Jastrow: חוֹתָם

חוֹתָם m. (b. h.; חָתַם) 1) seal, stamp, die; enclosure locked up with a mark. Sabb. VIII, 5 כח׳ המרצופין as much sealing clay as required for a seal on bags. Ib. ח׳ האיגרות seal on letters. Snh. IV, 5 אדם טובע … בח׳ אחד a human being prints many coins from one die &c., but the Lord טבע … בחוֹתָמוֹ של וכ׳ stamped every human being with the die of Adam, and yet not one is like the other; Y. ib. IV, 22ᵇ bot. מח׳ וכ׳. Sabb. 58ᵃ העבד בח׳ שבצוארו the slave with the mark hanging down from his neck, בח׳ שבכסותו with the mark tied to his garment; a. fr.—Trnsf. sexual innocence; purity. Yalk. Num. 766, v. infra.—Pl. חוֹתָמוֹת, חוֹתָמִים. Y. Snh. l. c.—Bets. 31ᵇ ח׳ שבקרקע וכ׳ knots which serve as marks on doors of subterranean stores, may be untied &c.; a. e.—Tan. d’be El. ch. XX, בחוֹתָמֵיהֶן in their innocence. —2) [lock,] the oblate side of a berry to which the stalk is attached. Y. Ab. Zar. V, 44ᵈ top. Toh. X, 5 גרגר … ח׳ a single berry, if its oblate part with the stalk is intact; Tosef. ib. XI, 10. Ib. מקום ח׳ the place where the stalk (now torn out) was seated (and where now juice is oozing out). —3) the membraneous enclosure separating the stone of a date from its flesh, pericarp (as far as not eatable). Tosef. Ḥull. I, 23 הח׳ טמא ביבשה quot. by R. S. to Ukts. II, 2 (ed. Zuck. הח׳ omitted; oth. ed. הזיתים in place of the preceding העמים) the pericarp is counted in with the unclean matter in dry dates; Ukts. l. c. ח׳ של יבשה R. S. (ed. a. Maim. חותל). —4) concluding formula of prayers.—Pl. as ab. Taan. II, 3 חוֹתָמֵיהֶן. Y. Ber. I, 3ᵈ bot. חוֹתְמוֹתֵיהֶן, v. חִיתּוּם.