Dvar
/dɛvˈɑːr/noun
A brief teaching or interpretation, especially one based on the Torah, often used in the phrase “dvar Torah.”
Did you know?In Biblical Hebrew, davar could mean either a spoken word or an event, reflecting the ancient idea that speech could bring reality into being.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*d-b-r
“A root associated with speaking or utterance”
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
דָּבָר (dāḇār)
“Word, speech, matter, affair, or thing”
Second Temple Period
Hebrew/Aramaic
דְּבַר (dvar)
“Word, matter, or subject; a construct form of davar”
Rabbinic Hebrew
Hebrew
דְּבַר תּוֹרָה (dvar Torah)
“A word or teaching of Torah”
20th Century
English
dvar
“A short Torah teaching or Jewish religious interpretation”
Modern English
English
dvar
“A brief sermon, lesson, or discussion, especially in Jewish contexts”