34
votes
Accepted
Do Jews today consider the King James translation of the Tanakh to be acceptably accurate?
The KJV may give the general sense of a translation in many cases. However, it has a definite Christian bend and does not always follow the Jewish traditions in translation. I will illustrate this ...
- 3,987
24
votes
Accepted
What does בהאנרעלזשולע mean?
R. Hoffman is using the German word for business school: Handelsschule. The question thus raised is:
A father told his son to write in business school on the holy Shabbat.
He does not want to and ...
- 11.9k
17
votes
Do Jews today consider the King James translation of the Tanakh to be acceptably accurate?
Harry Orlinsky, editor-in-chief of the NJPS, in a 1990 essay pointed to the example of three texts in the KJV as being faulty and showing Christian bias: Genesis 1:1-3, Psalm 2:12, and Isaiah 7:14. ...
- 1,834
15
votes
Sefaria and Rabbinic Endorsements
"Sefaria is one of my favorite things in the entire contemporary Jewish world. It is taking cutting-edge technology and doing something very spiritual by it. What it is doing is opening up the ...
- 494
14
votes
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Any known translations of the Talmudim et al into classical languages, prior to the 19th century?
Most if not all of the translations below include detailed notes that cite many other Rabbinical works.
(It must be noted that the purposes of the translations and commentaries listed below varied ...
11
votes
Do Jews today consider the King James translation of the Tanakh to be acceptably accurate?
KJV is definitely not considered most-accurate; at the bare minimum, it was not a direct Hebrew-to-English translation. KJV was intended to sound old, and to sound really good when spoken out-loud.
...
- 136k
11
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Why does Sfas Emes start his commentary on Parshat Noach by saying he doesn't know it? Is the translation faulty?
The Sfat Emet isn't originally a written composition, but rather a record of discourses that were delivered orally. So in the year 5631 he just didn't remember perfectly what he had said (...
- 25.9k
10
votes
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Rabbinic changes in the Septuagint (Megillah 9a) - facts or fables?
As I wrote in the comments, the modern Septuagint we have today is not the one made by the 72 elders. This is more so true for the Septuagints of the Prophets and Writings, which weren’t even ...
- 28.4k
9
votes
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What Egyptian/Greek text was Ibn Ezra consulting for his commentary on the name "Moshe"?
The ibn Ezra is almost certainly referring to the Nabatean Agriculture, a work that was widely cited by many rishonim (medieval authorities), most notably the Rambam. (Ibn Ezra appears to have ...
- 5,645
9
votes
Accepted
Can you help me translate an inscription on an amulet for a friend?
אם אשכחך ירושלים תשכח ימיני Im eshkachek Yerushalayim tishkach yemini
"If I forget you O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill." The words are from Psalms 137:5.
- 19.2k
9
votes
Translation of an inscription on a Kiddush cup
The inscription reads "L'chaim," and means "to life." It is a well known toast in Hebrew/Yiddish.
- 458
9
votes
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Would someone please translate this midrash on the death of Moshe?
Here's the first version (some of the punctuation is based on Eisenstein's edition) (some question marks in-between for words I wasn't sure how to translate):
“This is none other than the house of ...
- 28.4k
9
votes
Accepted
Could someone translate & explain the Mesorah?
There is a practice of certain soferim (mentioned for example in Rema Yoreh Dei'ah 273:6) to write six specific words in a sefer torah at the head of a column.
The acronym for the six words is ביה שמו,...
- 46.6k
9
votes
Accepted
Gen 25:8 Difference between translations
The phrase under discussion comprises the three Hebrew words:
ויאסף אל עמיו
va-ye'asef el amav
which can be literally translated as something like "and he was gathered to his people".
This ...
- 46.6k
8
votes
Why translate Torah to 70 languages?
The gemara Sot. (35b) explains that the purpose was for other nations to know its meaning. See also Tosefta Sot. (8:5). In the Mekhilta on that part of Deut., which Dr. Solomon Schechter uncovered, ...
