Questions whose subject is the meaning of a word or term
Question numbers are the ordered-list index in that chapter ([start=N] honored).
Speaker-intent questions (“what did X mean when he said…”) are omitted.
| Sefer | Chapter | Q | Term | Question |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bereishis | Bereishis | 4 | Bereishis | How did our sages explain the meaning of Bereishis? |
| Bereishis | Bereishis | 16 | shamayim | Why is heaven called shamayim? (Three reasons.) |
| Bereishis | Noach | 13 | mabul | What are the three meanings of the word mabul? |
| Bereishis | Noach | 81 | yiskah | Sara was called yiskah. What are the various meanings of this name? |
| Bereishis | Lech Lecha | 46 | damesek | Why was Eliezer called damesek? (Two reasons.) |
| Bereishis | Lech Lecha | 63 | peras | Why is the river peras called “the great river”? |
| Bereishis | Lech Lecha | 82 | Yitzchak | What is the meaning of the name Yitzchak? (Two things.) |
| Bereishis | Vayeira | 38 | maacheles | The knife is called maacheles. Why? |
| Bereishis | Chayei Sara | 3 | kiryas-arba | Why was Chevron called kiryas-arba? |
| Bereishis | Chayei Sara | 6 | meoros-hamachpeila | Why was the meoros hamachpeila called by this name? |
| Bereishis | Toldos | 26 | esek, sitnah, rechovos, shiveh | Why were Yitzchak’s new wells called these names? |
| Bereishis | Toldos | 28 | Beer-Sheva | Why was the city of Beer-Sheva called by that name? |
| Bereishis | Vayeitzei | 9 | uforatzto | What is the meaning of uforatzto? |
| Bereishis | Vayeitzei | 25 | Reuven | According to Razal, what is the meaning of the name Reuven? |
| Bereishis | Vayishlach | 3 | garti | How does the word garti carry two ideas? |
| Bereishis | Vayigash | 25 | nefesh | Why are Yaakov’s people called nefesh, in the singular? |
| Bereishis | Miketz | 20 | avreich | Everyone in Mitzrayim called Yoseif avreich. What does this mean? |
| Bereishis | Miketz | 22 | Menashe, Efrayim | What were the names of Yoseif’s two sons? Their meanings? |
| Bereishis | Vayechi | 37 | Shiloh | “Until Shiloh will come.” Who is meant here? Why that name? |
| Shemos | Shemos | 10 | (midwives’ names) | What were the names of the two chief midwives? The meanings of the names? |
| Shemos | Bo | 26 | Pesach | Why is the korban called Pesach? |
| Shemos | Yisro | 28 | “other” deities | Why are the idols called “other” deities? |
| Shemos | Mishpatim | 56 | Shabbos (the year) | Which entire year is called “Shabbos”? Why? |
| Shemos | Terumah | 20 | lechem-hapanim | Why is the bread called lechem hapanim? |
| Shemos | Tetzaveh | 9 | kehuna, Kohein | What does the word kehuna (or Kohein) mean? |
| Shemos | Tetzaveh | 14 | choshen-hamishpot | Why is the choshen hamishpot called by that name? (Two reasons.) |
| Shemos | Tetzaveh | 21 | tamid | Two opinions about the meaning of tamid in connection with the tzitz. |
| Shemos | Ki Sissa | 24 | shabbos-shabbaton | Why is Shabbos called shabbos shabbaton? What else is called by this title? |
| Shemos | Ki Sissa | 86 | notzer-chesed, nosei-avon, vechataah, venakeh, lo-yenakeh | Explain the following (two meanings each). |
| Vayikra | Vayikra | 22 | “reminder” (fistful) | The fistful is called a reminder. For what? |
| Vayikra | Vayikra | 27 | bris | All korbanos required salt. Why is this called bris? |
| Vayikra | Vayikra | 29 | Shlomim | Why are certain korbanos called Shlomim? (Two reasons.) |
| Vayikra | Emor | 35 | Pesach | What does the word Pesach mean in the Torah? |
| Vayikra | Emor | 47 | pri-eitz-hadar | Why is the esrog called pri eitz hadar? |
| Vayikra | Emor | 48 | “testimony” (western light) | Why was the western light of the menorah called “testimony”? |
| Bamidbar | Shelach | 55 | tzitzis | Which part of the garment is called tzitzis? |
| Bamidbar | Pinchas | 62 | Shavuos | By what name is the holiday of Shavuos called here? Why? |
| Devarim | Devarim | 9 | Pross | Why is the River Pross called the “Great River”? |
| Devarim | Devarim | 47 | refayim | The people called refayim (why?) lived in two lands. Which? |
| Devarim | Vo’eschanan | 30 | velo-yasaf | In posuk 5:19, “velo yasaf.” What are the two meanings here? |
| Devarim | Vo’eschanan | 43 | totafos | How does the word totafos mean tefillin? |
| Devarim | Eikev | 52 | yoreh, malkosh | “Yoreh and malkosh.” What do these names mean? |
| Devarim | Re’eh | 77 | lechem-oni | Why is matzo called lechem oni? |
| Devarim | Re’eh | 81 | atzeres | Why is the seventh day of Pesach called atzeres? (Two reasons.) |
| Devarim | Ki Savo | 14 | maaser year | Why is the third year called “the maaser year” (singular)? |
| Holidays | Rosh Hashonoh | 1 | Rosh-Hashonoh | What is Rosh Hashonoh called in the Torah? Why? |
| Holidays | Sukkos | 50 | Hakofos | What is the meaning of the name Hakofos and the activity? |
| Holidays | Chanukah | 2 | Chanukah | What are the meanings of the name Chanukah? |
| Holidays | Pesach | 39 | Shabbos-Hagadol | Why is Shabbos Hagadol called by that name? |
| Holidays | Sefiras Ha’Omer | 8 | (count labels) | What is the meaning of the two small words under each count? |
| Holidays | Sefiras Ha’Omer | 9 | (count labels) | What is the meaning of the large letter next to each count? The words under it? |
| Holidays | Shabbos Shira | 15 | Shabbos-Shira | Why is this Shabbos called by this special name? |
Glossary definitions that would answer the question
These lemmas already have a glossary definition. They should be empty if the question is not to be spoiled:
| Term | Glossary definition | Question |
|---|---|---|
| kiryas-arba | City of Four | Chayei Sara Q.3 |
| garti | I lived | Vayishlach Q.3 |
| Kohein | Priest | Tetzaveh Q.9 |
| tamid | steadily | Tetzaveh Q.21 |
| lechem-hapanim | showbread | Terumah Q.20 |
| Pesach | Passover | Bo Q.26; Emor Q.35 |
| bris | circumcision; covenant | Vayikra Q.27 |
| lechem-oni | bread of poverty | Re’eh Q.77 |
| mabul | מבול (Hebrew of the lemma, not an English gloss) | Noach Q.13 |
| peras | Euphrates | Lech Lecha Q.63; Devarim Q.9 (the question is why it is called great, not what the river is) |
Other terms in the table have glossary entries with an empty definition, or are English labels / proper names with no gloss.