.
THE JEWISH ENCYCLOPEDIA
41
there are two or more words, the I'Dlluwing of abtireviatioii prevail: (0) n'3.-" •U'N7; („) The initial letter of every word, whether it tie a radical or a formative element or an insepai-alile particle, is retained— the rest is omitted; n-y = v^;; n-^j-ps 'N. ij-^s cn^as; for example, n"n =
When
modes
ci'-B-n
=
v'|i
.
-i^ni
S|->
It is to
.
noticed, however,
lie
that, if the first word of the eomliination hefiins with an inseparable particle, sik h particle is not counted; d-nh = t,-D j^nh. s'-;2 for example, n"as = <i-p-i ^3N; yai; ^"'N2' = S'NS-': jn" ij'N.i;: An exception to rule is the article in combination beginninj; with 31 3in. f^„. example, t"i'-i = =-bj 'J?? :=>) N'TJinn =
= np
DH^3N 13 2-j s-d- 2-y 3in_ j,nd more usiiallv written p"'tt'.T.
Two
(i)
«'.73N
3'K73 =
=
but
1!"?^? =?!',
3-i>t ="',';
r'>:'X?,
'
Hebrew. P3P 'S'D: Sometimes the final letters of sevwords are combined into a group. This, where the initials make no sense, is done for mnemotechnic (_(/)
eral
D'J3!<
=
I'DN;
^7;P:' •"'^"VJ?
or last word of the combination sometimes retained in the abbreviation
tlie first
is short, it is
entire; for example,
yi mr; n'<3N
p'jr
>>>'
=
n"^-'
"s X l^"
=
",'
^}^':
'ii;;n ^^^(
of a larjrer (</) When an abbreviation is formed complex of words the rcsultini; IcMfithy abbreviation is rarely written in one group (for example, o'aypvrnHi = 3';: .-:i3 V^- tf^ry s-;y_ •;t-'^^,^). but is fretpiently broken up into two or more groups; for example, «'«»< x'x = ='?>< 11'!'. ^^ r?"'" I'«; 'I'xxi *<-.sn inNi
nicN
HNj.-i
'jp3 v)s
i3n •^;3
T^'Dt<
-licVt
inN
n"33
o"C
n"n
=
bin fx.
This splitting ip into groups is at limes guided by no principle (for exnsn;i-i hot f! P'? 3N l'Njn)_ j„„ ample, r'^BT T3(<in = more frei|Uently the tenilency is apparent to form such groups as would make sense when read as ty.5
entire words, or would represent a .series of nimbers. or would give a certain a.ssonance: for in^ ='"'3 = 3'??i; 3ian n:.-i3 jrivcs the words stance. on, a.n?; 3"3 i-33 = n; I'3i 1-, T? gives tile wordsl? pk 113; H"3i 3"Kt = a-ri'-N r<<y2 nr';' yifij ^si'3 •<"3^,' 3W; 3-ji z^'y?i'r-; = ipj? t>:
«;
gives the words <3s:
i-ik: 113J1
pronounced J's below)
'?;? Si? yields an assonance when ^il? 3? (compare Pronunciation,
V."'
-.'.'
'"!
= D'ii3j numbers 91.
dV: o'-jna dS: B-airiN oSr
3"r k-3
2'2. 23. gives the serial longer groups, particles and sometimes one (( ) In or more whole words may be left unrepresented for = ?«•:; example, t^" = N37 Bv-irc] NspijS; 3'nN3 c'ly tjci = jn7?!t bt n'-Myni KC'C ",'13^^; p'cb' =' r'"i33rp:.':| ^^n ri'3-<K 113 fntf i3t 3^;; D"j?;
ycm
rl'i^P [o'l'B'i] K*:
[IJ'?tJ]
"<">;
pO'i
iNCD; n'BJ
'^i;'?
=
=
'^n';
^.'j;?',':
"'"^
^"
!rir[r3,]-!331
[B'iif"?i'l
AVhen quoting Scriiitural passages, on (/() r>}'^P: account of religious scruples, only the tirst word is written out in full, the rest being given in Abbreviations. This mode is especially common among Kamitic authors (compare "Jew. Quart. Rev." vii. 303).
