The words tag has no wiki summary.
2
votes
1answer
120 views
What does “Maaseh Rav” mean?
I believe many people think the term "Maaseh Rav" means a story of a Rabbi: since we see from the story that a Rabbi acted a certain way, we can bring this as a proof to the halacha. However, I ...
1
vote
3answers
118 views
Gmar Chasima Tova - What does it mean?
When we wish one another during the Aseres Yemei Teshuva "Gmar Chasima Tova" what does it mean? Does it not depend on what is written in the document? What difference does it make if the seal is good ...
0
votes
2answers
79 views
How does the definition of reishit differ from bereishit?
If I am not mistaken, the Hebrew word for "in the beginning" in Bereishit 1:1, could have been reishit. However, the word used was bereshit. It is my understanding that the use of bereshit (reishit ...
3
votes
1answer
64 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 ...
4
votes
3answers
109 views
The dagesh in “elo-ha” means what?
I'm not so clear on the use of the dagesh as a point of definition -- I understand some fo the pronunciation issues but not all of them either so I would appreciate any help here.
I recall learning ...
2
votes
2answers
96 views
Why is Eretz Yisrael called “Eretz Tzvi”?
Why is Eretz Yisrael called "Eretz Tzvi"? What does this mean exactly? Why? and Where does it say this?
1
vote
2answers
52 views
Rashi on Bereishis 37:12: Only their sheep, or also their father's?
I'm having some trouble understanding the Rashi in Bereishis 37:12. Rashi says (as I understand it) that we cut out the word es because they only went to to feed their own sheep. If so, then why does ...
2
votes
1answer
145 views
Why “hayom yom rishon”, not “echad”?
Rabbi Menachem Greenblatt (St. Louis, Missouri) mentioned at s'uda sh'lishis (Shabas parashas "Ki Setze" 5772) that the correct name for Sunday is echad b(a?)shabas, as is written in k'suvos and ...
3
votes
2answers
98 views
Why no play on words for apple and honey?
The other simanim eaten on Rosh Hashana contain a play on words with the name of the food and either a wish for a good omen or a wish for bad to befall our enemies. The yehi ratzon for the apple has ...
3
votes
2answers
66 views
ורב להושיע instead of רב להושיע in אתה גבור
Siddur Tefila Yeshara (the Berdichever Siddur) has, in the second blessing of the Shemoneh Esreh, ורב להושיע - "v'rav l'hoshea", "and abundant in deliverance". Literally every other siddur I've ever ...
4
votes
2answers
159 views
Are there unnecessary words in torah?
I've been taught, often enough that I thought it was universal, that there are no unnecessary words in torah (chumash) — every word is there to teach us something. I've seen plenty of discussions in ...
6
votes
0answers
99 views
Why call so many olim “moreinu”?
I davened in a couple of different Chassidish shuls over the past few days, and in two different places (Tenka and Munkacs), I noticed that nearly all men who were called up for an aliya were ...
1
vote
2answers
113 views
Source for abrah kadabrah
I remember seeing a passuk that has the phrase "abrah kadabrah," or maybe a Rishon. Does anyone know a source?
8
votes
1answer
97 views
Why is Kiddushin Performed “according to the tradition of Moshe and Israel”?
When betrothing a woman, the groom says "Behold, you are betrothed to me with this ring, according to the tradition of Moshe and Israel."
As explained in that article, "according to the tradition of ...
5
votes
2answers
142 views
What is the meaning of tehom?
Throughout the Tanach, and I've seen it in Midrashim as well, there is a concept of the "Tehom", translated as "Deep Waters". It appears in the creation story in Bereishis, and in the song at Yam Suf. ...
8
votes
3answers
120 views
Which word in “אלו ואלו דברי אלקים חיים” is חיים modifying?
"אלו ואלו דברי אלקים חיים" is generally translated as "These [and these are both equally] the words of the Living G-d" or some variation thereof. Is that correct, though? Is it not possible that it ...
3
votes
1answer
112 views
Why don't translations of Tehilim 119 translate נשף like the Gemara?
The Gemara on Berachos 3b asserts that נשף can mean either "dawn" or "evening", and cites Tehilim 119:147 as an instance of "evening".
However, every translation I have seen of this verse - the ...
6
votes
1answer
103 views
Universal theory of Biblical eye-raising
Do any of the commentaries or Midrashim offer a universal interpretation (perhaps of the form "any time you see this, it means that") of Biblical idiom of "raising eyes"?
