naval bireshut haTorah

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Definitions

  • n. A crass person who strictly adheres to the technical letter of the law while disregarding the law's ethical spirit.

Example Sentences

  • "On the whole I think baalei teshuva are sincere and do not seek to be a naval bireshus hatorah (lowlifes but technically within the bounds of Jewish law)." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • נָבָל בִּרְשׁוּת הַתּוֹרָה

      • Who Uses This

      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)

      Regions

      • North America

      Dictionaries

      • None

      Alternative Spellings

      naval bireshus haTorah, naval bireshus haTorah, naval birshus haTorah, naval birshut haTorah

Notes

  • Definitions were contributed from Yinglish: A Lexicon of Judeo-English by Aliza Bulow.

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