Unpack a suitcase, unpack your day: לִפְרוֹק

לִפְרוֹק

lif-ROK, to unload, and to let off steam.

The root פ־ר־ק goes back to Genesis. Isaac tells Esau: וּפָרַקְתָּ עֻלּוֹ מֵעַל צַוָּארֶךָ (u-farakta ulo me-al tsavarecha), “you shall break his yoke from off your neck”.¹ Even then it meant taking a heavy load off yourself.

Modern Hebrew kept widening what counts as a load: cargo, furniture, an electric charge, and now your feelings too.² Same motion every time: you put down something heavy.

How Israelis use it today:

• Unloadingהוּא פָּרַק אֶת הַמִּזְוָדוֹת מֵהָרֶכֶב אַחֲרֵי הַטִּיסָה.He unloaded the suitcases from the car after the flight.hu parak et ha-mizvadot me-ha-rechev acharei ha-tisa
• Ventingהִיא צְרִיכָה לִפְרוֹק קְצָת תִּסְכּוּלִים אַחֲרֵי יוֹם כָּזֶה.She needs to vent some frustration after a day like that.hi tsricha lifrok ktsat tiskulim acharei yom kaze
• Don’t take it out on meאַל תִּפְרוֹק עָלַי אֶת הַכַּעַס שֶׁלְּךָ!Don’t take your anger out on me! (to a man)al tifrok alai et ha-ka’as shelcha!
• Letting looseבּוֹאוּ נִתְפָּרֵק הָעֶרֶב!Let’s let loose tonight!bo’u nitparek ha-erev!
• From the same verseפָּרַק עֹלto throw off all responsibilityparak ol

1. Bereishit (Genesis) 27:40. Read it on Sefaria
2. Milog, לפרוק; Ben-Yehuda, dictionary entry פָּרַק.