Hebrew is a Northwest Semitic language and was spoken by Israelites until 200 CE.
Hebrew differs significantly from English by using only consonants for its words; vowels are indicated with a dot known as a dagesh on any letter in order to form vowels.
Thank You
Baruch Hashem can be translated as “thank God”, which can be used as an expression of gratitude when asking how someone is doing and is also useful when responding to many other situations. Religious Jews commonly respond by saying this phrase upon being asked how they’re doing and may also use this reply in various other circumstances.
Other Hebrew expressions of gratitude are unique as well, such as yishar koach (which translates to “may God reward your good deeds”) which has its origins in rabbinic Jewish saying “yishar kochacha (pronounced: [yih-SHAH-rah CHAH”) which literally means more power to you and suggests that someone who has done a good deed will continue doing more good deeds in return.
Hebrew offers another means of thanking someone – lehvodvot (which also translates to confession), to thank someone else. It often has this connotation and can also be understood as meaning, “I confess.” Its usage resembles that of English words such as hallelujah which comes from Yahweh being one of God’s names – an alternative way of showing gratitude can also use lehvodvot for this purpose.
Jewish culture even offers its own version of “God bless you,” when someone sneezes: (toh-dah rah-bah), which sounds similar to French word au revoir.
For an especially heartfelt or meaningful thank you, descendants of Jews expelled from Spain in 1492 may use a variation of this phrase known as merci muncho or more specifically mrshn (moo-rsh-nah). Merci muncho is a Ladino variant of Spanish thank-you word while “very much” is an antiseptic Judaeo-Spanish expression; so when you want to express your thanks generously this phrase should do just the trick – great way to show appreciation! Also great way of showing appreciation towards people such as bank tellers or Thanksgiving turkeys!
Tehillah
On Sabbath, it is customary to show our appreciation of God through various acts. One such form is by singing praise songs in Hebrew language in order to express gratitude and show appreciation. Doing this helps convey feelings more powerfully.
Tehillah, which can be translated to “sing to him”, can be found in the Book of Psalms as a special term for singing to God and worshipping him. Psalmists wrote that God dwells within the spontaneous praise and singing to him that come from people’s mouths; when we sing Tehillah it allows us to enter his presence and worship him freely.
When we express our thankfulness and joy through spontaneous praise, God responds with gratitude and delight. The more often we praise him, the closer we become with him and more generous he will be in his blessings upon us. Tehillah can also help us pray to him for healing or breakthrough.
Gratefulness is at the core of all praise and worship, yet God created different channels through which to connect with Him at different times and for different reasons. That is why there are seven Hebrew words for praise (halal, zamar, tehillah, hallelujah, todah jodeh and modah).
These words derive from the root h-l-m, wherein “h” stands for praise and “l” means love. Each of these terms has slightly different meaning, yet all remain related; Hallelujah and Tehillah being especially common examples.
Tehillah can take many forms, with song being its most commonly expressed form. These songs may be simple or more intricate; solo performances or together; the important thing is that their message comes from within an authentic place and soulful intentions behind the words spoken are present.
Mel was in need of speaking to the owner of a grocery store but began stuttering, leaving him unable to convey what was bothering him. Instead, an unexpected urge hit him: singing! As he tried speaking out loud a song suddenly began playing out in his mind!
Tefillah
Tefillah (, plural “prayer services”) is at the core of Jewish spiritual life. This ancient prayer process serves as the cornerstone of religious observance, infusing its significance into everything from major milestones such as weddings to everyday activities – lending each day more meaning and structure than before.
Tefillah can be translated in various ways: prayers, services, worship and recitations are all terms associated with it. Most commonly associated with Deuteronomy 11:13’s command to “worship Hashem your God with all your heart,” some scholars speculate that “tefillah” refers to worshiping with all one’s heart rather than just praying as such; other scholars have speculated it may come from Hebrew roots meaning “give.” To properly represent both acts of devotion as well as what happens inside oneself the best translation is davening which encompasses both acts while being present within oneself when davening is performed regularly by those involved in it – as davening is probably best understood em.
Contrary to some other Hebrew words that have changed meaning over time, tefillah remains grounded in its original Hebrew root and thus retains its original meaning, reflecting that of “atah,” the biblical term for “you.” Our use of “thou” as personal pronoun symbolizes our intimate connection to G-d and His sense that we are His children.
An integral component of Tefillah prayer is wearing Tefillin (Hebrew: tfee-leen), two small boxes wrapped in black leather with straps worn on both arms during prayers, which contain scrolls containing four Bible passages that reference Tefillin as an obligation and its usage signifies one is praying from their heart.
Tefillah services typically involve reading from the Torah and Haftarah, singing and reciting blessings as part of an integrated service, with men traditionally wearing tallit, prayer shawls worn for prayers; during morning services women also don talit/tefillin combos (but some communities allow more flexibility here) during prayers recited daily; prayers said on Shabbat or holidays are known as musaf.
Berakhot
Berachot (Hebrew:) or Berachot are food and wine benedictions recited prior to meals. Typically beginning with “Blessed be Thou, Lord our God, King of the Universe Who created the fruit of the vine”) they may also include expressions of thanks or praise for God’s blessings, such as when fulfilling a commandment or being saved from danger. In addition to these benedictions berakhot contains other texts such as biblical expositions, hagiographical narratives as well as folklore material.
Berakhot’s primary theme is faith, an idea which pervades all aspects of Talmudic law and practice. This faith can be seen manifested in the teachings of our Sages as well as the prayers and blessings which take place every day within congregational life. Faith provides unity to this complex world of halakha.
Berakhot consists of nine chapters. Chapter one deals with the obligation to recite Shema, including its time and manner of recitation; Chapter Two addresses how Shema must be said when traveling or sleeping and various laws related to this; while Chapter Three addresses blessings and prayer services by discussing when prayers should be offered and when blessings should be said along with what can be added during blessings.
Chapter Four deals with the laws pertaining to kosher laws. This includes prohibiting meat and milk mixture, slaughter regulations for animals and salt used in kosher salt production, ritual bath regulations and ritual cleansing laws. Chapter Five details laws related to sick and infirm people not yet capable of adhering to kosher practices while Chapter Six addresses Shema recital laws while in the presence of children.
Rabbis emphasize the Hebrew language’s central role in Jewish study and prayer, yet permit translations when necessary to convey one’s spiritual feelings through words alone. Though preferential when praying alone in Hebrew as this provides a connection with Jews around the globe.
