Jastrow: מַסּוֹרֶת

מַסּוֹרֶת f. (מָסַר) (a chain of) tradition. Sot. 10ᵇ דבר זה מ׳ בידינו מאבותינו וכ׳ we hold a tradition from our fathers that &c. Ḥull. 63ᵇ עוף טהור נאכל במ׳ as for eating clean birds we rely on tradition (there being no rules for distinguishing them in the Biblical law).—Esp. the traditional Scriptural text without vowels, contrad. to מקרא the traditional vocalization, v. אֵם. Y. Meg. IV, 74ᵈ bot. (ref. to Neh. VIII, 8) ‘they explained the reading’, זה המ׳ this means the traditional text; Bab. Meg. 3ᵃ אלו המסורות (some eds. מסורת; v. Rabb. D. S. a. l.); Ned. 37ᵇ המסורות. Ab. III, 13 מ׳ סייג לתורה the tradition is the fence for (preserving the integrity of) the Torah. Zeb. 37ᵇ, sq. אהני מקרא ואהני מ׳ the traditional vocalization is a help (in interpretation), and so is the traditional literal text (e. g. בסכת, Lev. XXIII, 42, which may be interpreted as singular number, and which is read as a plural); a. fr.—Pl. מַסֹּורוֹת. Tanḥ. Vaëthḥ. 6 נטלו מ׳ חכמה וכ׳ the traditions of wisdom were taken from Moses and given to Joshua.—Meg. 3ᵃ; Ned. 37ᵇ, v. supra.—[מַסֹּורָה Massorah, the collection of textual readings systematically arranged.]