← Babylonian (Talmudic) Aramaic
What does "how" mean in Babylonian Aramaic?
The Aramaic of the Babylonian Talmud asks "how?" with הֵיכִי (hēkhī). It is one of the most useful words in the Gemara, because the Gemara is a book of questions. The Mishnah states a rule, and the Gemara at once asks הֵיכִי דָּמֵי (hēkhī dāmē), "what is the case?", that is, in what exact circumstances does the rule apply. When a practical problem has no easy answer, the speakers ask הֵיכִי נֶעְבֵּיד (hēkhī neʿbēd), "what shall we do?" Both phrases are among the commonest in the Talmud, and both are built on this one word.
The English learner should notice four things at once.
First, הֵיכִי never changes. It has no gender and no number. The same form asks about a man, a woman, one thing or many. It stands at the beginning of its clause, and the verb follows it as in a statement: הֵיכִי עָבֵיד (hēkhī ʿāvēd), "how does he do it?". Aramaic has no word like English do to help the question along.
Second, Aramaic says "how" where English says "what". English asks "What shall we do?" and "What is the case?" Aramaic asks, word for word, "How shall we do?" and "How does it resemble?" When you translate, English will often want what. The Aramaic word is still how.
Third, the same word works inside a statement. After a verb such as "know" the question becomes an indirect one, and the word order does not change: לָא יָדְעִינַן הֵיכִי עָבֵיד (lā yādʿīnan hēkhī ʿāvēd), "we do not know how he does it". With כִּי (kī), "like", and דְּ (də), "that", it also means "so that" or "just as": כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלָא (kī hēkhī də-lā), "so that not".
Fourth, it has close neighbours that are easy to confuse. The Talmud's printed text is usually unpointed, and then הֵיכִי "how", הָכִי "thus", הָכָא "here" and הֵיכָא "where" are written היכי, הכי, הכא and היכא. The vowels in this course will teach your eye to tell them apart. Two other words complete the family: כַּמָּה (kammā), "how much, how many", and מְנָלַן (mənālan), "how do we know it?", which means literally "whence to us?".
The word is generally explained as built from הֵי (hē), "which", and כִּי (kī), "as, like", that is, "in which way". The Hebrew of the Mishnah has its own word for "how", כֵּיצַד (kēytsad): chapters of the Mishnah open with it, as in כֵּיצַד מְבָרְכִין עַל הַפֵּירוֹת, "How does one bless over fruits?" (Berakhot 6:1). The Gemara, which comments on the Mishnah in Aramaic, puts הֵיכִי in its place. The older Aramaic of the Targum of Onkelos has yet another form, אֶכְדֵּין (ʾekhdēn), which you will read in Section F.
In this lesson the romanisation follows a simple academic scheme: ʾ for א, ʿ for ע, ḥ for ח, ṭ for ט, ṣ for צ, q for ק, sh for שׁ, kh for soft כ, v for soft ב, f for soft פ; long vowels are marked with a macron (ā, ē, ī, ō, ū), and ə stands for the short vowel shewa.
- הֵיכִי (hēkhī) = "how?"; one form for every gender and number, placed at the start of the clause - הֵיכִי דָּמֵי (hēkhī dāmē) = "what is the case?", literally "how does it resemble?" - הֵיכִי נֶעְבֵּיד (hēkhī neʿbēd) = "what shall we do?", literally "how shall we do?" - After a verb of knowing it gives an indirect question: לָא יָדְעִינַן הֵיכִי עָבֵיד, "we do not know how he does it" - כִּי הֵיכִי דְּ- (kī hēkhī də-) = "so that, just as" - כַּמָּה (kammā) asks "how much, how many"; מְנָלַן (mənālan) asks "how do we know it?" - Do not confuse הֵיכִי "how" with הָכִי "thus", הָכָא "here" and הֵיכָא "where" - The Targum of Onkelos writes אֶכְדֵּין (ʾekhdēn) for "how"
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The sentences of Sections A to C and of the Genre Section are written for this lesson; they are not quotations from the Talmud. The only quotation is in Section F.
