What Is this Yasher Koah? Or Is It Yasher Koakh? Originally Published November 22-23, 2019.
November 22, 2019
A member of the congregation has just chanted a four-page haftarah and kept everyone riveted. Someone calls out, “Yasher Koah!” and a bunch of other congregants echo the sentiment. What are they saying? The literal meaning is something akin to “straight strength.” Koah (כּוֹחַ) means “strength” and yishar (יִישַּׁר) (the dictionary puts “yasher” (“יְיַשֵּׁר”) into […]