כָּשַׁל (b. h.; cmp. כִּשְׁכֵּשׁ) to strike against, stumble. Lev. R. s. 19 (ref. to Is. XXXV, 3) שהן נראות כאילו כּוֹשְׁלוֹת knees which have the appearance of stumbling (threaten to stumble). Ib. שכְּשַׁלְתֶּם וכ׳ for you have really stumbled (sinned) through your evil deeds. Num. R. s. 16 כְּשַׁלְתֶּם you have stumbled (were discouraged; Tanḥ. Shlaḥ 2 נתרשלתם); a. e.—כּוֹשֵׁל (law) weak, under legal disadvantages (in adapt. of Is. l. c. a. Job IV, 4). Keth. IX, 2 ינתנו לַכּ׳ שבהן let it be given him who is under the greatest disadvantage of all (the claimants being the deceased man’s widow, his creditor and his heirs); expl. ib. 84ᵃ לכ׳ שבראיה to him who is under disadvantage for evidence (whose document is of the latest date); [oth. opin.] לכתובת אשה to the widow, v. חִינָּא; Y. ib. IX, 33ᵃ top לכ׳ שבראיותיו וכ׳ to him who is the weakest as to evidence, e.g. he who loaned without witnesses as against him who has witnesses. Ib. לכ׳ בגופו to him who is in feeble health (and poor).
    Nif. - נִכְשַׁל 1) to be struck, meet with an accident. Mekh. B’shall. s. 2 לא נ׳ אחד וכ׳ not one of them (the Egyptians) met with an accident (was detained) on the road. Y. Sabb. VI, 8ᶜ bot. נ׳ באצבעו got a sore finger; ib. XVI, 15ᶜ top; Lam. R. to IV, 20; a. e. —2) to stumble, fall; to be led to sin. Pesik. Shub., p. 165ᵃ והיו … נִכְשָׁלִין בו and people stumbled over it (the rock); Yalk. Hos. 533. Ib. אדם נ׳ בעכירה if man becomes a victim of sin. Gitt. 43ᵃ אין אדם … אא"כ נ׳ בהן one never gets at the true sense of the words of the Law, except after mistakes; Ḥag. 14ᵃ; Sabb. 120ᵃ.—Ber. 28ᵇ ולא אֶכָּשֵׁל בדבר הלכה and that I may not err against a hălakhah; ולא יִכָּשְׁלוּ וכ׳ nor may my colleagues &c. Midr. Till. to Ps. XXII בשביל … איני נִכְשֶׁלֶת because I am a queen, I shall not come to grief; a. fr.
    Hif. - הִכְשִׁיל to cause to stumble, to be an obstruction; to weaken; to cause sin. Y. Shebi. III, end, 34ᵈ a breach in the fence מַכְשֶׁלֶת את הרבים annoying the public (an obstruction to traffic). R. Hash. I, 6 נמצאת מַכְשִׁילָן לע"ל thou wilt make them sin in future cases (by their refraining from going to court); Yoma 77ᵇ שלא תהא מַכְשִׁילָן וכ׳ that thou mayest not cause them to sin (by staying away from college); Kidd. 33ᵃ; Ḥull. 54ᵇ מְכַשְּׁלָן (Pi.).—Ab. Zar. 11ᵇ פיהם הִכְשִׁילָן לרשעים Ms. M. (ed. ה׳ פיהם) their own (ominous) words brought these wicked men to fall; Num. R. s. 18. B. Kam. 16ᵇ; B. Bath. 9ᵇ (ref. to מכשלים, Jer. XVIII, 23) הַכְשִׁילֵם וכ׳ make them stumble by sending them unworthy subjects of charity. Midr. Till. to Ps. XC לעצמי הייתי מַכְשִׁיל I should have injured myself.
    Pi. - כִּישֵּׁל 1) same, v. supra.—2) to weaken, break the force of. Y. Ber. IX, 13ᶜ bot. מְכַשְּׁלוֹ בגבעות (Gen. R. s. 24 מרשלו), v. חָשַׁל.