Questions tagged [words]
Questions about the definitions, meaning and use of words specific to Judaism or words that carry unique meaning in Jewish law.
875
questions
30
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5answers
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When blogging/emailing/etc., do I use “God” or “G-d”?
Is there a religious problem with typing out the name: "G-o-d"?
30
votes
2answers
4k views
25
votes
4answers
3k views
How does one explain God to little kids?
As I understand it, the ability to understand abstract concepts develops gradually in kids and is certainly not all there when they first start having conversations. This comes into play when kids ...
23
votes
3answers
1k views
Where did “shabat shalom” come from?
What is the source for the greeting "שבת שלום"?
Where is it earliest attested in print?
What does it mean?
23
votes
6answers
966 views
Why do we say Mazel Tov? Shouldn't we thank Hashem?
Why do we say "Mazel Tov" when something good happens to a person? Doesn't that mean "good luck?" Are we saying that what happened, happened because of luck?
21
votes
5answers
3k views
Nittle Nacht Meaning
What is Nittle Nacht?
What does the name mean?
What is its significance?
Which Halachic authorities speak about it, and what do they say?
What is the actual date for it?
How is it effected this ...
21
votes
4answers
2k views
Why Yehoshua **Bin** Nun and not Yehoshua **Ben** Nun
The Torah refers to Yehoshua as Yehoshua Bin Nun. (See here for an example).
Why Bin Nun and not Ben Nun?
Are there any places in Tanach where he is referred to as Ben Nun?
Is there anyone else in ...
21
votes
5answers
578 views
What is the nature of the numeral “ashtei-asar” (11)?
What is the nature of the numeral ashtei-asar (meaning 11) as in (BeMidbar 29:20, Parashat Pinchas):
וּבַיּוֹם הַשְּׁלִישִׁי פָּרִים עַשְׁתֵּי-עָשָׂר
What is the basic word? Is this using ...
20
votes
5answers
654 views
Zeraim Moed Nashim Nezikim Kodshim Taharos - why not Moadim?
The names of the Shisha Sidrei Mishna (Six Orders of Mishnah) are: Zeraim, Moed, Nashim, Nezikim, Kodshim, Taharos. All of them besides Moed are in plural form. However Moed is in singular form. Why ...
20
votes
6answers
3k views
Difference between אֲנִי and אָנֹכִי
Throughout the Tanakh, I have come across אֲנִי (ʾani) and אָנֹכִי (ʾanokhi) many times, which both mean "I". What is the difference between the two words in Tanakh?
20
votes
2answers
786 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 Mishnah)...
20
votes
3answers
2k views
Bli Neder Loophole
Who came up with the Bli Neder loophole of:
Bli neder I will help you do X
Or
Bli neder I will etc...
And the list can go on and on.
Who came up with addingBli Neder which basically means "...
18
votes
5answers
872 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 ...
18
votes
3answers
1k views
Why aren't Tefillin called Totafot?
They're called Totafot in the Torah, so why do we call them Tefilin?
17
votes
3answers
7k views
What should I be aware of when using the term “Jew”?
As a gentile who finds himself writing about Judaism in the ancient world, I've found myself reluctant to use the word "Jew". I tend to use phrases like "Jewish people" and "Hebrew" when it makes ...
17
votes
3answers
637 views
the aggadic concept of a finite number of words to speak
Is there any truth to the common claim that each person has a predetermined number of words that he can speak in his life? Source, please.
If so, then how does it work? In particular (with sources or ...
17
votes
1answer
333 views
Why is there a dagesh in second camocha, but not in first?
In "Mi chamocha ba'elim H', Mi camocha nedar bakodesh" (from the Az Yashir song by the sea, but also between the shma and the amidah in the morning, and elsewhere):
מִֽי-כָמֹ֤כָה בָּֽאֵלִם֙ יְ-ק-...
17
votes
2answers
303 views
Calling a Jew a “guru”?
Is it appropriate to use the term "guru" to refer to an expert in matters of Judaism or Jewish law on the assumption that it will be understood as the second definition here, or is it inappropriate no ...
17
votes
2answers
196 views
Is Rabbeinu Tam correct about unique phraseology for specific amoraim?
In Kesubos 2b there is a discussion in which an answer is introduced with the phrase פשיט רב אחאי – R. Achai answered.
There is a discussion in Tosafos as to the identity of R. Achai. Rashbam claims ...
16
votes
5answers
484 views
Why is the wicked son sanctioned for doing what the wise son does?
In the Passover Hagada we're told about the four sons.
The second one is called wicked because he asks, "What is this service to you?!" ("מה העבודה הזאת לכם?") (emphasis mine), while the first one is ...
16
votes
3answers
639 views
What is “emunas chachomim”?
My daughter came home from school with a textbook response for what "emunas chachomim" is. I disagreed strongly with what was written in the book, so I'm not even going to say what they said. Rather,...
16
votes
3answers
210 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 ...
16
votes
4answers
572 views
What does “the Talmud” mean in the Talmud?
The G'mara Bavli says in Shabas 63:
אמר רב כהנא, "כד הוינא בר תמני סרי שנין, והוה גמירנא ליה לכוליה תלמודא, ולא הוה ידענא דאין מקרא יוצא מידי פשוטו..."
Rav Kahana said, "When I was 18 years ...
15
votes
7answers
34k views
15
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7answers
1k views
Is the title: “New” Testament offensive to Jews? Alternative neutral name?
Having lived in Israel during several periods of my life, I know that the words "Old" in the "Old Testament" and "New" in the "New Testament" are offensive to many Jews. From what I understand, it's ...
