Jeremy Benstein

And how the story of the Golem of Prague ties into to military training through the Hebrew root form.

The Hebrew root g-l-h covers the gamut from discover to uncover, from the New World to a child's stubborn secrets.

The central act that is expressed in the root k-b-sh is to 'press down, tread underfoot.' Then the political problems start.

Bonfires dot the landscape on Lag Ba'omer as Israelis commemorate the passing of the great 2nd century mystic, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. And eat BBQ.

Earth Day gives us an opportunity to explore Hebrew terms for earth, land and soil.

The civic holiday season is upon us: Objects and bones come together in Independence Day.

Naming is crucial. To forget something, to obliterate its memory, is to blot out its name.

Stick to the seder of the Seder or you'll wind up with a Persian wooden booth.

All three things come from the same root, but we only have to eradicate one from our homes on Passover.

The Hebrew word for 'west' is ma'arav, thus Hollywood cowboy movies are ma'aravonim. Add a scimitar-slinger and camel, and what you get is a falafel western.

Whether you're already out herding cattle or just gearing up with a cup of java, "boker" - morning - is the time for starting to see things distinctly. First in a two-part series.

What does the Messiah have to do with the Golden Calf (yes, that one) and inebriated revels? Read on.

The Hebrew word for husband and owner also runs the gamut from lord of the manor to lord of the flies.

From two different roots comes a whole host of affections, from like to love, and all the amateurish behavior in between.

With the negotiations to form Israel’s the next government in full swing, politicians are seeing how far they can get each other to bend – politically speaking.

On the occasion of Tu Bishvat, we take a break from election analysis to look at the tree-related words that branch out into all areas of our lives.

In the days before the election, Israel’s political parties are trying to get the last televised word in.

Last week we saw how Hebrew imported a number of words to its political lexicon; this week we explore our local election vocabulary.

While the nuances of Israeli politics may be unique to this country, the Hebrew political lexicon freely borrows from abroad.

As elections draw closer, parties bend over backward - in so many words - to distinguish themselves from their rivals.

With elections fast approaching, the war of words between Israel's political parties is escalating.

The names of Israel’s political parties range from bizarre to banal, but what’s in a name anyway?

Every year around this time, we celebrate Jewish resistance of the Greeks and their culture, but we still can’t seem to resist their language.

By voting in last week’s party primaries, Israeli citizens took part in the ancient Jewish tradition of being counted.

Israelis talk a lot about campaigns, both military and political. This is the language they use.