Jastrow: מִדָּה

מִדָּה, מִידָּה f. (b. h.; preced.) 1) dimension, measure, proportion. Sabb. 150ᵃ (play on מ̇ד̇ה̇ב̇ה, v. preced.) מ̇אד̇ מ̇אד̇ ה̇ב̇א בלא מ̇' bring much, very much, without measure. Peah VIII, 6 מ׳ זו this proportion. Gen. R. s. 64; Esth. R. introd. (ref. to מנדה, Ezra IV, 13) זו מִדַּת הארץ that is the tax from the land as measured, i.e. the (Roman) land-tax. B. Bath. VII, 3 מ׳ בחבל וכ׳ I sell thee exact land-measure by the rope. Ib. 128ᵃ מִדַּת ארכו the length-measure of the cloak. Ib. מדת משקלותיו the measure of its (the gold-bar’s) weights, i.e. an estimate as to how many coins of a certain weight can be obtained from it. Ḥag. 12ᵃ מדת יום ומ׳ לילה the combined length of day and night. Yeb. 76ᵇ (ref. to I Sam. XVII, 38) מַדָּיו כמִדָּתוֹ his (Saul’s) garments such as fitted his stature. Mikv. X, 5; Ḥull. 73ᵃ עד מקום (ה)מ׳ as far as the designed length of the handle (excluding the portion which it is intended to cut off).—Kidd. 42ᵇ; B. Mets. 56ᵇ, a. e. דבר שבמ׳ ושבמשקל וכ׳ objects which are sold by measure, by weight or by the piece. B. Bath. 89ᵇ לעולם … מ׳ חסירה וכ׳ one must never keep in one’s house too small or too large a measure (smaller or larger than the legal size); a. fr.—Pl. מִדּוֹת, מִידּוֹת. Ib. 88ᵇ עונשן של מ׳ the divine punishment for fraudulent measures. Tosef. B. Mets. VI, 14 לא היו ממונין … אלא על המ׳ they (the agoranomoi in Jerusalem) were appointed not for the regulation of market prices but for the superintendence of the measures; B. Bath. 89ᵃ, v. אֲגַרְדְּמִיס; a. fr.—Men. 18ᵃ למצות מִידּוֹתַי, v. מָצָה.—Whence: Middoth (measurements of the Temple), name of a treatise of the Mishnah, of the order of Kodashim. —2) dealing; reward or punishment; dispensation.—מ׳ כנגד מ׳ retaliation, adequate punishment or reward. Sot. I, 7, v. preced. Ib. 9ᵃ לכמ׳ the verse is to intimate the God dispenses adequate punishments. Ib. 8ᵇ (ref. to ib. I, 7) אע"ג דמ׳ בטילה במ׳ לא בטיל although retribution (by the Jewish court) has ceased, the adequate divine punishment has not ceased. Lam. R. introd. (R. Alex. 2) (expl. יען וביען, Lev. XXVI, 43) מ׳ כנגד מ׳ punishment corresponding to deed. Ned. 32ᵃ. Snh. 90ᵃ כל מִידּוֹתָיו של הקב"ה מ׳ כנגד מ׳ all retributions of the Lord are in correspondence with man’s doings. Ber. 48ᵇ ‘whatever the Lord thy God has given thee’ דיינך בכל … בין מ׳ טובה ובין מִדַּת פורענות (not מדה) he is thy judge in whatever sentence he decrees upon thee, whether it be a good or an evil dispensation. Ib. IX, 5, v. מְאֹד. Sabb. 97ᵃ. Ib. 151ᵇ לעולם … על מ׳ זו at all times let one pray to be spared this fate (poverty); a. fr.—Pl. as ab. Snh. 90ᵃ, v. supra. Yoma 87ᵇ המעביר על מִדּוֹתָיו וכ׳ he who passes over his retaliations (who forbears to retaliate), his failings will be passed over (be forgiven); Meg. 28ᵃ. Ib. לא עמדתי על מִידּוֹתַי I never insisted on retaliation; Kidd. 71ᵃ ואינו מעמד על מדותיו (Rashi: מעמיד); a. fr.—3) manner, ways, character, nature, condition. Ber. 40ᵃ לא כמדת הקב"ה וכ׳ the nature of divine (intellectual) affairs is not like the nature of human (material) affairs. Ib. 11ᵇ להזכיר מדת יום וכ׳ to mention the nature of the day (light) at night. Tanḥ. Balak 3 מה מִדָּתוֹ what is the nature of his power. B. Mets. 33ᵃ מ׳ ואינה מ׳ it is a (meritorious) way (of studying) and is not, i.e. you might to better; Y. Hor. III, 48ᶜ top מ׳ שאינה מ׳; a. fr.