בשעה טובה
be-sha-A to-VA
"at a good hour", blessing on a pregnancy/venture.
What does it literally mean, and what do Israelis actually mean?
What it literally means
Literal: "at a good hour."
אנחנו מצפים לתינוק, בשעה טובה!Anachnu metzapim la-tinok, besha'a tova!We're expecting a baby, at a good hour!
What Israelis actually mean
"may it come at a lucky time", a blessing on things not yet completed.
בשעה טובה נחנוך את העסק החדש בחודש הבא.Besha'a tova nachnoch et ha-esek he-chadash ba-chodesh ha-ba.God willing at a good hour, we'll open the new business next month.
Where did this word come from?
Traditional Jewish blessing "at a good [and auspicious] hour", said at the announcement of a pregnancy (distinct from mazal tov, reserved for after the birth in Ashkenazi custom), and on launching ventures. Documented in Ashkenazi and Sephardi custom literature; the cautious logic, don't congratulate before the outcome, is a real folk rule (Rosten's Joys of Yiddish popularized the distinction in English).
Register & social context
Traditional-warm; everyday among traditional speakers. Saying "mazal tov" on a pregnancy announcement marks you as an outsider in traditional circles, besha'a tova is the correct blessing until the birth. The superstition-management is the point.
Root & morphology
ב (in/at) + שעה (sha'a, hour) + טובה (good, f.).
Influences & contact languages
- Hebrew (עברית, Ivrit)Rabbinic/customary Hebrew blessing formula.
- Yiddish (ייִדיש)Yiddish besha'atova carried the custom through Ashkenaz (Rosten documented the mazal-tov distinction).
Which places are associated with this word?
This word travels through people, not places, so we don't pin it.
See where it lives in the language constellationHear it in the wild
אנחנו מצפים לתינוק, בשעה טובה!
Anachnu metzapim la-tinok, besha'a tova!
We're expecting a baby, at a good hour!
בשעה טובה נחנוך את העסק החדש בחודש הבא.
Besha'a tova nachnoch et ha-esek he-chadash ba-chodesh ha-ba.
God willing at a good hour, we'll open the new business next month.
What English speakers get wrong
Saying "mazal tov" on a pregnancy announcement marks you as an outsider in traditional circles, besha'a tova is the correct blessing until the birth. The superstition-management is the point.
What lives next to this word?
See the language constellation
Follow this word into a guided story
Sources & review
Want to use this word? Understand it inside a full sentence: Open baba →