ויקרא
Vayikra
The Hebrew name for the biblical book Leviticus is ויקרא (Vayikra).
ויקרא is the name used for the book of the Bible and the Torah known as Leviticus.
Meaning: the book of the Bible and Torah (name)
What does it mean word for word?
The name comes from the first word of the book's text, which literally means 'And he called'.
How do you pronounce it?
Vayikra
Did you know?
- Because the name ויקרא is actually a verb, 'And he called', some Hebrew grammarians treat the entire book as a single, ongoing action rather than a static noun.
- While English uses the Latin-derived 'Leviticus' to name the book after the tribe of Levi, the Hebrew name ignores the tribe entirely and focuses solely on the act of calling.
- In Hebrew, titles of books are often 'incipit' names, meaning they are not proper names but simply the first word of the text itself.
Examples in context
- ספר ויקרא הוא חלק מהתורה.Sefer Vayikra hu helek me-ha-Torah.The book of Leviticus is part of the Torah.
- אני לומד עכשיו את ויקרא.Ani lomed achshav et Vayikra.I am studying Leviticus now.
- האם קראת את ויקרא?Ha'im karata et Vayikra?Have you read Leviticus?
Example conversation
Two students are discussing their reading assignment.
- נועם Noamעגור, סיימת לקרוא את ויקרא?Agur, siyamt likro et Vayikra?Agur, did you finish reading Leviticus?
- עגור Adiעדיין לא, זה ספר ארוך.Adayin lo, ze sefer aroch.Not yet, it is a long book.
- נועם Noamאני יכול לעזור לך להבין אותו.Ani yachol la-azor lach le-havin oto.I can help you understand it.
- עגור Adiתודה, נועם, זה יעזור מאוד.Toda, Noam, ze ya-azor me-od.Thanks, Noam, that would help a lot.
