Holy Language

לשון-קודש

Loshn-koydesh
Holy Language

by ALEX WEISER

Though a Germanic language, Yiddish is written with the Hebrew alphabet, and contains many Hebrew words. The Hebrew component of Yiddish is referred to as Loshn-koydesh – holy language¹. The words for religious holidays and rituals in Yiddish are among the Hebrew words used since antiquity, but Yiddish also contains many Hebrew words for quotidian and secular concepts, for example:

חלום, פנים ,חוצפה, חבר, מעשה, תחת
kholem, ponim, khutspe, khaver, mayse, tokhes
dream, face, audacity, friend, story, bottom²

Loshn-koydesh words retain their original spellings in Yiddish, but their pronunciations are different than modern Hebrew, so their provenance sticks out whenever they are encountered. One of the riches of the Yiddish language is the wealth of Loshn-koydesh expressions that utilize these words, many of which are still popular in modern Hebrew (with different pronunciations) and in "Jewish English"—the Hebrew and Yiddish-inflected English spoken by Jews—with a mixture of old Yiddish pronunciations and modern Hebrew pronunciations.

שלום-עליכם
Sholem-aleykhem
Greetings (lit. peace be upon you)

ברוכים-הבאים
Brukhim-habo’im
Welcome (lit. blessed are those who come)

לחיים
L'khayim
To life

מזל-טוב
Mazel-tov 
Congratulations (lit. good luck or fortune)

יישר-כוח
Yasher-koyekh
Well done (lit. may he grow in strength)

ארץ-ישראל
Erets-yisroel
The land of Israel

טעם-גן-עדן
Tam-gan-eydn 
Delicious (lit. a taste of the garden of eden)

1. Loshn-koydesh also refers to the Aramaic words in Yiddish. Aramaic is a language of antiquity, the lingua franca of its day, spoken also by many Jews. Many Jewish texts are written in Aramaic, including the Talmud, and the language also survives in many basic Jewish prayers. 
2. For an exhausitive list of such words, the interested reader should check out Niborski, Isidoro, Ṿerṭerbukh fun loshn-ḳoydesh-shṭamiḳe ṿerṭer in Yidish. Pariz : Medem-bibliyoṭeḳ, 1999.

Alex Weiser is YIVO’s Programs Manager

Are there other Loshn-koydesh expressions that your family uses? Share them with us! Email Alex Weiser at aweiser@yivo.cjh.org.