| aliyah |
"Ascent"; in particular, (a) the honor
of being one of those called up to recite one of the blessings over the
Torah; (b) immigration to the Land of Israel. |
| Ashkenazi |
A Jew of European origin; pertaining to
such Jews. |
| avera |
pl. averot. A transgression of one of
the laws of the Torah. |
| Avraham Avinu |
Our Father Abraham. |
| baalat hamitzva |
pl. baalot hamitzva. Lit.: "mistress of
the mitzva." A woman who has put a great deal of devotion into performing
a mitzva fully and has succeeded. |
| baal teshuva |
pl. baalei teshuva; fem. baalat teshuva;
fem. pl. baalot teshuva. Lit.: "master of returning," "one who returns."
Any Jewish penitent, but especially a Jew of secular or not fully observant
background who has decided to undertake full Torah observance. |
| bentching |
English corruption of Yiddish bentschen.
Blessing or saying grace after meals. |
| bracha |
pl. brachot. Any kind of blessing or praise
of G-d. In formal liturgy, it opens or closes with the Hebrew for "Blessed
art Thou O L-rd." |
| chavurah |
pl. chavurot. A voluntary society or fellowship
of Jews who gather for the purpose of learning, celebrating, or carrying
out certain charitable mitzvot. |
| chesed |
"Lovingkindness"; acts of lovingkindness. |
| cholent |
A casserole-like dish prepared before
the start of Shabbat and kept warm, usually for Shabbat lunch. It was developed
to avoid the prohibitions against cooking on Shabbat. |
| chumash |
The Five Books of Moses (the Pentateuch). |
| clal Yisrael |
The entire People or Community of Israel. |
| Cohanim |
Descendants of the priests of the Temple.
Some of the privileges and prohibitions that applied to them in Temple times,
such as prohibitions against contact with a corpse, are still valid. |
| dvar Torah |
pl. divrei Torah. A brief oral commentary
on a topic from the Torah. |
| daven or davenen |
Yiddish for "pray." "Davening' is an English
corruption. |
| erev |
Evening, or the day preceding; the beginning
of holy days, which in Judaism start in the evening. Friday is often referred
to as "Erev Shabbat." |
| fleishik |
Pertaining to meat or poultry; a category
of the kashrut laws. |
| frum |
Lit. "pious". One who is fully observant
of the Torah laws. |
| hachnasat orchim |
Lit. "bringing in guests." Hospitality. |
| halacha |
Jewish law and way of life. |
| hamotzie |
Key word of blessing pronounced before
eating bread. |
| Hashem or haShem |
"The Name"; one of the references to G-d,
whose proper name is never pronounced by observant Jews in regular conversation
or written. |
| havdalah |
Blessings pronounced over wine at nightfall
at the conclusion of a Shabbat or festival to mark it off from the ordinary
weekdays that follow. |
| kashrut |
The Jewish dietary laws. |
| kedusha |
Holiness. |
| kiddush |
The sanctification prayer for Shabbat
and the festivals recited over a cup of wine. |
| kvell |
(Yiddish) To take great pride and pleasure;
a peculiarly Jewish thrill most often associated with the accomplishments
of one's family members. |
| Ladino |
A Spanish dialect spoken by many Sephardic
Jews; referring to songs, literature, etc. in Ladino. |
| Mashiach or Moshiach |
The Messiah. |
| mechitza |
A physical divider set up between men
and women in the synagogue and other places designated by halacha for the
purpose of concentrating better and preserving tzniut. |
| Megillah |
A parchment scroll, usually referring
to the Book (Scroll) of Esther, read on Purim, |
| Melaveh Malka |
Ushering out the Shabbat; a festive meal
held after the end of Shabbat on Saturday night. |
| middot |
One's personality or character traits. |
| Midrash |
One of the classical interpretations of
the Torah on a non-literal or mystical level. |
| mikva |
The ritual bath for immersing and purifying
people and utensils. |
| milchik |
Pertaining to milk and its by-products;
a category of the kashrut laws. |
| muktzeh |
Objects which one may not handle or be
concerned with on Shabbat and festivals. |
| Nachshon |
The first person to leap into the Red
Sea when the Jews were being pursued by the Egyptians, thus a paradigm of
faith. |
| negel vasser |
(Yiddish). Ritual hand-washing done upon
arising in the morning. |
| nash |
(Yiddish). Candy, sweets. |
| niggun |
pl. niggunim. A melody, often wordless
and repeated several times, which is intended to express and stir one's
soul. |
| parshah or parashah |
pl. parshiot. The weekly Torah portion. |
| Purim |
A joyous festival celebrating the saving
of the Jews of the Persian Empire. The story is told in the Book of Esther,
which is read during Purim. |
| rebbe |
A spiritual leader and teacher of a Jewish
community, particularly a Hassidic one. Sometimes a rebbe is accepted as
a leader by many communities and individuals outside his own. |
| Sephardi |
A Jew of South European or North African
origin; pertaining to such a Jew. |
| Seuda Shlishit |
"Third Meal." The last of the three festive
meals of Shabbat. |
| Shabbat or Shabbes |
Ashkenazi pronunciation of "Shabbat." |
| Shabbatdik |
Appropriate for or in the spirit of Shabbat. |
| shidduch |
A match, especially for marriage. |
| shul |
Yiddish for synagogue. |
| Shulchan Aruch |
"Prepared Table." The standard code of
Jewish law and practice compiled by Joseph Karo. |
| Siddur |
"Order (of prayer)." The complete traditional
prayer book. |
| simcha |
"Joy." A happy festival or Jewish life-cycle
celebration, e.g., bar mitzva. |
| talit |
Shawl worn by males during prayer and
fringed with tzitzis. |
| tameh |
Impure according to halacha. |
| Tanya |
The basic written source for Chabad Hassidic
philosophy, written by the movement's founder, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
in the 18th century. |
| treif, terephah, or trefeh |
Food forbidden by the kashrut laws. |
| tzniut |
Modesty in dress and behavior. |
| yeshiva |
An academy for the study of Torah. Today
there are also numerous separate yeshivot for women. |
| yichud |
The Torah laws whose purpose is to prevent
the development of close contact with members of the opposite sex to whom
one is not closely related or married. |
| yom tov |
A festival or holiday. |
| zemirot or z'mirot |
Shabbat and festival songs generally sung
around the table. |
