Questions tagged [language]

Questions pertaining to language.

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Is English and grammar and punctuation chukos goyim, and is it good for Yidden to have their own dialect? [closed]

Like the question says. And it may be compared to Ladino and Yiddish. There's already Jenglish, Jewish English, like schmooze and sch- prefixing words for mockery, and ending a statement with the ...
Nissim Nanach's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
586 views

Seeking copy of Torah in Ktav Ivri (Paleo-Hebrew)

Is there a copy of the Torah in Ktav Ivri (Paleo-Hebrew)? If so, is there a copy online? If not, where might I find it in print?
Yehuda W's user avatar
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Slavic People are called K'nan in jewish sources

Why is the slavic languages or people reffered to as Cannanim in Jewish sources? Who is the first to do this? See for instance Minchas Yehuda in Mechokekei Yehuda explaining Rashi on Devarim 3:9 Here. ...
Naftali Tzvi's user avatar
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2 votes
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Why can't the malachim understand Aramaic?

Why can't the malachim understand Aramaic? Does it have anything to do with the fact that it was the lingua franca of the jewish demographic of that time period?
Shababnik's user avatar
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2 votes
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Jewish languages

Why haven't Jews had a consistent language throughout history? What was wrong with Lashon Hakodesh (besides for learning the local language)? We adopted Aramaic with a mixture of LHK and local ...
Shababnik's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
116 views

Would Jews speak Lashon Hakodesh by default?

If my memory serves me correctly, I read in the sefer Daas Torah some while back that if one doesn't teach a [Jewish?] child a language it will start talking Lashon Hakodesh on its own accord. Is ...
Shababnik's user avatar
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What is the earliest use of the term tzaddik? How far back does the concept go?

According to this website, there is a claim that "It is part of our glorious tradition going back thousands of years to seek a blessing from a Tzaddik for a sick relative (see Talmud Bava Basra ...
setszu's user avatar
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5 votes
2 answers
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Is there any symbolism associated with Hebrew being written right to left?

I am interested to know if there is any religious meaning associated with Lashon HaKodesh being written from right to left as opposed to left to right
rikitikitembo's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
69 views

Why does רש"י sometimes say "בגמרא מפרש", and sometimes say "בגמרא מפרש טעמא"?

For example, Rashi on Mishnah on Bava Kama Daf 27a: ושברה פטור - בגמרא מפרש טעמא 'בעל החבית חייב - מפרש בגמ
Shalom L'olam's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
50 views

Connection between Loshon Hakodesh and other languages

I remember finding seforim saying All languages are really just a distortion of Loshon HaKodesh It's as if Loshon Hakodesh is in gallus (exile) within those other languages. When we identify how a ...
Elyah's user avatar
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1 answer
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Is the Yemenite pronunciation of Hebrew closest to correct? [duplicate]

Is the Yemenite pronunciation of Hebrew closest to correct? If so, would that mean that we should use the Yemenite pronunciation when davening or leining the Torah?
Raphael Chilungu's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
100 views

Does Changing "Beitza" to "Beiah" Really Acoomplish Anything?

There are legitimate sources that talk about calling masechet "Beitza" by the name "Beiah" because the Hebrew word "beitza" can also refer to a testicle. See answers here ...
Avraham's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
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שַׁדַּי, shaday

What is/are any widely accepted Jewish interpretations of the 40+ instances of שַׁדַּי, shaday in the scriptures? I've seen conflicting definitions/etymologies in the Christian world.  Some (the ...
WGroleau's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
65 views

Why did Hashem confuse the tongues of the tower-builders, rather than set them at enmity with each other?

Shalom. I have tonight been grappling with a challenge to emunah posed by historical linguistics - i.e. the fact that new languages develop naturally, through the separation, or the divisions between, ...
Tom W's user avatar
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-1 votes
1 answer
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Meaning of the roshei teivot והיע"ב אכי"ר [closed]

The second part of the reshei tevot והיע"ב אכי"ר is of course amen kein yehi ratzon "so it may be His will", but I do not know the first part, היע"ב. Any thoughts would be ...
SimpleYid's user avatar
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Usage of אמר מר and גופא [duplicate]

The Gemora sometimes wants to discuss a side point from a previous text. It will introduce this as אמר מר or גופא for example the first page of Brachos says: אֲמַר מָר: ״מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהַכֹּהֲנִים ...
fulltimekollelguy's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
55 views

Why does the Gemara reference R' Yaakov in an odd way?

