parasha

Edit

Pronunciations

parsha (PAR-shuh) listen
parasha (pah-rah-SHAH) listen
parsha (par-SHAH) listen

Record a Pronunciation

Definitions

  • n. Selection of the Pentateuch read publicly on the Sabbath.

  • n. Period of dating for marriage (Orthodox Jews).

  • n. Conversation (Weiser).

  • n. General realm of feasibility, ballpark (Weiser).

  • n. A tedious, lengthy enumeration or account, litany (Weiser).

  • View More

Example Sentences

  • "The Parshah this week is Chayei Sarah."

  • "Do you know what her bat mitzvah parsha is?"

  • "Shidduchim are only valid the first year you are "in the parsha" so every 19 year girl gets matched with a 23 yr old boy and no other boy or girl could possibly be a match!" (source)

  • "You're not even in this parsha, so don't offer your opinions." (Weiser)

  • "Don't give up trying to win the contest; you're still in the parsha." (Weiser)

  • "Rebbe gave me a whole parsha for coming late." (Weiser)

  • View More

Record a Sentence

Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • פּרשה parasha

      • 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
      • View More

      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).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).
      • View More

      Alternative Spellings

      parshe, parshah, parashah, parasha, parsha

Notes

  • Plural parshas or parshiyot.

    Also used in the phrase parashat hashavua / parashat hashavua (the reading of the week).

    When it comes before the name of a weekly Torah portion, 'parasha' becomes 'parashat' as in 'Parashat Bereshit'.

Edit     Something missing from this entry? Inaccurate? Feel free to suggest an edit.