בית כנסת
beit knesset
The English phrase 'synagogue' is בית כנסת (beit knesset) in Hebrew.
בית כנסת refers to a Jewish place of worship.
Meaning: Jewish place of worship (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term is a compound of בית (house) and כנסת (assembly/gathering), literally meaning 'house of assembly'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of בית כנסת is בתי כנסת.
How do you pronounce it?
beit knesset
Did you know?
- In many Hebrew-speaking contexts, the word כנסת can also refer to the 'Knesset', the Israeli parliament, highlighting the shared concept of a national assembly.
- While בית כנסת describes the building, a synagogue is often referred to as a 'shul' in Yiddish. This comes from the word שולחן (table), referring to the table used for reading the Torah.
- The word בית meaning 'house' is a cognate with the Amharic word ቤት, meaning the same thing.
Examples in context
- אני אוהב לבקר בבית כנסת בכל שבת.I love visiting the synagogue every Shabbat.
- לא הייתי בשול הזה מאז שהייתי צעיר.I haven't been to this shul since I was young.
Example conversation
Maya and Daniel are discussing where to meet for a service.
- מאיה Mayaדניאל, באיזה בית כנסת נפגשים?Daniel, be-eize beit kneset nifgashim?Daniel, which synagogue are we meeting at?
- דניאל Danielנפגש בבית כנסת שמרכז העיר.Nifgash be-beit kneset she-merkaz ha-ir.We'll meet at the synagogue in the city center.
- מאיה Mayaאני לא מכירה את המקום הזה.Ani lo makira et ha-makom ha-ze.I don't know that place.
- דניאל Danielאני אשלח לך מיקום בנייד.Ani eshlach lach mikum ba-nayad.I will send you the location on the phone.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries בית, בית כנסת, כנסת, CC BY-SA 4.0.