59.1a הֵיכִי how עָבֵיד does
59.1b hēkhī (HAY-khee) how ʿāvēd (aa-VAYD) do-PTCP.M.SG
59.2a הֵיכִי how נֶעְבֵּיד we-shall-do
59.2b hēkhī (HAY-khee) how neʿbēd (ne'-BAYD) do-IMPF.1PL
59.3a הֵיכִי how דָּמֵי it-resembles
59.3b hēkhī (HAY-khee) how dāmē (daa-MAY) resemble-PTCP.M.SG
59.4a הֵיכִי how אָמְרֵי say אִינְשֵׁי people
59.4b hēkhī (HAY-khee) how ʾāmrē (AAM-ray) say-PTCP.M.PL ʾinshē (in-SHAY) people-M.PL
59.5a הֵיכִי how קָרֵי reads רַבָּה Rabbah
59.5b hēkhī (HAY-khee) how qārē (qaa-RAY) read-PTCP.M.SG Rabbā (RAB-baa) Rabbah
59.6a לָא not יָדְעִינַן we-know הֵיכִי how עָבֵיד does אַבָּא father
59.6b lā (laa) not yādʿīnan (yaad-'EE-nan) know-PTCP.1PL hēkhī (HAY-khee) how ʿāvēd (aa-VAYD) do-PTCP.M.SG ʾabbā (AB-baa) father-EMPH
59.7a הֵיכִי how נֶעְבֵּיד we-shall-do תַּרְתֵּי two-things דְּסָתְרֵי that-contradict נִינְהוּ they-are
59.7b hēkhī (HAY-khee) how neʿbēd (ne'-BAYD) do-IMPF.1PL tartē (TAR-tay) two-F-things də-sātrē (d'-SAAT-ray) that-contradict-PTCP.M.PL ninhū (NIN-hoo) they-are-M.PL
59.8a הֵיכִי how דָּמֵי it-resembles אִי if תְּרֵי two סָהֲדֵי witnesses אָמְרֵי say הָכִי thus
59.8b hēkhī (HAY-khee) how dāmē (daa-MAY) resemble-PTCP.M.SG ʾī (EE) if trē (TRAY) two-M sāhădē (SAA-ha-day) witnesses-M.PL ʾāmrē (AAM-ray) say-PTCP.M.PL hākhī (HAA-khee) thus
59.9a זִיל go תַּמָּן there כִּי like הֵיכִי how דְּלָא that-not לֵיתֵי let-come אַבָּא father
59.9b zīl (ZEEL) go-IMP.M.SG tammān (TAM-maan) there kī (KEE) like hēkhī (HAY-khee) how də-lā (d'-LAA) that-not lētē (lay-TAY) come-JUSS.3M.SG ʾabbā (AB-baa) father-EMPH
59.10a הָא this מְנָלַן whence-to-us דִּתְרֵי that-two סָהֲדֵי witnesses כְּמֵאָה like-a-hundred
59.10b hā (HAA) this mənālan (m'-NAA-lan) whence-to-us di-trē (dit-RAY) that-two-M sāhădē (SAA-ha-day) witnesses-M.PL kə-mēʾā (k'-MAY-aa) like-hundred-F
59.11a כַּמָּה how-many זוּזֵי zuzim יְהַב gave אַבָּא father בְּגַדְיָא for-the-kid
59.11b kammā (KAM-maa) how-many zūzē (ZOO-zay) zuzim-M.PL yəhav (y'-HAV) gave-PERF.3M.SG ʾabbā (AB-baa) father-EMPH bə-gadyā (b'-GAD-yaa) for-kid-M.SG.EMPH
59.12a אֲמַר said לְהוּ to-them רַבָּה Rabbah הֵיכִי how עָבְדִינַן we-do בְּהָא in-this מִילְּתָא matter
59.12b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG ləhū (l'-HOO) to-them-M Rabbā (RAB-baa) Rabbah hēkhī (HAY-khee) how ʿāvdīnan (aav-DEE-nan) do-PTCP.1PL bə-hā (b'-HAA) in-this-F millətā (mil-l'-TAA) matter-F.SG.EMPH
59.13a אֲמַר said לֵיהּ to-him הֵיכִי how דָּמֵי it-resembles אִי if דְּאִית that-there-is לֵיהּ to-him סָהֲדֵי witnesses
59.13b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG lēh (LAYH) to-him hēkhī (HAY-khee) how dāmē (daa-MAY) resemble-PTCP.M.SG ʾī (EE) if də-ʾīt (d'-EET) that-there-is lēh (LAYH) to-him sāhădē (SAA-ha-day) witnesses-M.PL
59.14a וְהֵיכִי and-how נֶעְבֵּיד we-shall-do תַּרְוַיְיהוּ both-of-them אָמְרֵי say כּוּלֵּיהּ all-of-it דִּידִי mine
59.14b wə-hēkhī (v'-HAY-khee) and-how neʿbēd (ne'-BAYD) do-IMPF.1PL tarwayhū (tar-WAI-hoo) both-of-them-M ʾāmrē (AAM-ray) say-PTCP.M.PL kullēh (kul-LAYH) all-of-it-M dīdī (DEE-dee) of-mine
59.15a אִי if לָא not יָדְעִינַן we-know הֵיכִי how הֲוָה it-was הֵיכִי how נֶעְבֵּיד we-shall-do
59.15b ʾī (EE) if lā (laa) not yādʿīnan (yaad-'EE-nan) know-PTCP.1PL hēkhī (HAY-khee) how hăwā (ha-WAA) was-PERF.3M.SG hēkhī (HAY-khee) how neʿbēd (ne'-BAYD) do-IMPF.1PL
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59.1 הֵיכִי עָבֵיד? — hēkhī ʿāvēd? — "How does he do it?"
59.2 הֵיכִי נֶעְבֵּיד? — hēkhī neʿbēd? — "What shall we do?"
59.3 הֵיכִי דָּמֵי? — hēkhī dāmē? — "What is the case?"
59.4 הֵיכִי אָמְרֵי אִינְשֵׁי? — hēkhī ʾāmrē ʾinshē? — "What do people say?"
