Questions tagged [hebrew]
Questions pertaining to the Hebrew language, as related to Judaism. See the help center: http://judaism.stackexchange.com/help/on-topic
97 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
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Was Kaddish ever said in Hebrew?
The Kaddish that we say is in Aramaic. However the Talmud (Brachos 3a) quotes an excerpt from Kaddish in Hebrew:
בשעה שישראל נכנסין לבתי כנסיות ולבתי מדרשות ועונין יהא שמיה* הגדול מבורך
(*The ...
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Is there a problem for a Jew to say the word "penis"?
There appear to be some sources that claim that Lashon Ha'kodesh is holy because there are no words in the language for the male or female genitalia. Instead the word "yerech" (thigh), "raglayim" (...
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Would anyone know of good places in the NYC area which teach Biblical Hebrew?
I was not raised with any foundational Hebrew education. Most of the places that I've researched which teach Hebrew are all "Modern Hebrew" (spoken in Israel) courses and not Torah Hebrew (The ...
user13783
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"Bli neder" and shevuot
As far as I understand from the discussion here, a "neder" is a vow forbidding or consecrating objects, whereas a "shevua" governs personal actions. For example, one would make a neder to declare wine ...
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In Genesis 6:3, How Should the Context Affect Interpretation of "To Contend/Plead"?
Disclaimer: There are A LOT of pieces to this I don't understand, which is making it very difficult to ask: I would appreciate your suggestions!
1. Question :
Genesis 6:3 -... My Spirit will not ...
- 408
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Explanation of Gemara's Interpretation of מצא
The Gemara Bava Kamma (113b) states that the term ומצאתה implies physical acquisition (rather than mere finding as the word would seem to imply):
אמר רבינא {דברים כב-ג} ומצאתה דאתאי לידיה משמע
The ...
- 36k
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ג (gimel) mi yodeya (the pronunciation)?
From a halachik perspective, what are the correct ways to pronounce the ג (gimel)? Are there variant traditions? Is there an academic/linguistic opinion on how it was most likely pronounced from the ...
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Is there a term for doing a mitzvah the same way every time?
I read in a book (why can't I find it when I want it?) that among the reasons that a tallit gadol has an atarah on it is because there is value in doing a mitzvah the same way each time. If it did ...
- 5,587
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English translation for tzaruch
I'm looking for the meaning of "tzaruch" in English.
I have read, in Torah sources, that "tzaruch ochel" means "for the purpose of eating".
Does the word "tzaruch" alone mean "the purpose", or only "...
- 21
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Original Nikud for Raphael?
רָפָאֵל or רְפָאֵל
What is the original nikud? I have seen some variation before and wonder if the name should begin with Kamatz or Sheva?
Thank you for any help you can give.
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Do the words menorah and Torah have the same root in Hebrew?
I'm studying the parashat Behaaloscha, the part where Aharon kindle de Menorah. I read that the meaning of Menorah has to do with 'Tora Study. I'm from Brazil where we speak Portuguese and the words ...
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How to say Mi Yodeya's version of Echad Mi Yodeya in hebrew
A selection of the Mi Yodeya series is being prepared for the
hagadah mi yodeya
14 are the books of the Rambam.
15 were the cubits of the Flood.
16 are the maneh of the myrrh.
17 were the ...
user11667
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Why Does עלה Mean 'Page'?
I have seen numerous sages refer to a page as עלה. Yet the normative way to refer to a page is עמוד or דף. What is the etymology of this usage?
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Masorah parva hapax legomenon
Is there a complete listing of hapax legomenon in the Masorah parva in the Hebrew Old Testament as indicated by the hebrew letter ל with a small dot over it?
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Why do some Siddurim say mitzvot tluyim ba instead of tluyot?
In the part between Borchi Nafshi and the Tallis blessing there is a kavona part that ends with mitzvot tluyim ba in some siddurim.
I first thought this was a mere typo but I've now seen it in quite a ...
