Showing 143 of 143 words, page 1 of 1
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arbes
Boiled chickpeas
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aveil
pl. aveilim. "Someone who is in mourning" (Glinert).
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averah
religious transgression (Glinert: "An aveirah is an infringement on the Torah, the opposite of a mitzvah.")
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ayin hara
The evil eye
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ba'al tshuvah
a Jew raised non-religious who becomes Orthodox, [lit. 'one who returns/repents']
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balaboosta
1) Female head of household 2) Impressively competent homemaker
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balabotish
"Quiet; respectable; well mannered" (Rosten). "middle class"; normal
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baruch haba
"Welcome!"
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batlan
"One who consistently wastes time: Bum, FaineĢant" (Weiser).
"A misfit, such as a Talmud student of no promise" (Rosten).
"naive, impractical person" (Steinmetz)
"Someone without a trade or regular means of livelihood" (Rosten).
"Layabout" (Glinert)
"Someone with intellectual pretensions and half-baked ideas" (Rosten).
"An unemployed or lazy man" (Rosten).
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bechina
examination, particularly for rabbinic ordination
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bechira
free will
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bochur
young unmarried male, especially a yeshiva student
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bubbale
sweetie, darling [term of endearment]
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chag sameach
"Literally, 'Happy Holiday.' The traditional, all-purpose greeting exchanged on almost any Jewish holiday" (JPS).
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chap
"to comprehend" (Weiser) (lit. "to grasp")
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chas v'chalila
"heaven forbid" (Steinmetz's Yiddish and English dictionary)
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chas v'sholom
"heaven forbid" (Glinert)
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chatuna
wedding
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chayav
Guilty of transgressing. Liable.
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cherem
"excommunication; ostracism" (Yiddish)
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chrain
A spicy paste made from grated horseradish.
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chrein
horseradish
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chutzpahdik
impertinent
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drasha
"Sermon, learned address." (Glinert)
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dveykus
spiritual ecstasy; lit. "cleaving"
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einikel
grandchild
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emunah
"faith"; sometimes contrasted with practical striving in the material world
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farbrengen
Noun: a gathering or celebration that includes a spiritual or religious component.
Verb: to hold such a gathering or celebration.
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farher
noun: an oral examination, typically on one's understanding of Talmud
verb: examine, test, quiz
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fress
To gobble up food; to gorge oneself. "To eat quickly or noisily, like an animal" (JPS)
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gadol
literally "big," refers to particularly well respected rabbis; "luminary" (Weiser)
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gaon
"A title of honor for the rabbis and teachers who were the spiritual heads of the Babylonian yeshivot between the 6th and 11th centuries C.E." (JPS)
"A rabbi whose learning was so great that he was given the honorary title of gaon" (Rosten), e.g. the Vilna Gaon
Modern Hebrew: genius (JPS)
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gayve
pride; arrogance; obnoxiousness
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geferlech
Dangerous, terrible
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gehenom
Considered to be a temporary place one's soul goes after death, for atonement, before reuniting with God.
Hell (metaphoric)
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gemilas chesed
(pl. gemilas chasodim) A loan of money without interest to help a needy person.
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ger
(pl. gerim) A convert to Judaism.
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geshmak
delicious, delightful
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get
a writ or deed of divorce
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geulah
redemption
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gezerah
In Jewish law, a prohibition enacted by the Sages as a measure to protect religious observance under changed conditions.
"evil decree" (Steinmetz)
"An authoritative command either to perform or to refrain from performing a particular act" (Weiser)
"an addition to a previously existing precept" (Weiser)
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glatt
Showing consistency of reason (Weiser).
Super-kosher (not only of food), or acceptable to the Haredi community.
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goyish
"in the manner or style of a non-Jewish person" (JPS), especially something WASPy or "white bread"
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gramen
rhymes; especially a rhyming poem or song
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gurnisht
"nothing, zilch, zero" (JPS)
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gut voch
"Good week!" Ashkenazi greeting at the conclusion of the Sabbath.
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gut yontef
"Happy holiday!" Ashkenazi greeting used on any of the holidays, including Rosh Hashanahh and Yom Kippur.
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gut yor
"Good year!" Ashkenazi greeting on Rosh Hashanah.
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hachnasas orchim
hospitality (lit. "bringing in guests")
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hashgacha
Rabbinic supervision designating food as kosher
Divine providence, interference, attention
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hashpa'ah
motivating force, source for change in one's actions, influence
influence, or effect, particularly on one's character, development, and/or behavior
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hechsher
(Rabbinic) stamp or seal of approval-- typically designating a product as kosher
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heter
rabbinic allowance
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kaboles ponem
the reception before a wedding ceremony, consisting of a tish (for men) and a bedeken (for women). Lit. 'receiving the faces'.
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kaparot
Ritual performed between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to remove sins carried out by swinging a chicken over ones head.
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kashe
A question posing some difficulty because of apparent inconsistencies with accepted premises: problem. A tough, perplexing question.
Question, difficulty (Steinmetz), challenge, objection.