59.5 הֵיכִי קָרֵי רַבָּה? — hēkhī qārē Rabbā? — "How does Rabbah read it?"
59.6 לָא יָדְעִינַן הֵיכִי עָבֵיד אַבָּא. — lā yādʿīnan hēkhī ʿāvēd ʾabbā. — "We do not know how Father does it."
59.7 הֵיכִי נֶעְבֵּיד? תַּרְתֵּי דְּסָתְרֵי נִינְהוּ. — hēkhī neʿbēd? tartē də-sātrē ninhū. — "What shall we do? They are two things that contradict each other."
59.8 הֵיכִי דָּמֵי? אִי תְּרֵי סָהֲדֵי אָמְרֵי הָכִי. — hēkhī dāmē? ʾī trē sāhădē ʾāmrē hākhī. — "What is the case? If two witnesses say so."
59.9 זִיל תַּמָּן כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלָא לֵיתֵי אַבָּא. — zīl tammān kī hēkhī də-lā lētē ʾabbā. — "Go there, so that Father may not come."
59.10 הָא מְנָלַן דִּתְרֵי סָהֲדֵי כְּמֵאָה? — hā mənālan di-trē sāhădē kə-mēʾā? — "And this, how do we know that two witnesses are like a hundred?"
59.11 כַּמָּה זוּזֵי יְהַב אַבָּא בְּגַדְיָא? — kammā zūzē yəhav ʾabbā bə-gadyā? — "How many zuzim did Father give for the kid?"
59.12 אֲמַר לְהוּ רַבָּה: הֵיכִי עָבְדִינַן בְּהָא מִילְּתָא? — ʾămar ləhū Rabbā: hēkhī ʿāvdīnan bə-hā millətā? — "Rabbah said to them: How do we act in this matter?"
59.13 אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הֵיכִי דָּמֵי? אִי דְּאִית לֵיהּ סָהֲדֵי. — ʾămar lēh: hēkhī dāmē? ʾī də-ʾīt lēh sāhădē. — "He said to him: What is the case? If he has witnesses."
59.14 וְהֵיכִי נֶעְבֵּיד? תַּרְוַיְיהוּ אָמְרֵי: כּוּלֵּיהּ דִּידִי. — wə-hēkhī neʿbēd? tarwayhū ʾāmrē: kullēh dīdī. — "And what shall we do? Both of them say: It is all mine."
59.15 אִי לָא יָדְעִינַן הֵיכִי הֲוָה, הֵיכִי נֶעְבֵּיד? — ʾī lā yādʿīnan hēkhī hăwā, hēkhī neʿbēd? — "If we do not know how it was, what shall we do?"
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59.1 הֵיכִי עָבֵיד?
59.2 הֵיכִי נֶעְבֵּיד?
59.3 הֵיכִי דָּמֵי?
59.4 הֵיכִי אָמְרֵי אִינְשֵׁי?
59.5 הֵיכִי קָרֵי רַבָּה?
59.6 לָא יָדְעִינַן הֵיכִי עָבֵיד אַבָּא.
59.7 הֵיכִי נֶעְבֵּיד? תַּרְתֵּי דְּסָתְרֵי נִינְהוּ.
59.8 הֵיכִי דָּמֵי? אִי תְּרֵי סָהֲדֵי אָמְרֵי הָכִי.
59.9 זִיל תַּמָּן כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלָא לֵיתֵי אַבָּא.
59.10 הָא מְנָלַן דִּתְרֵי סָהֲדֵי כְּמֵאָה?
59.11 כַּמָּה זוּזֵי יְהַב אַבָּא בְּגַדְיָא?
59.12 אֲמַר לְהוּ רַבָּה: הֵיכִי עָבְדִינַן בְּהָא מִילְּתָא?
59.13 אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הֵיכִי דָּמֵי? אִי דְּאִית לֵיהּ סָהֲדֵי.
59.14 וְהֵיכִי נֶעְבֵּיד? תַּרְוַיְיהוּ אָמְרֵי: כּוּלֵּיהּ דִּידִי.
59.15 אִי לָא יָדְעִינַן הֵיכִי הֲוָה, הֵיכִי נֶעְבֵּיד?
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1. One form, at the head of the clause. הֵיכִי does not change for gender, number or person. It stands first, and the rest of the clause keeps the order of a statement, verb first or subject first:
- הֵיכִי עָבֵיד (hēkhī ʿāvēd), "how does he do it?" - הֵיכִי קָרֵי רַבָּה (hēkhī qārē Rabbā), "how does Rabbah read it?" - הֵיכִי אָמְרֵי אִינְשֵׁי (hēkhī ʾāmrē ʾinshē), "what do people say?"
Aramaic needs no helper like English do. The question is marked by the question word and by the voice of the speaker, and the printed text adds the question mark.
2. The deliberative question: הֵיכִי נֶעְבֵּיד. The imperfect with the prefix נ- (ne-) is "we". In a question it means "what are we to do?", a request for a decision: נֶעְבֵּיד (neʿbēd), from the root ע-ב-ד, "do, make". With the prefix אֶ- (ʾe-) the same verb is "I": אֶעְבֵּיד (ʾeʿbēd). The English translation says what; the Aramaic says how.
