ark

"the cabinet at the front of an Ashkenazic synagogue that houses the Torah scroll." (JPS)

prakes

Stuffed cabbage, also known by holiptshes, goluptshes, and golomkes, among other names

shalom zachar

welcoming party to celebrate the birth of a son, usually held at the house of the child's parents on the first Friday night after his birth

la kashya

Not a problem, no difficulty. When two (Talmudic) opinions appear to contradict each other, "la kashya" signals that a resolution is at hand.

Hak mir nisht keyn tshaynik

Literally, don't knock a teakettle at me

Stop annoying me

Don't bother me

schmear

to spread; cream cheese

tam

taste

mitzvot aseh

affirmative commandments (of the 613 commandments of the Torah)

erlech

honest, legitimate

religious

matzah pizza

A nickname for Massapequa, a Long Island, NY, suburb with sizable Jewish and Italian populations.

a dish eaten by American Jews during Passover, where a piece of matzah is covered with tomato sauce and cheese, and placed in the oven.

mannah

the food that fell from the sky to feed the wandering Israelites in the Bible

mutche

harass, torment, bother, annoy, nag

(obsolete) to struggle financially

sheymes

n., such content

adj., of or relating to printed material, such as a book or even an audio recording, that contains the name of God, and therefore must not be erased, put on the floor, etc., out of respect for the Divine Name

mission

An organized trip meant to expose participants to the work of a nonprofit organization, raise awareness of a cause, and/or deliver supplies or services to a deserving population. Unlike the Christian use of the word "mission," Jewish missions do not signify a proselytizing motive.

zichrona livracha

May her memory be blessed.

farfufket

befuddled, taken aback, disoriented, confused

on one foot

translation of Hebrew "al regel achat" or Yiddish "af eyn fus": off-the-cuff; quick, quickly, quick answer (from a Talmudic story about Rabbi Hillel summarizing the Torah to a potential convert while standing on one foot)

shamash

1. candle lit first and then used to light other hanukah candles

2. the caretaker of a synagogue.

3. personal assistant / aide / gofer, especially to a rabbi or in the Hollywood entertainment industry

gemara

"A compilation of 300 years of rabbis' legal and ethical commentaries on the Mishnah...together, the Gemara and the Mishnah comprise the Talmud." (JPS)

chaverim

members, friends