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Category: Masorah, Grammar & Hebrew Language

Another Obvious Mistake, More Grammatical Points, Bubbe Mayseh, Apostates and the Zohar

Another Obvious Mistake, More Grammatical Points, Bubbe Mayseh, Apostates and the Zohar

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Another Obvious Mistake, More Grammatical Points, Bubbe Mayse, Apostates and the Zohar   Marc B. Shapiro 1. In my last post here I gave an example of an obvious error in a recent book focusing on the letters of R. Kook. I found another example of an obvious error in R. Dov Eliach’s new book, Be-Sod Siah. This is quite an interesting volume as it contains interviews with a number of leading haredi rabbis. I could have an entire post on the material in…

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Parshat Tetzaveh. Greek letter Chi and Tav in Paleo-Hebrew

Parshat Tetzaveh. Greek letter Chi and Tav in Paleo-Hebrew

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Parshat Tetzaveh. Greek letter Chi and Tav in Paleo-Hebrew By Chaim Sunitsky Rashi[1] on Parshat Tetzave writes that the priests were anointed with oil, poured in the shape of the Greek letter כי.[2] One would assume this is referring to letter Χ[3] – 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet which sounds somewhere between English K and H[4]. This letter spelled χῖ in Greek, is usually spelled “Chi” in English and indeed if one wanted to write it in Hebrew, he would probably transcribe…

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Kaddish – His Will

Kaddish – His Will

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Kaddish – His Will Leor Jacobi Note: I wrote the following essay outline several years ago, but shelved it upon discovering that most of its novelty and much more had already been published by David de Sola Pool over a hundred years ago.[1] On the sad occasion of the recent passing of my beloved mother I offer it now in her memory. Prayer and divinity were close to her heart. May our prayers be deepened by their study. The Kaddish…

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The Meaning of the Word Hitpallel (התפלל)

The Meaning of the Word Hitpallel (התפלל)

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The Meaning of the Word Hitpallel (התפלל) By Mitchell First[1] MFirstAtty@aol.com It is clear from the many places that it appears in Tanakh that התפלל connotes praying. But what was the original meaning of this word? I was always taught that it meant something like “judge yourself.” Indeed, the standard ArtScroll Siddur (Siddur Kol Yaakov) includes the following in its introductory pages: “The Hebrew verb for praying is מתפלל; it is a reflexive word, meaning that the subject acts upon…

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Abraham’s Chaldean Origins and the Chaldee Language

Abraham’s Chaldean Origins and the Chaldee Language

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ABRAHAM’S CHALDEAN ORIGINS AND THE CHALDEE LANGUAGE by Reuven Chaim (Rudolph) Klein Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein is the author of the newly published Lashon HaKodesh: History, Holiness, & Hebrew [available here]. His book is available online and in bookstores in Israel and will arrive to bookstores in America in the coming weeks. Rabbi Klein published articles in various journals including Jewish Bible Quarterly, Kovetz Hamaor, and Kovetz Kol HaTorah. He is currently a fellow at the Kollel of Yeshivas Mir…

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The Root of the Word מבול: A Flood of Possibilities

The Root of the Word מבול: A Flood of Possibilities

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                      The Root of the Word מבול: A Flood of Possibilities By Mitchell First[1]  (MFirstatty@aol.com)                                                                                                 A common assumption is that the word מבול means “flood.” This is how the word is translated…

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