Jewish English Lexicon

Adonai

"Literally, 'my Lord', another word for God." (JPS)

a piece of matzah from the Passover seder traditionally hidden by adults, found by the children (or vice versa), and then ransomed for gifts after the meal. "The last piece of matzoh...eaten at the meal." (Steinmetz)

Am Yisrael

"Literally, The People of Israel." (JPS)

babka

"A loaf type coffee cake" (JPS)

bagel

"A leavened, firm, doughnut shaped roll" (JPS)

bat mitzvah

in gender egalitarian communities, the ceremony of a 13- (or 12-) year-old girl's first calling up to the Torah, symbolizing her adulthood in Jewish life. can also refer to the girl herself. In Orthodox communities, refers to celebration of girl turning 12. "Celebration of a Jewish girl's coming of age; a girl who has reached that age." (Glinert)

BCE

Before the Common Era (used in place of B.C.). Steinmetz: "...recently, a new awareness of the Christian character of these abbreviations have led many Jewish writers and editors to replace them with [C.E. And B.C.E.]"

bris

circumcision ceremony; the celebration surrounding it. Lit. covenant.

bupkis

Nothing

Something worthless

challah

"The braided egg bread that traditionally is eaten on almost every Jewish holiday and [the Sabbath]" (JPS)

charoses

Sweet, mushy mixture that represents mortar at the Passover seder.

chuppah

"The Jewish wedding canopy; that is, the cloth under which the Jewish wedding ceremony is conducted." (JPS)

wedding ceremony (not including reception)

dreidel

"A small, four-sided spinning top used in a game during Chanukah" (JPS); the top itself

gefilte fish

minced sweet or sour fish, cooked in balls or a log and sliced. [lit., "stuffed fish"(JPS), since the chopped fish used to be placed back in the fish for cooking.]

gesundheit

Health. (Bless you) - said in response to a sneeze.

goy

"most often used among Jews to refer to someone who is not a Jew" (JPS)

a nation, but not the Jewish nation

hamsa

a hand-shaped amulet (often a wall-hanging or jewelry) conferring good luck or protection, popular in Israel and originally from the Middle East / North Africa

heimish

1. familiar, homey, informal, cozy, warm

2. Haredi Orthodox

3. at home, comfortable

Jew by Choice

A convert to Judaism.

Kabbalah

a Jewish mystical work, sometimes used as a catch-all term for Jewish mysticism. "The Jewish mystical tradition" (JPS)

ketubah

"The Jewish marriage contract, traditionally written in Aramaic." (JPS)

kibbutz

"[Israeli agricultural] collective" (Glinert) Most settlements in Israeli which originally began as kibbutzim now function as regular municipalities.

klezmer

"Eastern European style of instrumental music" (JPS)

Knesset

Israel's parliament

kvetch

"to chronically complain or gripe to others over minor issues" (JPS)

l'chaim

traditional toast. [lit. "to life" (Rosten)]

Ladino

Judeo-Spanish language

lashon hara

"gossip" (lit. "evil tongue") (JPS)

latka

"a potato pancake [fried in oil traditionally eaten on Chanukah]" (Rosten)

lox

smoked salmon

macher

"1. Someone who arranges, fixes, has connections...someone who is [very] active in an organization" (Rosten) "important person", "hot shot"

magen david

"star of david", a symbol that has commonly been associated with Jews and Judaism; [lit. "shield of david"]

mannah

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

matzah brei

fried matzah pieces mixed with eggs, usually eaten on Passover

matzoh

unleavened bread eaten on Passover

matzoh ball

dumpling made with matzah meal and eggs and generally served in chicken soup

mazel tov

congratulations [lit. "good fortune"]

megillah

one of the five books that compose kethuvim--writings--in Tanakh; can also refer to the physical scroll on which one is written; a long, engrossing story or description

mezuzah

a piece of parchment with the Shema written on it that is then placed in a case and mounted on doorways in keeping with the Biblical commandment mentioned in the Shema

mishegoss

"Foolishness, nonsense, craziness." (JPS)

mitzvah

Literally, "commandment"

good deed

mohel

A person trained to perform Jewish ritual circumcision

nebbish

noun: nerdy, clumsy, awkward person. "An innocuous, ineffectual, weak, helpless, or hapless unfortunate" (Rosten)

nosh

to snack or eat; a snack

payos

Sidelocks, sidecurls, or earlocks, common among Haredi boys and men.

punim

face

rebbe

the spiritual leader of a Hasidic sect

Rosh Hashanah

The Jewish new year

rugelach

"Bite-size crescent-shaped pastries, rolled around a variety of fillings, including chopped raisins and walnuts, apple, raspberry, [chocolate] or mun, topped with a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar" (JPS)

sabra

a prickly pear, "tough and prickly on the outside, tender and sweet on the inside--a description that many say fits citizens of the Jewish state." (JPS)

schlemiel

idiot; contemptible person. "Clumsy, bungling person." (Steinmetz)

schlep

To travel from one place to another when one would prefer not to

An annoyingly long journey

"To carry, lug" (JPS)

schmaltzy

"Overly sentimental or romantic." (JPS)

schmear

to spread; cream cheese

schnapps

"A strong, dry liquor." (JPS)

schvitz

sweat (v., n.)

steam bath (n.)

seder

The name for the six sections of the Mishnah.

order, orderliness, system, routine

A ceremony involving recitations, singing, food, and drink typically associated with Passover, but also with Tu B'shvat and Rosh Hashanah.

period for Torah study

Sephardic

Jews whose ancestors came from the Iberian Peninsula before the Jewish expulsion

Shabbat

The Jewish Sabbath; Saturday

Shabbos goy

"A non-Jew who by prearrangement performs chores [that are forbidden] for a Jew on the Sabbath or holidays." (Steinmetz)

shalom

hello, goodbye, peace

shana tova

happy new year, lit. 'good year'

shiksa

"1. A non-Jewish girl. 2. A housemaid. 3. An irreligious or nonobservant Jewish girl. The term is often regarded as disparaging." (Steinmetz)

shivah

week-long period of mourning after the death of a relative, during which close relatives stay at home and greet visitors. mourners traditionally sit on low stools during this time, so someone in mourning is said to be 'sitting shiva'.