What does the yiddish word mazel tov mean?

Answer 1

Mazel = luck

Tov = good

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"mah-ZAHL TOV" is a Hebrew phrase, used in the language of any Jewish

community, to convey the same meaning where, in English, one would say

"Good Luck" or "Congratulations".

"TOV" in Hebrew means "Good", so with the phrase "mazal tov", one is wishing

upon the recipient "good mazal", in the sense of good luck or good fortune. But

"mazal" is an interesting way to say it.

In the King James translation of Psalms, there is a reference to the Creator as the one

" ... who bringest forth the Mazzeroth ... ". That strange word is one of the many cases

where King James' committee of scholars decided to keep the Hebrew word

instead of trying to translate it (just as they did with the Hebrew words Adam,

Abraham, Sarah, Rebecca, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Israel, Daniel,

Satan, David, Michael, Elijah, Joel, Gabriel, . . . but that's another story).

"Mazzeroth" is equivalent to the Hebrew word "mazallot", plural for

"constellations" of the stars. The Creator ".. bringest forth the Mazzeroth .."

when he causes the sky to rotate so that the constellations appear in tjheior

correct places and times.

And when you wish someone "good mazal", you literally wish him "good constellations",

or good Astrology, good horoscope, etc. No different at all from good luck.

Astrology was never part of Judaism, and was actively frowned upon, since it

purports to substitute other forces for Gcd's will. But you can't keep the simple

folks down, popular superstitions die hard, and the Jewish wish for a "good

horoscope" lives on even in our times. Mazal tov !