Below are some examples that ...
1
vote
1answer
89 views
What is the Issur of Nivul Peh based on?
I am wondering what exactly the Issur of Nivul Peh is predicated on.
Is it:
That such words shouldn't be spoken from a person's mouth; or
That its a cause of chillul Hashem ...
1
vote
0answers
54 views
Words in Sefarim in Modern Hebrew [closed]
Sometimes in the more modern seforim, I see an alternate spelling of סוגיה instead of סוגיא, with a Hei (ה) replacing the Aleph (א). Why is this? Also, is this done with similar words? For example, ...
1
vote
2answers
264 views
What's wrong with 'Hip Hip Hooray'?
When cutting the cake at a Jewish birthday party, or other celebrations when a cheer is called for, 'Hip Hip, Hooray!' is never used but rather the Hebrew 'Heyach!' 'Heydad!'.
It seems to be a great ...
1
vote
1answer
39 views
Learning words from the servants of Rebbi
Where is the gemarah that discusses how the sages didn't know the meaning of certain words until their heard the servants of Rebbi Yehuda HaNasi using those words in everyday conversation?
2
votes
2answers
106 views
Why was Chanah called an “Ishah Kesheirah”?
The Gemoro says that when Chanah was caught by Eli davening and whispering, he asked the Urim Vetumim about her to see if she was ok. The letters ה ר ש כ appeared on the Urim Vetumim.
Eli understood ...
10
votes
1answer
126 views
Best way to translate “קא”
In the Aramaic of the Babylonian Talmud, there is a widely used word "קא", like in the sentence והא קא קרי (in Berahot 13:1).
What is the best way to translate it to Hebrew or English? Or maybe just ...
7
votes
2answers
95 views
בְּתוֹךְ and בְּקֶרֶב are used in different places and both translated “in the midst”; what's the difference?
I understand בְּתוֹךְ as "in the midst of". The tree of life is b'tokh ha-gan (in the midst of the garden), and God spoke to the people mitokh ha-eish (from the midst of the fire). I learned today ...
1
vote
2answers
133 views
Can the word “eitz” mean “a thought” in the Torah?
Is there support in the Talmud or later rabbinical literature to interpreting the Torah term "eitz," commonly translated as "tree," to also mean "thought". This of course, is a common usage in ...
14
votes
2answers
380 views
What was wrong with the word Talmud?
The Wikipedia article on The Talmud says:
and Pope Pius IV commanded, in 1565, that the Talmud be deprived of its very name. The convention of referring to the work as "Shas" (shishah sidre ...
7
votes
2answers
186 views
Boruch Shem Kevod Malchuso L'Olam Voed - ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד
Why when someone says Hashem's name in error do we say particularly Boruch Shem Kevod Malchuso L'Olam Voed - ברוך שם כבוד מלכותו לעולם ועד?
7
votes
3answers
87 views
The difference between צדיקים and חסידים
What's the difference between צדיקים and חסידים?
I assume that there is a difference because of Psalms 145:17. Also at the end of Nishmat Kol Chai where it says "uvdivrey tzadikim titbarach uvilshon ...
8
votes
3answers
263 views
All you need is love?
I once had a Hebrew professor state with absolute determination that "Ahavah" (the Hebrew word for "love") does not, in fact, mean love. His proof was twofold:
1. G-d could not have commanded us to ...
4
votes
5answers
169 views
Why isn't Half Hallel called “85 percent hallel”?
When we say hallel on days like Rosh chodesh, we don't say parts of two prakim of tehillim. This is often called "chatzi" hallel, or half hallel. In fact, according to ...
2
votes
4answers
530 views
What's the difference between “Jew”, “Israelite” and “Judaizer”?
What's the difference between "Jew", "Israelite" and "Judaizer"? Can these three terms be used interchangeably? Can only one or only two of these terms be applied to one person?
3
votes
5answers
716 views
What does Heimishe mean?
Literally it means "homey." My best guess is that it means "midway between Hassidish and Litvak." But given that differences between Hassidim and Litvaks, though they surely exist, are not what they ...
4
votes
2answers
113 views
Is Aggadah the same thing as Midrash?
(Inspired by a comment on this question.)
What characteristics define Aggadah and Midrash, and how are they related?
