Hebrew word of the day · Holiday greetings
גְּמַר חֲתִימָה טוֹבָהgmar khatima tova
may you be sealed for a good year
Today is the one day Israelis don't say חַג שָׂמֵחַ
Hear it read by a native speaker
In a sentence
גְּמַר חֲתִימָה טוֹבָה וְצוֹם קַל!
gmar khatima tova vetsom kal!
Gmar khatima tova, and an easy fast!
How Israelis use gmar khatima tova
גְּמַר חֲתִימָה טוֹבָה
(gmar khatima tova) May you be sealed for a good year. Said to everyone in the days before Yom Kippur.
✗The classic mistake
חַג שָׂמֵחַ (khag sameakh, happy holiday). An Israeli hears: you don't know today is a fast day.
✓Say this instead
גְּמַר חֲתִימָה טוֹבָה (gmar khatima tova, may you be sealed for a good year)
Why those words
The image behind the words: a year written on Rosh Hashana and sealed today. You wish them a good sealing.
The other one, before sundown
To anyone who is fasting, add this. צוֹם קַל (tsom kal, an easy fast)
When someone says it to you
Same words back, or one of these. גַּם לְךָ / גַּם לָךְ (gam lekha to a man, gam lakh to a woman)
The WhatsApp version
In group chats people shorten it and nobody minds. Which one did you hear first? גְּמַר טוֹב (gmar tov)
The mistake English speakers make
Today is the one Israeli holiday where you don't say חַג שָׂמֵחַ
גְּמַר חֲתִימָה טוֹבָה
(gmar khatima tova) May you be sealed for a good year.
✗Not today
חַג שָׂמֵחַ (khag sameakh, happy holiday) Israelis hear someone who learned it from a greeting card.
✓Say this instead
גְּמַר חֲתִימָה טוֹבָה (gmar khatima tova) The wish everyone is using today.
Why
It's a fast day, not a festive one, so the wish is about the year ahead, not about joy today.
Add the second half
צוֹם קַל (tsom kal, an easy fast) Most people say both, one after the other.
If they say it first
גַּם לְךָ (gam lekha, you too, to a man) גַּם לָךְ (gam lakh, to a woman)
Say it tonight
At the door, to a neighbour, a few words and you're done. Which one will you use first?
Three sentences you'll hear today
The greeting everyone says tonight, and the reply
גְּמַר חֲתִימָה טוֹבָה וְצוֹם קַל!
gmar khatima tova vetsom kal!
May you be sealed for a good year, and an easy fast!
at the checkout, before closing
גַּם לְךָ. צָם הַשָּׁנָה?
gam lekha. tsam hashana?
You too. Are you fasting this year?
on the phone with a friend
אֲנִי זָז, גְּמַר חֲתִימָה טוֹבָה.
ani zaz, gmar khatima tova.
I'm heading off, may you be sealed for a good year.
at work, leaving early
Quick check: which one is right?
Greeting someone right before Yom Kippur
- Aחַג שָׂמֵחַ! (khag sameakh)
- Bגְּמַר חֲתִימָה טוֹבָה (gmar khatima tova)
The answer: B
גְּמַר חֲתִימָה טוֹבָה
Yom Kippur is a fast day, not a festive one, so nobody says khag sameakh. You say gmar khatima tova, and tsom kal.
Today's Hebrew challenges
Hebrew challenge #7
מָה פִּתְאוֹם
ma pitom
What does it mean?
- AWhat time is it?
- BWhy so suddenly?
- CNo way, absolutely not
The answer
CWord by word it's 'what suddenly', but Israelis use it to reject an idea completely.
Hebrew challenge #8
מָה ___ עִנְיָנִים?
ma ___ inyanim?
Which word is missing?
- Aשֶׁל [shel]
- Bהָ [ha]
- Cבְּ [be]
The answer
BIsraelis greet with the definite form, literally the matters: הָעִנְיָנִים
Published 20 September 2026 by the Israeli Hebrew Institute. Every word, sentence and vowel point on this page was checked by a native Israeli teacher.