אָב

אָבII m. (b. h.; אבה, cmp. אֵם), const. אֲבִי, אַב (embracer), father, ancestor, progenitor; teacher; chief, leader; author, originator. Ex. R. s. 46 end המגדל אב the educator is the real father. Lev. R. s. 1 אבי החכמהוכ׳, the father of all wisdom,. the father of prophets. Y.Ned.V, 39b; a. fr.אַב בית דין (abbr. אב״ד) president of the Court (Great Sanhedrin), next in dignity to the Nassi. Taan.II, 1; a. fr.Metaph. origin, cause. Num. R. s. 10 (play on אֲבוֹי, Prov. 23:29) א׳ אוי the cause of woe (sin).אב מלאכה (for which also עיקר) one of the chief labors forbidden on the Sabbath, opp. תולדה a labor the prohibition of which is based on the ground of its being a species of the former, or derived from the former. Sabb.VII, 1 sq.; a. fr.Y.Sabb.II, 5a, אב שלה, sub. מלאכה.אב הטומאה one of the original or direct causes of levitical uncleanness, opp. ולד (child) secondary cause. Toh. I, 5; a. fr.א׳ הנזק v. Pl.בנין א׳ creation of a class, i. e. a conclusion, by analogy, from a case explicitly stated in the bibl. law on all similar cases not specified in detail. Sifra introd.Ib. Kdoshim, end, ch. 11 (ref. to Lev. 20:27) זה ב׳ א׳ לכל דמיהם בם this forms the rule for all cases in which the Bible uses the word dmēhem bam (that the penalty is stoning to death); a. fr.; v. also בֵּית אב.Pl. אָבוֹת־, const. אֲבוֹת, 1) fathers, ancestors, patriarchs Ber.26b prayers א׳ תקנום have been instituted by the Patriarchs; a. fr.אבות בתי דינין, v. supra. Hag. 2:2,בת א׳ a woman of noble descent. Num. R. s. 1; a. e.Metaph. principal, chief א׳ מלאכות, v. supra. א׳ חטומא׳ Kel. I, 1; v. supra.א׳ מזיקין (sing. אב הנזק) the chief actionable injuries or damages, from which the subordinate are deduced (תולדות). B. Kam.I, 1; a. e. 2) Aboth, the first section of the Prayer of Benedictions (v. תְּפִלָּה), so called because it alludes to the Patriarchs. R. Hash. IV, 5; a. fr. 3) Aboth, name of a treatise of the Mishnah, containing sayings of Talmudic authorities and belonging to the fourth section, נזיקין, of the Mishnah collection (משניות); also styled פִּרְקֵי א׳ a. מְסֶכֶת א׳. A similar collection of a later date is contained in Talmud Babli editions, named א׳ דרבי נתן Aboth dRabbi Nathan. Y.Yoma VIII, 44d top אב בית נפש v. אֲבֵידָה.