If the distinction is merely that Aggadah is a more general category of "legend" ...
5
votes
2answers
116 views
What does שעטנז (sha'atnez) mean?
.שעטנז.
I'm asking about the literal meaning behind the word, its etymology, etc.
4
votes
1answer
76 views
Changing the spelling of “G-d” and Halachic erasure
Is there a problem of "erasing the name of HaShem" if you erase the English word spelled G-o-d, and if so, is there then a problem of erasing it in order to spell it in a more acceptable way (such as ...
5
votes
4answers
193 views
What color is Yarok?
Yarok ירוק in modern Hebrew means green. What color does it refer to in Mishnaic Hebrew? I have heard that it refers to yellow and not green because the Mishna in Sukkah (on 34b) discusses a citron ...
6
votes
3answers
189 views
Difficult phrases in the “Sale of Chametz” document
I am currently working on a clarification of the document which is usually used by rabbis to sell chametz to a non-Jew. The version I am working with is that of Harav hagGaon Avraham Aharon Yudelewitz ...
6
votes
2answers
243 views
Why can't Ploni Almoni be a real name, in Ruth?
The verse states (Ruth 4:1):
וּבֹעַז עָלָה הַשַּׁעַר, וַיֵּשֶׁב שָׁם, וְהִנֵּה הַגֹּאֵל עֹבֵר אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר-בֹּעַז, וַיֹּאמֶר סוּרָה שְׁבָה-פֹּה פְּלֹנִי אַלְמֹנִי; וַיָּסַר, וַיֵּשֵׁב
Now Boaz ...
11
votes
3answers
135 views
So should be done unto the man
The verse in Esther 6:11 describing Haman's pulling Mordochai on the streets says:
כָּכָה יֵעָשֶׂה לָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר הַמֶּלֶךְ חָפֵץ בִּיקָרוֹ
So shall it be done unto the man whom the king ...
1
vote
1answer
142 views
Were the prophets and holy people who lived before Judah (Yehudah) also Jews?
The word "Jew" originates from the name of the eldest son of Jacob. The term "Jew" was introduced many generations and decades after him. I wonder whether Adam, Noah, Lot, Abraham and Moses were all ...
11
votes
1answer
133 views
Where Rashi uses a Russian word in Nach?
I heard that Rashi uses a Russian word where he deals with the building of the Beis Hamikdash by King Shlomo. I also heard that he uses a Polish word.
Does anyone know where it is?
1
vote
4answers
155 views
Please clarify Mishlei 24:21 regarding mingling with dualists
Mishlei 24:21 "My son, fear the Lord and the king; do not mingle with dualists" source
(1) please define "dualist" from the perspective of Judaism. If it is "someone who believes/practices dualism" ...
7
votes
3answers
204 views
Is there a hebrew term for Jahrzeit?
The term "Yahrtzeit" presumably comes from the German word Jahrzeit. ("Jahr" meaning "year" and "zeit" meaning "time".) Is there a hebrew word or phrase (or spelling) for the concept of a yahrtzeit?
...
6
votes
1answer
130 views
Who are these “aliens” in Isaiah 56?
I was reading through this passage in Isaiah 56:
4 For thus saith the LORD concerning the eunuchs that keep My
sabbaths, and choose the things that please Me, and hold fast by My
covenant. 5 ...
4
votes
2answers
220 views
Etymology of the word “Kvater”
What is the etymology of the word "Kvater"? Kvater is what we call the person that carries the baby boy into a Bris.
6
votes
5answers
227 views
Why is fear of Hashem known as Yiras Shamayim?
When people discuss the fear of Hashem it is called Yiras Shamayim. Why is it called Yiras Shamayim? Should it not be called Yiras Hashem?
9
votes
1answer
90 views
Bes El or Bes Kel?
There is at least one city mentioned in Tanach named Bes El, written as two words; that name currently belongs to a city in Israel and a number of synagogues and Reform temples. Does that "El" have ...
8
votes
1answer
192 views
“Don't say 'lehavdil' between one Jew and another.”
In today's Parashat Hashavu'a Chat, I used the qualification "lehavdil" (*) to apply to a pun that jokingly and innocuously related the actions of Datan and Aviram to those of a community member here.
...
2
votes
1answer
218 views
Etymology of the word “Vasikin”
What is the etymology of the word Vasikin? Also is Vasikin Hebrew or Aramaic?
