Rabbi Dovid Fink (dovidfink@gmail.

com)

R. Dovid Fink

WebYeshiva.org

.
; , 
   , 
=  is a witness. In Babylonian Aramaic
we testify.
)(In Arabic shhid is a witness; shahd is a martyr.

( ;
+
( $
+
 & & % $ 
..
& .
% , $ ,

./ $ .$
0 2 + 0 $

 0 .2
3  4 ,$ 0 2 ;  ,
 , 
, % $
$ 0 ,2 $ %;

.$
5 3  4 $ 0 ,2 : 4 ,  !
 & .
,2

a law
3
2

the law
the law of
3
3
4
2

3 

3  3 /

WebYeshiva.org

R. Dovid Fink

:

 & 5 = The animal of outside and the

birds of the skies.
 & 5 = The animals of outside and the
birds of the skies.

is the Aramaic word for "measure." In Hebrew:

. The Midrash on is the . Usual
pronunciation: %
.
Probably better:
.
5 
3 ,
5 & %+ ,
& 5 4
Aramaic

$
$&
&
3
%
4

 4

Hebrew

$

$&
&
3
&
4

 4

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R. Dovid Fink

In Hebrew: 4
. In Aramaic: 4 . The Hebrew root
$ means "stand up; arise." In Aramaic the root $
means "stand." In the present tense: $( Dan. 2:31). In
older Babylonian Aramaic: $. In Talmudic dialect:
or or  . E.g., , .
"The question will stand" = $ > .

Hebrew

Aramaic

(singular masc. noun) (singular masc. noun)

3
2 3
( )3
(= )3
=3
3
( )$3

3
( )$3

3

3
2 3
2 3
3
=3
3
$ 3
 3
$3
3

5 & & = 3

2

R. Dovid Fink

WebYeshiva.org

Hebrew

Aramaic

)(plural masc. noun

)(plural masc. noun

$



$



3
3 2
3
3

3=
3
$)(

3
3 $)(
3


5

R. Dovid Fink

WebYeshiva.org

/ 3:
>  3 , : ?
4
 & = , 3
? ,

 %.
 %
%  ,
 = in Biblical Aramaic: if
= in Babylonian Aramaic: if
Biblical Aramaic


4 %

Babylonian Aramaic

 % 5
 & = %  , %  5

.
 & =
 ;  ,
we  means "to tell." In The Aramaic root
find:
 2 % 


& :
% =
=

R. Dovid Fink

WebYeshiva.org



=
we find in Hebrew: In
&  . 5 $

 =
/ 4 &
 %

= enough. In Babylonian Aramaic

>  : 4 ,
  ,


 & .
Hebrew

Aramaic

) (
&
& $ %

)(tilje

WebYeshiva.org

R. Dovid Fink

$&

In Biblical Aramaic = .
In Babylonian Aramaic, final " is usually dropped.
Other final letters are occasionally dropped.
Therefore, the word meaning "here" changes: 
becomes .
The Aramaic word means or "behold!" In
Babylonian Aramaic  + becomes . is the
usual Babylonian word for "here."
In Babylonian Aramaic $ + becomes $. $
is the usual Babylonian word for "there."

Babylonian Aramaic

Biblical Aramaic
\


+  > as in the expression:

.

WebYeshiva.org

R. Dovid Fink

In Babylonian Aramaic we find the following

development:
 becomes . is the usual Babylonian
word for "there is" or "there are".
 becomes . is the usual
Babylonian word for "there is not" or "there are not."
Hebrew can use the prefix to make a question
word. means "here" in Hebrew. means
"where?"
Babylonian Aramaic uses the prefix to make a
question word.
 means "here" in Aramaic. In Babylonian
Aramaic 4 + becomes
.
is the usual
Babylonian word meaning "where?"
In Biblical Aramaic 4 means "thus, thusly, so, in
this manner". In Babylonian Aramaic  + becomes
. is the usual Babylonian word for "thus, in this
manner, so."
In Babylonian Aramaic,  + becomes . is
the usual Babylonian word for "how?"

R. Dovid Fink

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

10

masculine

% )(
% )(
/ 5 )(

& )(
& % )(
& )(
% )(
& % )(
)(

WebYeshiva.org

feminine
)(
% % )(

%
/ 5

&
&
&
%
& %
)(

WebYeshiva.org

11

R. Dovid Fink

3 ,
(
:>
,4
3 /
3 , 3  4 ; % / 3
. : ?
Babylonian Aramaic tends to drop the letter .
Babylonian A.

Biblical A.

&

&

Hebrew

Therefore, Biblical Aramaic

becomes in
Babylonian Aramaic. Similarly: , , , etc.
from + 5 , + , and + >
.
corresponds to the
The patach under the in >
patach in Hebrew words like ,,
 ,,
 .

= bow
(
 masjid )
2

R. Dovid Fink

12

WebYeshiva.org

= period of time, = time. In modern Hebrew 3

age.

Hebrew

$

$


Biblical A.

/ %
/ %


/ $%
/ %
\ 0?
? 

Babylonian A.

)(
)(
)(
\ \
\


 \
\

, %/ 

 5 
3
Biblical and Palestinian Aramaic:
Babylonian Aramiac:

 2 2 2

13

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Aramaic

(in Old A. )

R. Dovid Fink

Hebrew

O
O
O

&
3 

In Hebrew = representative. Since angels are Gd's
messengers, the poet calls them 
.