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How לִקַּטְתְּ should be read
When reading Meghilath Ruth, How should I read the word לִקַּטְתְּ in 2:19?
Should I attempt to pronounce the ט separately from the תּ (which, as far as I know, isn’t possible without an awkward-...
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Yemeni manuscripts about the Hebrew expression - in Mishneh Torah Hilchot Avodah Zarah 9:4 - translated as "idolaters"
I am an Italian Noahide.
in Mishneh Torah Hilchot-Avodah Zarah 9:4-, Rambam states that Christians are idolaters.
Now, in various editions of the work, including the one available on the Chabad ...
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Chanukah greetings proper form
why is the greeting for Hanukah
חג אורים שמח "chag urim samach"
And not חג אורות?
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Non-Hebrew Torah commentary
There is a teaching that only Torah commentary written in Hebrew, the holy tongue, will endure.
However, the entire Talmud and the Book of Daniel are not in Hebrew, but in Aramaic. Even some parts of ...
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Happiness of Purim
In Israel, many people wish each other Purim Sameach - have a happy Purim. Yet it seems those from chu"l wish Simchas Purim which translates as 'happiness of Purim. It would seem that purim ...
- 2,252
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Preparation for Bar Mitzvah involved rote learning of pronunciation -- why is/was this?
I would not be surprised if this has changed but afaik, kids prepared for Bat or Bar Mitzvah by memorizing sounds without learning mean whatsoever -- I wasted years of afternoons reciting, an attempt ...
- 129
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Is every word of a translation as important as every word of the original Hebrew?
This question came up during a discussion about Hebrew vs translated texts and I'm curious what the answer or consensus is.
We're taught that every single word and letter is specific and used for a ...
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When does the rule of אתי מרחוק apply?
I was told that there is a rule that if a word has the stress מלעיל (i.e. not on the last syllable), then the first letter of the next word should have a dagesh. I can not find anywhere where this ...
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Are 'speaking' and 'desert' related in Hebrew?
"Bamidbar" means "In the desert" or "In the wilderness". But the root dalet/bet/resh also refers to speaking. Are the two related, and if so, how?
(This is not purely a ...
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Spelling of בארי in the Rambam
I noticed in several places in the text of the Rambam presented in Rav Nachum Rabinovitch's Yad Peshuta (e.g. in hilchoth nachaloth) that instead of the expected spelling/word "בריא" (a ...
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What is this text over the door?
I'm adding this post for Albert, who posted this in Biblical Hermeneutics. His question:
Hi i got some people rent a house, and they put this signs which i think is hebrew on the top of the entry ...
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קָמָץ vs. קָמַץ in Ashkenazi pronunciation
All Ashkenazi readers/minhagim/etc. I've seen call this vowel קָמַץ, while there is considerable variation on whether the second syllables of the other vowel names (except for סֶגּוֹל, though there is ...
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Where is a free online copy of the Torah with the "correct" number of letters in it?
First off, my intention is to create a pretty decent replica of the Hebrew text close to the formatting of the Sefer Torah or a Tikkun, for personal documentation purposes. My question though is 2-...
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How do the Israeli Ultra-Yeshivish and Briskers pronounce resh and cholam when they daven and during Torah readings?
I just want to get confirmation if both groups pronounce resh as a velar fricative, uvular fricative, or uvular trill. Also if they pronounce cholam as "oi" for all Hebrew words when they daven and ...
user17175
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Yehi Ratzon for a Choleh -- singular or plural
In the Amida, the bracha of Refa'einu, there is an additional supplication one may add and name a sick person. The text is the same as what is on this card.
In my siddurim, I have seen the request in ...
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Rashi, Tosfot - Dialects
Is there a name for the dialect of Hebrew/Aramaic that Rashi and Tosfot use? Have there been any articles and/or books published on how to systematically approach Rashi and the Baalei Tosfot's ...
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Is the phrase "Coming of days" reserved for specific people?
