Questions tagged [acronyms]
An acronym (Hebrew: ראשי תיבות, rashei teivot) is a shortened form of a phrase, usually consisting of the first letters of each word.
91
questions
37
votes
2
answers
6k
views
Abbreviations before/after names
What are the more common abbreviations one might see printed before or after a person's name, and what do they mean? Please include honorifics (R'=Rabbi) as well as memorial - or prayerful - suffixes ...
- 41.5k
20
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Meaning of ודו"ק
It is fairly common to find the abbreviation ודו"ק at the end of a complex explanation of a Torah thought (Maharsha, for example, famously does this very often). Roughly, it means: "I didn't explain ...
- 21.1k
16
votes
4
answers
5k
views
B'siyata D'shmaya or Baruch Hashem
Often, at the top of written work, Jews write either ב"ה, which stands for Baruch Hashem =blessed is the Name i.e., God, or בס"ד, which stands for b'siyata d'shmaya =with Heavenly help.
What is the ...
- 5,677
15
votes
1
answer
13k
views
Does ב"ה actually stand for Boruch Hashem?
We asked here about writing either ב"ה or בס"ד on the top of a letter. In the question it was assumed that ב"ה stands for Boruch Hashem.
Do we have a source that ב"ה actually stands for Boruch Hashem?...
- 43.9k
15
votes
2
answers
552
views
Can anyone explain the meaning of this amulet / inscription?
Right before my grandfather went away to fight in WWII, a rabbi in Munkács (מונקאטש) gave him a small cloth container that had a piece of parchment in it, as a kind of amulet. The piece of paper has ...
- 151
14
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What does כתר"ה stand for?
What does כתר"ה mean? It's mentioned very often in Igros Moshe, often in reference to the one who asked the shailah e.g. "שאל כתר"ה"
- 725
9
votes
3
answers
364
views
Meforshim Nick"names
It has become common practice to refer to most meforshim by acronyms of their name (eg Rashi, Rosh, etc.). When and why did this practice start, and is it proper?
- 38.5k
9
votes
1
answer
342
views
Why was Rabbi Yitzchok Alfasi known as the Rif - rather than the Ria? (הרי"ף - רבי יצחק אלפסי)
Rabbi Yitzchok Alfasi was known as the Rif. The Roshei Teivos of his name is רי"א, and as far as I know there is no other historic figure known as the רי"א. Then why was he known as the Rif?
- 139k
9
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Hebrew letters Hey-Yud-Dalet after a name
I'd seen some stuff written about a man, with the Hebrew הי"ד (Hey-Yud-quotes-Dalet) after his name. What does that mean?
- 131k
9
votes
1
answer
318
views
What does א.ד.ג. stand for in Yiddish? [closed]
What does א.ד.ג. stand for in Yiddish? It seems from context that it is the equivalent to etc. but I can't find what it stands for exactly.
For example, this this excerpt from a Hassidic story ...
- 973
9
votes
3
answers
291
views
What does בי in בירבי mean?
The word בירבי "the son of Rabbi..." appears many times in the acrostics of piyyutim (e.g. El'azar the Kalir signs his name אלעזר בירבי קליר, e.g. in the יוצר beginning אומן בשמעו).
(I have seen it ...
- 24k
8
votes
2
answers
561
views
What's the significance of בי״ה שמ״ו סימן, espcially on Dt. 31:28?
In most sifre Tora (Torah scrolls), 240 columns of text each start with the letter vav (ו), and five do not. The first of those five exceptional columns, of course, is the first column of the Torah, ...
- 73.5k
8
votes
1
answer
300
views
Changing "shlit"a"s to "za"l"s?
The name of living Torah scholar mentioned or quoted in another's book is often followed by an abbreviation of blessing such as שליט"א or נר"ו. The name of a past scholar, no longer living, is ...
- 23.7k
7
votes
1
answer
190
views
Abbreviation: בש"ט on a gravestone
While researching this question I came across a picture of the gravestone of Reb Arye Kaplan זצ"ל.
The post-final line reads:
נפטר בש"ט בי"ד בשבט תשמ"ג
What does the abbreviation בש"ט stand ...
- 42.8k
7
votes
2
answers
672
views
How do you find or understand acronyms?
I've heard that the acronym in a sefer usually appears in the sefer in its full form somewhere before the acronym does, and in many cases I find this, but sometimes I do not, and cannot figure out the ...
- 111
7
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Wedding invitation Hebrew abbreviation
What do the letters ayin, bet, gimmel stand for between the groom's name and the bride's name on a Jewish, Hebrew wedding invitation? In the past, I've seen ayin, bet, lamed which I believe stands ...
- 81
7
votes
1
answer
819
views
Why are wedding invitation abbreviated b'rachos different for males and females?
Many wedding invitations written in Hebrew that I've seen have the abbreviations נ"י - after the groom's name - and תחי' - after the bride's name. (Example) Sometimes they are slight alterations ...
