אַ גוט געבענטשט יאָר
a gut gebentsht yor/a ˈɡʊt ɡəˈbɛnt͡ʃt jɔr/
The phrase "happy Rosh Hashanah" in Yiddish is אַ גוט געבענטשט יאָר (a gut gebentsht yor).
אַ גוט געבענטשט יאָר is used specifically as a greeting during the Rosh Hashanah holiday to wish someone a prosperous and blessed new year.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase translates literally to a good blessed year.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is a gut gebentsht yor. The IPA is /a ˈɡʊt ɡəˈbɛntʃt jɔr/.
Did you know?
- Depending on the community, people may respond to אַ גוט געבענטשט יאָר with a similar blessing that mentions being written in the 'Book of Life'.
- In Yiddish culture, this greeting is often accompanied by the eating of apples dipped in honey to symbolize a 'sweet' new year.
- The word גוט in this greeting is a linguistic sibling to the English word 'good', both descending from the same Proto-Germanic roots.
Examples in context
- אַ גוט געבענטשט יאָר צו אײַך!a gut gebentsht yor tsu aykh!A happy and blessed new year to you!
- מיר ווינטשן אײַך אַ גוט געבענטשט יאָר.mir vintshn aykh a gut gebentsht yor.We wish you a happy and blessed new year.
Example conversation
Miriam and Menachem greet each other at the start of the holiday.
- מרים Miriamשלום מנחם, אַ גוט געבענטשט יאָר!Sholom Menachem, a gut gebentsht yor!Hello Menachem, a good and blessed year!
- מנחם Menahemאַ דאַנק, מרים! אַ גוט געבענטשט יאָר אויך לײַך.A dank, Miriam! A gut gebentsht yor oykh laykh.Thank you, Miriam! A good and blessed year to you too.
- מרים Miriamהאָט איר שוין געגאַסן עפּל מיט האָניג?Hot ir shoyn gegasn epl mit honig?Have you already eaten apple with honey?
- מנחם Menahemיאָ, עס איז געווען זייער געשמאַק.Yo, es iz geven zeyer geshmak.Yes, it was very tasty.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry אַ גוט געבענטשט יאָר, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries אַ, גוט, יאָר, CC BY-SA 4.0.
