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Public Torah reading needs to be done in Hebrew (although, there is some opinion, I believe that allows sign language, but that's a huge separate topic.) Shema can be done in any language, I believe. … In brief, there is very little requirement to understand Hebrew to perform mitzvoth correctly and effectively. …

(What you may hear in colloquial Modern Hebrew when people address a stranger as אדוני, which literally would mean "My Lord" or "My ruler", is technically, incorrect.) …

נשמת applies to both Masc. and fem. The word here is the possessive form / singular. The plural, incidentally would be נשמות as the word נשמה is fem. and gets the fem. ending. The plural form applies …

First, learning Hebrew vocabulary and grammar is certainly a good and important start. But, you should also learn Biblical Hebrew, as its grammar is markedly different from "Modern" Hebrew. … This is one of a few examples where Biblical grammar may be different from modern Hebrew. …

The term "מצה שמורה", means "watched matzah". AFAIK, in making "shmurah matzot" The wheat is being watched, not the matzah, itself. Perhaps, from the time it comes out of the oven until it's packaged, …

The reading from the prophets that is done on Shabbat morning, is called הפטרה. This seems to come from the root word פטר meaning "to exempt". What, if anything, is being "exempted"?

See the bottom of p. 3 – p. 4 of this article: Avudraha”m explains that it does come from the meaning “to exempt”. At the time when the Haftarah was first instituted (some theories state that it was …

Follow up to this M.Y. question. I think that I have seen Rash"i or perhaps the Gemarah use this expression, occasionally, Loosely the phrase translates as: "The one that understands will, and the o …

There is an interesting metaphor used in the bracha for Kiddush Levana (Sanctification of the moon): עֲטֶרֶת תִּפְאֶרֶת לַעֲמוּסֵי בָטֶן translated (loosely) as "A crown of beauty to those carri …

Excerpt from Be'urei Hatefila citing Maharsh"a on Sanhedrin 42a: The word: “crown” as used in this prayer is a reference to the lost monarchy of King David. We pray for it to return. That is why …

Their name may come from a Hebrew root meaning "strength" or "stature".[2] It seems that the Anakim get more mention than the Repha'im and they are the ones more known as the "giants" than Repha'im …

Cantillation notes (aka trope) is called טעמי המקרא in Hebrew. … I have seen the Hebrew word טעם used to mean: taste as in: Numbers 11:8: שָׁטוּ֩ הָעָ֨ם וְלָֽקְט֜וּ וְטָחֲנ֣וּ בָרֵחַ֗יִם א֤וֹ דָכוּ֙ בַּמְּדֹכָ֔ה וּבִשְּׁלוּ֙ בַּפָּר֔וּר וְעָשׂ֥וּ אֹת֖וֹ עֻג֑וֹת …

But, one huge advantage was that when we learned Torah, the Biblical Hebrew was translated into "simpler" Hebrew. We red the commentary (mainly Rash"i) in Hebrew. … Biblical Hebrew is much different from modern Hebrew, but I don't think it takes much to master it once you have a decent command of the Hebrew language. …

There are numerous places in the Torah where the word "Elohim" אלהים does not mean "G-d", but rather a court. Why are courts named after one of G-d's names, and considering that G-d has many names, …

Partial answer for now. I'll address what seems to be your main focus. Viewing Targum on Shemot 9:11 which has both words לפני and מפני לפני is translated by Targum as קדם which could "generally" t …