In Sotah 46a, it says the following: אָמַר לְהוּ הַהוּא מֵרַבָנָן ור׳ יַעֲקבֹ שְמֵיהּ לְדִידִי מְפָרְשָא לִי מִינֵּיהּ דְרַבִי יוֹחָנָן מְשִיכַת עוֹל לְרָחְבוֹ טֶפַח One of the rabbis said to them, ...
yogazefish's user avatar
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1 answer
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Are there examples of "language transformations" in Hebrew grammar that significantly alter the apparent meaning of a text?

In a discussion on this site, a knowledgeable friend pointed out in comments how there are "many, many language transformations broadly associated with Hebrew grammar", such as "...
1Sam1223's user avatar
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1 vote
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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 ...
Michael's user avatar
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Rashi on Devarim 6:8 - Why does the Torah use a foreign language?

In Devarim 6:8 Rashi says, והיו לטטפת בין עיניך: אלו תפילין שבראש ועל שם מנין פרשיותיהם נקראו טטפת. טט בכתפי שתים, פת באפריקי שתים: Rashi's English translation is: and they shall be for ornaments ...
Mars Sojourner's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
77 views

Is טיית a language?

Rav Hai Ga'on's commentary to Keilim 14:3 reads: הקנטר של בנאי. פי' כמין מטה ושבט של ברזל שהוא לבנאים לחתור בו הכותל ושמו בטיית בורסין What do the last three words mean? I assume it's a reference to ...
Zarka's user avatar
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4 votes
1 answer
174 views

English Words in Tosfot?

Posting for someone else: Rashi occasionally provides Old French words in his commentary to help understand certain terms or concepts. Who is the earliest author to have done the same with (Old) ...
רבות מחשבות's user avatar
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0 answers
44 views

Is Historical (or narrative) Present Used in Tanakh?

In the beginning of ויצא, the first couple of verses are written in past tense but Yaakov's dream is in present tense. I assumed that a possible explanation for this is that the Torah is using the ...
Yehuda's user avatar
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When, how and why did עשרת הדברים turn into עשרת הדברות?

God clearly spoke of עשרת הדברים in the Torah (Exodus.34.28, see also Deut.4.13) or 10.4): וַיְהִי־שָׁם עִם־ה'אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לַיְלָה... וַיִּכְתֹּב עַל־הַלֻּחֹת אֵת דִּבְרֵי הַבְּרִית ...
Al Berko's user avatar
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2 votes
3 answers
127 views

יחד one, sole, only, set apart?

Genesis 22:2 says: Take now thy son, thine ben yachid (only son) Yitzchak, whom thou lovest. Literally it says your son, your ‘individual, only, sole’, whom you love, Yitzchak (אֶת־בִּנְךָ֨ אֶת־...
Y.Talmid's user avatar
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1 vote
2 answers
145 views

Father Son what do these terms imply?

I'm not so much interested to who or what these words refer to in these verses, but what I would like to know, however, is what the terms 'father' and 'son' mean when used in the Tenach when it’s not ...
Noah's user avatar
  • 59
0 votes
1 answer
95 views

Can the definitive article, הַ וְ, be used in demonyms found in the Talmud?

Does the Talmud use the definitive article, הַ וְ, in demonyms? For example, in English we can say both, "David the New Yorker" and "David of New York", the first form using the ...
Tyler Durden's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
104 views

Bar Enash a designation of an authoritative representative of another?

Daniel 7:13. In that prophetic verse, Daniel declares that he sees one like a son of (mortal) man coming with clouds to the Ancient of Days to be presented before Him. The expression ‘like a son of ...
Y.Talmid's user avatar
  • 711
0 votes
1 answer
206 views

What does the word 'Fakhert' mean in yiddish? [closed]

It pops up in a bunch of shiurim but I can't seem to find a definition online.
Avi Mosseri's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
215 views

What do the words בֶּאֱמֶת אָמְרוּ teach us in the Mishna?

Mishna Shabbat 1:3: לֹא יֵצֵא הַחַיָּט בְּמַחְטוֹ סָמוּךְ לַחֲשֵׁכָה, שֶׁמָּא יִשְׁכַּח וְיֵצֵא. וְלֹא הַלַּבְלָר בְּקֻלְמוֹסוֹ. וְלֹא יְפַלֶּה אֶת כֵּלָיו, וְלֹא יִקְרָא לְאוֹר הַנֵּר. בֶּאֱמֶת ...
user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
54 views

What is the difference between "גזרה רעה" "גזרה קשה"

Is there a difference between the concept of the Hebrew words of "גזרה רעה" an evil decree versus a "גזרה קשה" a difficult decree? See Machzor Rosh HaShana on the annulment of ...
Shmuel Goldstein's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
180 views

English prayers, mix in hebrew?

