Mazel tov

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File:Mazel Tov!.jpg
"Mazel Tov!" written on a wine glass tag
File:Mazel Tov! wedding.jpg
In Israel, it is common that after the groom breaks the glass, the guests shout "Mazel tov!"
File:Happy Cake.jpg
A birthday cake iced with the words mazal tov, often done in Israel. Here the phrase is written in Hebrew cursive.

"Mazel tov" (Template:Langx) or "mazal tov" (Template:Langx; lit. "good fortune") is a Jewish phrase used to express congratulations for a happy and significant occasion or event.

Etymology and pronunciation

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". The word mazel comes from the Biblical Hebrew Script error: No such module "lang"., meaning "constellation" or (in Mishnaic Hebrew) "astrological sign" and may be related to the root Script error: No such module "Lang". meaning "to flow down". The phrase mazel tov first appears in Geonic Hebrew, where it means "positive astrological sign" or simply "good fortune."[1] The Medieval Hebrew chant Script error: No such module "lang". "A good sign, a good omen! Let it happen for us and for all Israel" was used to congratulate, and the phrase itself acquired a congratulatory usage in Yiddish and Hebrew by the early 19th century and was later incorporated into Modern Hebrew. The Yiddish and Ashkenazic pronunciation of mazel has the stress on the first syllable while the Modern Hebrew word Script error: No such module "lang". has the stress on the last syllable. Mazel-tov is also used as a personal name.

The phrase "mazel tov" is recorded as entering into American English from Yiddish in 1862,[2] pronounced Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell.[3] The word mazel was lent to a number of European languages, meaning "luck", such as: German, as Script error: No such module "Lang".; Hungarian, as Script error: No such module "Lang".; Dutch, as Script error: No such module "Lang". and the verb Script error: No such module "Lang". ("to be lucky").[4] The word Script error: No such module "lang". also entered Dutch as Script error: No such module "Lang". or Script error: No such module "Lang". ("nice" or "great")[5] and German as Script error: No such module "Lang". or Script error: No such module "Lang"..[6]

Usage

Mazel tov is literally translated as "good luck" in its meaning as a description, not a wish. The implicit meaning is "good luck has occurred" or "your fortune has been good" and the expression is an acknowledgement of that fact. It is similar in usage to the word "congratulations!" and conveys roughly, "I am pleased this good thing has happened to you!".[7] A common Hebrew phrase for wishing "good luck" is Script error: No such module "lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".), literally meaning "with success".[8]

Throughout the Jewish world, including the diaspora, "mazel tov!" is a common Jewish expression at events such as a bar or bat mitzvah or a wedding. For example, In Israel, at a Jewish wedding, it is shouted by the couple's friends and family after the ceremonial breaking of the glass. In Israel, the phrase is used for all sorts of happy occasions, such as getting a new driver's license, a birthday, or getting a new job.[9]

See also

References

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  1. See Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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  6. wiktionary:töfte
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  8. wiktionary:בהצלחה
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External links

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