בָּרַר (b. h.; √בר, contr. of באר, בור) [to clear, clean; to place outside, whence] 1) to make clear, prove, ascertain. Keth. 46ᵃ (interpret. Deut. XXII, 17) ובוֹרְרִין את הדבר וכ׳ and they make the fact as clear (bright) as a new garment.—Part. pass. בָּרוּר q. v. —2) to single out, select, sift, assort. Maasr. II, 6 שאָבוֹר לי which I may select for me. Ib. בּוֹרֵר ואוכל he has a right to pick out and eat (one after the other). Kil. II, 1 יָבוֹר he must take it out entirely. Sabb. VII, 2 הבּוֹרֵר he who sifts (a labor forbidden on the Sabbath). Y. ib. VII, 10ᵃ, a. fr. משום בורר (is guilty) because it comes under the class of sifting. Bab. ib. 74ᵃ בורר ואוכל וכ׳ he may take out singly and eat, take out singly and put it down (rejecting it) ולא יִבְרוֹר but he must not assort (v. discussion ibid.). Gitt. V, 9 לא תָבוֹר she must not help her to sift the grain. Snh. 45ᵃ בְּרוֹר לו וכ׳ choose for the convict the most gentle method of execution; Sot. 8ᵇ, a. fr.—Snh. III, 1 זה בורר וכ׳ each party chooses one judge, and the two judges בּוֹרְרִין וכ׳ elect a third.
    Pi. - בֵּרַר, בֵּירַר 1) to prove, ascertain. Snh. 23ᵇ צריך לבָרֵר the claimant must offer clear evidence. Kerith. 24ᵃ לב׳ עוון to ascertain whether or not the woman was guilty; Num. R. s. 9, v. בָּעַר. Y. Kidd. III, 63ᵈ, v. סִימְפּוֹן. Lev. R. s. 11; v. Nithpa. —2) to sift, select. Y. Ber. IX, 13ᶜ top דש זרה ובי׳ he threshed, winnowed and sifted. Y. Ned. I, beg. 51ᵃ לשונות שביררו להן וכ׳ the terms (for oaths, vows &c.) which the Mishnahs have selected (as substitutes for the real expressions of oaths &c.); Bab. Ned. 10ᵇ שבדו, v. בָּדָא. [Esth. R. to I, 22 [read:] בירר להם בלשון … רומי מלשון יוני interpreted for them (the Bible) in Latin &c., v. בָּדָא. The passage is defective; cmp. Y. Meg. I, 71ᶜ top.] [Y. Snh. X, 28ᵃ בחרו להם ביררו הברזל וכ׳, read בְּרִיּוּת, they selected (as similes for the Law) the soundness of the iron and the fixedness of the tree; cmp. Num. R. s. 14; Koh. R. to XII, 11.]
    Hof. - הוּבְרָר to be cleared up, to be decided (between two alternatives); v. בְּרֵירָה. Bets. 4ᵃ (a hen is bought either for consumption or for breeding) נשחטה הובְרָרָה וכ׳ by its being killed, it appears that it was originally intended for slaughtering; Ḥull. 14ᵃ
    Nif. - נִבְרָר to be selected. Tanḥ. Sh’laḥ. 4 נִבְרְרוּ צדיקים they were righteous at the time they were selected.
    Nithpa. - נִתְבָּרֵר 1) to desire clearness, to seek evidence, search for truth. Lev. R. s. 11 (ref. to II Sam. XXII, 26 sq.) בשעה שנ׳ על עסקיו הק"בה בירר לו וכ׳ when he desired to be enlightened about his affairs (asking, ‘Whereby shall I know, Gen. XV, 8), the Lord enlightened him &c. (ib. 13). Ib. בשעה שנ׳ וכ׳ (with ref. to Moses); Midr. Till. to Ps. XVIII, 26 sq. —2) to be confirmed, established. Tanḥ. T’tsavveh 9, end [read:] נִתְבָּרְרָה כהונה בידם through them the priesthood became established. Pesik. Dibré p. 115ᵇ [read as:] Yalk. Jer. 258 לא נ׳ … עד שעמד וכ׳ their prophecies were not fulfilled until Jer. arose.