Etymology

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et·y·mol·o·gy

/ˌedəˈmäləjē/

Etymology is the study of the origins of words and the way they change over time. For example, etymology comes from the ancient Greek word etymos, meaning true and the suffix -ology comes from the ancient Greek logos, meaning speech or story. This then became the medieval Latin suffix -logie. Etymology is a very real part of language since it is something that lives, breathes, grows, and evolves overtime and we can see this in a plethora of different ways.

Example: What is the etymology of etymology?

צְדָקָה / Tzedakah

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Tze·da·kah

/ṣədāqā/

Tzedakah is usually translated as “charity,” but in reality it comes from the root word צֶדֶק (tzedek), meaning “justice”. Charity is one of the most important and most emphasized commandments from the Torah and its relationship with justice is synonymous. Our money doesn’t really belong to us. It’s a loan from G-d, and it’s our responsibility to give some of it away to those who need it more than we do as a form of justice.

Example: Throw a few coins in the tzedakah box during Tefillah!