Reference
Dictionary
Jastrow
Early 20th-century English dictionary of Aramaic and Hebrew words in the Talmud, midrashic literature, and the Targumim.
Klein Dictionary
20th-century scholarly English dictionary with etymology and derivatives of modern Hebrew words.
Sefer HaShorashim
13th-century dictionary of the Hebrew language by Rav David Kimchi (Radak), with definitions based upon etymology and comparisons between languages.
Sefer HeArukh
Earliest comprehensive dictionary of rabbinic literature, compiled at the turn of the 12th century and quoted often by Talmud commentators.
Otzar La'azei Rashi
20th-century dictionary translating the Old French words in Rashi’s Tanakh and Talmud commentaries into Hebrew.
Animadversions by Elias Levita on Sefer HaShorashim
16th-century notes and critiques on Sefer HaShorashim.
Hafla'ah ShebaArakhin on Sefer HeArukh
18th-century compilation of addenda and notes to Sefer HeArukh.
BDB
Early 20th-century lexicon of biblical Hebrew, with a definition of each word and details of its usage in the Bible.
Grammar
Machberet Menachem
First Hebrew dictionary of biblical vocabulary, composed in the 10th century and quoted extensively by Rashi.
Sefat Yeter
Ibn Ezra’s 12th-century defense of Saadia Gaon’s grammatical biblical interpretations in light of criticism from Saadia’s student.
Sefer HaBachur
16th-century work of four essays on the principles of Hebrew grammar, instrumental in spreading knowledge of Hebrew.
Encyclopedic Works
Ayin Zokher
18th-century encyclopedic work mostly explaining talmudic concepts, composed by the Chida.
Devash LeFi
The second part of Midbar Kedamot.
Midbar Kedemot
18th-century encyclopedic work explaining 580 concepts from rabbinic and kabbalistic literature, composed by the Chida.
Seder HaDorot
Eighteenth-century chronicle by Rabbi Yechiel Heilprin, with brief biographies of figures from the first person, Adam, through the period of the author.
Shem HaGedolim
18th-century work of the Chida with biographies of rabbinic figures and a bibliography of rabbinic works.
The Jewish Spiritual Heroes
20th-century work with biographies of rabbis living in the time period of the Mishnah and the Talmud.
About Reference
Dictionaries, grammar works, and encyclopedias from medieval to contemporary, meant to aid in understanding biblical and rabbinic texts.
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