"Mazel tov" () or "mazal tov" (; lit. "good fortune") is a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

phrase used to express congratulations for a happy and significant occasion or event.

Etymology and pronunciation

The word ''mazel'' comes from the

Biblical Hebrew Biblical Hebrew ( or ), also called Classical Hebrew, is an archaic form of the Hebrew language, a language in the Canaanite languages, Canaanitic branch of the Semitic languages spoken by the Israelites in the area known as the Land of Isra ...

, meaning "

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms Asterism (astronomy), a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The first constellati ...

" or (in

Mishnaic Hebrew Mishnaic Hebrew () is the Hebrew language used in Talmudic texts. Mishnaic Hebrew can be sub-divided into Mishnaic Hebrew proper (c. 1–200 CE, also called Tannaim, Tannaitic Hebrew, Early Rabbinic Hebrew, or Mishnah, Mishnaic Hebrew I), which w ...

) "astrological sign" and may be related to the root meaning "to flow down". The phrase ''mazel tov'' first appears in

Geonic ''Geonim'' (; ; also Romanization of Hebrew, transliterated Gaonim, singular Gaon) were the presidents of the two great Talmudic Academies in Babylonia, Babylonian Talmudic Academies of Sura Academy , Sura and Pumbedita Academy , Pumbedita, in t ...

Hebrew, where it means "positive astrological sign" or simply "good fortune." The Medieval Hebrew chant "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 Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

and Hebrew by the early 19th century and was later incorporated into

Modern Hebrew Modern Hebrew (, or ), also known as Israeli Hebrew or simply Hebrew, is the Standard language, standard form of the Hebrew language spoken today. It is the only surviving Canaanite language, as well as one of the List of languages by first w ...

. The Yiddish and

Ashkenazic Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium CE. They traditionally speak Yiddish, a language t ...

pronunciation of ''mazel'' has the stress on the first syllable while the Modern Hebrew word 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, pronounced . The word ''mazel'' was lent to a number of European languages, meaning "luck", such as:

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, as ; Hungarian, as ;

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

, as and the verb ("to be lucky"). The word also entered Dutch as or ("nice" or "great") and German as or .

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!". A common Hebrew phrase for ''wishing'' "good luck" is (), literally meaning "with success". Throughout the Jewish world, including the

diaspora A diaspora ( ) is a population that is scattered across regions which are separate from its geographic place of birth, place of origin. The word is used in reference to people who identify with a specific geographic location, but currently resi ...

, "mazel tov!" is a common Jewish expression at events such as a bar or bat mitzvah or a

wedding A wedding is a ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnicity, ethnicities, Race (human categorization), races, religions, Religious denomination, denominations, Cou ...

. 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.

References

External links

* {{Cite web , url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/160965/jewish/What-Does-Mazel-Tov-Mean.htm , title=What Does 'Mazel Tov' Mean?, last=Moss , first=Aron , publisher=

Chabad.org Chabad.org is the flagship website of the Chabad, Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic Judaism, Hasidic movement. It was one of the first Jewish internet sites. History In 1988, Yosef Yitzchak Kazen, a Chabad rabbi, began creating a Chabad-Lubavitch prese ...

, date=2004-08-17 English phrases Hebrew words and phrases Yiddish words and phrases

Etymology and pronunciation

Usage

See also

References

External links