רפי, רָפָה (b. h.; preced.) to be or make lax. Lev. R. s. 19 רָפוּ ידיהן their hands became lax (they lost their energy).—Part. pass. רָפוּי; f. רְפוּיָה. Sabb. 141ᵇ בר׳ when the shoe on the block is loose (can be taken off without moving the block). Ib. 130ᵃ, v. infra.
Pi. - רִיפָּה 1) to loosen, let go. Mikv. VIII, 5 יְרַפֶּה כדי וכ׳ he must loosen his hold of the objects, so that the water can come in contact with them; Y. Ḥag. III, beg. 78ᵈ יְרַפֵּם עד וכ׳ he must let them go until &c. —2) to let hang down; to make lax, weaken. Tanḥ. K’dosh. 6 מְרַפִּין כנפיהם they let their wings hang down. Lev. R. l. c. (ref. to Is. XXXV, 3) שרִפִּיתֶם עצמיכם וכ׳ you weakened yourselves through your evil doings. Bekh. 5ᵇ; Snh. 106ᵃ (play on ר̇פ̇י̇ד̇י̇ם̇) שרִֹיפּ֗וּ י̇ד̇יהן מדברי תורה (not עצמן) they let their hands drop from (holding) the words of the Law; Tanḥ. B’shall. 25 שרִפּוּ ידיהן מן התורה (or שרָפוּ, v. supra); a. e.—Part. pass. מְרוּפּה; f. מְרוּפָּה. Sabb. 130ᵃ עדיין היא מר׳ בידם (not הוא; Ms. O. רְפוּיָה) it is still lax in their hands (they treat the ceremony with laxity), opp. מוחזקת held fast.—3) to soften, teach good manners. Ruth R. to II, 5 רבתה רִפְּתָה לה (or רָפְתָה) her mistress (Naomi) had taught her good manners; Yalk. ib. 601 חמותה מאלפא לה.