2
 ,
$ 2 $ 2
$ ]>[  2 2

14

R. Dovid Fink

WebYeshiva.org

 :
 +?   ,
3 
, 3 3 & ?%;  ,
3 %
&

 , 33 , & = % ?+ .

with dot
no dot

Hebrew

II

III

IV

VI

b
v

k
kh

p
f

Aramaic

&. = corrupt. In Aramaic: In Hebrew

15

R. Dovid Fink

WebYeshiva.org

& is like: The Aramaic pattern of

Hebrew

Aramaic
4

English
written
forbidden
complete
finished
dressed
seemly
proper
permitted

2 22
 5
3
5 & %+
Hebrew

)' (

Aramaic
4
%



5

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16

R. Dovid Fink

The rule for syllable closing is similar in Hebrew and

Aramaic: Short, unaccented syllables must be closed.
In Hebrew, therefore, the verb gives us:
I will know = -dc (not: 3 ed- dc)
In Aramaic: I will know = 3 in- dc
Hebrew: Aramaic:
The Aramaic dialect of the Babylonian Gnostics is
Mandaic.

 :>
,4  $ 3  
:
4 : 3 ,% & 5
& 
: ,: & 2  4 3  4
.3  Q&>
$& 
In Hebrew the opposite of is .
But in many Kabbalistic texts, the
opposite of is .
& =

R. Dovid Fink

17

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Hebrew
& &0
& 5
& $:
5

Pal. Aramaic

Babyl. Aramaic

& & 0
& 5
& :
5

&0
&
5
&
:
&
5

5 2

5 2

4 %

4 %

2 R
%

2 R
%

= arrive
 2 2 2
2
Hebrew

Bibl. Aram.
3

Babyl. Aram.
 

R. Dovid Fink

18

3
4 3 2 3
4 3 2 3


2:

WebYeshiva.org

2
2

2

, > 
S
 :  4 &

3  ?= $ 4;   3

.
 ,  5 $
(verse 6). = We know that
4 = heavy, difficult. = S Here
Compare schwer in German and Yiddish.
  Q;
4 3  4 5
.
 4

The past tense in Aramaic has the following forms:

, 5 ,Q
4,

5,
, Q
4,
>
Aramaic Hebrew
4
4
4

WebYeshiva.org

19

5 5
5 & 5 &
2 2

R. Dovid Fink

5
5 &
2 5

5
5 &
2 5

The root means "be lost" or "destroy."

In Hebrew: .
In Biblical Aramaic we would expect: . In fact
the of the root is dropped and we get: 
.

In Deut. 26:5 we find: >

0 .
This can mean
"my father was a lost or wandering Aramean" and "my
father" would refer to Avraham.
But "understood the verse to mean "an Aramean
destroyed (or attempted to destroy) my father." Here "my
father" = and the Aramean is .

3 
; T 
4 ,

.

The Aramaic root means "go out; exit." The principle
forms are:

20

R. Dovid Fink

WebYeshiva.org


)  ? ? (

) (
<
,/
<
,/ 2 0

, . Compare: In Modern Hebew:

. , ,

 ,2
/
 $
 3 
5
5 3 4  3 T 4
5.
Hebrew

Aramaic

2 !

R. Dovid Fink

21

WebYeshiva.org

2 22
2 2 $ 2 $
2 2 2
2 
2 2 $
$
2 . 

2 .
2
 



O
 2
$
2  .$

= 5 $ 

R. Dovid Fink

22

WebYeshiva.org

/ % 4 2 
 2 % 

& 2 
  3 &
&
& 4
2 3
&

&
 3

5 & 

  3 &
&
& 4
2 3
&

&
 3

& 
5

2 S


S 4 Q
2 

/ 
 & 
& 5
 5 2 %



=

/
2 $,
,

,/ 2 0

2 0 % 4 + 0
 &
&

% 2 & 3

R. Dovid Fink

23

&


=
 &
0 & 2

&
& $ %
5

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R. Dovid Fink

24

WebYeshiva.org

 4 :
 : & 2
/
>

 $ 4?  :
 2 .
/


  43 :  %
.  ,
 & 4} .}
= ,
&
 3  , = ;
 . ,
 , :


 $ = &  , 3 , 3

 ,>& $ 4
 3 


.  ,  5 
; 3 ,  5 , ,2 = &  .
> & = 3 ,2
 ,
 3 , =

3 :
.  & 3 ,  , 3
,
4
 $ ;
 ,
,
0
. 
 3

(
& , )

 % ;

 & 5

& =0 . 2 = ,
 
 , %;

3 ,
3 ,2 - : 4
 % 3 ?

,2
/
 % . 4 33 ,  

; 
 4
3 ? 4 ,

R. Dovid Fink

25

WebYeshiva.org

 $
/ %
 = , 4
 & 4 } . } 
4 ,
 5 2 5 ,  $ 4; 
/

 3 ,
 =3 , & 4  5
>
 . 4
3 & , 4
(2
( : ) 2
3 , & = 5 &
 & = .
+  

4 ,
> :3 , 4 & 
 $ 4 ,

>&  + 0  ,

4
,
= & 5 ,
4 . 5 $
/
( , 3 5

 4

& 2 & 4 3 ,2
; 2

 .