- 23.7k
7
votes
3
answers
279
views
Source for this Remez expansion of יד שחט דם
There is an acronym for the liquids that make things able to be made ritually impure. The Halacha is in order for fruit and the like to be made ritually impure it has to be made wet with these ...
- 9,051
6
votes
1
answer
220
views
What does והבוכ"ע mean?
I have found this word a few times in the Satmar Rebbe's Divrei Yoel (such as here, for example, in Parshat Metzora'). I am assuming that it is an acronym, rather than a transliterated Yiddish word, ...
- 18.8k
6
votes
1
answer
975
views
When did "Zal" give way to "Zatzal"?
Inspired by this answer and it's comments.
Early on, it was standard to refer to great Rabbis who had passed away with the appellation "Zal" - "zichrono/ah livracha "May his/her/their memory be a ...
- 43.9k
6
votes
0
answers
113
views
Acronym for ישראל (original source)
Where was this insight originally brought down from?
י = יצחק, יעקב
ש = שרה
ר = רבקה, רחל
א = אברהם
ל = לאה
The earliest work I could find was
שני לוחות הברית
But I'm not sure if it ...
- 1,204
5
votes
4
answers
999
views
Is there a feminine equivalent of Zt"l? [duplicate]
Inspired by this question, I am wondering:
Is zt"l -- זצ“ל, zatzal = zecher tzadik livracha "May the memory of this tzaddik be a blessing" -- ever used for tzadkaniyot, righteous females? Or else is ...
- 19.6k
5
votes
6
answers
440
views
Gematrias or Roshei Taivos for the year 5772 [closed]
Looking for Gematrios of phrases and/or Roshei Teivos that are appropiate for the year 5772 (by adding up to either 5772 or 772, which is the accepted numerical abbreviation for the year after ...
- 139k
5
votes
2
answers
172
views
Who is the החזו"א
I saw the roshei teivos החזו"א in the Dirshu notes to Mishna Berura in Hilchos Rosh Hodesh. Can you tell me who it is? Is there a general resource to figure this out?
- 431
5
votes
1
answer
435
views
Source for Hardest Masechtos
I once saw that the hardest Masechtos in Shas are alluded to in "כל ימי -עני- רעים" (Mishlei 15:15), with ע standing for עירובין, and נ for נדרים (alternatively I've seen נדה or נזיר), ...
- 181
5
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Meaning of the (Hebrew?) abbreviation Ka"H
I saw this on a frum forum:
It bothers me when my daughters keep hearing about their (ka"h) appearance,and no one talks
about character.
I had never seen this abbreviation before. Does anyone ...
- 19.6k
5
votes
1
answer
214
views
What does LAYT stand for?
I received a letter from a rabbi, in his capacity of leading a Jewish institution, that opened with
Dear _____, LAYT
I assume, given the context, that "LAYT" is some sort of Jewish blessing or ...
- 47.8k
5
votes
1
answer
224
views
What does חיו"ש וכט"ס stand for?
What does this abbreviation stand for? It is part of the greeting section of a letter written in Hebrew from the late 19th century. The phrase in which it appears is:
שפעת חיו"ש וכט"ס לכבוד הרב וכו
...
- 973
5
votes
3
answers
205
views
Academic abbreviations
Academic texts typically use acronyms to refer to books in Tana"ch, Talmud, and rabbinic literature. I am presently working on editing the citations given within a translation to bring them more in ...
- 12.9k
5
votes
1
answer
121
views
Where is the first time that Tehillim, Mishlei, Iyov are referred to as ספרי אמ"ת?
The books of Tehillim, Mishlei, Iyov are often referred as ספרי אמ"ת. Where is the first source making this reference?
- 6,874
5
votes
1
answer
224
views
What is the oldest work to incorporate an acrostic of shem Havaya in the opening?
I have seen many books where the first letters of the first 4 works in the first sentence of the work spell out the shem Havaya (the Tetragrammaton, yud-kay and vav kay). What was the first Jewish ...
- 13.6k
5
votes
1
answer
128
views
What's "מיי׳" short for?
The En Mishpat Ner Mitzva on the Bavli (in the standard edition, anyway) refers to the Mishne Tora (Yad Hachazaka) as "מיי׳". What is this an abbreviation of? (I have an ...
- 73.5k
5
votes
2
answers
372
views
When did the use of Rashei Tevot, Heh Kuf, הק׳ in writings, books, letters, etc., begin?
Perhaps I'm among the last to have found this out, but it took me quite a while to understand why, in a signature, the name was preceded by a הק׳. The Ozar Rashei Tevot book has 31 different ...
- 1,427
5
votes
0
answers
119
views
What or who Ben Ish Hai means with נ"א?
