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Mazel Tov?

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Zelhar:
We say "Mazal" in hebrew, I think "Mazel" is Yidish.

BTW, I herd that Amsterdam has been nicknamed 'Mokum' by the Dutch, is that true? If so, it probably originates from Hebrew "Makom", meaning place.

Ambiorix:

--- Quote from: zelhar on March 28, 2008, 02:28:45 PM ---We say "Mazal" in hebrew, I think "Mazel" is Yidish.

BTW, I herd that Amsterdam has been nicknamed 'Mokum' by the Dutch, is that true? If so, it probably originates from Hebrew "Makom", meaning place.

--- End quote ---
Never heard that word myself, but found this on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mokum

--- Quote ---Mokum
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
City   Yiddish   Translation
Amsterdam   Mokum Alef   City A
Berlin   Mokum Beis   City B
Delft   Mokum Dales   City D
Rotterdam   Mokum Resh   City R
Mokum (מקום) is the Yiddish word for "place" or "safe haven".[1] It is similar to the Hebrew word mokom (מקום), which means "place" or "location".[2] In Yiddish the names of some cities in the Netherlands and Germany were shortened to Mokum and had the first letter of the name of the city, transliterated into the Hebrew alphabet, added to them. Cities named this way were Amsterdam, Berlin, Delft, and Rotterdam.[3]
Mokum, without Aleph, is still used as a nickname for Amsterdam. The nickname was first considered to be Bargoens, a form of Dutch slang, but in the 20th century it lost its negative sound and is now used as a nickname for Amsterdam in a sentimental context.[4]
[edit]References

^ Yiddish Dictionary Online
^ Milon
^ Martens, Hadewych (2006-09-26). Jiddisch, ontstaan en etymologie. www.ety.nl. Retrieved on 2007-08-11.
^ Berns, Jan; Daan, Jo (1992). Hij zeit wat. De Amsterdamse volkstaal (in Dutch). The Hague: BZZTôH, p. 66. ISBN 90-629-756-9.
    This Yiddish language-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

--- End quote ---

http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mokum

--- Quote ---Mokum is een populaire bijnaam voor (de binnenstad van) Amsterdam. De naam is uitsluitend geschikt voor zeer informeel gebruik.
Het woord stamt uit het Hebreeuws en betekent 'plaats' of 'stad' (Hebreeuws: Makom). Het markeert daarmee tevens het joodse gedeelte van de geschiedenis van Amsterdam.
In het verleden werden in in het Nederlands-joods taalgebruik steden vaak aangeduid met de eerste letter van het Hebreeuwse alfabet. Zo werd Amsterdam Mokum Alef genoemd (dus: Stad A) en Rotterdam was Mokum Resh (Stad R). Hoewel dit ook gebeurde met andere steden als Berlijn (Mokum Beth (Stad B)) en Delft (Mokum Dollet (Stad D)), is uiteindelijk de betekenis mokum alleen voor Amsterdam overgebleven[1].
Er wordt op gezinspeeld dat de joden het woord gebruikten, om aan te geven dat ze zich thuis voelden in Amsterdam en het woord Mokum dus als een soort koosnaam gebruikten.
--- End quote ---
my translation:

Mokum is a popular nickname for the inner city of Amsterdam, the name is very suitable for informal use.
The word originates from Hebrew, and means "place" or "city" (Hebrew: "Makom"). It marks also the Jewish part of the history of Amsterdam.
Long ago, in the Dutch-Jewish use of language, cities were often represented with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
Amsterdam became Mokum Alef, (city A), and Rotterdam was Mokum R (city R). This also happened with Berlin :Mokum Beth, and Delft, Mokum D,
but in the end the use of mokum only survived for Amsterdam.
It is speculated that the Jews used the word to imply where they felt at home, and thus used the word Mokum as a pet-name.

Hyades:

--- Quote from: Ambiorix on December 31, 2007, 10:20:45 PM ---
--- Quote from: TavorIMI on December 31, 2007, 07:03:42 PM ---Hi,

I am just starting to learn Hebrew/Evrit? I know that "tov" is "well". For example Mashlem har? Tov toda.
Forgive my spelling  :-[  I have heard the expression "Mazel Tov" Can anyone tell me what it means please.

BTW if there is anyone in Kent UK who is also learning Hebrew let me know and we could swap notes  :)

--- End quote ---

Mazel Tov is an literal translation of good luck. i read it is wrong to use it in real Hebrew.