Some prayers can be said in any language, and many people use the English translation in siddurim to daven directly, the question is is one allowed to mix in both hebrew and English when first ...
B''H Bi'ezras -- Boruch Hashem's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
79 views

Why is Aramaic "tlasah" used for wine in ketoret, where spices are counted in Hebrew "shlasha"?

In Talmud Keritot 6a, read in the siddur, it states, קילופה שלשה וקנמון תשעה בורית כרשינה תשעה קבין יין קפריסין סאין תלתא קבין תלתא Why is the Hebrew שלשה used for "three" (hin) in ...
DrMoishe Pippik's user avatar
2 votes
3 answers
258 views

Why Hebrew wasn't the spoken language in the Gemara times?

Why was Hebrew NOT the spoken language of the Jewish people after the Mishna? And why was a scholarly text, which was created for individuals who also obviously understood Hebrew, written in Aramaic? ...
user22192's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
318 views

Why this common greeting: Tzom kal?

Tzom kal (easy fast) is a common greeting before the 9th of Av, but why? It runs counter to the adage, "No pain, no gain". The no pain adage seems similar to L'fum tzaara agra – according ...
Yehuda W's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
580 views

What is the difference between 'a minori ad majus' and 'a majori ad minus'

Good afternoon, I'm attempting to understand the "Thirty-Two Rules of Elezer B. Jose Ha-Gelili" and have come to the 5th rule and have a question; 1. Summary of Problem In reading the ...
Johnathan D. Hill's user avatar
0 votes
0 answers
136 views

How can we say the Torah uses words of later-day languages? [duplicate]

My friend told me how the word das, which we use to mean halacha or religion, like k'das Moshe veYisroel, is actually a Persian word. If this is true, then how can commentators explain the word ...
Reuvy 's user avatar
  • 127
2 votes
2 answers
246 views

How many taamim/cantillation/trop marks are there?

I know there are different nusachot, but is there a maximal amount?
Kfir's user avatar
  • 1,252
8 votes
1 answer
384 views

Aramaic in a baraisa

I always understood a major difference between a mishna/baraisa and the text of the gemarra is the former is in Rabbinic Hebrew and the latter is in Aramaic. The other day I chanced upon a gemarra in ...
robev's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
208 views

Sacred vs Holy: why the same word in Hebrew?

English and other languages (e.g., Russian & Greek) distinguish between "holy" ("святой", "άγιος") and "sacred" ("священный", "ιερός"). ...
sds's user avatar
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0 votes
1 answer
50 views

Does אנא ever connote thanking?

Does anyone know of an instance where אנא is interpreted as thanking as opposed to a plea or request?
TorahKnowledgeSeeker's user avatar
0 votes
3 answers
105 views

How often does the word "truth" appear n the Torah? [closed]

I am interested in knowing how often the word "truth" or "emet appears in the Torah
Paul Gordon's user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
113 views

Evolution of the Term "Ger"

According to Plaut ("The Torah a Modern Commentary", Revised Edition, p. 530) the term "ger" has changed over time. Ger was the term applied to resident non-Israelites who could ...
ron's user avatar
  • 497
2 votes
0 answers
101 views

Origin of the use of "G-d"

I'm wondering about the earliest uses of the abbreviation "G-d". Obviously, it's used as an extension to avoiding saying Hashem's name in vain, but was this practice common from the ...
Ari's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
141 views

Is there any particular halachic reason why the Maccabean Martyrs would insist on speaking Hebrew?

I was reading 2 Maccabees chapter 7, 7 After the first brother died in this manner, they led forward the second one with mockery. They ripped off the skin of his head along with the hair and demanded,...
user avatar
2 votes
0 answers
64 views

What is the root/deeper meaning of ממילא? [closed]

I am trying to understand what the word means and what its root is. How it comes to translate into "automatically" or "by itself", etc. What words is it related to? What is the ...
Sam's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
100 views

How do you spell maila? [closed]

I've looked in the Jewish Languages dictionary and other places but I can't find anyone who gives a Hebrew spelling of the word maila,‎ meaning positive quality,‎ opposite of חסרון.‎ I'm guessing that ...
ak0000's user avatar
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1 vote
0 answers
92 views

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 ...
Perry Webb's user avatar
3 votes
0 answers
155 views

Is there any evidence of a Jewish demon named Khoyzek?

The Yiddish term khoyzek refers a "mockery" of something else. According to Dov Sadan (cited here) this word derives from Khoyzek a demon in Jewish folklore. I looked high and low and could ...
Reb Chaim HaQoton's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
75 views

What are the sources that the soul possesses the knowledge of a language?

@AvrohomYitzchok asked me this question to support the assertions for another question: "why-dont-newborns-speak-outright. What are the sources that the knowledge of a language is a quality of ...
Al Berko's user avatar
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