What’s In A Word

David Curwin Go Up and Barbecue!

Aliyah considered. And because the price This involves transferring of something is how it is reckoned or stones around a board. One of the miracles of the State of considered, we get to the meaning “to Israel is the immigration of millions cost.” So when we ask how much an A biblical Hebrew word that may be of Jews from around the world to item costs, we say, “Kama ze oleh?” cognate with this Arabic root is the ”meaning “staff – ַמ ֵּקל ,their ancestral homeland. We call this And while the cost of living here word makel immigration “aliyah,” from the root might be expensive at times, the value or “walking stick” (it appears far less עלה ַמ ֶּטה ,to go up, ascend.” is – priceless! frequently than the words mateh“ – .(of similar meaning , שׁ ֵ ֶ ב ט ,and shevet This concept was first used in the Torah in describing travel from Egypt The of the word is unclear, to Israel, later to describe the return One of the most widespread sym- and scholars offer many theories. Celebrate the next Yom Haatzmaut of Jews from Babylon to Israel, and bols of Yom HaAtzmaut, perhaps One of them is that it is related to the today all immigration to Israel is even competing with the flag, is the Arabic root we’ve been discussing. !Israel’s barbecue. One theory claims this because the at your own property in Israel – ַמ ְנ ָּגל ,known as aliyah. When a person is mangal called for a reading of the Torah, it What is a mangal – and where does stick was used to move animals from is also called an aliyah because they the word come from? place to place, as in Numbers 22:27: and he struck the Michael Steinmetz“ ,ַוַּי ְך ֶאת ָהָאתוֹן ַּבַּמֵּקל go “up” to the platform where the Torah is read – the bimah (which is The word comes from Turkish, donkey with his stick.” unrelated to the similar-sounding where they still call a word bamah, which meant “high a mangal. In Ottoman Turkey, the Perhaps another verse that could place” in Biblical Hebrew, and “stage” mangal was primarily used for heat, show a connection would be Genesis in Modern Hebrew. Bimah entered and over it was a secondary 32:11, where Jacob says “with my staff The current situation is creating unique ִּכי ְבַמְקִלי – ”Hebrew from Greek.) function. Other regions under Otto- I passed over this Jordan opportunities in Israeli real estate. Everything from individual . ָע ַבְר ִּתי ֶאת ַהַּיְר ֵ ּדן ַה ֶּזה ,man rule also borrowed the word The root progressed through a and so we find in other regional lan- number of meanings, each giving guages that mangal means “charcoal.” Even though we’ve shown the long homes, apartments, development projects, raw land, and real estate us familiar words in Hebrew. From In modern Hebrew, mangal came to journey that mangal took to enter investment options are becoming available at favorable prices. “going up” it took on the sense of mean almost exclusively a stove for modern Hebrew, there are those “sprang up, shot forth” – which pro- Whether you are planning to make Aliyah, vacation, or invest – and now refers also to the that point out a connection to the vided the Hebrew word for “leaf” – barbecuing event itself. alone or as a group, now is the time to discover the .haftarah read on Yom HaAtzmaut עלה ּ ּ . ,aleh .once-in-a-lifetime property deals everywhere in Israel ע וֹ ד ַה י וֹ ם ְב נֹ ב :Where did the Turks get this word It begins with this verse , ַל ֲעמֹד ְי ֵנֹפף ָידוֹ ַהר בית ַּ]בת[ ִצ ּיוֹן ִּג ְב ַעת ְי ּרוׁ ָש ָלִם The next sense is more metaphorical from? According to an article by – “to rise, surpass, excel.” This may Amnon Shapira of the Hebrew Lan- “This same day at Nob He shall stand be familiar from the Eshet Chayil guage Academy, the Turks borrowed and wave his hand. O mount of Fair Contact me with your preferences, concerns, and questions. song, originally from Proverbs, where it from the Arabic word mankal Zion! O hill of Jerusalem!” (Isaiah I’ll help you find the community, project, land, or home to suit (also meaning stoves. The 10:32 – (מנקל) the woman of valor is praised, “Many women have excelled, but you sur- Arabic word comes from a root your style and situation. meaning “transport, transmit.” And As anyone who has seen Israelis [email protected] ַר ּב וֹ ת ָ ּב נ וֹ ת ָע שׂ ּו – ”passed them (alit) all ,Proverbs 31:29). this reflects the portable nature of the attending to a mangal can attest) ָחִיל ְוַאְּת ָעִלית ַעל ֻּכָּלָנה This sense is used commonly today in mangal. standing and waving hands is a cen- www.jerusalem-real-estate.co !excellent.” tral part of the ceremony“ – ְמ ֻע ֶּלה ,the word me’uleh That same Arabic root is the source of which – ַנ ְג ָלה ,And in post-biblical Hebrew, we the Hebrew word nagla find a newer meaning – “was reck- originally meant “load” (as in don- oned, counted in, considered.” This key-load) and took on the meaning is a development from the previ- “round” or “trip” in Modern Israeli David Curwin is a writer living in Efrat, ous meaning since something that slang. Another word deriving from and the author of the Balashon blog, excelled would be counted in and the same root is the game mancala. balashon.com

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