Jewish English Lexicon

acharon acharon chaviv

"The very last one is beloved."; "Last but not least."

al regel achat

lit. "on one foot"; off-the-cuff; "To answer a question or deal with a query very briefly and cursorily." (Glinert)

apikoros

heretic, non-believer, especially one with great knowledge of Judaism

bekitzur

"Briefly or concisely: succinctly" (Weiser)

bli neder

"Literally, 'without vowing', this is added to any casual promise to avoid it being taken as an absolute undertaking." (Glinert)

bracha

blessing (in the technical or figurative sense)

chiyuv

obligation

one who is in mourning and must say Kaddish

davka

even; despite expectations to the contrary -- often with a slightly amused or ironic feeling of "wouldn't you know it?" or "of all things" ("of all people" ... etc.)

"definitely or exactly stated; specifically" (Weiser)

just to annoy, just to be contrary

fleishig

"The general term for food in the meat category, according to the Jewish dietary laws" (JPS)

freilach

adj: happy, merry

noun: (frailach or freylekhs) a lively song/dance performed at simchas

fresser

big eater, "pig". "A heavy eater." (JPS)

gelt

Money (slang usage)

"The foil wrapped chocolate coins that are a traditional Hanukkah treat for children." (JPS)

glatt

Super-kosher (not only of food), or acceptable to the Haredi community.

Showing consistency of reason (Weiser).

golus

literally "exile" (JPS); outside of the Land of Israel; away from a vibrant Jewish community; the time period since the destruction of the Second Temple at Jerusalem (Glinert)

halevai

I wish!

If only

"Would that it be so" (Steinmetz, Yiddish and English)

Hashpa'ah

Influence, or effect, particularly on one's character, development, and/or behavior

Motivating force, source for change in one's actions, influence

kashe

Question, difficulty (Steinmetz), challenge, objection.

A question posing some difficulty because of apparent inconsistencies with accepted premises: problem. A tough, perplexing question.

machloket

disagreement, dispute, argument, conflict, especially one about a halachic issue

mamzer

bastard [see note]; "A detestable [person] like the colloquial English "He's a bastard"" (Rosten)

matzav

political, military situation in Israel/the Middle East

situation

mazume

"ready money, cash" (Steinmetz)

"A group of three or more adult males who join together to recite the after-meal blessings..." (Steinmetz).

milchig

"...food in the "dairy" category, according to the Jewish dietary laws...also refers to the utensils and dishes used for cooking, eating, and serving milk products." (JPS)

mishpacha

"Literally, "family". ...The word conveys a warm feeling of friendship." (JPS)

naches

"Proud pleasure, special joy--particularly from the achievements of a child... 2. Psychological reward or gratification." (Rosten)

olav ha-sholom

"peace be upon him"; said of someone who is deceased

a date or match, often leading to marriage. "The matching up of a man and a woman for purposes of marriage; a match. In popular usage, any match or alliance, as in The shidduch between the two organization was a success." (Steinberg)