Numbering the Days

One of my goals while living in Israel was to learn a little Hebrew.  Well, my Hebrew is pretty miniscule, but I have learned enough to successfully order a large orange juice from the beach bar ("Mitz Tapuzim, geduld, bevakasha").  So yay for small triumphs.  My cube mate recently decided to take me under his tutelage and teach me my numbers so after I order the OJ I can figure out that the nice man is asking for 12 "shteym-esre sheqalim" (I think Shekel is feminine?). 

As I was learning to count to ten, I realized that the days of the week are also numbered 1-6.  Sunday, the day after Shabbat, is literally "the first day," or "yom rishon."  Monday is the second day "yom sheni" and so on until you get to the seventh day which breaks the pattern because it is Shabbat and therefore behaves according to different rules.  But how wonderful is that to consider that the biblical "On the second day God created..." is being repeated every single week.  We slog through our work week of creative toil until we get to rest on the Shabbat.  It makes a lot more sense than giving the days away to Norse gods and godesses, although Frigga will always hold a dear place in my heart (TGIF!)

In the table below I have an illustration of how Hebrew counts the days.  "First" has a different root word than "one," but after that I have highlighted the Hebrew root in both the number and the day. 

Hebrew roots are more useful than Latin roots in English due to the general lack of vocabulary in the Hebrew language.  Where English might swap to a from German to French to Latin while meaning nearly the same thing, Hebrew has one word that serves many purposes.  I am repeatedly amazed by my co-workers mastery of both Hebrew and English.  I only wish that I were better able to reciprocate the favor.  All I can say is "Ani lo hevanti" (I don't understand) and smile.