14
votes
9answers
998 views
What to call the 7th Lubavitcher Rebbe [closed]
Often times a few different rebbes are mentioned (either previous Chabad rebbes or rebbes of other Chasudusim) in the same talk and then the word "The Rebbe" comes in and it's ambiguous.
I have heard ...
14
votes
3answers
451 views
וינוחו בה\בו\בם ישראל in Shabbat shemoneh esrei — why the change?
I've noticed that the Friday night shemoneh esrei (nusach Ashkenaz) uses the line "בה", shacharit and musaf use "בו", and mincha uses "בם" in the phrase "וינוחו _ ישראל מקדשי שמך..."
What is the ...
14
votes
3answers
349 views
What does the aramaic “pon” mean?
Once in a while, Onkelos will throw in the word pon (פּוֹן) that doesn't directly translate from the Hebrew.
Avimelech to Yitzchak: k'z'eir pon shachiv d'm'yached b'ama (Toldos 26:10)
Lavan to Yaakov:...
14
votes
1answer
113 views
Shmuel running and walking
My sixth grade students asked me today:
In Shmuel Aleph Perek Gimel Shmuel becomes a Navi. It says in vs. 5 that Shmuel ran to Eli. In vs. 6 and 8 is says that he went to Eli. Why the difference?
(I ...
13
votes
4answers
2k views
Why “Lach” not “Lecha” in “Modim Anachnu Lach”
Could someone please explain why the "Lach" in Modim Anachnu Lach is not "Lecha"... I guess this is some grammatical point rather than the use of the feminime "you"?
13
votes
2answers
1k views
What does “prohibited l’chatchila” mean?
To me the phrase prohibited l’chatchila seems a bit confusing. Can someone explain what this means in plain and simple english?
(context: someone says "action X is prohibited l’chatchila")
13
votes
7answers
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Nefesh, neshama and ruach as words for “soul”
All three words can mean something like "soul", e.g., neshama in גלגול נשמות, and ruach in וַתְּחִי רוּחַ יַעֲקֹב אֲבִיהֶם (Bereshit 45:27). So, what is the difference?
13
votes
5answers
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Meaning and pronunciation of יישר כחך
What is the exact meaning of the phrase "יישר כחך", and what is the gramatically-correct way to pronounce it?
13
votes
1answer
212 views
What is “reverse certification”
I got this in a daily halacha email but not sure what Reverse Certification means, I figure someone here does
Reverse Certification
It is permitted for a mashgiach to enter a non-kosher ...
13
votes
1answer
339 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?
13
votes
5answers
613 views
Meaning of the phrase “Tzur Chevli B'eit Tzarah” near the end of Adon Olam
Near the end of Adon Olam, there is the phrase "Tzur Chevli B'eit Tzarah". What exactly is the meaning of this phrase, and specifically the term "Tzur Chevli"? I have seen it translated rather ...
13
votes
5answers
943 views
What's “chelek Eloak mimaal”?
I have frequently heard the human (or only the Jewish?) soul referred to as "חלק אלוק ממעל", literally "portion/section/piece/allotment of God (from) above".
What does this mean?
Who's the first to ...
13
votes
3answers
29k views
What is the original meaning of the word “hevel”?
I am not religious myself, but lately I have found myself somewhat attracted to Ecclesiastes. Reading about it, I am fascinated about what seems to be endless meanings and interpretations of the word ...
13
votes
3answers
1k 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 ...
13
votes
1answer
361 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 ...
13
votes
1answer
988 views
What is the source of the expression המבין יבין?
The Forward writer Philologos in his most recent column claimed that the earliest uses of the expression והמבין יבין are found in the Ra'avad and in the Radak. Based on the fact that both these ...
12
votes
4answers
425 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 "...
12
votes
2answers
241 views
“m'nora” on Chanuka
My kid came home from school one day insisting that the thing we light on Chanuka is not a m'nora but a chanukiya. I replied that that's the word most Israelis use now but that m'nora is a perfectly ...
12
votes
4answers
342 views
Significance of “Shema Yisrael”
The verse Shema Yisrael (Devarim 6:4) is highly significant. It is Biblically required to be recited twice daily, it is to be said at the end of one's life, and appears in the liturgy at the end of ...
12
votes
3answers
1k views
Posek vs. Rabbi?
It seems to me obvious that certain sheilos are best dealt with by only the leading Rabbanim. At the same time colloquially we often say a Rabbi has "paskened" a sheilah when the answer is fairly ...
12
votes
3answers
309 views
verb + its infinitive
Many, many times in Tanach, including Chumash, a verb has its infinitive nearby. Examples include B'reshis 2:16 מִכֹּל עֵץ הַגָּן אָכֹל תֹּאכֵל (I think that's the first example in Chumash) and ...
12
votes
1answer
94 views
Description of what Yaakov's sons plundered from Shechem
Gen. 34:28-29 describes how Yaakov's sons plundered the city of Shechem after wiping out its (adult male) inhabitants:
אֶת-צֹאנָם וְאֶת-בְּקָרָם וְאֶת-חֲמֹרֵיהֶם וְאֵת אֲשֶׁר בָּעִיר וְאֶת אֲשֶׁר ...
12
votes
1answer
342 views
What is the function of “Eloheinu” in blessings?
Many blessings open with the familiar formula:
ברוך אתה יהוה אלהינו מלך העולם
In additions, many blessings close with the familiar shorter formula:
ברוך אתה יהוה
Now, we know (Berakhot 40b, ...
11
votes
37answers
3k views
words often mispronounced [closed]
What are some words commonly mispronounced? (Not by elision/reduction (like ה׳→אדְני) or assimilation (like תזכרו→תשׂכרו), but rather words that are pronounced wrong ...
11
votes
10answers
1k 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 ...
