## Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise

###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:1
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:1)

**העקר הראשון. בחלוקת שרשי לשון הקדש לשמונה חלקים:**

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
**The First Principle. On the division of the roots of the Holy Tongue into eight parts:**


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:2
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:2)

**א. דע** כי כל שרשי לשון הקדש נחלקים לשני מיני פעלים, וכל פעל לששה גזרות, וכל גזרה לשבעה בנינים, וכל בנין לששה זמנים:

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
**1. Know** that all the roots of the Holy Tongue are divided into two kinds of verbs; and each verb into six root categories; and each root category into seven verb patterns; and each verb pattern into six tenses:


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:3
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:3)

וכל זמן לשני מינים, וכל מין לשני מספרים, וכל מספר לשלשה גופים, ולכל גוף דבור מיוחד. ועתה אבאר כל אחד ואחד:

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
And each tense is divided into two genders, and each gender into two numbers, and each number into three persons, and each person has its own distinct form of expression. And now I shall explain each and every one:


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:4
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:4)

**ב.** השני פעלים האחד עוֹמֵד, והאחד יוֹצֵא.

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
**2.** There are two kinds of verbs: one is intransitive, and the other is transitive.


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:5
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:5)

הָעוֹמֵד. כמו, הָלַך. עָמַד. יָשַׁב. ודומיהם. שהפעולה עומדת בגוף הפועל ולא תצא ממנו לזולתו.

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
The intransitive: such as *halakh*, *amad*, *yashav*, and the like — for the action remains within the subject performing it and does not pass from it to another.


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:6
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:6)

והיוצא. כמו, שָׁמַר. פָקַד. הָרַג. ודומיהם, שהפעולה יוצאת ממנו לזולתו, ובהרבה דברים נבדלים הפעלים העומדים מהיוצאים כמו שיתבאר בקצורי זה:

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
The transitive: such as *shamar*, *paqad*, *harag*, and the like — for the action passes from the subject to another. In many respects the intransitive verbs differ from the transitive ones, as will be explained briefly in this work.


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:7
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:7)

**ג.** וששה הַגְזָרות הם שְׁלֵמִים, חֲסֵרִים, וכְפוּלִים.

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
**3.** And the six root categories are: complete, defective, and doubled.


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:8
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:8)

ושלשה מיני נָחִים, והֶם נַחֵי אות ראשונה, נחי אות שניה, נחי אות שלישית, הרי ששה גְזָרות:

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
And there are three kinds of weak verbs: those with a weak first letter, those with a weak second letter, and those with a weak third letter — making six root categories in all.


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:9
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:9)

ויש עוד שאר גְזָרות כמו נַחֵי הַקְצַווֹת. וַחֲסַרֵי הַקְצָווֹת. ומְרוּבָעִים. ודומיהם, אבל כלם מוּרְכָבִים ויוצאים מאלה הששה כמו שיתבאר:

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
And there are also other root categories, such as those with weak extremities, those lacking extremities, quadriliteral forms, and the like; but all of them are compound and derive from these six, as will be explained.


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:10
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:10)

**ד.** ושבעה הבנינים מהם שלשה פועֲלִים נקראים אבות. ושלשה פְעוּלִים נקראים תּוֹלְדות:

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
**4.** And there are seven verb patterns: three active ones, called “fathers,” and three passive ones, called “derivatives.”


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:11
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:11)

ואחד מהבנינים אב וְתּוֹלדָה. דהיינו; מצד אחד הוא פּועל ומצד אחד הוא פָּעוּל. כמו שיתבאר:

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
And one of the verb patterns is both a father and a derivative — that is, from one perspective it is active, and from another perspective it is passive, as will be explained.


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:12
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:12)

הַפּוֹעֲלִים, הם; קַל. וּפִּעֵל. וְהִפְעִיל:

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
The active patterns are: *qal*, *Pi‘el*, and *Hif‘il*.


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:13
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:13)

וְהַפּעוּלִים הם; נִפְעַל. ופֻעֵל. וְהֻפְעַל.

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
The passive patterns are: *Nif‘al*, *Pu‘al*, and *Hof‘al*.


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:14
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:14)

וְהַפּועֵל וְהַפָּעוּל. הוא נקרא הִתְפַעַל:

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
And the pattern that is both active and passive is called *Hitpa‘el*.


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:15
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:15)

**ה.** ולאומר שנמצא עוד בנין הנקרא מְרוּבַע. כמו; שׁוֹפֵט שׁוֹפַטְתָּ וכולי. אָשִׁיב בגזרת נַחֵי הָעַי"ן במאמר שני עקר שמיני, ושם אוכיח בראיות ברורות וצוֹדְקוֹת שאינו ראוי להקרא בִנְיַן בפני עצמו:

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
**5.** And as for one who claims that there exists another verb pattern called “quadriliteral,” such as *shofet*, *shofateta*, and so on — I will respond to this under the category of verbs with a weak middle letter in the Second Treatise, the Eighth Principle. There I will demonstrate with clear and correct proofs that this is not fitting to be called a verb pattern in its own right.


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:16
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:16](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:16)

**ו.** וששה זְמַנִּים, הם ששה פעולות. עָבַר. בֵּינוֹנִי. פָּעוּל. מָקוֹר. צִוּוּי. עָתִיד:

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
**6.** And there are six tenses, which are six actions: *past*, *participle*, *passive*, *infinitive*, *imperative*, and *future*.


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:17
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:17](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:17)

ושני הַמִּינִים הם הזכר והנקבה:

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
And the two genders are the masculine and the feminine.


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:18
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:18](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:18)

ושני הַמִּסְפָּרִים הם היחיד והרבים:

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
And the two numbers are the singular and the plural.


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:19
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:19](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:19)

ושלשה גוּפִים הם; הַנִּסְתָּר, וְהַנּוֹכַח, וְהַמְּדַבֵּר בַּעֲדוֹ:

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
And there are three persons: the third person, the second person, and the first person speaking for himself.


###### Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:20
[Sefer HaBachur, First Treatise 1:20](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Sefer%20HaBachur/s/First%20Treatise/r/1:20)

וְהַדִּבּוּר הַמְּיוּחָד לכל אחד הוא בנקודתו או בתוספת אות אחת או שתים על שלש האותיות השרשיות כגון אותיות תהימו"ן בסוף העברים, ואותיות אֵיתָ"ן בראש העתידים:

**Trans. Betzalel Avraham Feinstein, 2026:**
And the distinct form of expression for each one is conveyed either by its vowel pattern or by the addition of one or two letters to the three root letters, such as the letters *t-h-i-m-u-n* at the end of the past forms, and the letters *e-i-t-n* at the beginning of the future forms: