hare

Everyday

A hare is a wild animal like a large rabbit, with long ears and long strong back legs, that runs very fast. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons hares differ from rabbits: they are bigger, have longer ears with black tips, live above ground in a shallow nest (a form), and their babies (leverets) are born with fur and open eyes. Mountain and snowshoe hares turn white in winter for camouflage. In stories «The Tortoise and the Hare» teaches that slow and steady wins the race. Phrases: as mad as a March hare, the tortoise and the hare.

Examples

• The hare raced across the field. tree →
• A hare is bigger than a rabbit. tree →
• In the fable, the tortoise beat the hare. tree →
• Snowshoe hares turn white in winter. tree →
• Baby hares are called leverets. tree →
• Hares box each other in spring. tree →
• The hare's long ears twitched. tree →

Note

Countable noun. «Hare» (animal) sounds the same as «hair» (on your head) — homophones. Hares are not rabbits: they do not dig burrows and their babies are not born bald. «Mad as a March hare» comes from hares jumping and boxing in spring.

In Jewish tradition

An animal named in the food laws. It chews the cud but has no split hoof, so it is unclean and may not be eaten.

Interpretation. Tradition says an animal must both chew the cud and have a split hoof to be kosher. The hare fails one sign, so Jews do not eat it.

Examples

• And the hare, because she cheweth the cud but parteth not the hoof, she is unclean unto you. (Torah LEV.11.6, JPS 1917) tree →
• Hare, 2005; Hebrew entered by hand). (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →
• Proofed, formatted and Unicode transliteration by John Bruno Hare. (Sefer Yetzirah, Kalisch 1877) tree →

Note

Countable noun. «Hare» (animal) sounds the same as «hair» (on your head) — homophones. Hares are not rabbits: they do not dig burrows and their babies are not born bald. «Mad as a March hare» comes from hares jumping and boxing in spring.