קשי, קָשָׁה (b. h.) to be stiff, hard, difficult. Y. Ber. I, 2ᶜ top קָשְׁתָה על דעתך this is difficult according to (not reconcilable with) thy opinion; ib. למה א"ל קשתה (not קשתיה) why did he say to him, it is difficult?—V. קָשֶׁה.
Pi. - קִישָּׁה (קִישְּׁתָה, with לילד or without) to have hard labor in travailing. Ḥull. IV, 1 בהמה המְקַשָּׁה לילד וכ׳ if an animal is in labor, and &c., v. עוּבָּר. Nidd. IV, 4 קִשְּׁתָה שלשה וכ׳ if she was in pain for three days within eleven days; Tosef. ib. V, 8 קִישֵּׁת, קִשֵּׁת. Ib. 10; a. fr.—[Gen. R. s. 61 שהיו מקשין וכ׳, read: מקישין, v. נָקַשׁ.]
Hif. - הִקְשָׁה 1) to stiffen, harden. Nidd. 13ᵇ המַקְשֶׁה עצמו וכ׳ he who causes erection wilfully. Ex. R. s. 11 הרשע הזה ה׳ את לבו וכ׳ this wicked (Pharaoh) hardened his heart against the first three signs; a. e. —2) to become hard. Y. Pes. VI, 35ᵇ top שסופו להַקְשׁוֹת which gets hard in the course of time. Shebi. II, 10 אם הִקְשׁוּ וכ׳ (Y. ed. a. Bart. הוּקְשׁוּ Hof.) if they became hard (dry) and unfit for man to eat before New Year. (Y. ib. 34ᵃ bot. הקשו a. הוקשו). —3) to be severe. Gen. R. s. 19, opp. ריתה, v. רָתָה.
Hof. - הוּקְשֶׁה 1) to become hard, v. supra. —2) to be found hard, distasteful. Tanḥ. Sh’laḥ 5; Num. R. s. 16 ה׳ הדבר והרע וכ׳ the thing was distasteful to and displeased his father.
Hithpa. - הִתְקַשֶּׁה,
Nithpa. - נִתְקַשֶּׁה 1) to suffer severely (in travailing). Gen. R. s. 84 נִתְקַשֵּׁת אמו וכ׳ his mother was in hard labor at his birth. —2) to become hard, stiff. Tosef. Nidd. VI, 4 משׁיִתְקַשּׁוּ, v. קִשְׁקֵשׁ I, a. II. Gen. R. s. 98, a. שׁנִתְקַשֵּׁיתָה, v. קַשְׁיוּת. —3) to find one’s self in difficulty, to be perplexed, unable to understand or remember. Num. R. s. 15 beg. נ׳ משה במעשה וכ׳ Moses found the work of the candlestick more difficult to understand than &c.; כיון שנ׳ אמר וכ׳ when he still could not remember it, the Lord said &c. Ib.10; Tanḥ. B’haʿăl. 6 נִתְקַשֵּׁיתִי לעשותה I could not understand how to do it. Ib. נ׳ על משה it was too difficult for Moses; a. fr. —4) to be reluctant, strive against. Tanḥ. Sh’moth 18 כמה נ׳ יונה שלא וכ׳ how hard did Jonah strive not to go on his mission. Deut. R. s. 9 מִתְקַשֶּׁה כנגדו (the sun) refused to obey; a. e. —5) to make one’s self obnoxious. Gen. R. s. 61; Yalk. Chr. 1073 (play on יקשן, Gen. XXV, 2) שהיו מִתְקַשִּׁין בעולם they were obnoxious to the world (were hard to deal with); (Midr. Till. to Ps. XCII ed. Bub. שהיו בני אדם קשין).