- 12.1k
8
votes
Accepted
translate inscription on pendant
It is the letters of the Hebrew alphabet (Aleph-bais) in order, but the letter samech (the fifteenth) is damaged, and the gimel (the third letter) looks like a nun, and the heh (fifth letter) looks ...
- 3,560
8
votes
Accepted
Other gods or gods of others?
It's from Rashi, Shemos 20:3:
אלהים אחרים. שֶׁאֵינָן אֱלוֹהוּת אֶלָּא אֲחֵרִים עֲשָׂאוּם אֱלֹהִים עֲלֵיהֶם, וְלֹא יִתָּכֵן לְפָרֵשׁ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים זוּלָתִי, שֶׁגְּנַאי כְּלַפֵּי מַעְלָה ...
- 10.4k
8
votes
Accepted
Is the 1985 JPS Tanach translation available online?
1985 JPS Tanakh (online) : https://www.sefaria.org/texts/Tanakh?lang=bi
The 1985 Jewish Publication Society (JPS) Tanakh translation, a celebrated American-Jewish resource, is now available online ...
- 1,428
8
votes
Accepted
What is a קאפיזי"ש?
The first measurement listed there is a Fanega, and the Portuguese measurement is a Moio. I couldn't easily find the others, but hopefully this helps your understanding!
- 21.2k
8
votes
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Who wrote the מתרגם?
The section titled המתרגם was authored by R. Mordekhai Plungian (מרדכי פלונגיאן). He was a Lithuanian maskil (i.e. active in promoting Haskalah attitudes/methods) and served as a proofreader on the ...
- 9,590
8
votes
Accepted
What is the context, in Sefer Yossipon, of this? “Because in their fury they killed an Ox” (Gen. 49)
Welcome to Mi Yodeya.
You're using a modernized version of the 17th century edition of "The Abbreviated English Josippon: The Wonderful and Deplorable History of the Jews". As the editors of ...
- 28.4k
7
votes
What is the inherent connection between 5 and being armed?
The Baal Haturim there connects the idea of being armed with the number five; corresponding to the five types of weapons mentioned in Yechezkel.
וחמושים. מזויינים על שם חמשה מיני כלי זיין הנזכרים ...
- 19.1k
7
votes
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What is a "fishtran" fish?
According to Uriel Weinreich, Yivo Institute for Jewish Research - 1968 Yiddish English dictionary פִישְׁטְרָאן is cod liver oil.
Per Wikipedia cod liver oil is derived from liver of cod fish ...
- 140k
7
votes
Other gods or gods of others?
This translation is probably (ultimately) based on an opinion brought in Mekhilta 20:3:
וכי אלוהות הן? ... אלא שאחרים קוראין אותם אלוהות
Are they in fact gods? ... Rather, that others call them gods.
...
- 46.6k
7
votes
The Rabbis of the Septuagint
Aside from the Talmud, the story of the Septuagint is mentioned in the minor tractate Soferim (1:7-8):
מעשה בה׳ זקנים שכתבו לתלמי המלך את התורה יונית והיה היום קשה לישראל כיום שנעשה העגל שלא היתה ...
- 11.9k
7
votes
The Rabbis of the Septuagint
Edit: I've now noticed that the Letter of Aristeas, which records the story of the creation of the Septuagint, records the names of all of the sages involved:
"The following are the names of the ...
- 28.4k
7
votes
Accepted
What is the source for Yosef's garment being a "coat of many colors"?
The Jewish Action article mentioned by @dov (thank you) contains the following paragraph:
The earliest mention of the ketonet passim being a variegated garment
dates back to the third-century bce ...
- 48.7k
7
votes
Accepted
Translation of Hebrew letters
Looks like it says השם לצידי (Hashem is on my side/next to me), but with the letters in reverse order for some reason.
- 10.4k
6
votes
Published Ladino version of Meam Lo'ez?
Thanks to the work of some amazing people, all of the Meam Loez on Chumash in (Rashi-script) Judeo-Spanish has finally been made available on Hebrew Books.
Sefer Bereshit, Shemot, Vayikra and Bamidbar ...
- 5,437
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