In traditional dating, one person dates another, often leading to a more stable long-term relationship. Now there is a new trend: One person, usually in his or her 20s,* can date two, three or more persons be-maqbil, “in parallel,” at the same time (in contrast to “serial,” or sequential, dating), in order not to “waste time” on one date and to increase one’s chances of finding a suitable mate for a monogamous relationship. A recent headline: Men and women equally memaqbelim (“have a parallel dating”).**
*Older people find this disgusting, psychologically and physically unhealthy, and superficial.
**The new verb le-maqbel, “to have parallel dating,” is derived from maqbil, “parallel (lines, times, etc.).”
Yona Sabar is a professor of Hebrew and Aramaic in the department of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures at UCLA.
