Showing 124 of 124 words, page 1 of 1
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babka
"A loaf type coffee cake" (JPS)
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bagel
"A leavened, firm, doughnut shaped roll" (JPS)
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bench
JPS: "To recite a blessing. It usually refers to Birkat ha-Mazon, the Grace after Meals... The word can also refer to the reciting of any blessing; for example, the expression bentsch licht means to light Shabbat [or Chanukah] candles."
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bikur cholim
visiting the sick
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bisl
"a little bit of something, a tiny piece" (JPS)
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blech
an electric hot plate or "sheet of metal that can be placed over the burners on a stove to retain heat, so that precooked food...can be kept warm during the Sabbath." (JPS)
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borscht
"Borshtsh" is the Russian word for beet soup. Among Jews soup made from beets is considered Polish borshtsh, while Russian borshtsh is made from cabbage.
"An Eastern European soup traditionally made with beets." (JPS)
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boychick
"A young boy...equivalent of the American expression 'buddy'" (JPS)
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bracha
blessing (in the technical or figurative sense)
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bris
circumcision ceremony; the celebration surrounding it. Lit. covenant.
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challah
"The braided egg bread that traditionally is eaten on almost every Jewish holiday and [the Sabbath]" (JPS)
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chazer
"go over; review" (Weiser)
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chazir
1. pork 2. a pig, greedy person (JPS)
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cholent
"A slow-cooked stew made of beef, beans, potatoes, and other vegetables. Cholent is a common Sabbath dish..." (JPS)
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chuppah
wedding ceremony (not including reception)
"The Jewish wedding canopy; that is, the cloth under which the Jewish wedding ceremony is conducted." (JPS)
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daven
pray; lead services
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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.)
just to annoy, just to be contrary
"definitely or exactly stated; specifically" (Weiser)
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derech eretz
Participating in modern society.
"Good conduct; normal, polite behavior in a social setting." (JPS). Manners, respect.
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dreck
"Trash, junk, garbage; cheap or worthlesss things." (Rosten), sh*t
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dreidel
"A small, four-sided spinning top used in a game during Chanukah" (JPS); the top itself
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dybbuk
a spirit, "often thought to be the soul of a dead person, that wanders the earth looking for a living body to inhabit" (JPS)
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emunah
"faith"; sometimes contrasted with practical striving in the material world
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farblondzhet
Rosten: "Lost...mixed up, wandering about without any idea of where you are." Can refer to being physically or intellectually lost.
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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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feh!
an expression of disgust; "portraying...negative feelings" (Rosten)
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fleishig
"The general term for food in the meat category, according to the Jewish dietary laws" (JPS)
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forshpayz
"appetizers" (JPS)
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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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frum
religious; observant; Orthodox
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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.]
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gelt
"The foil wrapped chocolate coins that are a traditional Hanukkah treat for children." (JPS)
Money (slang usage)
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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)
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geshmak
delicious, delightful
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glatt
Super-kosher (not only of food), or acceptable to the Haredi community.
Showing consistency of reason (Weiser).
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golem
"A creature of Jewish medieval folklore, a golem is a figure made into the form of a human and given life." (JPS)
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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)
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gonif
thief
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good Shabbos
Literally, "Good Sabbath" (JPS); standard Sabbath greeting
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goy
"most often used among Jews to refer to someone who is not a Jew" (JPS)
a nation, but not the Jewish nation
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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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grager
a noise maker used on Purim to drown out the name of Haman; something that makes a lot of noise
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gurnisht
"nothing, zilch, zero" (JPS)
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haftorah
"A reading from the biblical book of Prophets that is recited in synagogue immediately following the reading of the Torah" (JPS)
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halacha
"Jewish law" (JPS)
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kehillah
"A Jewish community" (JPS)
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kinder
"children" (Rosten)
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klezmer
"Eastern European style of instrumental music" (JPS)
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koved
"honor, dignity, respect" (JPS)
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kuntz
peculiarity, particular oddness (JPS)
strategy (Weiser)
feat, stunt, trick, challenge, ingenuity
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kvetch
"to chronically complain or gripe to others over minor issues" (JPS)
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l'chaim
traditional toast. [lit. "to life" (Rosten)]
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landsman
Someone who comes from the same or nearby hometown, especially if one or both of you no longer lives there and all the more so if one or both now live far away from home, in which case an entire region (e.g., metro NY) or country e.g., Poland) may be the point of connection.
