peshat

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Pronunciations

peshat (PSHAHT) listen

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Definitions

  • n. The literal meaning of a Jewish text.

  • n. The simple interpretation of something.

  • n. A justification, explanation.

  • n. (as in: 'what's pshat') The basic information required to understand a topic of discussion.

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Example Sentences

  • "I once had a shiduch in an art museum, and I made up pshat in all the paintings to try to make an impression." (Weiser)

  • "I thought they're friends; what's the pshat they're fighting." (Weiser)

  • "[T]he key to understanding the difference between pshat and drash lies in a principle explained by the Ibn Ezra[.]" (source)

  • "Nu, Yossi, I haven't seen you since you left for Eretz Yisrael. What's pshat?"

  • "Before we start arguing about the report, let's make sure we agree what the peshat is." (Glinert)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • פְּשָׁט (the first element of the acronym פרד״ס pardes, which refers to the four approaches to biblical exegesis)

      • Who Uses This

      • Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education
      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa
      • Australia / New Zealand

      Dictionaries

      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).
      • Frumspeak: The First Dictionary of Yeshivish, by Chaim Weiser (Northvale, 1995).

      Alternative Spellings

      p'shat, pshat

Notes

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