קָשֶׁה, קָשָׁה f. (b. h.; preced.) stiff, hard, difficult, severe; strong. Tosef. Sabb. IX (X), 2 שני זייפין מן הק׳ וכ׳ (some ed. הקַשׁ) two of the stiffest bristles of the swine; Sabb. 90ᵇ מקָשָׁה של חזיר אחת carrying one of the stiff bristles of the swine is punishable. Taan. 20ᵇ ק׳ כארז, v. קָנֶה. B. Bath. 88ᵇ ק׳ עונשן של וכ׳ the responsibility for fraud in measures is severer than that for incest. Ib. ק׳ גזל הדיוט וכ׳ robbing an individual is worse than robbing the altar. Gen. R. s. 26, end ק׳ היא המחלוקת וכ׳ strife is as bad as (the sins of) the generation of the flood. Gen. R. s. 71 ק׳ היא התפלה וכ׳ prayer is a powerful factor, for it reversed the divine decree. Taan. 8ᵃ שלמודו ק׳ עליו וכ׳ to whom his study is as hard as iron. Ib. 8ᵇ (in Chald. dict.) ק׳ יומא וכ׳, v. קָשֵׁי. Ex. R. s. 6 היה ק׳ בעיניהם וכ׳ it seemed too hard a task for them to give up idolatry; a. v. fr.—Erub. 83ᵇ בק׳ with difficulty, v. נַחַת.—[Num. R. s. 16 end קשה ערפם, v. קְשִׁי.]—Pl. קָשִׁים, קָשִׁין; קָשׁוֹת. Yeb. 47ᵇ, a. e. ק׳ גרים וכ׳, v. סַפַּחַת. Sot. 2ᵃ ק׳ לזווגן (Snh. 22ᵃ קשה), v. זָוַג. Pes. 118ᵃ ק׳ … כקריעת וכ׳ the providential support of man is as difficult (wonderful) as the splitting of the Red Sea. Ib. ק׳ … כפלים וכ׳ man’s support is twice as hard (painful) as travailing. Ber. 57ᵇ (etymolog. play on קישואים) מפני שהם ק׳ לגוף וכ׳ because they are as hard on the body as swords. Koh. R. to XII, 7 נבואות ק׳ hard (evil) prophecies; a. v. fr.