3. הֵיכִי דָּמֵי, "what is the case?" דָּמֵי (dāmē) is the participle of דְּמֵי, "resemble, be like". Literally the question is "how does it resemble?", and it asks for a picture of the exact case: the Gemara has stated a ruling and now wants to know in what situation it holds. The answer usually begins with אִי (ʾī), "if", or with אִי דְּ- (ʾī də-), "if it is a case where": אִי דְּאִית לֵיהּ סָהֲדֵי (59.13), "if he has witnesses".
4. The indirect question. After verbs of knowing, saying or asking, הֵיכִי introduces what is known, and nothing changes in the order: לָא יָדְעִינַן הֵיכִי עָבֵיד אַבָּא (59.6), "we do not know how Father does it". The participle יָדְעִינַן (yādʿīnan) is "we know", the form you met in lesson 58.
5. כִּי הֵיכִי דְּ-, "so that, just as". The three words כִּי (kī, "like"), הֵיכִי (hēkhī, "how") and דְּ (də, "that") together introduce a clause of purpose, or of comparison:
- כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלָא לֵיתֵי (kī hēkhī də-lā lētē), "so that he may not come" - לֵיתֵי (lētē) is the jussive "let him come": a third-person wish or purpose takes the prefix ל- in place of י-.
6. The family of "how". Learn these together:
- הֵיכִי (hēkhī), "how, in what way?" - כַּמָּה (kammā), "how much, how many?": it asks for an amount and stands before the noun it counts: כַּמָּה זוּזֵי (59.11), "how many zuzim?" - מְנָלַן (mənālan), "how do we know it?": מְנָא (mənā) is "whence" and לַן (lan) is "to us". The Gemara asks it of a ruling and expects a verse or a reason in reply: הָא מְנָלַן (59.10). - הֵי (hē), "which?", the first element of הֵיכִי - הֵיכָא (hēkhā), "where?"
7. Do not confuse the look-alikes. Four words differ by one vowel or one letter:
- הֵיכִי (hēkhī), "how?" - הָכִי (hākhī), "thus, so": it is the usual answer to "how?", as in 59.8 - הָכָא (hākhā), "here" - הֵיכָא (hēkhā), "where?"
- Reading הֵיכִי as "thus". In an unpointed text הכי and היכי look alike. The yod before the kaf (היכי) marks "how"; הכי is "thus". Check the context: a question wants הֵיכִי. - Translating הֵיכִי נֶעְבֵּיד as "how do we do?" The sense is "what shall we do?", a request for a decision. Likewise הֵיכִי דָּמֵי is "what is the case?" and not "how is it like?". - Adding a helper verb. ✗ הֵיכִי עָבֵיד הוּא → ✓ הֵיכִי עָבֵיד. Aramaic does not need an extra verb to carry the question. - Using הֵיכִי for amount. For "how much" or "how many" the Talmud uses כַּמָּה: ✗ הֵיכִי זוּזֵי → ✓ כַּמָּה זוּזֵי. - Changing the word order in an indirect question. The order after הֵיכִי stays the same inside a larger sentence. There is no inversion to learn. - Forgetting that "I" and "we" differ in the imperfect. אֶעְבֵּיד (ʾeʿbēd) is "I shall do" and נֶעְבֵּיד (neʿbēd) is "we shall do". The question "what shall we do?" always takes נ-.
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The Gemara moves by questions, and הֵיכִי דָּמֵי is one of its standard openings. A Mishnah is quoted in general terms: "If a man finds an object he must..." The Gemara then asks הֵיכִי דָּמֵי, "what is the case?", and so forces the rule into a concrete situation, with a finder, a lost object and a witness. In answering, the Gemara usually offers two cases, with אִי (ʾī), "if", and then tests each of them. A student of the Talmud learns to hear this phrase as the signal that a definition is coming.
הֵיכִי נֶעְבֵּיד, "what shall we do?", is the stock question of a practical dilemma. A ruling is known, but the situation in front of the court or the study house does not fit it, or two rulings point in opposite directions. The question is addressed to the reader as much as to the speakers. Section A and the Genre Section use it for two students who cannot decide how to proceed.
The Mishnah is written in Hebrew, the Gemara in Aramaic, and each has its own word for "how". The Mishnah uses כֵּיצַד (kēytsad) to open many of its rules and chapters: "How does one...?" The Gemara, discussing the same rules, asks its own questions with הֵיכִי. The two words rarely meet on the same page. Hearing which one is used tells the reader which of the two languages the voice belongs to.
הָא מְנָלַן, "and this, how do we know?", is the Gemara's demand for a source. A ruling that has been stated without a reason is challenged with מְנָלַן, and the answer is normally a verse of Scripture. It is the question that separates a student from a reader: not only "what is the law?" but "how do we know it?" The law is not accepted until its source is named.
