kapara!
kapara!
Alternative Spellings
kappara!, kaparah!, kapparah!
Definitions
- [the relatively minor mishap should be] an Atonement [for my/our/your sins, rather than something more serious]
Example Sentences
- We "were set upon by a swarm of angry bees on the last afternoon of the hike. We were each stung multiple times... his first reaction after we outran them was 'kapparah.' It was a few weeks before Rosh Ashanah and I told him his words were doubly appropriate."
Languages of Origin
Textual Hebrew, Ladino
Etymology
כפּרה
Who Uses This
Sephardim: Jews with Sephardi or Mizrahi heritage
Regions
North America
Dictionaries
None
Notes
Different usage from the Yiddish kapore 'scapegoat'. The most common scenario when this is used is at a family meal or communal affair when dishes or trays fall with a loud crash. Everyone says Kapparah! And it is usually followed by a laugh as people are reminded that this is something Sephardic Jews say.
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