Dear friends,
Last week, my friend Lital was dealt a setback.
She’d applied for a job, made it through several rounds of interviews, and was brought in for a final in-person meet…
Only to later be told she didn’t get the job, despite being highly qualified.
How qualified?
When she asked HR what she could have done differently, they answered, “Honestly? Nothing – you were great!”
As someone who was truly rooting for her (and had written her a letter of recommendation), it almost seemed like I was more crushed than she was.
Lital, meanwhile, remained upbeat – albeit cautiously. “Part of me just wants to throw in the towel,” she said. “And yet, maybe not getting this job will prove itself to be a good thing down the road.”
Actually, the exact Hebrew word Lital used was lifrosh
which means “to quit” or “throw in the towel.”
I’d heard the word before but never really understood where it came from. So in true Hebrew-Is-Magic fashion, I decided to investigate.
And I’m glad I did.
It turns out that lifrosh is a derivative of the shoresh (root) peh-resh-shin
Hebrew for “interpretation” or “meaning,” as seen in the verb lefaresh
If you go to synagogue, you’ve probably heard another version of this word during the Saturday morning Shabbat service, when we read the parashat ha’shavuah
and are invited to interpret and derive meaning from that week’s Torah portion.
And actually, the Jewish ritual hafrashat challah
shares this same three-letter root, too, but with a slightly different meaning: here, hafrasha means “to set aside.” The ceremonious ritual of separating a small chunk of challah from the rest of the dough, commonly done before a bat mitzvah or wedding, serves as a reminder that we aren’t meant to be the sole owners of the resources we have. In fact, the very act of sharing what’s “ours” is what gives us greater meaning.
At first, I found it strange – Why would the Hebrew verbs for “to set aside” and “to find meaning” share a common root?
The more I thought about it, the more I realized Hebrew understands something we humans often don’t: sometimes the best way for us to find meaning in an event is simply by distancing ourselves from it.
Which brings us back to Lital.
In today’s achievement-driven world, the mantra is “never quit.” But Hebrew advises differently: Lital’s instinct to “throw in the towel” was actually healthy! Temporarily setting herself aside from the less-than-ideal news and allowing it to diffuse granted her renewed perspective before she got back in the game.
Joel Chasnoff is a stand-up comedian, podcast host, and co-author of Israel 201, winner of the 2023 National Jewish Book Award. You can find out more about his comedy, books, and upcoming tour at www.joelchasnoff.com, and sign up for his weekly newsletter, Hebrew Is Magic, to learn more about the hidden life lessons in Hebrew words.
