Today’s first expression, ma nish•ma?, means everything that the title suggests: what’s up? what’s new? how are you doing? It is the best conversation opener. Literally, the words mean something different. Just as in English, we don’t look for the literal translations of expressions and idioms. Take for example the phrase ‘what’s up?’ You are not asking ‘what is upstairs’ or ‘what is going upwards.’ You just want to know what is new. After this introduction you can see that the literal meaning is somewhat off: ‘ma’ is ‘what,’ and ‘nishma’ means “being heard.’ If you feel that the last word sounds familiar, you are right — ‘nishma’ comes from the word ‘sh’ma’ which is the most important Jewish prayer. This word means ‘hear’ or ‘listen,’ and in the context of the prayer it means ‘obey.’
Today’s second expression, ma cha•dash?, simply means ‘what’s new?’ And if this word also sounds familiar it is because it comes from the same root that the word ‘chodesh’ (month) comes from. Indeed, once a month we witness a new moon that determines the Jewish calendar. This is why ‘a month’ is almost the same word as ‘new.’
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