Some controversy has arisen over the English word “amen” used in a certain prayer where it was implied that “amen” somehow means “a man”. (To be fair, the person who said the prayer said he was making a pun.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just to clarify, the word “amen” in English comes from the same word in Biblical Hebrew, \u05d0\u05de\u05df. According to Wikipedia, it appears 30 times in the Tanach (the Hebrew Bible).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As you may know, the various words for “man” in Biblical Hebrew are totally different than “man” or “men”. So \u05d0\u05de\u05df is not related to adult males.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rather, the word is used as an affirmation. When referring to a statement in the present or past, such as “Blessed is God”, it would mean something like “Yes, it is so”. When referring to something in the future it means “May it be so” or “May that happen”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The shoresh (root) of amen is the same spelling: \u05d0-\u05de-\u05df. It appears as the root of many words, including “faith” (\u05d0\u05de\u05d5\u05e0\u05d4 – eh-moo-NAH) and the related words “faithful” (\u05e0\u05d0\u05de\u05df – n\u0259-eh-MAHN) and “believe” (mah-ah-MEEN). In Modern Hebrew, “reliable” is \u05d0\u05de\u05d9\u05df – ah-MEEN.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But this root can also mean other things, especially in Modern Hebrew. For example, it can refer to training for or practicing a skill. Some common examples you might see are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
to train\/coach someone: \u05dc\u05d0\u05de\u05df – l\u0259-ah-MEHN
to practice: \u05dc\u05d4\u05ea\u05d0\u05de\u05df – l\u0259-heet-ah-MEHN
an artist\/artisan: \u05d0\u05d5\u05de\u05df – oo-MAHN<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I suspect you might not have known that “amen” has so many related words in Hebrew. \ud83d\ude42 <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On a deeper level, the Talmud (Shabbat 119b) states that the letters \u05d0-\u05de-\u05df stand for “\u05d0\u05dc \u05de\u05dc\u05da \u05e0\u05d0\u05de\u05df”, which means “God is a faithful king”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Feel free to share this information with others who are following the news.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"