גְּזֵרָה, a secluded and narrow place, dale, precipice. Yoma 67ᵇ ומנין שבצוק ת"ל ג׳ and how do we know that the place (Azazel) must be precipitous? We read g’zerah (Lev. XVI, 22) ; Sifra Aḥaré Par. 2, ch. II Gen. R. s. 98, beg. איזה לשם ואיזה לג׳ which (goat) for the Lord and which for the precipice.—2) decree, edict, divine dispensation; (in an evil sense) persecution by foreign governments. Sifra l. c. ch. VI, Par. 5 יכול יהא גְּזֵרַת מלך lest you may think it is a royal ordinance (the reason of which is not known); v. vers. in Yalk. Lev. 576. Num. R. s. 19 ג׳ גזרתי … על גְּזֵרָתִי I have decreed it, thou art not permitted to transgress my decree (though knowing no reason).—R. Hash. 18ᵇ גְּזֵרַת המלכות (Ms. M. שמד) political persecution. Sabb. 145ᵇ to reflect איזו ג׳ קשה אביא וכ׳ what hard dispensation to send them; a. fr.
גְּזֵרָה, a rabbinical enactment issued as a guard (v. גֶּדֶר), preventive measure; in gen. prohibition, restriction. B. Bath. 60ᵇ, a. e. אין גוזרין ג׳ על וכ׳ we must not impose a restriction on the public which the majority can not endure. Bets. 2ᵇ, a. fr. ג׳ משום וכ׳ it is prohibited in order to prevent &c. Ib. 3ᵃ ג׳ לג׳ a guard to a guard, i.e. a preventive measure enacted in order to prevent the violation of another preventive measure; a. fr.—Pl. גְּזֵרוֹת, גְּזֵירוֹת. B. Bath. l. c. ג׳ רעות וקשות Ms. M. (v. Rabb. D. S. a. l. note) bad and severe enactments (persecutions). Sabb. 30ᵃ Moses, our teacher גזר כמה ג׳ issued so many restrictions. Macc. 24ᵃ ארבע ג׳ גזר וכ׳ four hardships did Moses pronounce over Israel. Erub. 21ᵇ הרבה ג׳ גזרתי על עצמי וכ׳ many restrictions did I (Israel) impose upon myself beyond those which thou (the Lord, in the Torah) &c. Pes. 87ᵇ, v. אֲרָם; a. fr.—M. Kat. III, 3, v. גָּזָר.
גְּזֵרָה, (logics) category, esp. ג׳ שָׁוָהG’zerah shavah, an equal or identic category, i.e. an analogy between two laws established on the basis of verbal congruities in the texts, e.g. Pes. 66ᵃ, נאמר מועדו בפסח וכ׳ the Passover law contains the word moădo (due season, Num. XI, 2) and the law concerning the daily sacrifices uses the same word (ib. XXVIII, 2): as the word moădo in the latter indicates that it applies also to the Sabbath day (superseding the ordinary Sabbath law concerning labor), so does it in the former intimate that it supersedes the Sabbath law (if the eve of Passover occurs on a Sabbath). Ib. אין אדם דן ג"ש מעצמו you cannot establish an analogy from congruent expressions of your own accord, i.e. it must be authorized by tradition that the verbal congruity is applied to a certain analogy and no other.—Y. Yeb. XI, 11ᵈ top ג"ש במקום שבאת an analogy can be drawn wherever it occurs, i.e. a textual analogy once established must be carried through all details; ib. VIII, 9ᶜ bot. ג"ש במקום שכתוב (corr. acc.); Y. Kidd. IV, 65ᵈ top; Y. Snh. IX, 26ᵈ bot.; a. e.—Sabb. 97ᵃ ג"ש לא גמיר he had no tradition concerning that analogy; a. fr.—In gen. ג"שanalogy. Bets. I, 6; a. e.—Pl. גְּזֵירוֹת שָׁווֹת. Gen. R. s. 46; Lev. R. s. 25. [Y. Ber. VIII, 12ᵇ top גזירה דהוא רבע, read גזרית or גזירנא I command that &c.; Y. Keth. V, 30ᵃ גזירה דגזרין, v. גָּזוֹרָא.]