PTD'n t'na
=
It"
^"V-ti
=
"A Fragment
of the
Taimud,"
Ages. This kind of abbreviation does not On the origin of pro|)erly belong lo our subject.
such a"?!?, compare Griitz, " Gnosticismus im judenthum." p. 100. and •'r.n cd. viii. 90; see also the articles C.ii.M..v and Not.xhikon. (1) Owing to the fact that Ablireviations were frequenily formed into groups which. when read as a word, gave a meaning and were used .
Pronunciation.
exaniple,
i<--;71.-:,
(/')
of the
A
species of Abbreviations consists in the use
lell( rs
with
tiuiiiirical valui'.
Such use goes
to anli(|uily, and was already known to the authors of the Biblical books (compare Ilol/.liiger to in Marli's Gen. xiv. 11. and llerlholet to Kzek. iv.
back
,"1,
"Kur/.er
On
Hand Kommcnlar/um Allen T<siament
this use is also bused the licrmcneutii-
").
rule of
Gkm.vthia. Thise Idlers with numerical value may -' = :i|ll; "'P = (IIH; be wrillin by Ihcmsclvcs, as. or together, with the .bbrevialions of words, as, p.._ pii-ep ic-y; '•ys = fu"7 B'y2';'3 I'cs = it b'.-u;'
y?-;?!.
It is
furtherto be noticed that in modern limes
n-^y;.
="3?1, r'3,-,1,
'•^"T..
"-O
such pronunciation of numbers, especially of more than two places; for example,
Equally frequent J"?-"!,
"""1,
is
""P'^'.
Such pronounced Abbreviations are accepted in modern literature as r<'al words, and eviii form derivatives. They are useil both in judse and in jioetry. and the abbreviation signs are not always written a source of perjilcxily lo the uninitiated. Compare (3)
—
rvs'ri, "the heresy of Shabbetliai Zebi. fnmi ^"^', the initials of that" name (Gottlober. "Toledot ha"a poem the nuKabbalah." p. 11); "'?.'^'-,^"~ merical value of whose letters in every line is equivalent to the date of the year in which it was composed " (a'33i3n, p. 30, note) .
618 618
= =
Cjy
_
B"
21).
as a help lo ilic memory in oral study, kiixls of Abbreviations, even such as have no meaning when taken as
all
words, came in later times to be pronounced with supplied vowels; for example, ?""'.-", (B. B. 464), D-iry (nD.x'n,s ni, vii. 96), k^'V ((7). 98). This is especially common with names of authors and books: for
«;>"); V'3r'« N3
fol. l,/.'col. 1,
of letters, to
Jlidille
'V'?
[3'i:]
The mystic combination
1"?:
(/)
which dynamic powers were attributed, dates from the early G.ndsis, and was very eoinmon in the
(Gotthiber,
(Lowe, 1.
- 3N3['L-]N3-;[Nj;;u:in]
=-'-^3.s
purposes; for example,
.
«T3
"ary.
B's-if'j
When
(<•)
=
T'.mN
'^"'1
retained of one or several = r^y2 rii>s 3"NN = -nN
are
letters
words; for example,
pij
the use of r' ,"• for 1.5, 16 is avoided (such groups being part of the divine name) and i"a a substiIn some eases the numeral n tuted in their stead. " and pronounced "n with allusion to the is written meaning "alive," "living," which the word basin
.
tills
=
Abbreviations
,^3'7i< ns B'i7p>n ay
n3'rN 1 sn
an D-"
j^r pjn
Swj3
'py. M?';'
"Toledo! ha Kabbalah."
.i.Vn^I
E.:';'
p.
'13
31).
This
=
"the date of the V^^. '=:P, yields the P'"^ year with the omission of the lliiaisands" Hence, " l.uah Al.ii1H.")K 11. r. (see also (U8 = .">61« ..M. asaf." ii. 31: Uolitzky. "Sliin- Miiiahem." ji. 105). Abbreviations may be divided inlo general and
poem
=
lallerclass belong disirelicaiary Abbreviations formed for spi-eial cases or by certain authors; while the general Uses. ,bbrevialions. through their eonneclion with the history of eullure and of lileniture. have become mouuini'nls of idiiis ami of .seiilimenls. and havi' eonu' to possess hislorii' sigiiilieanee (comspecial.
To the
Till' oldest ri'gular pare Zuiiz. "'/.. (i." p. 4.VI). uses of .Vbbreviations as found in the Talmud are:
