Ki Tov Tuesday: July 8, 2025

The meaning of chevralah, a shallow slide into Aramaic, Jerry Seinfeld shows added, the origins of blue pigment, and a Jewish Olympian

Jul 08, 2025

Editor’s note: We’re still having a difficult time adding contributor bylines. This Ki Tov Tuesday post was written by Kumzits co-founder Rachel Weingarten and edited by Dan P. with support from Bracha. Enjoy!

Dear Chevralah,

We're sharing some good news today along with a bit of wordplay.

A friend of The Kumzits —who is Jewish in spirit —recently wrote in asking what chevralah meant. We keep meaning to add a Kumzits lexicon, and promise it will happen sooner rather than later. But back to chevralah.

Chevra vs. Chabura (and chaver)

A chevra (חברה) and a chabura (חבורה) are both Hebrew terms referring to groups or associations, but they have very different meanings and contexts

Chevra typically refers to an established organization or society. Interestingly (or strangely) enough, one of the most common uses of chevra in modern conversation is Chevra Kadisha, or holy or sacred society — usually used for a Jewish burial society. But a chevra is so much more than that.

A chevra is the modern Israeli word for company or business. And when you’re in a group of Israelis, you might hear them address their intimate group as chevra, with that irresistible rolling Israeli ‘r’.

When we at The Kumzits use the word chevralah we’re adding on an affectionate diminutive at the end of the word chevra. It’s common in Hebrew to add on the lah as a term of affection or kinship.

In case etymology is your thing, we can do a slightly deeper dive. Chabura (חבורה) - is a word with similar origins ח-ב-ר (ch-v-r) to chevra, which fundamentally means "to connect" or "to join together." Which is probably why it’s the same shoresh — foundation — for the word chaver (חבר) or friend.

So a chevralah is a group of friends with a similar outlook or mission.
A chabura is a study group, particularly of Talmud or Torah.
And who do you study with? Your Chavrusa (חברותא), Aramaic word.

This explains why "chabura" often carries connotations of study groups or informal scholarly circles - it entered Jewish usage through the Aramaic-speaking world of the Talmudic academies. The word maintained its Aramaic form even as it was adopted into later Hebrew usage.

So while both share the same Semitic root meaning "connection," chevra remained Hebrew while chabura represents an Aramaic borrowing that became naturalized in Jewish Hebrew vocabulary.

While all of these four words for fellowship, friendship, binding, union or group come from the same root, they’re in different languages.

Chaver (חבר) = friend, companion (Hebrew)
Chevra (חברה) = society, company (Hebrew)
Chabura (חבורה) = study group, fellowship (Aramaic origin)
Chavrusa (חברותא) = study partnership (Aramaic)

And I won’t complicate things further by letting you know that a chaver can also be a boyfriend, while a yedid is just a friend friend.

Speaking of everyone's best TV friend…

Jerry’s back

Earlier this week my sister informed me that groundbreaking TV show Seinfeld debuted 36 years ago in 1989. That’s an auspicious number in Jewish gematria (numerology) since the Hebrew word for chai, life, has a value of 18. So two times chai is a lot like the Chinese blessing of double happiness.

There will be a lot of happy people in NYC this fall.

All around mensch and proud Jew Jerry Seinfeld added 10 more shows to his Beacon Theater concert series so you can see him from late October through January 2026. Tickets at Ticketmaster.

Jewish bikers ride for Holocaust remembrance

Speaking of mensches, from June 08, 2025 to Jul 30, 2025 members of the the Jewish Motorcyclist Alliance (JMA) will take part in their annual North America Holocaust Museum Tour. They’ll be in St. Louis on Wednesday, July 9, 2025.

JMA is an umbrella organization of independent Jewish motorcycle riding clubs throughout cities in the United States and Canada. Shared goals include supporting Israel and remembering and honoring those that perished in the Holocaust. More than that, according to their website, JMA has already raised millions of dollars to support charities, primarily focused on Holocaust education and antisemitism programing.

A Jewish Olympian’s journey

We’re huge fans of AJ Edelman’s smart takes on world politics, especially as they impact the Jewish people. We also love the fact that Edelman has already amassed 15 international medals and awards, 9 national championships. He's currently in Japan with the Israeli Bobsled Team training for the Olympics. Oh, Lulu, AJ's adorbs Shiba doggo is there too. You can follow self-described Bear Jew AJ and Lulu on Instagram. We do! And we shep nachas (experience immense pride) everytime we see his blue and white uniform.

ajedelman

A post shared by @ajedelman

Blue-ish

Contemporary Israeli artist Avraham Vofsi uses a lot of blue in his artwork. He describes his paintings as “Depicting Jewish life in classical oil paintings.” Vofsi explains the origins of blue paint and the pigments used that were more expensive than gold. Or as he writes in the caption of this fascinating reel: “In Judaism, we have techelet—a sacred blue once thought lost, made from a tiny sea snail. Blue isn’t just a color. It’s memory, longing, distance, divinity.”

avrahamvofsi

A post shared by @avrahamvofsi

Kiddush with The Kumzits

The right taste or smell can also tap into our longing for peaceful times ahead in Israel. We find some of that peaceful feeling deep in our souls every Shabbat. And we want to share some of those happy vibes with you.

We are beyond excited to partner with the Israeli Wine Producers Association (IWPA) on upcoming Israeli wine pairings and ideas on how to enhance your Shabbat experience. L'Chaim!

And that’s all for this twice blessed Tuesday.

So, what’s inspiring you right now? Drop us a comment below, share your own thoughts for Ki Tov Tuesdays, or reply to this email with your insights and ideas!

The Kumzits℠

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