Today, shivi’im is trifling amount compared to the reigning big numbers of billion and trillion.
The term moshav laitzim comes from Psalms 1:1. “Happy is the man that has not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in a place of scoffers.”
A midrash (Deuteronomy Rabba 4:2) on the giving of the Torah describes safra vesaifa descending from the heavens.
A tzavua person dyes him or herself to give off a false appearance.
The Talmud speaks of “yayin hamazug bemayim, wine blended with water”.
Hergel means routine or habit and comes from regel, foot or leg.
Kohelet can mean the assembler of an audience who will listen to his sayings.
Genesis uses the word matar for rain.
An orayach is a guest. It derives from the biblical word orach, meaning “way”.
The biblical name for Rosh Hashanah is Yom Teruah.
Bekarov etzelch literally means “soon with you”. It is a wish for the recipient of such a salutation to get married in the near future.
Iodine derives from the Greek iota, the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet.
When you act l’shem shamayim, you have no ulterior motive, no ego involved.
A pashkevil may announce the release of a new scholarly work or a lecture by a great sage.
A parashah is a section, a distinct unit. A perush makes something distinct, clear.
The three weeks between the fasts of Tammuz 17 and Av 9 next week are called the period of bein hametzarim, between the straits or narrow places.
©2024 The Jewish Chronicle
