Passing Phrase - www.learnhebrew.org.il

Barach li MeiHarosh

Literally: It ran away from my head
Idiomatically: I forgot. / It slipped my mind

This is the kind of expression that usually means you forgot someone or something just for a moment, but you're sure that you really know it. The word "livroach" means to run away. You can find it many times in the Bible and the Talmud in various forms (Exodus 2:15, Eruvin 13b etc.). In English, you can also say, "It escapes me" which in Hebrew lead us to the word for escape – Bricha. Interestingly a variation of it, LeHavriach means to smuggle.

The explanatory sentence happens to me from time to time when I see someone;

אני מכיר אותו אבל שמו פשוט ברח לי מהראש

Ani makir oto, aval shmo pashut barach li mei-Harosh

I know him but his name simply slipped my mind.

It happens to all of us but if he is your mechanic – it could be embarrassing let alone costly.

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