gezerah

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Pronunciations

gezerah (geh-ZEY-rah) listen

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Definitions

  • n. (Jewish law) A prohibition enacted by the sages as a measure to protect religious observance under changed conditions.

  • n. An evil decree.

  • n. An authoritative commandment or prohibition.

  • n. An addition to an existing precept.

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Example Sentences

  • "A gezerah was instituted when occasion demanded." (source)

  • "According to the gzeira, you need to wait longer before you make havdala." (Weiser)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • TH גזרה gezera 'decree' > Y גזירה gzeyre

      • 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)
      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage
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      Regions

      • North America
      • South Africa

      Dictionaries

      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
      • 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).

      Alternative Spellings

      gezera, gezerah, gzerah, g'zerah, gazerah, gezeirah, gzeirah, g'zeirah, gazeirah, gezeyrah, gzeyrah, g'zeyrah, gazeyrah, gzera, g'zera, gazera, gezeira, gzeira, g'zeira, gazeira, gezeyra, gzeyra, g'zeyra, gazeyra

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