עִסְקָא, עִי׳, occupation, painstaking; affair, business; merchandise. Targ. Koh. X, 18 עֵיסַק אורייתא וכ׳ the occupation with the Law and the commandments. Targ. II Kings IV, 13. Targ. Koh. III, 6 למשדי ע׳ וכ׳ to throw merchandise into the sea; a. fr.—עַל עֵיסַק on account of, for the sake of. Targ. Gen. XX, 18. Ib. XXI, 11; a. fr.—Sot. 21ᵃ שבנא עבד ע׳ Shebna engaged in business. Taan. 21ᵃ ניזיל ונעביד ע׳ let us go into business. Keth. 66ᵇ ע׳ רבה a large investment, v. זִיּוּנָא III. Hor. 12ᵃ מאן דבעי למיעבד ע׳ וכ׳ (not בע׳) he who wants to enter upon a certain enterprise and desires to know whether he will succeed or not; Kerith. 5ᵇ מאן דבעי נעביד עִיסְקֵי (pl.); a. fr.—Esp. ‘isḳa, giving a person goods to trade with on shares (usually two shares of the profit going to the investor and one to the trader). B. Mets. 104ᵇ האי ע׳ פלגא וכ׳ in the case of an ‘isḳa, half of the sum involved is a loan (at the risk of the trader), and the other half is a trust. Ib. להכא קרי ליה ע׳ וכ׳ it is therefore called ‘isḳa (business), because he has a right to say to him, I have given it to thee to trade with, v. עֲסֵק. Ib. חד ע׳ ותרי שטרי (not חדא) if one ‘isḳa was agreed upon, and two instruments (each for half the amount) were made out. Ib. 105ᵃ האי מאן דקביל ע׳ מחבריה וכ׳ if one took merchandise on shares from his neighbor and suffered loss, but afterwards took pains and recovered the loss. Ib. הני בי תרי ע׳ בהדי הדדי … if two entered a partnership with each other (one furnishing the capital). Bets. 32ᵇ בעא מנייהו ע׳ he asked them to give him goods on shares; a. e.—Pl. עִסְקִין, עִסְקֵי, עִי׳. Targ. II Kings IV, 13. Targ. Y. Gen. II, 2 עשרתי ע׳ ten things.—B. Mets. l. c. תרי ע׳ וחד שטרא (Rashi sing.) two ‘isḳas and one document made out on both together. Ker. l. c., v. supra; a. e.