Showing 88 of 88 words, page 1 of 1
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aleichem sholom
Peace be upon you. Response to "sholom aleichem"
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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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b'laz
Abbreviation for "B'loshn am zar", "in a foreign language"; usually used by the commentator Rashi when using a Middle French expression
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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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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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bli neder
"Literally, 'without vowing', this is added to any casual promise to avoid it being taken as an absolute undertaking." (Glinert)
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borscht
"An Eastern European soup traditionally made with beets." (JPS)
"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.
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bris
circumcision ceremony; the celebration surrounding it. Lit. covenant.
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bubbe meise
"old wive's tale"; an untrue story, sometimes related to superstition
"Something of little importance, an inconsequential thing or minor happening." (JPS)
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bulvan
loud mouth know-it-all; "a boorish, brutish person" (Steinmetz)
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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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chatuna
wedding
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chaverim
members, friends
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chazir
1. pork 2. a pig, greedy person (JPS)
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chidush
innovative idea; an insight; discovery; novelty
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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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derech eretz
Participating in modern society.
"Good conduct; normal, polite behavior in a social setting." (JPS). Manners, respect.
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drasha
"Sermon, learned address." (Glinert)
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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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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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frum
religious; observant; Orthodox
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gelt
Money (slang usage)
"The foil wrapped chocolate coins that are a traditional Hanukkah treat for children." (JPS)
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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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glatt
Showing consistency of reason (Weiser).
Super-kosher (not only of food), or acceptable to the Haredi community.
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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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goy
a nation, but not the Jewish nation
"most often used among Jews to refer to someone who is not a Jew" (JPS)
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halacha
"Jewish law" (JPS)
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Hasid
Pious person
A disciple of a rabbi, not only a member of a Hasidic group.
Adherent of a Hasidic Jewish group ("A mystical religious movement founded in Poland" (JPS)
A follower in a non-religious sense (ironic).
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klezmer
"Eastern European style of instrumental music" (JPS)
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knish
Eastern European dumpling with thin dough filled with potato, kasha, onion, meat, and/or other ingredients
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kochleffel
A cooking spoon, as for soup. By extension, a person who stirs up trouble; meddler, busybody.
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kosher
"acceptable according to Jewish [ritual] law" (JPS); "trustworthy, reliable" (Rosten); acceptable according to dietary laws
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kuntz
peculiarity, particular oddness (JPS)
strategy (Weiser)
feat, stunt, trick, challenge, ingenuity
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l'chaim
traditional toast. [lit. "to life" (Rosten)]
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l'havdil
to make a distinction (between two very different things)
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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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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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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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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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nebbish
noun: nerdy, clumsy, awkward person. "An innocuous, ineffectual, weak, helpless, or hapless unfortunate" (Rosten)
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nosh
to snack or eat; a snack
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nudnik
"A pest, a nag, an annoyer, a monumental bore." (Rosten)
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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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reb
"sir"; "mister"
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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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sefer
Hebrew or Aramaic book
"A literary composition written particularly of, on, or about the Torah" (Weiser)
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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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shalech manes
Gifts for friends, traditionally given on Purim. Typically, a basket with food requiring two separate brachas in it.
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shamash
1. candle lit first and then used to light other hanukah candles
2. the caretaker of a synagogue.
3. personal assistant / aide / gofer, especially to a rabbi or in the Hollywood entertainment industry
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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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shul
synagogue
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simcha
"A joyous occasion; a celebration" (JPS); usually related to a lifecycle event
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taka
(can also be used ironically)
Is that so? Really, actually, indeed, "in consideration of all the information available" (Weiser)
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treif
(adj or noun) food prohibited by the jewish dietary laws
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trop
Series of traditional chanting/melodic patterns used in reading the Torah and other books of the Tanakh in communal prayer services.
Diacritic-like marks in printed editions of the Tanakh (and the tikkun, a book that enables people to learn to chant from the Torah, haftarah, etc.) that indicate the chanting/melodic pattern to be used with each word.
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tsorris
"Troubles, woes, worries, suffering." (Rosten)
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tzadik
A highly learned and esteemed rabbinic leader (sometimes used as an alternative name for a Hasidic rebbe).
Common name for the 18th letter of the Hebrew alphabet (tzadi / tzade).
Someone who does extremely righteous deeds.
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tzitzit
A garment worn under the shirt by Orthodox men and boys, with a tassel hanging down from each of the four corners.
The fringes on a tallit (tallis) prayer shawl or on a tallit katan.
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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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yahrzeit
The anniversary of a person's death, generally marked by relatives in some way.
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yichus
Bragging rights based on respected family history
"Pedigree, lineage, family background." (JPS)
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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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yold
fool, dupe
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