"mazzel" and "tof" are Dutch words BTW.
i just wonder if there's any relation with Hebrew :laugh:

--- End quote ---

No, they aren't. They are Yiddish! They have their roots in Hebrew but were "yiddishized"!

muman613:
Actually Mazel Tov has nothing to do with LUCK!!!

This is a common misconception.. Mazel means 'flow' and the term Mazel Tov is a wish that the flow will continue for the good...

Here are some websites which explain this:


http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/160965/jewish/What-Does-Mazel-Tov-Mean.htm

Question:

I always thought Mazel Tov meant "congratulations." I recently heard that it actually means "good luck." But I thought Jews don't believe in luck...?

Answer:

Your confusion is understandable. The Talmud--the ancient encyclopedia of Jewish wisdom--seems to contradict itself on the issue. In one place it states, "On your birthday, your mazel is strong." Elsewhere the Talmud reports, "The Jewish people are not subject to mazel"!

The word mazel literally means "a drip from above." Mazel can have different connotations depending on its context, but they are all connected to this basic definition--something trickling down from above.

The signs of the zodiac are called mazalot. Jewish tradition sees the constellations on high as directing the destiny of individuals and nations down below. Thus mazel is the influence dripping down from the stars. (Over the years, bad or good mazel came to mean luck more than destiny.) When the Talmud says that we are not subject to mazel, it means that we are not limited to our destiny; rather our own actions determine our fate.

There is another meaning of the word mazel that is more relevant to the phrase Mazel Tov. Mazel is the term used in Jewish mysticism to describe the root of the soul. The mystics say that only a ray of our soul actually inhabits our body. The main part of the soul, our mazel, remains above, shining down on us from a distance.

Have you ever experienced a sense of spontaneous intuition, where out of the blue you suddenly feel at peace with yourself and the universe? Or a sudden flash of inspiration that makes you see life in a new light? Occasionally we may receive an extra flux of energy from our soul above. It can happen at any time, but is most common at a time of celebration-–a birth, birthday, bris, bar/bat mitzvah or wedding. It is especially at these times of joy that we are able to see beyond the mundane and the petty and sense the deeper truths of life.

When we tell someone Mazel Tov, we are giving them a blessing: May this drip of inspiration from your soul above not dissipate, but rather have a positive and lasting effect, that from this event onwards you should live your life with higher consciousness. You should be aware of the blessings in your life and be ready to receive more and more.

In other words: Good Mazel!

http://www.torah.org/learning/parsha-insights/5761/beshalach.html

...

Most of us are familiar with the term ‘mazel tov’ that is extended at happy occasions. It is usually and inaccurately defined as either congratulations or good luck. In fact, the words ‘mazel tov’ refer to one of the deepest concepts involving the way that Hashem runs this world. It was this that left Moshe wondering why the righteous sometimes suffer even while evil prospers.

[The following is based on the Sifsei Chaim.] The word mazel means to flow. The messengers through which the directives given by Hashem flow down to this world are the seven mazels. These, also known as the constellations, are comprised of the sun, moon and five stars [see Rashi on Shabbos 156A]. They don’t determine anything on their own but rather serve as the pipelines through which Hashem’s will flows and is implemented.

The two main basis’s upon which Hashem decides what will be sent down to each person on this earth are ‘mishpat--judgment’ and ‘mazel--flow.’ Mishpat comes about as a heavenly reaction and response to our actions. That is what we expect from Hashem. Mazel, on the other hand, refers to that which flows down regardless of one’s actions.

...

muman613:

--- Quote from: Ambiorix on March 29, 2008, 11:15:39 PM ---<snip>
my translation:

Mokum is a popular nickname for the inner city of Amsterdam, the name is very suitable for informal use.
The word originates from Hebrew, and means "place" or "city" (Hebrew: "Makom"). It marks also the Jewish part of the history of Amsterdam.
Long ago, in the Dutch-Jewish use of language, cities were often represented with the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
Amsterdam became Mokum Alef, (city A), and Rotterdam was Mokum R (city R). This also happened with Berlin :Mokum Beth, and Delft, Mokum D,
but in the end the use of mokum only survived for Amsterdam.
It is speculated that the Jews used the word to imply where they felt at home, and thus used the word Mokum as a pet-name.


--- End quote ---

Another interesting fact is the fact that one of Hashems names is Makom, which means 'the place'... I find it interesting that Jews would name cities like this. Maybe they felt Hashem there?

