"חופש הוא הדבר החשוב ביותר."

Translation: Freedom is the most important thing.

[Carlahna]

Well, kinda. Snacks are pretty important too.

[zion11dotcom]

but only if they are sugar-free, gluten-free, guilt-free snacks

[Theresa754142]

zion, I have witnessed you speak of chocolate in terms of a man possessed. Humor has its place, but just in case we are talking about chocolate here...allow me to quote the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory: Chocolate flows in deep dark, sweet waves, a river to ignite my mind and alert my senses.

(I had to set the record straight.)

[JewishPolyglot]

חופש also means vacation (or holiday, in British)

[Pumbush]

it is a common mistake that natives do. bu Vacation is Hufsha not Hofesh.

[JewishPolyglot]

Can't wait till the people at the Academy of Hebrew finally accept it as a real usage

[radagastthebrown]

I disagree with Pumbush that it's a mistake. For example, the name for the summer vacation from school is החופש הגדול, not החופשה הגדולה. You can also find this meaning in definitions in dictionaries.

[oZjJ7]

Freedom is not a thing, it is a matter!

[DL-Trolls]

And 2nd to none, not even to security.

[alex389397]

What is the difference between חופש and חירות?

[ItaiHadas]

In proper use they are synonyms.
The word חירות is more formal (like in חג החירות) or legislative (like in חירויות הפרט which are individual's "freedoms" or like in חוק היסוד כבוד האדם וחירותו which is a basis law about the respect and freedom every person diserves. You don't have to remember this because it is a matter of time until the current government will cancel it).

[AstraGlacialia]

So it is like liberty in English?

[ItaiHadas]

Yes, it is.

But you should be aware that the word חופש, unlike חירות, is widely misused as holiday/vacation instead of חופשה, like in החופש הגדול which is the Hebrew phrase for the July-August school break - "the long holiday" - or חופש פסח which is the 2.5 weeks school break surrounding passover.