Ru’ach means wind or breeze, so you’ll hear it a lot on the weather forecast at this time of year. But it also means spirit, soul, or even ghost.
Guy Sharett shows us the root’s Biblical usages, as well as its cousins in other languages – we even hear a beautiful 13th century Farsi poem.
New Words and Expressions:
Ruach – Wind, breeze, spirit – רוח
Ruach stav – Autumn breeze – רוח סתיו
Ruchot chazakot – Strong winds – רוחות חזקות
Ruach elohim, ruach ha-kodesh – The holy spirit – רוח אלוהים, רוח הקודש
Ruh (Arabic) – Soul – רוח – روح
Ya ruhi – My darling – יא רוחי – يا روحي
Rih (Arabic) – Wind – רִיח – ريح
Ruach refa’im – Ghost – רוח רפאים
Ish/Eshet ruach – An intellectual – איש/אשת רוח
Be-ruach – In the spirit of – ברוח
Be-ruach chag ha-molad – In the spirit of Christmas – ברוח חג המולד
Matsav ruach – Mood – מצב רוח
Matzav ruach tov/ra – Good/bad mood – מצב רוח טוב/רע
Yesh li matzav ruach – I’m in bad mood – יש לי מצב רוח
Ruach hadvarim – The gist – רוח הדברים
Masa ruchani – Spiritual trip – מסע רוחני
Ruchaniyoot – Spirituality – רוחניות
Revach – Profit, space – רווח
Re’ach – Smell – ריח
Playlist and Clips:
Gary Eckstein – Ruach Stav (lyrics)
Torah reading: Genesis chapter 1
Eviatar Banai – Me’achorei Ha-shemesh (lyrics)
Alma Zohar – Ego Trip (lyrics)
Shlomi Shabbat – Biglal Ha-ruach (lyrics)
Want to see more Hebrew gems? Like Streetwise Hebrew on Facebook and Instagram.
Want Guy to talk about a pressing Hebrew issue? Find him at StreetWiseHebrew.com or follow him on Twitter.