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The Targum of Onkelos, the Aramaic translation of the Torah, on Genesis 39:9 (Joseph answers the wife of Potiphar) and Genesis 44:34 (Judah pleads before Joseph for Benjamin). Text as in the Sefaria edition of Onkelos Genesis. The Targum's Aramaic is older and more formal than that of the Talmud, and it has its own word for "how", אֶכְדֵּין (ʾekhdēn), which translates the Hebrew אֵיךְ (ʾēkh) of the Torah. It is chosen here because in both verses the question "how?" carries the sense "I cannot": a question that answers itself. Both verses are given in part, from the question word to the end of the clause or verse.
F.1a וְאֶכְדֵּין and-how אֶעְבֵּיד I-shall-do בִּישְׁתָא evil רַבְּתָא great הָדָא this וְאֵחוֹב and-I-sin קֳדָם before יְיָ the-LORD
F.1b wə-ʾekhdēn (v'-ekh-DAYN) and-how ʾeʿbēd (e'-BAYD) do-IMPF.1SG bīshtā (BEESH-taa) evil-F.SG.EMPH rabbətā (rab-b'-TAA) great-F.SG.EMPH hādā (HAA-daa) this-F wə-ʾēḥōv (v'-ay-KHOHV) and-sin-IMPF.1SG qŏdām (qo-DAAM) before ʾădōnāy (a-doh-NAI) the-LORD
F.2a אֲרֵי for אֶכְדֵּין how אֶסַּק I-shall-go-up לְוַת to אַבָּא father וְעוּלֵימָא and-the-lad לֵיתוֹהִי not-is-he עִמִּי with-me דִּלְמָא lest אֶחֱזֵי I-see בְּבִישׁוּ in-evil דִּי that יִשְׁתְּכַח will-be-found יָת OBJECT-MARKER אַבָּא father
F.2b ʾărē (a-RAY) for ʾekhdēn (ekh-DAYN) how ʾesaq (e-SAQ) go-up-IMPF.1SG lə-wat (l'-WAT) to ʾabbā (AB-baa) father-EMPH wə-ʿūlēmā (v'-oo-LAY-maa) and-lad-M.SG.EMPH lētōhī (lay-TOH-hee) not-is-he ʿimmī (im-MEE) with-me dilmā (dil-MAA) lest ʾeḥĕzē (e-khe-ZAY) see-IMPF.1SG bə-vīshū (b'-vee-SHOO) in-evil dī (dee) that yishtəkaḥ (yish-t'-KAKH) be-found-IMPF.3M.SG yāt (YAAT) OBJECT-MARKER ʾabbā (AB-baa) father-EMPH
וְאֶכְדֵּין אֶעְבֵּיד בִּישְׁתָא רַבְּתָא הָדָא וְאֵחוֹב קֳדָם יְיָ.
How shall I do this great evil and sin before the LORD?
אֲרֵי אֶכְדֵּין אֶסַּק לְוַת אַבָּא וְעוּלֵימָא לֵיתוֹהִי עִמִּי דִּלְמָא אֶחֱזֵי בְּבִישׁוּ דִּי יִשְׁתְּכַח יָת אַבָּא.
For how shall I go up to my father when the lad is not with me, lest I see the evil that would befall my father?
וְאֶכְדֵּין אֶעְבֵּיד בִּישְׁתָא רַבְּתָא הָדָא וְאֵחוֹב קֳדָם יְיָ.
אֲרֵי אֶכְדֵּין אֶסַּק לְוַת אַבָּא וְעוּלֵימָא לֵיתוֹהִי עִמִּי דִּלְמָא אֶחֱזֵי בְּבִישׁוּ דִּי יִשְׁתְּכַח יָת אַבָּא.
- אֶכְדֵּין. The Targum's word for "how". It is written as one word and it answers the Hebrew אֵיךְ in both verses. The Talmud does not use it: there the word is הֵיכִי. A reader who knows both will recognise the same question under two forms, as with Hebrew שְׁנַיִם and Aramaic תְּרֵי in the last lesson. - The question that cannot be answered. In both verses "how?" does not ask for a method. Joseph's אֶכְדֵּין אֶעְבֵּיד means "I could never do it", and Judah's אֶכְדֵּין אֶסַּק means "I cannot go up". This is a use of "how" that English shares: "How could I?" Aramaic needs no other word to mark it. - The imperfect, first person singular. אֶעְבֵּיד (ʾeʿbēd, "I shall do") and אֶסַּק (ʾesaq, "I shall go up") both take the prefix אֶ- (ʾe-). This is the "I" of the verb, the form the Gemara changes to נֶעְבֵּיד for "we". - וְאֵחוֹב, "and sin". The imperfect of חוב (ḥōv) continues the question: "how shall I do this evil and (so) sin?" The two verbs together make the single deed. - אֲרֵי and דִּלְמָא. אֲרֵי (ʾărē) is "for, because" and דִּלְמָא (dilmā) is "lest, perhaps"; both are common in the Targum and appear in the Talmud as well (דִּלְמָא, in the form דִּילְמָא). - לֵיתוֹהִי. The negative לֵית (lēt), "there is not", with the suffix -וֹהִי (-ōhī), "he": "he is not". The Talmud writes the shorter לֵיתֵיהּ (lētēh) with the same sense. - יָת. The Targum marks the definite object with יָת (yāt). The Talmud uses לְ- (lə-), as you saw with לְגַדְיָא in the last lesson. - בִּישְׁתָא רַבְּתָא הָדָא. The noun is feminine, so the adjective and the demonstrative are feminine too: "this great evil". The demonstrative stands last, as in the Hebrew.
