Ah mechaye (א מחיה) is something so pleasurable that it could revive the dead or add years to one’s life. Mechaye (מחיה) is a Hebrew word that means “giver of life.”
In common parlance, you can use this term to refer to something that’s refreshingly easy, such as the commute to work on legal holidays or the multiple-choice test to renew your license.
You can also refer to something pleasurable—such as a freezing cold bubbly seltzer or watching your children play nicely—as ah mechaye.
We refer to all kinds of things as mechayes, including trivialities. Yet, it’s important to remember that we refer to G‑d as the true mechaye, for He alone is responsible for giving and taking life.
We eagerly await the arrival of Moshiach, when G‑d will revive (“be mechaye”) the dead and bring our world to a place of perfection. Oh, what ah mechayeh that will be!
Thanks for this definition! My father used to use this expression, and I somehow associate it with lying out in the sun. I didn't know it could be used for easy things and other people's behavior too!