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lashon hara
"gossip" (lit. "evil tongue") (JPS)
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latka
"a potato pancake [fried in oil traditionally eaten on Chanukah]" (Rosten)
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lokshen
noodles
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lox
smoked salmon
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macher
"1. Someone who arranges, fixes, has connections...someone who is [very] active in an organization" (Rosten) "important person", "hot shot"
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mamaleh
diminutive term for a young girl [lit. 'little mama']
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mame-loshn
"mother tongue", usually refers to Yiddish
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mamzer
bastard [see note]; "A detestable [person] like the colloquial English "He's a bastard"" (Rosten)
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matzah brei
fried matzah pieces mixed with eggs, usually eaten on Passover
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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
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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)
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mishegoss
"Foolishness, nonsense, craziness." (JPS)
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mishpacha
"Literally, "family". ...The word conveys a warm feeling of friendship." (JPS)
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narishkeit
"1. Foolishness 2. A triviality" (Rosten)
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nebbish
noun: nerdy, clumsy, awkward person. "An innocuous, ineffectual, weak, helpless, or hapless unfortunate" (Rosten)
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neshama
soul
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nosh
to snack or eat; a snack
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nu
so what?; so?; hurry up already
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parve
1. neither milk nor meat; 2. uninteresting, plain, generic
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payos
Sidelocks, sidecurls, or earlocks, common among Haredi boys and men.
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pisher, little pisher
a diminutive that combines amusement, admiration and annoyance
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punim
face
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pushke
"The little container...in which money to be donated to charity is accumulated." (Rosten)
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rebbe
the spiritual leader of a Hasidic sect
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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)
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schlemiel
idiot; contemptible person. "Clumsy, bungling person." (Steinmetz)
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schlep
"To carry, lug" (JPS)
To travel from one place to another when one would prefer not to
An annoyingly long journey
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schmaltz
"Rendered chicken fat." (JPS)
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schmaltzy
"Overly sentimental or romantic." (JPS)
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schmear
to spread; cream cheese
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schnapps
"A strong, dry liquor." (JPS)
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schnorrer
a begger, a parasite. "A moocher" (JPS)
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sechel
"Common sense" (JPS), intelligence
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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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Shabbos goy
"A non-Jew who by prearrangement performs chores [that are forbidden] for a Jew on the Sabbath or holidays." (Steinmetz)
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shadchen
matchmaker
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shalech manes
Gifts for friends, traditionally given on Purim. Typically, a basket with food requiring two separate brachas in it.
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shayna punim
pretty face
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sheitel
wig; worn by some observant jewish women after marriage. "A wig worn by strictly Orthodox...women as a [hair] covering." (Steinberg)
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Shemoneh Esrei
another name for the Amida, the central prayer during Jewish services. [lit. 'eighteen', the number of blessings it originally had]
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shidduch
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)
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shiksa
"1. A non-Jewish girl. 2. A housemaid. 3. An irreligious or nonobservant Jewish girl. The term is often regarded as disparaging." (Steinmetz)
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shlock
something cheap or inferior. "A shoddy, cheaply made article." (Rosten)
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shluffy
[to go] to sleep (child-directed speech)
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shmendrik
jerk, stupid person
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shmutz
"Dirt, stain, or filth." (JPS)
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shnoz
"A nose, especially a large, unattractive one." (JPS)
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shtick
Performances and silly behavior at weddings, intended to entertain the bride and groom.
Props and decorations used for wedding entertainment.
"Overused actions or behavior." (JPS)
Comedy routine.
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shuckle
Literally, "to shake", to sway back and forth during prayer
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shul
synagogue
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shvartsa
black person, [lit. "black"]. Often considered offensive in English.
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simcha
"A joyous occasion; a celebration" (JPS); usually related to a lifecycle event
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treif
(adj or noun) food prohibited by the jewish dietary laws
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tsorris
"Troubles, woes, worries, suffering." (Rosten)
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tuches
buttocks
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tush
buttocks
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upsherin
the first haircut of a 3 year old; [lit. 'cutting off']
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vilde chaye
a rambunctious or wild person [lit. 'wild animal']
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yahrzeit
The anniversary of a person's death, generally marked by relatives in some way.
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yenta
"A scandal spreader, a rumormongerer." (Rosten). Usually applied to women.
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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)
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yontif
a Jewish holiday, especially one on which work is prohibited (in contrast to chol hamoed)
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zaftig
pleasantly plump, buxom, lit. "juicy"
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