כָּרַת, to cut. Num. R. s. 16 ונקרא אשכול … לִכְרוֹת וכ׳ and he (Abraham’s ally) was named Eshkol (Cluster), on account of the cluster of grapes which the Israelites were destined to cut in his home.—Esp. to cut genitals, mutilate. Bekh. 33ᵇ נותק אחר כּוֹרֵת, v. נָתַק.—Part. pass. כָּרוּת. Ib.; a. fr.—כְּ׳ שפכה one that is mutilated at his membrum, v. שָׁפַךְ. Tosef. Yeb. XI, 2. Yeb. VIII, 2; a. fr.
כָּרַת, [to draw a circle, place outside, cmp. meanings of חרם, ברי,] to cut off, excommunicate, v. כָּרֵת. Y. Bicc. II, beg. 64ᶜ; Y. Snh. XI, 30ᵇ צא … עונשין וכוֹרְתִים deduct twenty years up to which age the divine court neither punishes nor decrees excision.
כָּרַת, to separate, divorce; to make final. Gitt. 21ᵇ; Succ. 24ᵇ (ref. to Deut. XXIV, 3) ספר כּוֹרְתָהּ וכ׳ the delivery of the deed divorces her and nothing else does. Ib. דבר הכּוֹרֵת בינו לבינה something (a condition) which (if fulfilled) severs definitely the connection between him and her (e.g. a condition that she will drink no wine for the next thirty days, after the lapse of which time the letter of divorce takes its effect retroactively, opp. to a condition that she will abstain from wine all the rest of her life in which case the letter of divorce cannot take effect).—Part. pass. כָּרוּתdefinite. Y. Gitt. VII, 48ᵈ כגט כ׳ הוא it is like a final divorce (taking effect immediately); Y. B. Bath. VIII, 16ᶜ top כ׳ הוא. Y. Gitt. III, 44ᵈ top; IX, 50ᵇ bot. זה כ׳ לשמה ווה כ׳ לשמה (not זו) this letter was definitely made out for this woman, and so was the other for the other woman. Ib. III, beg. 44ᶜ אלא שלא הי׳ לה כ׳ … ראשונה (strike out לה); a. fr.—3) to decide, make final. Ber. 4ᵃ; Snh. 16ᵇ (ref. to כְּרֵתִי as a symbolical name for the Urim and Tummim, or for the Sanhedrin) שכּוֹרְתִים את דבריהם they give definite and precise decisions; Midr. Till. to Ps. III כּוֹרְתֵי כריתות, v. כְּרִיתָה; a. e.—כ׳ בְּרִית (v. בְּרִית) to covenant, make a firm promise. Gen. R. s. 44 כָּרַתָּ ב׳ עם וכ׳ thou hast promised to Noah that thou wilt not destroy his descendants; Yalk. Gen. 76 כָּרַתָּה.—Part. pass. כָּרוּת, f. כְּרוּתָה. M. Kat. 18ᵃ, a. fr. ברית כ׳ לשפתים, v. בְּרִית. R. Hash. 17ᵇ ב׳ כ׳ לי"ג מדזת וכ׳ there is a solemn insurance given that the invocation of the thirteen divine attributes (Ex. XXXIV, 6, sq.) will never be without effect (ref. to Ex. XXXIV, 10).—Trnsf. ב׳ כ׳it is a necessity, unavoidable. Nidd. 58ᵇ ב׳ כ׳ לו שכל וכ׳ whoever crushes it cannot help smelling it.
