# Mishpacha



## EvanC

Hi,

      I was wondering if anyone knew the meaning of the word mishboca/mishpocha (I don't know the spelling of it). I know that it's a Hebrew word, but other than that I really don't know. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks so much!

                         Evan C


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## gliamo

Is it _mishbucha_?

G.


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## EvanC

I don't know, it could be mishbucha. I really don't know though.


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## amikama

Maybe it's _mishpacha_ [משפחה, family in Hebrew]?


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## EvanC

It could be mishpacha...thanks for the help! 

Anyone else with more suggestions?


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## Lovevmc

The Yiddish word for family, "*mishpocha*". .Biblical Hebrew/Modern Hebrew/Hebraic Terms ----- » Jew and Gentile, One in Messiah, One *Mishpocha* (family).

The jokes of [awordinyoureye]*(#776) Dying wish* 
[My thanks to BMS for the following joke] 
Old Chaim is dying. His entire *mishpocha* is sitting around his bed, subdued and not knowing what else they can do. 
They ask him, “Chaim, maybe we can fulfil your last wish?” 
“Yes... I'd like ... a cup of tea ... with two teaspoons ... of sugar.” 
“Why?” they ask him. 
“I’ve had a long life... and all of that time... when I drank tea in my own house... I used one spoon of sugar... When I had tea... in someone else's house... I put three spoons of sugar in my cup... But really... really... all my life... I loved tea... with two spoonfuls of sugar.”


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## Nunty

Lovevmc said:


> The Yiddish word for family, "*mishpocha*".


Actually, in this case (as in many others) Yiddish incorporates the Hebrew word, but with the Ashkenazi pronunciation that distinguishes between the vowels _patah_ (*a* ) and _kametz_ (*o*) more often than the Sephardi pronunciation that is preferred in most cases in modern Hebrew.

Yiddish is written with the Hebrew alphabet, but with some differences in the sounds of some of the letters. In the US (and maybe other countries) it is often transcribed for popular consumption into Latin letters. Why am I mentioning this? Because משפחה is written the same way in Yiddish and Hebrew; it's only when the Yiddish word is transliterated into Latin letters that you get _mishp*o*cha_.


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## Aoyama

Right, *Mishpocha* (*cha* like in *cha*nukah), sometimes also *Mishpucha* same word as the hebrew *mishpacha* , root being M SH P H, vocalization changes in yiddish, especially shift between *a *and *o *(cf Nun-translator), like shalom becoming sholem etc.


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## ilbisaac

That's is all wonderfully correct, Nun-Translator and Aoyama.
There are other common examples familiar to everybody, Ashkenazi, Israeli, or neither. Take a bar mitzvah or wedding for example... nobody other than an Israel would say "MazAL Tov," though most others would say "MAzel Tov" or "Tof."

Another example is in the typical Jewish salutation amongst Ashkenazi Jews--"A gut יום-טובֿ," which is properly pronounced "yontef" rather than "yom tov" (and also properly spelled 'yontef' in YIVO transliteration).

Others: Good Shabbos, Bas Mitzvah, Yisroel, Omeyn, and of course, Mishpokhe! Not to mention "sheygets" and "shikse," derogatory Yiddish terms for non-Jewish males and females, respectively, that come from the Hebrew word שֶׁקֶץ (an abomination).


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## bat777

I just wanted to add that I know the pronunciation as *mishpuche*with a final e vowel. In spoken Hebrew, when a person says mishpuche, it often gets the meaning of the whole sticky, noisy, big, loving family. Like in: The whole mishpuche came over for shabbes:
כל המשפוחה באה לשבת


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## Aoyama

> In spoken Hebrew, when a person says mishpuche, it often gets the meaning of the whole sticky, noisy, big, loving family. Like in: The whole mishpuche came over for shabbes:
> כל המשפוחה באה לשבת


Right, though that would only work for Ashkenazim ... Sefaradim (here, mostly North Africans, from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia as some coming from France) would probably use the word *smalah* .


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## PowerOfChoice

I love Hebrew words in all its varieties! Isn't it wonderful to see and enjoy the many and multi dimensional aspects of each and every Hebrew word?! To me all of the posts above adds value to my understanding of the word mishpacha. Yet, perhaps I too may add a tiny straw of value to the stack?

I particularly love to study the generic roots of Hebrew words. I mean roots that may be perceived from the building blocks of any word. The building blocks, of course, are the letters used for building that word and any combination of those letters.

Studying the word "משפחה" some time in the past, using Strong's Hebrew Dictionary as my main resource, I found that not only does it mean "family" as that word is used in modern Hebrew today, but it also has a deeper significance and meaning. Starting from Strong's H4940 I find, as expected, that the word means "_a family_." One of the two roots provided, however, is H8198 "שׁפחה" which means "to _spread_ out (as a _family_; See H4940); _a female slave_ (as a member of the _household._) The first letter in the word, "-מ," may be perceived as a prefix meaning "from." Thus, the common family of today as referenced by *the modern Hebrew word "משפחה" signifies a family defined in terms of coming "from a female slave."* I think of Hagar and Ishmael, the Egyptian bond woman of Sarah, Abraham's wife. And I also think of the modern subject citizen's relationship to the owner's of the plantation, i.e. of the all-Feathers Reserve Corporation.

In contradistinction there is the rarely used word *"אלף,"* Strong's H504, meaning "*a family*; also (from the sense of _yoking_ or _taming..._)" The same word "אלף" also means "one" or "a thousand" and is being used widely to represent HaShem, i.e. "יהוה," a name with which it shares many important characteristics, the least important of which is not *sovereignty and true freedom available under the Creator alone*.

Thus, I see in the Hebrew language two words for the concept of the family, but with very different characteristics: One being the common thing everywhere referenced in modern languages, the other being a remnant rare enough that hardly anyone is even familiar with the concept.

Consider it! Or as King David puts it: "Selah!"


(I am hoping that this adds something of value in terms of an answer to the question asked at the beginning of this thread.  )


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## yellowdaisies

I am not a liguist for sure, I am trying to understand how to translate the word family to my children since we live in a modern era where family doesn't seem to matter much.  It seems the idea of mutual respect, honor, unity, loyalty, and such should go along with the true idea of family.  Well perhaps the true Judeo/Christian idea? 

My idea of family is the safty structure provided for a group to work as a team to survive, overcome, and rise above the trials brought by living in this world, and our inevitable struggle with others whether they be families, individuals, or other types of groups.  (spiritual trials as well)

I am trying to look up the meanings behind the word we use to support this idea I have...

could someone who is more scholoarly help?  I thought first of hebrew since some of the words often have deeper "hidden" sort of meanings.  Like "Judah" for example is supposed to have the meaning "praise" I think?  or maybe "to praise, or of praise" or something close to that right?  Only when most people read the word Judah they think of a place, or perhaps a group of people.  So I am going to look into other languages like Greek as well.

I liked the last post, but I don't completely understand it... sorry... I'm not sure I understand at all how Hebrew works.  Does this word for family have any meanings in the numbers used to make it up?  I understand each letter has a numerical equivalent, therefore each word does too?  I am finding my own question challenging here....

I hope I'm not breaking the "rules" of the site.... I'm not sure how this is supposed to work.  Any suggestions on how to better understand especially hebrew and greek words would be helpful.  Unfortunately I'm not in a position to learn either of the langages as a whole I don't believe.
Just one or two important words at a time...thanks


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