Passing Phrase - www.learnhebrew.org.il

Tochelet Chayyim

Literally and Idiomatically: Life expectancy

The phrase is modern in its usage. The word "tochelet" comes from the root "yud, chet, lamed" (י.ח.ל.) meaning to hope for, or be expected. "Tochelet" can be found in the Book of Proverbs (10:28; 13:12). Often the first example in Proverbs is translated as "The hope of the righteous brings joy." In the Biblical and current use of "tochelet," we mean not hope as in to wish for, but rather a confident hopeful expectation.

לפי ה- OECD ישראל במקום ה-6 בעולם בתוחלת החיים.

"Lefi ha-OCED Yisrael bemakom hashishi baolam betochelet chayim."

According to the OCED (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) Israel's life expectancy is ranked 6th in the world.

Sounds hopeful to me!

Back to this week's lesson