Jewish Terms and their Meanings
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Group |
Description |
Reference |
| D'oraita | A law that comes directly from the Torah. See also "D'rabbantan". | |
| D'rabbantan | A law instituted by the rabbis and NOT found in the Torah. See also "D'oraita". | |
| Daf Yomi | Literally "a daily page", in reference to studying the Talmud. Using this daf yomi approach, a person can go through the whole Talmud in about 7.5 years. | |
| Dagan | Grain | |
| Dagesh | The dot in the center of certain Hebrew letters. | |
| Daven | To pray | |
| Dayyan, Dayyanim | Talmudic term for a judge. The biblical name for a judge is "shofet". | |
| Debar, ha-Debarim | Words | |
| Dehiyyah, Dehiyyot | The four rules of postponement used to fix the date for Tishri 1 in the Jewish year. | |
| Dekel | A palm tree. | |
| Demai | Agricultural produce about which there exists a doubt as to whether it has been duly tithed. | |
| Derash | Homiletical interpretation. | |
| Derekh Erez, Derek Erez | "Way of the world"; desirable rules of conduct. | |
| Devarim | Name for the Book of Deuteronomy. | |
| Devarim | Liturgical prayers; same as "Tehinnah". | |
| Devekut | "Cleaving"; communion with God. | |
| Diaspora | Dispersion. | |
| Dina de-Malkhuta Dina | The halakhic rule that the law of the country is binding, and, in certain cases, is to be preferred to Jewish law. | |
| Dinei Kenasot | Law of obligations. This law is concerned with the rights of one person as against another ("jus in personam"), as distinguished from the law of property. | |
| Dinei Mamonot | Basically "civil law". | |
| Dinei Nefashot | The concept "dinei nefashot" takes in that part of the criminal law dealing with matters that call for capital and certain other forms of corporal punishment. | |
| Divre ha-Yamim | The Book of Chronicles. | |
| Dorshei Halakot | "Givers of smooth interpretations". |