אִם לָאו

ביטוי (אנגלית)

If not

הגדרה (אנגלית)

A literary and archaic expression meaning 'if not', that is, in the case that something does not happen or a condition is not fulfilled. Frequently used in Rabbinic Hebrew, Talmudic discussion, or legal debate to indicate a negative possibility or the absence of a condition. Often appears in conditional sentences: if this happens—good, and if not—otherwise.

("Whether he says 'Bless' or 'Let us bless', we do not hold it against him, but the pedants do. And from a person's blessings, it is recognized whether he is a Torah scholar or not. How so? Rabbi says: If he says 'in His goodness'—he is a Torah scholar; 'from His goodness'—he is an ignoramus"—Berakhot 50a. Also: "One who knows the taste of the Land of Israel, who truly tasted the Land of Israel, can recognize in another if he was with a righteous man on Rosh Hashanah or not, and whether that righteous man is great in stature or small"—R. Nachman of Breslov, Likutei Moharan Tinyana, Torah 40. Also: "If you give me the tallit immediately, fine, and if not, I will go home. Whatever happens to me, I will not change my word"—Mordechai ben Yechezkel, The Book of Tales, Part Four, Funeral, 71)