Monday, January 24, 2011

Immersing in Hebrew: deep calls unto deep, Psalm 42

Psalm 42: 8-9
"Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls; All Your waves and billows have gone over me. The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me—A prayer to the God of my life."
The word translated here as 'waterfalls' is actually צִנּוֹרֶיךָ tzinoreeka which means 'cataracts' : a descent of water over a steep surface; a waterfall, esp.one of considerable size; any furious rush or downpour of water; deluge.

deep to deep calls
תְּהוֹם-אֶל-תְּהוֹם קוֹרֵא
tehome el tehome koreh

of the sound Your cataracts
לְקוֹל צִנּוֹרֶיךָ
l'kole tzinoreeka

The LORD will command His lovingkindness in the daytime, And in the night His song shall be with me— A prayer to the God of my life.
יוֹמָם, יְצַוֶּה יְהוָה חַסְדּוֹ, וּבַלַּיְלָה, שִׁירֹה עִמִּי
תְּפִלָּה, לְאֵל חַיָּי
yo·v·mam ye·tzav·veh ha·shem chas·dov u·val·lay·lah ch shi·rah k shi·rov im·mi te·fil·lah le·'el chai·yai.

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Immersing in Hebrew...Parshah Yitro: Shabbat

Even if you 'know' only a few words in the passage below...with the English/Hebrew and transliteration, you will probably be able to figure out word meanings and that is one of the best ways to awaken Hebrew in your spirit...just dive in.

Exodus 20:8-11 from Parashah Yitro (Torah Portion Jethro)

8 “ Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

8 Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
זָכוֹר אֶת-יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת, לְקַדְּשׁוֹ.

za·cho·vr et-yo·vm ha·shab·bat le·kad·de·shov

9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work

שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד, וְעָשִׂיתָ כָּל-מְלַאכְתֶּךָ.

she·shet ya·mim ta·'a·vod ve·'a·si·ta kol-me·lach·te·cha.

10. but the seventh day
is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates.

וְיוֹם, הַשְּׁבִיעִי--שַׁבָּת, לַיהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ: לֹא-תַעֲשֶׂה כָל-מְלָאכָה אַתָּה וּבִנְךָ וּבִתֶּךָ, עַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתְךָ וּבְהֶמְתֶּךָ, וְגֵרְךָ, אֲשֶׁר בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ.

ve·yo·vm ha·she·vi·'i shab·bat la·shem e·lo·hei·cha lo-ta·'a·seh chol-me·la·chah at·tah u·vin·cha-u·vit·te·cha av·de·cha* va·'a·ma·te·cha* u·ve·hem·te·cha ve·ge·re·cha a·sher bish·'a·rei·cha.

11. For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

כי שֵׁשֶׁת-יָמִים עָשָׂה יְהוָה אֶת-הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת-הָאָרֶץ, אֶת-הַיָּם וְאֶת-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר-בָּם, וַיָּנַח, בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי; עַל-כֵּן, בֵּרַךְ יְהוָה אֶת-יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת--וַיְקַדְּשֵׁהוּ.
ki she·shet-ya·mim a·sah ha·shem et-ha·sha·ma·yim ve·'et-ha·'a·retz et-hai·yam ve·'et-kol-a·sher-bam vai·ya·nach bai·yo·vm ha·she·vi·'i al-ken be·rach ha·shem et-yo·vm ha·shab·bat vay·kad·de·she·hu.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

immersing in Hebrew: Yitro - 2 verses

This week's Torah portion: Yitro

Here are the first two verses - If you are learning Hebrew, a beautiful way to learn is sound out the Hebrew words, compare to the transliteration and then often figuring out the meaning is easy. Meaning or not...the language itself will course through your soul.

Exodus 18: 1
And Yitro, the priest of Midyan, Moshe's father-in-law, heard of all that G-d had done for Moshe and for Yisrael His people--that HASHEM had brought Yisrael out of Egypt.

א וַיִּשְׁמַע יִתְרוֹ כֹהֵן מִדְיָן, חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה, אֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אֱלֹהִים לְמֹשֶׁה, וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל עַמּוֹ: כִּי-הוֹצִיא יְהוָה אֶת-יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִמִּצְרָיִם.

Vayishma Yitro chohen Midyan choten Moshe et kol-asher asah Elokim le-Moshe ule-Yisrael amo ki-hotzi HASHEM et-Yisrael miMitzrayim.

2. Moshe's father-in-law, Yitro took Moshe's wife, Tziporah, after he had sent her back [home],

ב וַיִּקַּח, יִתְרוֹ חֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה, אֶת-צִפֹּרָה, אֵשֶׁת מֹשֶׁה--אַחַר, שִׁלּוּחֶיהָ.

Vayikach Yitro choten Moshe et-Tziporah eshet Moshe achar shilucheiha.