# כל עכבה לטובה



## cfu507

Hi, how would you translate "kol akava le'tova" to English?
I want to explain it in English to someone. Thank you very much!


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## talmid

1550208                                  0245

G'Day!

There are several phrases which, whilst not  precise translations, convey a similar philosophical sense or meaning

For example:
Everything turns out for thr best
Every cloud has a silver lining
מה שלא יהיה - ברוך השם

Bst wishes


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## cfu507

Thank you Talmid.
They are realy not exactly the same.
Kol akava letova means that every delay might be for good, that maybe there is something else better that you might get late in the future.


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## Mjolnir

I can't think of a set phrase that's an exact translation.

Maybe the general idea will suffice - _a blessing in disguise_.

You can say that the delay is a blessing in disguise.


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## Flaminius

If the Hebrew set phrase means a blessing in disguise of delay, English has to offer similar expressions:
Make hate slowly.
Slow and steady wins the race.


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## Mjolnir

I don't think your expressions fit this phrase, Flaminius. The Hebrew phrase means that a delay can be good because better things will (possibly) come.

I still think the best option is _a blessing in disguise_. Maybe others can think of a better phrase.


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## elroy

Assuming that the Hebrew expression is like the Arabic expression كل تأخيرة فيها خيرة, it is a way to express encouragement and optimism when there is a delay.  Obviously it's not literally true that every delay brings about a benefit, but the principle idea is that it *may*, and the person affected should therefore not feel too upset or down.  Although it is not a perfect equivalent, the English expression "Every cloud has a silver lining," suggested by talmid, has a similar purpose, to encourage someone going through a difficult time.  Again, it's not literally true that every bad situation comes with a benefit, but that's not the point.  The difference between the English expression and the Hebrew one is that the latter refers specifically to delays, whereas the former is more general.

Another example of an English expression that is not to be understood literally is "Third time's a charm," which does not literally mean that everything works on the third try but is meant as a way to encourage someone who has experienced two unsuccessful attempts by reminding him that there's always hope for success the third time around.

"Everything turns out for the best" is even less similar than talmid's other suggestion, as it does not make a specific reference to something negative.

Flaminius's suggestions are completely different, I'm afraid.  They refer to working on something slowly and carefully in order to achieve a certain goal with maximum efficiency and quality.

With all that being said, I don't think there's a good English equivalent of the Hebrew expression, but perhaps someone else will think of something.


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## Mjolnir

I didn't notice talmid's "every cloud has a silver lining" 

What elroy said is, of course, correct. I guess the closest expressions to the Hebrew one are "every cloud has a silver lining" and "a blessing in disguise" (which elroy didn't mention for some reason ).


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## elroy

The omission was not intentional, Mjolnir. 

Here are my thoughs on "a blessing in disguise":

I tend to use "a blessing in disguise" _after the fact_.  For example, I was supposed to enroll in a university program last fall but could not because it was canceled so I was deferred for a year.  However, I later found out that this coming fall the university will offer a different program for the first time, one that I would actually be more interested in.  It wouldn't have been possible to switch to the new program after one year, so I would have had to start all over again, which would have been a major waste of time and money.  So I think in my case the cancellation of the first program was a "blessing in disguise," but I wouldn't have said that as soon as I found out about the cancellation without knowing what was going to come of it.

The Hebrew expression can be used as soon as someone learns of a delay, before they actually find out whether or not there actually is a positive side effect associated with the delay.  In English, you wouldn't say "this is a blessing in disguise" in that case.  But you might say something like, "Hang in there, pal.  This might (turn out to) be a blessing in disguise."

Do you see what I'm getting at? 

Also, "a blessing in disguise" refers to a specific circumstance, whereas כל עכבה לטובה is a general statement.  You could perhaps render the idea behind the Hebrew expression by saying "Every delay is a blessing in disguise," but that's not a fixed expression.  However, it may be the best we can come up with.


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## Mjolnir

elroy said:


> The Hebrew expression can be used as soon as someone learns of a delay, before they actually find out whether or not there actually is a positive side effect associated with the delay.  In English, you wouldn't say "this is a blessing in disguise" in that case.  But you might say something like, "Hang in there, pal.  This might (turn out to) be a blessing in disguise."
> 
> Do you see what I'm getting at?



Yes, I do 

Your example is actually what I was thinking of when I wrote "a blessing in disguise". You wouldn't say it to yourself, but a friend might say it to you (with the addition of "might turn out to be").



elroy said:


> Also, "a blessing in disguise" refers to a specific circumstance, whereas כל עכבה לטובה is a general statement.  You could perhaps render the idea behind the Hebrew expression by saying "Every delay is a blessing in disguise," but that's not a fixed expression.  However, it may be the best we can come up with.



I agree. Who would've thought that an untranslatable expression exists in Hebrew


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## talmid

160208                   1235
Hi!
Mjolnir's comment:".....as someone learns of a delay, before they actually find out whether or not there actually is a positive side effect associated with the delay."
reminded me of expressions sometimes used in UK when there is a suspicion  that something undesirable may have happened, but when we don't yet know the final outcome

We say: "No news is good news"
Or "Bad news travels fast- good news can wait"

Best wishes


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