Why South Africa Has Led the Legal War against Israel
Corruption and alliances with Hamas and Iran.
March 19, 2024
The Mysterious Hebrew Word for Mask, and Its Mysterious English Equivalent
Behind the masekhah.
Last week, Mosaic’s language columnist, Philologos, took us on a delightful journey into the origins of the word grogger—denoting a noisemaker used on Purim. Now, René Bloch investigates the etymology of another Purim-related word: the Hebrew masekhah, which means “mask.” When and how did this word come to replace the older partsuf, and is it related to the English word and its French, German, and other equivalents? Bloch writes:
March 19, 2024
The Gaza War and the Future of U.S.-Israel Relations
Understanding Israel’s Latest Political Shakeup
Gideon Sa’ar’s defection and the search for a new center-right consensus.
A Great American Jewish Writer Composes His Autobiography
Never Say You’ve Had a Lucky Life.
The Mysterious Hebrew Word for Mask, and Its Mysterious English Equivalent
Behind the masekhah.