"Mazel tov" or "mazal tov" (

Hebrew Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...

Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ve ...

: , Hebrew: ''mazál tov''; Yiddish: ''mázl tov''; lit. "good fortune") is a

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

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 branch of Semitic languages spoken by the Israelites in the area known as the Land of Israel, roughly west of t ...

''mazzāl'', meaning "

constellation A constellation is an area on the celestial sphere in which a group of visible stars forms a perceived pattern or outline, typically representing an animal, mythological subject, or inanimate object. The origins of the earliest constellation ...

" or (in

Mishnaic Hebrew Mishnaic Hebrew is the Hebrew of Talmudic texts. Mishnaic Hebrew can be sub-divided into Mishnaic Hebrew proper (also called Tannaitic Hebrew, Early Rabbinic Hebrew, or Mishnaic Hebrew I), which was a spoken language, and Amoraic Hebrew (also c ...

) "astrological sign" and may be related to the verb נ-ז-ל meaning "to flow down". The phrase ''mazel tov'' first appears in

Geonic ''Geonim'' ( he, גאונים; ; also transliterated Gaonim, singular Gaon) were the presidents of the two great Babylonian Talmudic Academies of Sura and Pumbedita, in the Abbasid Caliphate, and were the generally accepted spiritual leaders o ...

Hebrew, where it means "positive astrological sign" or simply "good fortune." The Medieval Hebrew song ''siman tov u-mazel tov, yehe lanu ulkhol yisrael'' "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

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

Modern Hebrew Modern Hebrew ( he, עברית חדשה, ''ʿivrít ḥadašá ', , '' lit.'' "Modern Hebrew" or "New Hebrew"), also known as Israeli Hebrew or Israeli, and generally referred to by speakers simply as Hebrew ( ), is the standard form of the He ...

. The Yiddish and

Ashkenazic Ashkenazi Jews ( ; he, יְהוּדֵי אַשְׁכְּנַז, translit=Yehudei Ashkenaz, ; yi, אַשכּנזישע ייִדן, Ashkenazishe Yidn), also known as Ashkenazic Jews or ''Ashkenazim'',, Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation: , singu ...

pronunciation of ''mazel'' has the stress on the first syllable while the Modern Hebrew word ''mazal'' 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 (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, as ''Massel''; Hungarian, as ''mázli''; Dutch, as ''mazzel'' and the verb ''mazzelen'' ("to be lucky"). The word ''tov'' also entered Dutch as ''tof/toffe'' ("nice" or "great") and German as töfte/dufte.

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 ''b'hatzlacha'' (), 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 origin. Historically, the word was used first in reference to the dispersion of Greeks in the Hellenic world, and later Jews after ...

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

wedding A wedding is a ceremony where two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes. Most wedding ceremonies involve an exchange of marriage vo ...

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

Etymology and pronunciation

Usage

See also

References

External links