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.