I searched the phrase באים בימים (and related grammatical instances, such as בא בימים, etc.). It seems to occur regarding only these people:
Avraham and Sarah - Breishit 18:11
Avraham alone - ...
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Which pronunciation-permutation of "yod, hay vav, hay" is forbidden to pronounce?
@AvrohomYitzchok said that I should post this question as a new question. (He did not know the answer).
I was responding to a comment he made, which read
@Sarah When Rambam says "pronounces the ...
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Why would one paraphrase and not quote a pasuk?
In the second bracha before Shma in the morning, there is a line which is taken from Tehillim 86:11 which reads, "יַחֵד לְבָבִי לְיִרְאָה שְׁמֶךָ". The construction I found in the Artscroll reads (I ...
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"Hello" and "sincerely" when writting letters
Not sure if this falls on the side/outside of the scope of this page. If so, let me know, and I can delete.
I have heard of shalom aleichem among people and the reply aleichem shalom, or simply ...
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Regional Ashkenazi Pronunciation
I don't know if this is the right forum to ask this, but I would like to find audio tracks of Jews from different Ashkenazi communities speaking Hebrew (be they leyning, davening, discoursing or ...
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Why the Hebrew word for "fathers" - אבות ends in "ות" as feminine?
To continue the "gender in Hebrew" questions (like "meaning-of-grammatical-gender-in-hebrew-for-inanimate-objects)".
What can be more masculine than the fathers, and still, the ...
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What is the correct definition of the Hebrew מין?
In relation to this question that I have asked. What is the correct English translation or equivalent of the Hebrew word מין?
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Differences in nikkud between Ashkenazi Hebrew (or Yiddish?) and "Standard" Hebrew words
I have an interest in Judaism through the prism of Yiddish (specially Hasidic) culture. I'm more proficient in Yiddish but I'm slowly absorbing a bit of Hebrew. Looking through texts edited by Hasidic ...
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R. Shlomo Klonitsky-Kline's dictionary of synonyms and homonyms
According to the Hebrew Wikipedia article on R. Shlomo Klonitsky-Kline it is said that he composed a dictionary of Hebrew synonyms and homonyms titled מלון דקדוקי (CMIIW, all of them related to Torah ...
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Biblical Hebrew Textbooks Written in Voweled Hebrew
The title may be a bit confusing; what I'm looking for is a Hebrew Grammar textbook (preferably biblical Hebrew, but modern is fine too) that is completelly written in Hebrew but its ment for non-...
Lyu
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How to convert dates? תשכ'ה
תשכ'ה
And generally, what is the system here? (I took a quick survey of the internet, and did not find a way to parse these dates from letters to roman numbers.)
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Use of יצ"ו, expanded to יבנה ציון וירושלים (May He build Zion and Jerusalem), how and where used?
I'm trying to remember where I have seen this (יצ"ו) used. I think it appears sometimes in sefarim, sometimes after the names of towns (not in Israel), and that the intent is to hope for the ...
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Does the scope of "נערה/Naarah" used in Mishle/Proverbs 31 include wives and/or concubines?
In Mishlei/Proverbs 31:15 it states:
She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth food to her
household, and a portion to her maidens.
וַתָּקָם, בְּעוֹד לַיְלָה--וַתִּתֵּן טֶרֶף לְבֵיתָהּ; ...
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Do any historical Jewish sources mention the translation and production of the Peshitta?
There seems to be much scholarly debate surrounding when the Peshitta was translated from Hebrew to Aramaic, and whether it was the work of Jews or Christians.
In light of this, I am wondering if any ...
user16888
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Why say bircat hamazon instead of plainly thanking HaShem for the food?
A niece asked me why do we need to say bircat hamazon which is lengthy and with words we don’t understand instead of just saying in English something along the long the lines of “thank you HaShem for ...
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What is a 'potential convert' called in hebrew/yiddish?
I know that a convert is called a ger tzedek. While a righteous non-Jew/goy is called a goy tzedek. From what I have found so far online, most just say/use "potential convert" when referring to ...
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