אִמָּהוֹת

If you’ve been around Israelis, you surely know the word for mom – אמא

.

But you may be surprised to learn that this term of endearment, אמא, is actually a word in Aramaic, while the Hebrew word for mother is אם

.

What about multiple mothers? That’s אמהות

, as in:

כל האמהות באות לקחת את הילדים באותו זמן.

All the mothers come to take their (the) kids at the same time.

And, in the Passover song ?אחד מי יודע

– Who Knows One?

ארבע אמהות…

Four mothers…

In the case of the סדר פסח

– the Passover Seder, אמהות refers to the matriarchs of the Jewish people: שרה

– Sarah, רבקה

– Rebecca, רחל

– Rachel and לאה

– Leah.