Questions & Answers about חבל שאין לנו זמן לשבת ביחד.
Yes, חבל can literally mean rope, but in this sentence it means it’s a shame / what a pity.
This is a very common expression in Hebrew:
חבל ש... = It’s a shame that...
So:
חבל שאין לנו זמן... = It’s a shame that we don’t have time...
Hebrew often uses the same word in very different meanings, and this is one of those cases.
The ש means that.
So:
- אין לנו זמן = We don’t have time
- חבל שאין לנו זמן = It’s a shame that we don’t have time
In writing, Hebrew often attaches ש directly to the next word, so:
- ש + אין = שאין
That whole part introduces the clause after חבל.