בס"ד
In his derashot[ (parashah Shoftim, 4) the Ben Ish Hai writes: "פירש הרב נ"א ז"ל".Who is this rabbi נ"א? He cites this acrostic in other places too, but in anyone ...
- 99
4
votes
1
answer
173
views
Perplexing Abbreviation in Tzafnas Paneach
The Tzafnas Paneach has a strange abbreviation in his commentary to Rambam, Sefer Zmanim, Chapter 5, Halacha 5.
Here's the Rambam:
ונהגו כל ישראל בזמנים אלו להתענות בשלשה עשר ג באדר זכר לתענית שהתענו ...
- 1,571
4
votes
1
answer
96
views
Acronyms in Tanya
At the end of known editions of sefer hatanya, there is a a Luach Rashe Tevot, table of Acronyms. But through the lecture of the book I didn't find the significance of "דש''ע".
It's in daf 104b (page ...
- 22.7k
4
votes
1
answer
201
views
What is the proper way to write the year when it is a year that ends in מנצפך?
When the year ends with one of the letters of מנצפך - for example 5780 - What is the correct way to write it תש"פ or תש"ף?
- 139k
4
votes
1
answer
234
views
Closing abbreviation ושכמ"ה
Every [anonymous] question asked in the responsum Torah Lishmah ends with an address to the answerer and the abbreviation ושכמ"ה (e.g.). The Otzar Rashei Teivos had only one entry for this ...
- 23.7k
4
votes
1
answer
100
views
Who was ר"מ in Sefer Kol Bo?
Nobody knows for certain who authored Sefer Kol Bo (ספר כל-בו), and various theories exist as to who, and when, it might have been. (For a brief example of such theories, see here). Likely it was in ...
- 18.8k
4
votes
2
answers
424
views
Is ב״ה Baruch HaShem or Bezrat HaShem?
Is ב״ה Baruch HaShem or Bezrat HaShem?
Why did The Rebbe begin every letter with it?
4
votes
0
answers
51
views
יר"ה honorific for a king in Mishnah Berurah -- a reference to a specific monarch?
In סימן דש, סקכ"ו the Mishnah Berurah says as follows:
במקום שהמלך יר"ה גזר שאין שום אדם...
My edition of Mishnah Berurah the acronym is expanded as: "יָרוּם הוֹדוֹ", which I believe means May his ...
- 19.6k
4
votes
0
answers
416
views
The difference between Chazal and Razal
I have heard it said before that Chazal (חז"ל = חכמינו זכרונם לברכה; "our sages of blessed memory") refers to sages of the Mishna and Gemara, while Razal (רז"ל = רבנים/נו זכרונם לברכה; "our/the ...
- 18.8k
3
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Elul's acronyms
What are the Roshei Teivos (acronyms) of Elul (א.ל.ו.ל) and what are their significances?
- 33.1k
3
votes
6
answers
843
views
Mnemonic of Rebbi Yehuda
The Haggadah tells us that Rebbi Yehuda came up with a mnemonic for remembering the Ten Plagues: Dtzach Adash B'Achav
Why was the mnemonic necessary? It doesn't seem to me to be that difficult to ...
- 4,647
3
votes
1
answer
137
views
Deciphering Acronym in Holy Book
I'm reading an introductory book on kabalistic topics, "Amud Haavoda" from Rabbi Boruch Kosover. At the end of the first part, question--answer, when the author says an original and deep ...
- 22.7k
3
votes
1
answer
197
views
What sefer has rashei teivot הל''פ?
The Kaf Hahayyim in Yoreh Deah often cites a sefer whose name he abbreviates with the rashei teivot הל''פ. I can't find this acronym in his luach rashei teivot at the beginning of Yoreh Deah volume 1, ...
- 10.9k
3
votes
1
answer
196
views
What does אחדשה"ט stand for? [closed]
I received a letter that began with the date, my name, and then on it's own line "אחדשה"ט", then the content of the letter. Any clue as to what it stands for/means?
- 127
3
votes
2
answers
184
views
What does the abbreviation ז׳׳ק mean after a person's name
I'm editing a translation of a yizkor book. It contains a full-page essay/tribute to a rabbi. The closing line of the essay has the author's name, followed by ז׳׳ק and I'm unsure how it should be ...
- 133
3
votes
1
answer
283
views
Altering the Spelling out the Hebrew Year
In 1983-1984, the Hebrew year was 5744. Normally, the year would have been spelled out in Hebrew letters תשמ״ד, but according to my rabbi then, Rabbi Phillip Rabinowitz, zt'l, as pronounced the word ...
- 15.9k
3
votes
1
answer
149
views
What does this acronym mean? [duplicate]
I have an Asher Yazar card dedicated Le'ilu'i Nishmat HaRav 'Ovadyah Yosef A"H. At the bottom of the card is the Rav's name followed by זצוקללה"ו. I've been unable to decipher the full acronym through ...
- 7,423