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A short story in the manner of the Gemara, written for this lesson. It is not a quotation from the Talmud.
59.16a אָתוּ came תְּרֵי two תַּלְמִידֵי students לִמְתִיבְתָּא to-the-academy בְּרַמְשָׁא in-the-evening
59.16b ʾātū (AA-too) came-PERF.3M.PL trē (TRAY) two-M talmīdē (tal-MEE-day) students-M.PL li-mtīvtā (lim-teev-TAA) to-academy-F.SG.EMPH bə-ramshā (b'-ram-SHAA) in-evening-M.SG.EMPH
59.17a תַּרְעָא door נָעֵיל locked הֲוָה was
59.17b tarʿā (tar-'AA) door-M.SG.EMPH nāʿēl (naa-'AYL) lock-PTCP.PASS.M.SG hăwā (ha-WAA) was-PERF.3M.SG
59.18a אֲמַר said חַד one הֵיכִי how נֶעְבֵּיד we-shall-do
59.18b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG ḥad (KHAD) one-M hēkhī (HAY-khee) how neʿbēd (ne'-BAYD) do-IMPF.1PL
59.19a אֲמַר said אִידַּךְ the-other הֵיכִי how נֵיעוּל we-shall-enter
59.19b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG ʾiddakh (ID-dakh) the-other-M hēkhī (HAY-khee) how nēʿūl (nay-'OOL) enter-IMPF.1PL
59.20a אֲמַר said חַד one אִית there-is לִי to-me מַפְתְּחָא key בְּבֵיתָא in-the-house
59.20b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG ḥad (KHAD) one-M ʾīt (EET) there-is lī (LEE) to-me maftəḥā (maf-t'-KHAA) key-M.SG.EMPH bə-vētā (b'-vay-TAA) in-house-M.SG.EMPH
59.21a אֲמַר said אִידַּךְ the-other בֵּיתָא the-house רָחִיק far וְהֵיכִי and-how נֵיזִיל we-shall-go וְנֵיתֵי and-we-shall-come
59.21b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG ʾiddakh (ID-dakh) the-other-M bētā (bay-TAA) house-M.SG.EMPH rāḥīq (raa-KHEEQ) far-M.SG wə-hēkhī (v'-HAY-khee) and-how nēzīl (nay-ZEEL) go-IMPF.1PL wə-nētē (v'-nay-TAY) and-come-IMPF.1PL
59.22a הָא behold סָבָא old-man אָתֵי coming
59.22b hā (HAA) behold sāvā (saa-VAA) old-man-M.SG.EMPH ʾātē (aa-TAY) come-PTCP.M.SG
59.23a אֲמַר said לְהוּ to-them סָבָא old-man הֵיכִי how נָעֵיל locked תַּרְעָא door סְגִיר closed הוּא it-is וְלָא and-not נָעֵיל locked
59.23b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG ləhū (l'-HOO) to-them-M sāvā (saa-VAA) old-man-M.SG.EMPH hēkhī (HAY-khee) how nāʿēl (naa-'AYL) lock-PTCP.PASS.M.SG tarʿā (tar-'AA) door-M.SG.EMPH sgīr (s'-GEER) close-PTCP.PASS.M.SG hū (HOO) it-is-M wə-lā (v'-LAA) and-not nāʿēl (naa-'AYL) lock-PTCP.PASS.M.SG
59.24a דְּחָא pushed סָבָא old-man תַּרְעָא door וּפְתַחֵיהּ and-opened-it
59.24b dəḥā (d'-KHAA) pushed-PERF.3M.SG sāvā (saa-VAA) old-man-M.SG.EMPH tarʿā (tar-'AA) door-M.SG.EMPH u-fətaḥēh (oo-f'-ta-KHAYH) and-opened-PERF.3M.SG-it-M
59.25a אֲמַרוּ said תַּרְוַיְיהוּ both-of-them הֵיכִי how לָא not חָזֵינַן we-see הָכִי thus
59.25b ʾămarū (a-ma-ROO) said-PERF.3M.PL tarwayhū (tar-WAI-hoo) both-of-them-M hēkhī (HAY-khee) how lā (laa) not ḥāzēnan (khaa-ZAY-nan) see-PTCP.1PL hākhī (HAA-khee) thus
59.26a אֲמַר said סָבָא old-man תַּרְתֵּי two-things שְׁמַע hear מִינַּהּ from-it
59.26b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG sāvā (saa-VAA) old-man-M.SG.EMPH tartē (TAR-tay) two-F-things shəmaʿ (sh'-MA') hear-IMP.M.SG minnah (MIN-nah) from-it-F
59.27a חַד one תַּרְעָא door סְגִיר closed לָאו not נָעֵיל locked הוּא it-is
