3 Commonly Misused Hebrew Words
Should I be such a diction stickler? Or do I just need to chill out?
Part of my job as a Jewish educator is to teach Hebrew. I teach the aleph bet to beginners, help students chant their Torah portions and blessings, and more generally try to expand the Jewish vocabulary of anyone willing to listen. But it is not enough to know words, what they mean, and how to pronounce them. We also, of course, need to know how to use our Hebrew words. Today, I want to share three of the most commonly misused words or short phrases when talking about Jewish life.
Menorah
“Menorah” means “lamp” in Hebrew. Generally, menorah refers to the seven branched candelabra that was used for ritual purposes in the Temple in Jerusalem. And of course when Chanukah rolls around we talk a lot about menorahs. The only issue is it isn’t enough to say only “menorah” when talking about a Chanukah menorah. Instead, you have to specifically say, “Chanukah menorah” or “Chanukiah” to refer to the nine branched candelabra that is used for the Festival of Lights. Special lamp, special man. Some people may read this, shrug, and say, yeah, but when else do I use the word menorah besides Chanukah so who cares? To that I’d say, good point. AND, I’d also say, if you are gonna use a word, you should at least know if you are using it accurately or not.
Bar/Bat/B Mitzvah
“Bar Mitzvah” means “son of the commandment” in Hebrew. “Bat Mitzvah” means “daughter of the commandment.” And “B’Mitzvah” or “Bet Mitzvah” are just two of the many ways progressive Jewish communities talk about this rite of passage in a gender inclusive way. You might translate “B’Mitzvah” to “child of the commandment.” That’s all well and good. But considering those are the definitions, then it follows that one cannot get Bar Mitzvah-ed, and one cannot have a Bat Mitzvah. Instead, a child would become B’Mitzvah. It is a new stage of life. Think about the word adolescence. You can’t “get adolescence’d.” You grow into it, and through that growth you might take on new responsibilities within your community.
Instead, you might say that a student is having a Bat Mitzvah ceremony, or leading a Torah service in honor of becoming Bet Mitzvah. Some folks call the occasion simply a simcha (joyful occasion)!
Mazal tov!
“Mazal tov!” has a fascinating history that has to do with the constellations and almost kinda witchy vibes, but today it is commonly understood to mean “Congratulations!” in Hebrew. For the scope of this essay I’ll leave it at that (but if you are intrigued, get googling). Mostly, people use this phrase correctly with one great exception: when someone is expecting. That’s right, if someone is pregnant our traditional superstitious ways prevent us from wishing them “mazal tov!” Instead, if someone tells you they are pregnant you have three options: 1) spit on them three times 2) say “pooh, pooh, pooh,” in lieu of spitting, or 3) wish them “B’shaah tova.” “B’shaah tova” roughly translates to “In good time.” Is it terribly, terribly wrong to wish someone “with child” mazal tov? No, I don’t think so. But to the trained ear (and perhaps the especially superstitious) it will sound off.
So here is my struggle: how much do I care about these (I’ll be honest) slight slips of language? Part of me says, chill out! So people don’t know the difference between menorah and chanukiah, who cares? At least they have one! Or even, maybe the way we use the phrase Bar Mitzvah is changing, and it can mean the entire ceremony as well as the stage of the young persons life. And then the other part of me is like, Meg, the Jewish people are the People of the Book. Language matters. Yes language evolves, but there is also such thing as getting it wrong. As usual, I fall somewhere in the middle. And yet, here I am writing this essay.
I leave it to you. You are now empowered with more precise definitions and perhaps new guidance. Go forth and speak. And when you do, always know what you are saying.
P.S. Any misused Hebrew/Jewish words I missed? Comment below!