pertaining to the Hebrew language
3
votes
1answer
49 views
Will all Jews speak Hebrew when Mashiach comes?
This question just kind of popped into my head, so I'm not sure whether it is really a good question for this site, but I wonder if anybody has written about it.
I would imagine that since when ...
3
votes
3answers
127 views
Conventions for derivation of Hebrew names
How is a Hebrew name chosen for a person whose legal name is English (or other vernacular)? Is the name chosen based on phonetic resemblance to one's English name, a resemblance in meaning, or mere ...
3
votes
2answers
79 views
Why does “ateres roshi” mean “my parent”?
The phrase "עטרת ראשי" (ateres roshi == my head's crown) appears in many Hebrew texts to refer to respectable individuals. I heard in a shi'ur recently that it specifically refers to the father of the ...
3
votes
3answers
127 views
Is there a single syntactic class “פעיל” in Biblical Hebrew?
Is there a unique class of Biblical Hebrew words of the form "פעיל"?Is the putative class of Biblical Hebrew words strictly a class of nouns or adjectives?If not, is it strictly divisible into two ...
3
votes
1answer
298 views
Kel (Melech) Chanun V'Rachum — do you say Melech?
Some siddurs have the phrase "Ki Kel Melech Chanun V'Rachum Ata" at the conclusion of Ya'aleh v'Yavo. Some have Melech in parentheses; some don't have it at all. Can anyone tell me something about ...
3
votes
1answer
65 views
Difference between the words zachor and pakad
What is the difference between the words zachor and pakad?
They are used with what seems like very similar meanings throughout the Rosh HaShanah davening, as well as in the Chumash.
Here are some ...
3
votes
1answer
124 views
Meaning of Mappik in יה
One more question about mappik
(I don't know what happened to me, but this topic somewhat disturbs me lately :))
What is the meaning of the mappik in the following Hebrew words:
יָהּ
הַלְלוּיָהּ
...
3
votes
1answer
97 views
How do you pronounce the הוי״ה in hataras nedarim (annulment of vows) before Rosh HaShanah?
In the siddurs I've seen, we ask for annulment for vows made "with the name הוי״ה ". That word is left unvowelized. How is it pronounced?
3
votes
1answer
100 views
Importance of learning grammar
What are the traditional Jewish opinions about the importance of learning and speaking Hebrew with proper grammar (dikduk)?
3
votes
2answers
124 views
Correct response to tizku l'mitzvot
What is the correct response to someone saying, "tizku l'mitzvot" after you do a mitzvah, or something helpful? For example, after helping someone make an Eruv Chatzeirot they might say "tizku ...
3
votes
0answers
65 views
Correcting tav/sav
If someone who usually pronounces the letter "ת" without a dagesh as "sav" is leining Torah, and he accidentally says "tav" in a place where he would normally say "sav", should the gabbai correct him? ...
3
votes
0answers
53 views
Difference between 'rafa' and 'ripa'
The root רפא, "heal", is used in various places in Tanach, sometimes in binyan paal and sometimes in binyan piel. I wonder what the difference is between these. Does any Tanach commentator, or the ...
3
votes
0answers
99 views
Pronunciation of “Two”s in Hebrew
Thomas O. Lambdin calls out the words שְנַיִם and שְתַּיִם as exceptions to "shewa as the initial vowel in a word is always vocalized," i.e. it is "shtayim" and "shnayim". That's a secular expert's ...
2
votes
3answers
137 views
Root of word צְלוֹתְהוֹן?
Looking at the Kaddish Shalem focusing on the words תִּתְקַבֵּל צְלוֹתְהוֹן, what is the etymology of the word tzelot-hon? Is this construct even hebrew? I found the root צְלָא meaning "pray" with ...
2
votes
3answers
141 views
Meaning of the a word in an magen david
I have a magen david with שוי writen inside and I want to know the meaning
2
votes
3answers
353 views
Where can I find Hebrew etymologies?
In what reliable source can I look up the etymology of English (or other) words stretching all the way back to Semitic languages, especially Hebrew?
I often have suspicions that certain words might ...
2
votes
1answer
173 views
Translation of haggadah section titles
What are the litteral translations of the different section titles of the haggadah? (i.e. What exactly do kadesh, urchatz, etc. mean)
2
votes
1answer
109 views
What is the meaning of this painting?