59.27b ḥad (KHAD) one-M tarʿā (tar-'AA) door-M.SG.EMPH sgīr (s'-GEER) close-PTCP.PASS.M.SG lāw (LAAW) not nāʿēl (naa-'AYL) lock-PTCP.PASS.M.SG hū (HOO) it-is-M
59.28a וְחַד and-one מַאן whoever דְּלָא that-not דָּחֵי pushes לָא not פָּתֵח opens
59.28b wə-ḥad (v'-KHAD) and-one-M man (MAN) whoever də-lā (d'-LAA) that-not dāḥē (daa-KHAY) push-PTCP.M.SG lā (laa) not pātēḥ (paa-TAYKH) open-PTCP.M.SG
59.29a וִיתִיבוּ and-sat תַּרְוַיְיהוּ both-of-them בִּמְתִיבְתָּא in-the-academy
59.29b wītīvū (vee-tee-VOO) and-sat-PERF.3M.PL tarwayhū (tar-WAI-hoo) both-of-them-M bi-mtīvtā (bim-teev-TAA) in-academy-F.SG.EMPH
59.30a אֲמַר said חַד one לְחַבְרֵיהּ to-his-fellow הַשְׁתָּא now יָדְעִינַן we-know הֵיכִי how
59.30b ʾămar (a-MAR) said-PERF.3M.SG ḥad (KHAD) one-M lə-ḥavrēh (l'-khav-RAYH) to-fellow-his hashtā (hash-TAA) now yādʿīnan (yaad-'EE-nan) know-PTCP.1PL hēkhī (HAY-khee) how
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59.16 אָתוּ תְּרֵי תַּלְמִידֵי לִמְתִיבְתָּא בְּרַמְשָׁא. — ʾātū trē talmīdē li-mtīvtā bə-ramshā. — "Two students came to the academy in the evening."
59.17 תַּרְעָא נָעֵיל הֲוָה. — tarʿā nāʿēl hăwā. — "The door was locked."
59.18 אֲמַר חַד: הֵיכִי נֶעְבֵּיד? — ʾămar ḥad: hēkhī neʿbēd? — "One said: What shall we do?"
59.19 אֲמַר אִידַּךְ: הֵיכִי נֵיעוּל? — ʾămar ʾiddakh: hēkhī nēʿūl? — "The other said: How shall we get in?"
59.20 אֲמַר חַד: אִית לִי מַפְתְּחָא בְּבֵיתָא. — ʾămar ḥad: ʾīt lī maftəḥā bə-vētā. — "One said: I have a key at home."
59.21 אֲמַר אִידַּךְ: בֵּיתָא רָחִיק, וְהֵיכִי נֵיזִיל וְנֵיתֵי? — ʾămar ʾiddakh: bētā rāḥīq, wə-hēkhī nēzīl wə-nētē? — "The other said: The house is far, and how shall we go and come back?"
59.22 הָא סָבָא אָתֵי. — hā sāvā ʾātē. — "Behold, an old man is coming."
59.23 אֲמַר לְהוּ סָבָא: הֵיכִי נָעֵיל? תַּרְעָא סְגִיר הוּא, וְלָא נָעֵיל. — ʾămar ləhū sāvā: hēkhī nāʿēl? tarʿā sgīr hū, wə-lā nāʿēl. — "The old man said to them: How is it locked? The door is closed, and not locked."
59.24 דְּחָא סָבָא תַּרְעָא וּפְתַחֵיהּ. — dəḥā sāvā tarʿā u-fətaḥēh. — "The old man pushed the door and opened it."
59.25 אֲמַרוּ תַּרְוַיְיהוּ: הֵיכִי לָא חָזֵינַן הָכִי? — ʾămarū tarwayhū: hēkhī lā ḥāzēnan hākhī? — "Both of them said: How is it that we do not see it so?"
59.26 אֲמַר סָבָא: תַּרְתֵּי שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ. — ʾămar sāvā: tartē shəmaʿ minnah. — "The old man said: Learn two things from it."
59.27 חַד, תַּרְעָא סְגִיר לָאו נָעֵיל הוּא. — ḥad, tarʿā sgīr lāw nāʿēl hū. — "One: a closed door is not a locked one."
59.28 וְחַד, מַאן דְּלָא דָּחֵי לָא פָּתֵח. — wə-ḥad, man də-lā dāḥē lā pātēḥ. — "And one: whoever does not push does not open."
59.29 וִיתִיבוּ תַּרְוַיְיהוּ בִּמְתִיבְתָּא. — wītīvū tarwayhū bi-mtīvtā. — "And both of them sat down in the academy."
59.30 אֲמַר חַד לְחַבְרֵיהּ: הַשְׁתָּא יָדְעִינַן הֵיכִי. — ʾămar ḥad lə-ḥavrēh: hashtā yādʿīnan hēkhī. — "One said to his fellow: Now we know how."
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59.16 אָתוּ תְּרֵי תַּלְמִידֵי לִמְתִיבְתָּא בְּרַמְשָׁא.
