Jewish English Lexicon

aleichem sholom

Peace be upon you. Response to "sholom aleichem"

am haaretz

Bumpkin, ignoramus, uneducated person

Vulgar, boorish person

People of the land

averah

religious transgression (Glinert: "An aveirah is an infringement on the Torah, the opposite of a mitzvah.")

b'laz

Abbreviation for "B'loshn am zar", "in a foreign language"; usually used by the commentator Rashi when using a Middle French expression

bagel

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

becher

2-handle cup for ritual washing of the hands before eating

kiddish cup (lit. "goblet")

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."

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)

bli neder

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

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)

bris

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

bubbe meise

"Something of little importance, an inconsequential thing or minor happening." (JPS)

"old wive's tale"; an untrue story, sometimes related to superstition

bulvan

loud mouth know-it-all; "a boorish, brutish person" (Steinmetz)

bupkis

Nothing

Something worthless

chacham

rabbi (Sephardi)

wise, learned person; genius

wiseguy

challah

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

chatuna

wedding

chaver

comrade, mister (in left-wing political organizations)

friend

chaverim

members, friends

chazan

The official at a synagogue who leads the congregation in prayer and song. (JPS)

chazir

1. pork 2. a pig, greedy person (JPS)

chidush

innovative idea; an insight; discovery; novelty

cholent

"A slow-cooked stew made of beef, beans, potatoes, and other vegetables. Cholent is a common Sabbath dish..." (JPS)

chuppah

wedding ceremony (not including reception)

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

daven

pray; lead services

derech eretz

Participating in modern society.

"Good conduct; normal, polite behavior in a social setting." (JPS). Manners, respect.

drasha

"Sermon, learned address." (Glinert)

dreidel

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

farbissiner

n. sourpuss, mean person

adj. embittered, sullen, mean

fleishig

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

forshpayz

"appetizers" (JPS)

frum

religious; observant; Orthodox

gelt

Money (slang usage)

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

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)

glatt

Showing consistency of reason (Weiser).

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

golem

"A creature of Jewish medieval folklore, a golem is a figure made into the form of a human and given life." (JPS)

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)

gonif

thief

goy

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

a nation, but not the Jewish nation

halacha

"Jewish law" (JPS)

halevai

If only

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

I wish!

Hasid

A disciple of a rabbi, not only a member of a Hasidic group.

Pious person

Adherent of a Hasidic Jewish group ("A mystical religious movement founded in Poland" (JPS)

A follower in a non-religious sense (ironic).

klezmer

"Eastern European style of instrumental music" (JPS)

knish

Eastern European dumpling with thin dough filled with potato, kasha, onion, meat, and/or other ingredients

kochleffel

A cooking spoon, as for soup. By extension, a person who stirs up trouble; meddler, busybody.

kosher

"acceptable according to Jewish [ritual] law" (JPS); "trustworthy, reliable" (Rosten); acceptable according to dietary laws

kuntz

feat, stunt, trick, challenge, ingenuity

peculiarity, particular oddness (JPS)

strategy (Weiser)

l'chaim

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

l'havdil

to make a distinction (between two very different things)

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.

latka

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

lokshen

noodles

lox

smoked salmon

machmir

stringent, "taking the stricter position on an issue" (Weiser)

meticulous

mame-loshn

"mother tongue", usually refers to Yiddish

mamzer

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

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

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)

nebbish

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

nosh

to snack or eat; a snack

nudnik

"A pest, a nag, an annoyer, a monumental bore." (Rosten)

parve

1. neither milk nor meat; 2. uninteresting, plain, generic

payos

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

reb

"sir"; "mister"

rebbe

the spiritual leader of a Hasidic sect

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)

schlemiel

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

schmegege

"An unadmirable, petty person" (Rosten)

sefer

"A literary composition written particularly of, on, or about the Torah" (Weiser)

Hebrew or Aramaic book

seforim

Religious books written in Hebrew or Aramaic.

Shabbos

the Jewish Sabbath

Shabbos goy

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

shalech manes

Gifts for friends, traditionally given on Purim. Typically, a basket with food requiring two separate brachas in it.

shamash

2. the caretaker of a synagogue.

3. personal assistant / aide / gofer, especially to a rabbi or in the Hollywood entertainment industry

1. candle lit first and then used to light other hanukah candles

sheitel

wig; worn by some observant jewish women after marriage. "A wig worn by strictly Orthodox...women as a [hair] covering." (Steinberg)

Shemoneh Esrei

another name for the Amida, the central prayer during Jewish services. [lit. 'eighteen', the number of blessings it originally had]

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)

shidduch

match

a date in the process of finding one's spouse

arranged spousal match

mate

shiksa

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

shtetl

"A town for village with...Jewish inhabitants, commonly found in Eastern Europe before World War II." (Steinmetz)

shul

synagogue

simcha

"A joyous occasion; a celebration" (JPS); usually related to a lifecycle event

taka

(can also be used ironically)

Is that so? Really, actually, indeed, "in consideration of all the information available" (Weiser)

treif

(adj or noun) food prohibited by the jewish dietary laws

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.

tsorris

"Troubles, woes, worries, suffering." (Rosten)

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.