—Pl. as ab. Ab. V, 10 ארבע מ׳ באדם there are four different dispositions of men (as to treating one’s fellowman); ib. 11 ארבע מ׳ בדעות four characters (temperaments); ib. 12 ארבע מ׳ בתלמידים four natures of students (with regard to receptive and retentive faculties). Y. Snh. XI, 30ᵃ bot. כל שבע מ׳ וכ׳ all the seven characteristic features of righteous men which the scholars have defined have been realized in Rabbi. Ned. 20ᵇ בני תשע מ׳ children conceived under nine (abnormal mental) conditions. R. Hash. 17ᵇ, a. fr. שלש עשרה מ׳ the thirteen divine attributes (Ex. XXXIV, 6, sq.). Ned. 32ᵃ, v. פָּרַז; a. fr.—מדת הדין a) justice. Tosef. Yeb. IX, 3. a. e., v. לָקָה.—Esp. the divine attribute of justice, opp. מ׳ הרחמים, v. דִּין II.—b) common sense, logical argument. Yoma 43ᵇ כך (היא) מ׳ הדין נותנת common sense dictates this; Shebu. 14ᵃ. Y. Maas. Sh. II, 53ᶜ top תחומין עשו (כמ׳) למ׳ הדין they regulated the laws of Sabbath limits according to common sense (not by textual interpretation).—c) decision in money matters, civil law (contrad. to ritual law). Y. Gitt. V, 46ᶜ bot. אף למ׳ הדין הכן the same principle holds good for civil law (collection of claims, v. כַּפְרָנוּת); Y. Shebi. X, 39ᶜ bot. Ib. (last line) ולמידין מ׳ הדין וכ׳ do we apply the rules of Prosbol (v. פְּרוֹזְבּוּל) to ordinary claims? Y. B. Kam. V, beg. 4ᵈ לא הילכו במ׳ הדין אחר הרוב (strike out בממון) in civil law we are not guided by probabilities (v. דוֹב; cmp. Bab. B. Kam. 27ᵇ). Y. Ber. II, 5ᵃ bot. ולמ׳ הד׳ but civil law (questions of possession). —4) principle, standard, consistency. Men. III, 4 כמדת ר׳ וכ׳ following the principle of R. &c.; Pes. 77ᵇ; Y. ib. VII, 34ᶜ top. Shek. IV, 6 אינה היא המ׳ (comment. אינה מן המ׳) this is not consistent (with a previous rule). Ib. 7 השוה את מִדָּתוֹ (Y. ed. מִדּוֹתָיו) he makes his standards even (is consistent). Pes. I, 7 אינה היא המ׳ this is not the right argument. Ib. 15ᵇ אמאי אינה היא המ׳ מ׳ ומ׳ היא why do you say, it is no argument? it is surely a correct argument. Y. Ḥag. III, 77ᵈ ‘Menahem went out’ means ממ׳ למ׳ יצא he went over from one principle to another (joined the opposition; Bab. ib. 16ᵇ יצא לתרבות רעה).—Esp. מִדּוֹת rules of interpretation. Sifra introd., ch. I, end הלל … שבע מ׳ וכ׳ Hillel the Elder explained seven rules &c.; Ab. d’R. N. ch. XXXVII; Tosef. Snh. VII, 11. Sifra introd., beg. (R. Yishm. said) בשלש עשרה מ׳ וכ׳ the Torah is interpreted by means of thirteen rules. [Appendix to treat. B’rakhoth. ל"ב מ׳ של ר׳ יוסו וכ׳ the thirty two rules of R. José the Galilean.]—Lev. R. s. 3, beg. הלכות ומ׳ decisions and interpretations (by which the decisions were reached), v. מְכִילְתָּא.—Gitt. 67ᵃ מִידּוֹתַי תרומה מתרומות מִידּוֹתָיו וכ׳ my rules of interpretation are the selection from selections of rules by R. Akiba.—Ber. 33ᵇ שעושה מדותיו של הקב"ה רחמים וכ׳ he makes compassion the standard (or reason) of the divine laws, while they are decrees (the reasons for which it behooves not man to discuss); Y. ib. V, 9ᶜ כקורא תיגר על מ׳ וכ׳ because it sounds as if he were finding fault with the ways of the Lord (as if the Lord were partial); כנותן קיצבה למ׳ וכ׳ as though he were setting limits to the attributes of the Lord.