I have no trouble using Jastrow for Tanach and Shas but I find it difficult to apply to Acharonim. How might I use it more effectively? Are there peculiarities of grammar I'm missing?
For a few examples, I'm looking now at some of the words that caused me to ask this question in the first place and I'm finding that with a little digging they are in fact generally in there. I had been stuck on:
החוטין צריך שיהיו טווין לשמן
but I think I understand it now as "the threads should be twisted in groups of eight". In fact, I'm realizing that it could well be that what I really need is a stronger foundation in grammar and conjugation. For example, I know what all of the words here mean:
הישן עם אשתו ובניו איך יתנהג
and I have a general sense of what this is saying, I think - "Customs regarding sleeping together with your wife and/or your children" - but why is נהג conjugated this way? Doesn't the ית prefix indicate the infinitive?
Maybe my question is really "what is a solid resource for improving my understanding of grammar and conjugation", with a sub-question of "do the Acharonim generally conform to Mishnaic grammar?"