59.17 תַּרְעָא נָעֵיל הֲוָה.
59.18 אֲמַר חַד: הֵיכִי נֶעְבֵּיד?
59.19 אֲמַר אִידַּךְ: הֵיכִי נֵיעוּל?
59.20 אֲמַר חַד: אִית לִי מַפְתְּחָא בְּבֵיתָא.
59.21 אֲמַר אִידַּךְ: בֵּיתָא רָחִיק, וְהֵיכִי נֵיזִיל וְנֵיתֵי?
59.22 הָא סָבָא אָתֵי.
59.23 אֲמַר לְהוּ סָבָא: הֵיכִי נָעֵיל? תַּרְעָא סְגִיר הוּא, וְלָא נָעֵיל.
59.24 דְּחָא סָבָא תַּרְעָא וּפְתַחֵיהּ.
59.25 אֲמַרוּ תַּרְוַיְיהוּ: הֵיכִי לָא חָזֵינַן הָכִי?
59.26 אֲמַר סָבָא: תַּרְתֵּי שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ.
59.27 חַד, תַּרְעָא סְגִיר לָאו נָעֵיל הוּא.
59.28 וְחַד, מַאן דְּלָא דָּחֵי לָא פָּתֵח.
59.29 וִיתִיבוּ תַּרְוַיְיהוּ בִּמְתִיבְתָּא.
59.30 אֲמַר חַד לְחַבְרֵיהּ: הַשְׁתָּא יָדְעִינַן הֵיכִי.
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- Six uses of "how". The story uses הֵיכִי in the questions of 59.18, 59.19, 59.21, 59.23 and 59.25, and in the statement of 59.30. In 59.18 it is the deliberative "what shall we do?"; in 59.19 and 59.21 the speakers ask for a method; in 59.23 the old man uses it in doubt, "how can it be locked?"; in 59.25 it is a cry of surprise; in 59.30 it begins an indirect clause. - "How" and "thus" in one sentence. In 59.25, הֵיכִי and הָכִי stand side by side: "How is it that we do not see it so?" The one asks; the other points to what the speakers have just been shown. - Imperfect "we". נֶעְבֵּיד (59.18), נֵיעוּל (59.19), נֵיזִיל and נֵיתֵי (59.21) are the first person plural of the imperfect, all with the prefix נ-. The vowel after the prefix varies from root to root: נֶעְבֵּיד beside נֵיעוּל, נֵיזִיל and נֵיתֵי. Learn each as a whole word. - Passive participles. נָעֵיל (59.17, 59.23, 59.27) and סְגִיר (59.23, 59.27) are participles with a passive sense, "locked" and "closed". The Talmud uses them with הֲוָה (hăwā, "was") to put them in the past: נָעֵיל הֲוָה, "it was locked". - לָאו. In 59.27 the negative לָאו (lāw) negates a predicate, "it is not locked"; the ordinary לָא (lā) negates the verb, as in 59.28. - מַאן דְּ-, "whoever". In 59.28 the pair מַאן דְּ- (man də-) is "he who" and the sentence is a proverb: whoever does not push does not open. Both verbs are participles used as a general present. - The echo of lesson 58. תַּלְמִידֵי (59.16) and אִידַּךְ (59.19) are met in earlier lessons, and תְּרֵי (59.16), תַּרְתֵּי שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ (59.26) and תַּרְוַיְיהוּ, "both of them" (59.25, 59.29), come from the last lesson.
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- IPA: /ˈheːχiː/ - הֵ (he with tsere) = /h/ followed by a long e, as in English "hey" without the glide at the end. - כִ (kaf without dagesh) = /χ/, the rasping sound of Scottish loch and German Bach. It is written kh in the respellings. - י (yod) after the hiriq is only a vowel letter: the word ends on a long ee. - Ashkenazi study-hall reading stresses the first syllable (HAY-khee); Sephardi and modern Israeli reading stress the last (hay-KHEE).
- IPA: /nɛʕˈbeːd/ - The ע (ʿayin) is a voiced sound in the throat; in most modern readings it is silent or a slight catch, written ' in the respelling: ne'-BAYD. - The בּ (bet with dagesh) is a plain b.
- IPA: /daːˈmeː/ - Two syllables, with the stress on the second: daa-MAY.
- IPA: /ˈkamːaː/ - The mem is doubled, so it is held twice as long: KAM-maa.
- ח (ḥet) /ħ/ or /χ/ in חַד, חָזֵינַן, חַבְרֵיהּ: a rasping sound in the throat, like the ch of Scottish loch. Written kh in the respellings. - ע (ʿayin) in עָבֵיד, יָדְעִינַן, נָעֵיל, שְׁמַע: a voiced sound in the throat, in most modern readings silent or a slight catch. Written ' in the respellings. - ק (qof) /q/ or /k/ in קָרֵי, רָחִיק: originally a k made further back in the throat; most readers today say a plain k. - ת without dagesh in אָתוּ and אָתֵי: read s in some Ashkenazi traditions and t in the Sephardi and Israeli traditions. The respellings in this lesson use t.
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