For instance, from the Da'at Tevunot (The Knowing Heart) which was written by the great Torah sage Ramchal, contains the following:


--- Quote ---
Ramchal

Da’at Tevunot -- The Knowing Heart
Section 1, Chapter 19

1.

We’re now at the end of this first section of Da’at Tevunot which has set out to explain Divine providence and are about to broach the wide-ranging and profound subject of the resurrection of the dead [1].

Ramchal decided to end this section with an explanation of a rather esoteric notion of G-d’s relationship with the world cited in various sources: the idea that while “G-d is the makom (literally, “place” or “locus”) of the universe, the universe itself isn’t G-d’s own makom” (Breishit Rabbah 68:9) [2]. We’d need to review some other things before we could understand this, though.

2.

Ramchal had made the point early on that only G-d’s existence is imperative [3], and that everything else exists only because He exists -- and because He wants it to, has arranged for it to, and because He continues to sustain its existence moment by moment. Thus, everything hinges upon G-d’s will.

And so we’re provided with a number of classical illustrations of the fact that G-d’s will is what upholds the universe’s very moorings. We’re told for example of G-d’s all-encompassing command over the great amorphous “upper waters” (Breishit Rabbah 4:3, Ta’anit 10A), of the colossal “support beams” that bear heaven and earth (Chagigah 12b) which are under His command, of His “outstretched arms” which the cosmos rest and depend on for stability (Ibid.), and of how G-d bears everything here below from up above (Yalkut Shimoni 1:964). What all that comes to illustrate then is just how overarching and all-encompassing G-d’s control is [4].

Knowing that, Ramchal avers, we can now understand the statement above that while “G-d is the makom of the universe, the universe itself isn’t G- d’s own makom”. For while the word makom literally means “place” or “locus” as we indicated, that clearly doesn’t explain the idea of G-d being the “makom of the universe”. For, G-d is non-material, and suggesting that He’s the “place” of the universe, i.e., it’s setting, flies in the face of that.

--- End quote ---



http://www.torah.org/learning/perceptions/5767/eikev.html

--- Quote ---
Thus, when Moshe Rabbeinu tries to convince his father-in-law Yitro to join the Jewish people on their journey to Eretz Yisroel, he does not use the name Eretz Canaan or Eretz Yisroel. Rather, he refers to the land as “HaMakom” — “the Place”.

Moshe said to Chovev, Moshe’s father-in-law, the son of Reuel the Midianite, “We are journeying to HaMakom (the place) which G-d said He would give to us. Join us; you will benefit, for G-d has promised Israel good.” (Bamidbar 10:29)

This is a euphemism for G-d as well, to indicate to Yitro that finding G-d was not merely about converting to Judaism, but also about living in Eretz Yisroel. The question is, what is it specifically that allows Eretz Yisroel to be such a ladder to G-d, more than any other land? And, another question is, what is so special about the Name “HaMakom” that Rabbi Chaim Volozhin spent 15 chapters of Nefesh HaChaim to explain?

 They say in Avot, “And when you pray, don’t make your prayer fixed, rather [pray for] mercy and [offer] supplications before HaMakom, Boruch Hu”. By using the word “Makom” they hint to a very deep matter, which requires explanation in order to understand the depth of their intention. (Nefesh HaChaim, Sha’ar 3, Ch. 1)

One thing is certain, in the context of G-d, “HaMakom” is about far more than a place, it is about an idea, or rather, a state of being, a state of existence. It is the sum total of all understanding of the wondering Jew, and therefore it is the end destination of the wandering Jew.

Rather, the word “Makom” is used to describe G-d, as explained in Bereishit Rabbah, Ch. 68, on the verse, “He [Ya’akov] arrived at the place…” (Bereishit 28:11). Rebi Huna in the name of Rebi Eliezer said, “Why is The Holy One, Blessed is He, called ‘Makom’? Because He is the place of the world, but the world is not His place.” …According to the simple explanation, it means, just as a place holds that which is placed upon it, likewise is the Master of Everything, may His Name be blessed, the true place that “holds” and sustains all the world and creations. Hence, if He were to remove His reality from them for even just a moment, G-d forbid, the place and the existence would become nothing, as it says, “You give life to everything” (Nechemiah 9:6). (Ibid.)

However, that was only the simplest explanation of the word.
--- End quote ---

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