Hebrew Readers! Help needed!

[FrekeChild]

I have a necklace mystery that I (and other PSers) would love help solving.

I was given a mysterious necklace from a friend that has a series of Hebrew characters on it, and I have absolutely no idea what it says. So if you could wander over to the original link in Jewelry Pieces, right here that would be awesome!

 

[somethingshiny]

I believe the top characters say "Hebrew Blessings"

HERE at the top of the page, the characters are interpreted that way. It''s a common Jewish tradition to pray several times a day. I think this necklace was probably used as a consistent reminder to be in prayer with GOD.

It''s lovely, btw.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 1/29/2008 7:31:09 PM
Author: somethingshiny

I believe the top characters say ''Hebrew Blessings''

I asked my husband to give it a whirl, but I don''t think he gave it his best shot. He just took a glance at it over my shoulder after dinner following an extra-long day at work. I have e-mailed my great-nephew. If you don''t get a translation before he gets back to me, I''ll post his...he''s Italian/Israeli.

Deb

 

[somethingshiny]

I think I''ve translated the letters themselves. I''m kind of teaching myself Hebrew, so I''m not really quick at getting the actual meaning.

Shin Tet Gimel Kaph Peh Chet Nun Yod Lamed I think that''s what they are, but trying to tell off of the pic is difficult. Also, so many letters look really similar. I''m still trying to decipher it. Deb might be getting back to you sooner than I can.

 

[smiles]

hi!!! ok i am a hebrew speaker, reader and writer lol. i looked at your necklace and the picture is very unclear... from what i can see there is a big word at the top and then 2 words that go down the left side....

i thikn the 2 words going down the left side are the name of the designer because I can read "Lena" which is obviously a name... keep in mind we read hebrew right to left so when you are trying to figure out what it means you wont get it if you are looking at it left to right...

can you get a better picture?? im going to go look at it again and ill add.... if you cant get a better picture butyou have figured out the letter... post them in the correct order and i can make the words and translate it for you!!!

hope this helps...

 

[smiles]

ok i looked at it again... the top thing definitely does not say "brachot" or blessings. there is a very unclear letter in the top word so i would need a better picture..
the writing in the middle... from the way you took the picture is actually upside down lol. it says "artzat yisrael yerushalayim" which means the land of israel jerusalem. underneath that it actually looks like a dollar sign but i am not sure!
hope this helps...

 

[Haven]

Date: 1/29/2008 8:49:37 PM
Author: somethingshiny
I think I''ve translated the letters themselves. I''m kind of teaching myself Hebrew, so I''m not really quick at getting the actual meaning.


Shin Tet Gimel Kaph Peh Chet Nun Yod Lamed I think that''s what they are, but trying to tell off of the pic is difficult. Also, so many letters look really similar. I''m still trying to decipher it. Deb might be getting back to you sooner than I can.

Somethingshiny--Just so you know, from the way you listed the letters it looks like you''re reading the letters backwards--Hebrew is read right to left (not left to right as we read English). Good for you for trying to learn a new language!

As for the word at the top, it does not mean Hebrew Blessings, that much is very clear. The letters are unclear though, so Freke, if you could get a better picture I''m sure I can help you out. (SomethingShiny--where did you get your information that you included in your post? I''m not familiar with what you''re talking about, so now I''m intrigued.)

I have no idea what this necklace says, but whatever it is I can''t make out. It''s very unusual for a Hebrew word to end with the letter shin, (as the second word going down the side of your necklace ends) so my guess is that the designer was named Lina and that second word is her last name, which is unclear.

Pretty necklace, FrekeChild, I like it!

 

[Haven]

Date: 1/29/2008 10:05:45 PM
Author: smiles
ok i looked at it again... the top thing definitely does not say ''brachot'' or blessings. there is a very unclear letter in the top word so i would need a better picture..

the writing in the middle... from the way you took the picture is actually upside down lol. it says ''artzat yisrael yerushalayim'' which means the land of israel jerusalem. underneath that it actually looks like a dollar sign but i am not sure!

hope this helps...

