Showing 86 of 86 words, page 1 of 1
-
Adonai
"Literally, 'my Lord', another word for God." (JPS)
-
afikomen
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.
-
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
-
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
-
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)
-
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)
-
seder
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
The name for the six sections of the Mishnah.
order, orderliness, system, routine
-
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'.
-
shlock
something cheap or inferior. "A shoddy, cheaply made article." (Rosten)
-
shluffy
[to go] to sleep (child-directed speech)
-
shmendrik
jerk, stupid person
-
shmutz
"Dirt, stain, or filth." (JPS)
-
shnoz
"A nose, especially a large, unattractive one." (JPS)
-
Shoah
Eastern European Holocaust (of World War II)
-
shofar
ram's horn sounded during the month of elul, especially associated with rosh hashanah
-
shtick
Props and decorations used for wedding entertainment.
"Overused actions or behavior." (JPS)
Comedy routine.
Performances and silly behavior at weddings, intended to entertain the bride and groom.
-
shul
synagogue
-
siddur
Jewish prayer book
-
tallis
prayer shawl
-
Talmud
"The body of Jewish law and tradition comprising the Mishnah and the Gemara, compiled from about 30 B.C.E to about 500 C.E." (Steinmetz)
-
The Chosen People
refers to the jewish people as a whole having a unique relationship with god; (translation of hebrew phrase "am nivchar")
-
Torah
Literally, "teaching". 1. The five books of moses. 2. Jewish law and values in general.
-
tsorris
"Troubles, woes, worries, suffering." (Rosten)
-
tuches
buttocks
-
tush
buttocks
-
tzedakah
charity, money given to charity
-
unveiling
the ceremony marking the unveiling of a deceased person's headstone one year after his or her burial
-
yad
the metal or wooden pointer used to follow the text when reading Torah; lit. "hand"
-
yenta
"A scandal spreader, a rumormongerer." (Rosten). Usually applied to women.
-
Yiddish
Traditional language of Ashkenazic Jewry. A descendant of High German, its vocabulary is roughly 80% Germanic, 10% Hebrew and 10% Slavic (depending on author/speaker and setting/genre)
-
Yom Kippur
day of atonement, arguably the most important day on the Jewish calendar
- ← Prev
- Next →