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kedai
"worth it" (Weiser)
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kein yirbu
"So they may increase in number"
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keinehora
"no evil eye" (Rosten). "An expression said to ward off the evil eye or bad luck in general; the verbal equivalent of knocking on wood." (JPS)
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khnyok
a mean or bigoted person
a sanctimonious, holier-than-thou religious person
an unkempt or slovenly person
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kimat
"almost or nearly" (Weiser)
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kishka
"Stuffed derma: a sausagelike comestible of meat, flour, and spices stuffed into intestine casing and baked" (Rosten) Also, "guts," literally, Slavic. (Wikipedia)
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kivyakhol
"As if", "so to speak," can be used to refer to anthropomorphic language about God
Substitute or euphemism for God's name, similar to Hashem
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kuntz
feat, stunt, trick, challenge, ingenuity
strategy (Weiser)
peculiarity, particular oddness (JPS)
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l'hachis
spitefully; deliberately; literally "in order to anger"
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lamden
a proficient Talmudic scholar
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leibedik
lively, enthusiastic; warm, heartfelt
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lekech
"Honey cake, traditionally served on Rosh Hashanah... made with honey, eggs, cinnamon, and, often, coffee" (JPS).
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levaye
funeral
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leytsanus
silliness; buffoonery
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lo aleynu
"I hope it won't happen to us"; "God forbid" lit. "not unto us"
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madrega
level, especially spiritual level
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maidel
girl
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matzeivah
headstone
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mazume
"ready money, cash" (Steinmetz)
"A group of three or more adult males who join together to recite the after-meal blessings..." (Steinmetz).
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mesiras nefesh
self-sacrifice
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moshl
parable, example
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musar
reproof; system of ethics; discipline
a Jewish ethical movement that crystallized among non-Hasidic Orthodox Jews in Lithuania in the 19th century, led by Israel Salanter, focusing on character development.
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nafke mine
practical difference
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nebach
interjection, adverb: "unfortunately"; noun: an unfortunate person
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nes
miracle
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nifter
deceased
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ongepotchket
overly elaborate, excessively decorated, slapped together senselessly, overdone, tacky, ostentatious, overcomplicated. "Excessively and unaesthetically decorated; overly baroque." (Rosten)
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pasken
to rule halachically
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patur
not liable, exempt
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pekel
little bundle
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pintele yid
"essential Jewishness"
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poshet
simple
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posl
invalid
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pritse
an immodest woman
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prost
coarse, base, not classy, vulgar, common
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psak
rabbinic ruling
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rachmones
mercy, pity, empathy
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ruchnies
spirituality
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safek
"Unresolved question: Uncertainty" (Weiser)
"Doubt in the integrity of: Suspicion" (Weiser)
A doubt or doubtful case.
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sefer
"A literary composition written particularly of, on, or about the Torah" (Weiser)
Hebrew or Aramaic book
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seforim
Religious books written in Hebrew or Aramaic.
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segula
Folk remedy, safeguard, superstitious action, talisman
divinely bestowed reward as a result of an individual's participation in a minhag or mitzvah
"procedure that is not based on medical or scientific logic yet is efficacious in improving a situation or protecting a person from harm" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segula_(Kabbalah))
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Shayach
Pertinent, relevant (Steinmetz).
1. Capable of being true or believable: Conceivable. / 2. Capable of being done: Surmountable / 3. Practical, reasonable, or possible: Feasible. (Weiser)
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shpatzir
literally 'to walk, take a stroll'; figuratively 'to delay, tarry, procrastinate'
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shvach
weak, pathetic, (a place or gathering that is) lacking in activity
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tachrichim
burial shrouds
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tate
dad
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titchadesh
"Use it in good health" or "Enjoy your new item"
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tzadik
Common name for the 18th letter of the Hebrew alphabet (tzadi / tzade).
Someone who does extremely righteous deeds.
A highly learned and esteemed rabbinic leader (sometimes used as an alternative name for a Hasidic rebbe).
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tzimmes
"A prolonged procedure, and involved business, a mix-up" (Rosten).
"A sweet, baked dish of vegetables or fruit. Carrot tzimmes, a popular version, includes carrots, sweet potatoes, dried apricots, raisins, sugar, and cinnamon" (JPS).
"Troubles, difficulties, a contretemps" (Rosten).
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veiter
"More distant: Farther." (Weiser)
"At a more advanced point: Further." (Weiser)
"Further; next." (Steinmetz)
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vort
a short lesson derived from the Torah; an engagement party, named after the short speech usually delivered in honor of the couple
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yetzer hara
Lit. 'the evil inclination'
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yichus
Bragging rights based on respected family history
"Pedigree, lineage, family background." (JPS)
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yid
a Jewish person
A derogatory term used by non-Jews for a Jewish person (particularly so in Great Britain).
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yiddishkeit
"Jewishness"; sometimes used interchangeably with 'Judaism' or 'Jewish culture'
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yiras shamayim
"awe of heaven"
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yosem
orphan
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zivug
(n.) mate, predestined match
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