrels in the history of Jewish linguistics was between medieval Hebrew lexicographers.
To the Edge of Sorrow: A Review
If To the Edge of Sorrow, in Stuart Schoffman’s masterful translation, is not Aharon Appelfeld’s best and most accessible novel, it is certainly among his top three.
A Hebrew Kingdom of Priestly Words
The Hebrew root kaf-heh-nun, to serve, officiate or hold high office, is the source of the noun כְּהוּנָָה (kehuna), priesthood, the family name Cohen and the term for…