be melamed zechut

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Definitions

  • v. To speak in someone's defense; give the benefit of the doubt.

Example Sentences

  • "I know he's screwed up, but you have to be melamed zechut—it's his first job." (Glinert)

  • "That is what the Sages did. Building on the prophets but going beyond them, they were melamed zechut for the Jewish people." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish
  • English

Etymology

  • partial English calque of Y מלמד־זכות זײַן melamed-skhus zayn

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).

      Alternative Spellings

      be melamed zekhut, be melamed zkhut, be melamed zchut, be melamed skhus, be melamed schus, be melamed zkhus, be melamed zchus

Notes


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