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Learn to share Passover greetings in proper Hebrew
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The spring festival of Passover commemorates the emancipation of the ancient Israelites from slavery. The celebration is a joyous occasion in the Jewish religion. [1] X Trustworthy Source Chabad.org Online resource for information related to Chabad-Lubavitch and Jewish culture Go to source If you have Jewish friends or family, you can impress them and earn a reputation as a real mensch by learning to say "Happy Passover" in the Hebrew language.
Steps
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Say "Sameach" for "happy. " In Hebrew, the idea of happiness is expressed with the word "Simcha." To say "happy" as an adjective, we use "sameach," which is derived from the noun.- This word is pronounced " sah-MEY-akh ." Use a hard "k" sound with a raspy quality from the back of the throat. Don't use an English "ch" sound. [2] X Research source www.jewfaq.org/express.htm
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Use "Pesach" for "Passover. " This is the traditional Hebrew name for the holiday.- "Pesach" is pronounced " PAY-sock ." It's pronounced almost exactly like these two English words. Again, end the word with a hard, raspy "kh" sound, not a "ch" sound.
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Flip the order of the words. In Hebrew phrases, the words in a sentence aren't always in the same order that they are in English. [3] X Research source In this case, the adjective comes after the noun, so "Happy Passover" is actually "Pesach Sameach".- To pronounce the whole phrase, just put the pronunciations above together: " PAY-sock sah-MEY-akh ." Congratulate yourself for learning a new Hebrew phrase!
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Optionally, put "chag" at the start of "Pesach sameach. " "Chag" is the traditional Hebrew word for "festival" from scripture. [4] X Trustworthy Source Chabad.org Online resource for information related to Chabad-Lubavitch and Jewish culture Go to source Saying "chag Pesach sameach" is basically like saying, "Happy Passover Festival!" This isn't really any better or worse than the basic phrase above — just different.- "Chag" is pronounced " KHAHG ." It's similar to the English word "cog," with the same breathy, raspy sound described above used for the c.
- Some sources suggest that "chag" is used especially by Sephardic Jews. [5] X Trustworthy Source Chabad.org Online resource for information related to Chabad-Lubavitch and Jewish culture Go to source
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Drop "Pesach" for "Chag Sameach. " Literally, this means "Happy festival." It's a little like saying "Happy holidays" in English.- You can use this for most Jewish holidays, but it's best of all for Passover, Sukkot, and Shavu'ot, which are technically the only religious festivals. [6] X Research source www.jewfaq.org/express.htm Chanukah and other days of celebration are technically holidays .
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Use "Chag kasher v'sameach" to impress. This is a somewhat fancy way of wishing someone a happy holiday. The rough meaning is, "Have a happy and kosher holiday." Here, you're referencing the Jewish concept of Kashrut (religious dietary laws).- This phrase is pronounced " KHAGH kah-SHEHR vuh-sah-MEY-akh ." "Chag" and "sameach" are pronounced the same as above. "Kasher" uses a light r sound pronounced at the very back of the mouth — almost like a French r. Don't forget to add a very quick v sound before "sameach."
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Try "Chag Kashruth Pesach" for a Passover-specific greeting. The meaning here is similar to the phrase above: "Have a happy kosher Passover." The difference is that this phrase specifically mentions Passover, while the one above is used for many holidays.- You can pronounce "kashruth" as " kash-ROOT " or " kash-RUTH " — both are acceptable. [7] X Research source In either case, use the tip of your tongue to make a light r sound. This is quite similar to the Spanish r sound.
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Use "Happy Pesach" if you want to cheat. Can't handle the tricky Hebrew pronunciations in this article? Try this "Henglish" alternative. Though it's not exactly a traditional holiday greeting, many English-speaking Jews use this as a convenient "shortcut" during Passover.
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Community Q&A
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QuestionMy Hungarian grandmother used to say "Azizen Pesach," what does that mean exactly?Community AnswerThat generally translates to "Zeesen Pesach," meaning "Have a sweet Passover."
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QuestionWhat usually happens during Passover with Jewish families?Community AnswerUsually, you will go over to friends and family seders. For all of Passover, you don't eat yeast or bread.
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QuestionWhat does L'Shanah Tovah mean?Community AnswerThe Hebrew common greeting on Rosh Hashanah is Shanah Tovah (Hebrew: ×©× ×” טובה) (pronounced [ʃaˈna toˈva]), which translated from Hebrew means "[have] a good year". Often Shanah Tovah Umetukah (Hebrew: ×©× ×” טובה ומתוקה), meaning "A Good and Sweet Year", is used.
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Tips
- The breathy "kh" sound used in these phrases can be especially tough for English speakers to manage. Try these pronunciation examples to hear native Hebrew speakers use it. [8] X Research sourceThanks
- This page has an audio clip of "kasher" which illustrates the difficult r sound at the end of the word. [9] X Research sourceThanks
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References
- ↑ https://www.chabad.org/holidays/passover/pesach_cdo/aid/871715/jewish/What-Is-Passover.htm
- ↑ www.jewfaq.org/express.htm
- ↑ https://www.dummies.com/how-to/content/making-sense-of-hebrew-syntax.html
- ↑ https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2315973/jewish/Holiday-Greetings.htm
- ↑ https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/2315973/jewish/Holiday-Greetings.htm
- ↑ www.jewfaq.org/express.htm
- ↑ https://www.howjsay.com/index.php?word=kashruth
- ↑ https://forvo.com/word/chag_sameach/
- ↑ https://forvo.com/word/kasher/
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- "I have a Jewish friend, and I like being supportive and helping everyone fit in, no matter their religion. I wasn't sure if wishing someone "happy" Passover was the correct thing to do - and not only did I find it is the correct thing to do, I even learned to say it in Hebrew! I'd like to wish everyone Sameach Pesach!" ..." more
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"I have a Jewish friend, and I like being supportive and helping everyone fit in, no matter their religion. I wasn't sure if wishing someone "happy" Passover was the correct thing to do - and not only did I find it is the correct thing to do, I even learned to say it in Hebrew! I'd like to wish everyone Sameach Pesach!"
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