Smiles--How did you read those tiny, upside-down letters in the middle?! I''m impressed, but now that you wrote that I can definitely see it.

Still at a loss for that top word, though.

 

[Miscka]

yay frekechild! getting some real answers

 

[smiles]

its the YEARS of private hebrew schools and we have some tiny prayer books!!! nah im just kidding! from what I can see of the top word it looks like the letter are either:
mem, yud -----blank----- ayeen, lamed, taph or
mem, yud ------blank ---- caph, lamed taph......

so heres where im looking for my dictionary lol..... sorry if this is too techincal and you just want an answer but i do my best work when i think out loud
if its two seperate words and no letter is missing then it would say (in english) who and the second word i dont know!or it could mean water and a second word that i dont recognize lol.
so i am pretty sure its one word! but none of those letter combinations make words that are in a dictionary. so i need to think about this again!...

 

[Haven]

Smiles--I hear ya on the years of Hebrew school! I actually sent this thread to my parents, who both work in a Jewish school (and my father is a cantor) so you''d think they''d be able to decipher the letters. No dice, it''s still a mystery to us.

 

[somethingshiny]

Haven- what info are you talking about?

The link I put in is a link I''ve used to try to learn Hebrew (for biblical reasons). The top characters on the pendant look like the link I posted, where it says Hebrew Blessings (so I thought maybe that was a quick translation).

I know Hebrew is read right to left, but I still wrote them out backwards.

. Right now, I''m only semi-good at seeing familiar words, like in the Scriptures. I''m having no luck trying to translate letter for letter. (sound for sound)

Glad someone was able to give some good answers

 

[FrekeChild]

Ok, so I posted more pics (mostly of the front, but I think I got a better one of the back). I''m thinking about trying to draw them on paper for you guys because the top part of the metal is somewhat disfigured and is very hard to SEE much less read. And obviously hard to photograph. So, let me know if that one helps you out, and perhaps tomorrow I''ll get the camera back out as well as a piece of paper and a pen and try to copy the letters as best I can. Which could prove to be difficult...

Thank you so much ladies for looking at it! I really appreciate it!

 

[jewelerman]

okay...if it does say land of jerusalam than i bet it is a tourist piece bought while on vacation.

 

[FrekeChild]

Ok...I posted a drawing, and I''m sure it''s awful, but the letters are certainly bigger!! And I hope accurate!

Thanks in advance!

 

[AGBF]

My great-nephew wrote that either this is a mirror-image, is Yiddish (which he doubts), or that he "sucks" (a word the use of which I do not encourage-ask the middle schoolers I taught last year) at Hebrew. Since he was born and raised in Israel and did his military service there, I doubt that he "sucks" at Hebrew. He does plan to show this thread to some friends today, though. (Fellow Israelis living in Boston I would presume.) I do not hope for further enlightenment from him, however.

Deborah

 

[smiles]

okay!
your drawing really helped i am pretty sure ive got it now!
i think the big word at the top is a form of the root word "zachor" or remember but the way it is written it may a bad way to say in rememberance or to remember
then it has the name lena pargatash or something like that and then it says "state of israel, jerusalem" which is probably just where it was made!!!!

yaaay i feel better now!!!

 

[Balaban]

Along the side it says "mizkeret le-yanah pugatsh," meaning " "a memento for Yanah Pugatsh." ("Mizkeret" has the root "zahkor," which Smiles alluded to.) In the middle it says "medinat yisrael yerushalayim," which, as others have said, means "Land of Israel, Jerusalem."

Hope that helps!

 

[Balaban]

PS - I am stumped as to what "St. 935" refers to.

 

[FrekeChild]

Thank you all so much for your help. Now I just wonder who Yanah Pugatsh/Lena Pargatash is, and her history with the necklace. Perhaps I should just give up now...

Again, thanks for all of your help!!! You guys rock!!!