I am in possession of this mysterious painting with Hebrew characters, but I do not know what words mean. I suspect that they may provide a clue to what is being represented in each of the painted ...
2
votes
3answers
107 views
Definition of Baal Nefesh
I have seen "Baal Nefesh" used frequently in various contexts: sometimes as one who is scrupulous in halacha, other times as someone who is a quality person.
What is its simple translation/meaning?
2
votes
4answers
305 views
Looking for a good English-to-Hebrew translation software
I'm looking for a translation software, or website, that accurately translates entire sentences and paragraphs from English to Hebrew, without grammar mistakes or funny language usage. Anyone know of ...
2
votes
2answers
143 views
Why is “Merkos L'inyonei Chinuch” spelled that way?
In the title Merkos L'inyonei Chinuch, why is the word מרכז transliterated with an 's' in place of a 'ז' rather than a 'z'?
2
votes
2answers
109 views
Why does the book (Megillah) of Esther never use the Hebrew word “armon” for palace?
It talks about the capital and "the king's house", but never uses the Hebrew word for "palace", "armon", as appears in Psalms and elsewhere. (Or does it appear and I missed it?) Why not?
2
votes
1answer
80 views
How does the word “Talmud” derive from root LMD? Is the word Aramaic?
I know what "Talmud" means and that it derives from the root Lamed Mem Dalet. But I cannot figure out how the word derives. Is it Aramaic (i.e. not Hebrew) and/or are there any other words that follow ...
2
votes
1answer
123 views
Are “tzipor” and “tziporen” related?
Are the words ציפור (bird) and ציפורן (finger nail OR a spice [found in k'tores]) etymologically related? I heard that both were connected to the root צ.פ.ר (arise) or to anatomical protuberance but I ...
2
votes
2answers
141 views
2
votes
2answers
84 views
Goy Versus Leum
The Posuk Says (Gen. 25,23):
שְׁנֵי [גיים] גוֹיִם בְּבִטְנֵךְ וּשְׁנֵי לְאֻמִּים מִמֵּעַיִךְ יִפָּרֵדוּ
Translated as: Two nations are in your womb, and two kingdoms will separate from your ...
2
votes
2answers
153 views
What is the Morph-Phonological Split in Hebrew that makes it so Unique?
Can some one explain this to me?
In a mixed language par excellence, large and monolithic blocks of material are
imported wholesale from each of the ancestral languages. Thus, while the verbal ...
2
votes
1answer
112 views
Schwa+Heh Pronunciation
How should a heh with a schwa under it be pronounced in an intermediate position in a word? E.g. פדהאל, or נהדר
2
votes
3answers
98 views
Translation of the word “nimshal”
Rabbinic writings (e.g. * Rabbah and other midrash) use the words "mashal" (noun) and "nimshal" (verb). What do these terms mean in English? I've heard "parable" or "allegory" for the noun but I am ...
2
votes
2answers
97 views
Different words for clothing
Whats the difference between kasah (covering) and labash (covering)? And when we look to clothes then what's the difference between kesut and lebush? And what about beged (cloths) ? Please show me ...
2
votes
1answer
128 views
Why werent Rashi letters changed back
What is the basis of the change in Rashi's letters from the standard Hebrew ones?
And if it was something that was dependent on a specific factor then, why weren't they changed back?
2
votes
3answers
94 views
What is the meaning of the words כהיום הזה in the prayer על הניסים ?
What is the meaning of the words כהיום הזה in the prayer על הניסים ? Are there options other than the Artscroll interpretation, "unquestionable clarity"?
2
votes
2answers
59 views
Research Project on How the Revival of the Hebrew Language Led to Jewish Nationalism
Can someone help me with finding sources (ie, things to read) about my research topic of "How the Revival of the Hebrew Language Led to Jewish Nationalism"
2
votes
2answers
219 views
What are the Hebrew titles for synagogue functionaries in various communities?
In every Ashkenazic synagogue I've seen, the fellow calling up people to the Bima is called a "gabbai." (Which was originally a Hebrew word for "collector", as in Tzedaka collector; I can see how the ...
2
votes
1answer
31 views
Hamracheim or Hammerachim?
In Modim in the Shmoneh Esre we say המרחם כי לא תמו חסדך the question is whether the מ in המרחם should have a daggesh or not, and thus what sort of Shva should be under said מ?
2
votes
1answer
71 views
Is there a chart which details the major common pronunciations of Hebrew?
I learned how to pronounce Hebrew from the book "Teach Yourself to Read Hebrew" which describes pronunciation with Sephardic vocalization. For example, patach and kamatz, according to the book, are ...
2
votes
1answer
71 views
How do I write in Hebrew for a Ketbuah, “On the first day of the week, the thirtieth day of Adar I in the year fifty-seven seventy one”
Question was asked by Stephen Spiegel, I'm just posting it here as its own question instead of a comment.
2
votes
1answer
88 views
Is it “Vay-SHA-vucha” or “Va-YASH-vucha” in Anim Zemiros?
Is it "Vay-SHA-vucha" or "Va-YASH-vucha" in Anim Zemiros? I've heard both, and seen both in different siddurim. Any insight?
2
votes
1answer
56 views
Picking out the alephs
How can you quickly pick out all the alephs on a page of Hebrew printed text?
2
votes
1answer
40 views
Singular and plural language in Vaikra 10:1
In parashat shemini, chapter 10, verse 1 it is written:
וַיִּקְחוּ בְנֵי אַהֲרֹן נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא אִישׁ מַחְתָּתוֹ וַיִּתְּנוּ בָהֵן אֵשׁ וַיָּשִׂימוּ עָלֶיהָ קְטֹרֶת וַיַּקְרִיבוּ לִפְנֵי ...
2
votes
2answers
52 views
Niqqud for שְׁיָרֵי in Zevachim mishnah
I am really no expert in Hebrew grammar and I know there are many variants of same word. In particular I think there is no tradition for the puntuaction of the Mishnah.
However in my siddur ...
2
votes
2answers
127 views
Which pasuk in Tanach has the most letters?
I'm attempting to build a database with every pasuk in Tanach, I'm trying to determine the size of the varchar needed for this. Which pasuk is this and how many letters does it have?
2
votes
0answers
27 views
Netzach, Selah, Vaed - what is the difference between these words?
Eruvin 54a says that it was taught by Rabbi Eliezer ben yaakov that wherever it says Netzach, Selah, or Vaed it means it will remain so forever. "כל מקום שנאמר 'נצח' 'סלה' 'ועד' – אין לו הפסק עולמית" ...
2
votes
0answers
144 views
Can we teach reading Hebrew without using the full names of the letters and vowels?
I've heard in Chabad and elsewhere that when teaching children to read Hebrew, one must call the letters and vowels only by their full traditional name. This is in my opinion very distracting for a ...
2
votes
0answers
85 views
How could different pronunciations arise when we are obligated to pronounce the Shema precisely?
If one does not pronounce the Shema correctly, one has not fulfilled their obligation (שולחן ערוך או"ח סימן סב). If so, then how could different pronunciations of the Hebrew words arise? Shouldn't at ...
2
votes
0answers
92 views
Conceptual Relationship Between “River” (יאר) and “Light” (אור)
There seems to be a relationship between the words "river" (יאר) and light (אור), that is only underscored by the fact that "river" in Hebrew (נהר) is essentially the same word as "light" in Aramaic ...
2
votes
0answers
93 views
Two-letter shorashim and phonetic shorashim?
I have heard many times in the name of Rabbi Shimshon Rafael Hirsch that every Hebrew shoresh (usually defined with three letters) has a more basic root of two letters. I also heard in his name that ...
2
votes
0answers
87 views
Intonation of questions in ancient Hebrew [closed]
That is, when someone asks a question in English, their pitch goes up at the end. When someone makes a statement in English, their pitch goes down. This is not universal: In German, only some ...
2
votes
0answers
102 views
Are there any good podcasts in Hebrew? [closed]
One of the things I'm missing in the US is lack of easy access to spoken modern Hebrew. Can anyone recommend a good podcast featuring news (as well as possibly other subjects) in Hebrew for offline ...
2
votes
0answers
129 views
Hebrew Grammar: How did Nif'al end up as the passive/reflexive of pa'al? [closed]
I have been trying to figure this out by comparing Hebrew binyanim to Arabic and Akkadian conjuations. But I cannot figure it out.
Is Nif'al a natural part of the G-stem (like pa'al) or has it ...
