Showing 113 of 113 words, page 1 of 1
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acharon acharon chaviv
"The very last one is beloved."; "Last but not least."
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al regel achat
lit. "on one foot"; off-the-cuff; "To answer a question or deal with a query very briefly and cursorily." (Glinert)
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aleph-bet
"A name for the Hebrew alphabet" (JPS)
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apikoros
heretic, non-believer, especially one with great knowledge of Judaism
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arba kanfot
A tallit katan (see tzitzit)
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arba kosot
"The four glasses of wine drunk on Passover" (Glinert).
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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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balagan
"a disorderly, confusing, and/or overwhelming situation" (Glinert)
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batlan
"An unemployed or lazy man" (Rosten).
"Someone with intellectual pretensions and half-baked ideas" (Rosten).
"Layabout" (Glinert)
"One who consistently wastes time: Bum, FaineĢant" (Weiser).
"naive, impractical person" (Steinmetz)
"A misfit, such as a Talmud student of no promise" (Rosten).
"Someone without a trade or regular means of livelihood" (Rosten).
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besamim
Spices
"Literally, 'spices.' It almost always refers to the spices in the spice box used for the Havdalah ceremony" (JPS).
"Modern Israeli slang for illegal drugs" (JPS).
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bikur cholim
visiting the sick
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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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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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busha
"Disgrace" (Glinert), shame, embarrassment
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chas v'sholom
"heaven forbid" (Glinert)
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chassidus
"Chasidism" (Glinert)
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chatan
Bridegroom
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chatuna
wedding
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chavruta
learning partnership; joint study session. "The person with whom one studies religious texts" (Weiser)
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chazan
The official at a synagogue who leads the congregation in prayer and song. (JPS)
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chazir
1. pork 2. a pig, greedy person (JPS)
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cherem
"excommunication; ostracism" (Yiddish)
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chevra
"society; close-knit group" (Yiddish)
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chevreman
"One of the guys" (Glinert)
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chidush
innovative idea; an insight; discovery; novelty
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chochmah
"Brains; wisdom; a brilliant idea" (Glinert)
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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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chutzpah
nerve, audacity, the quality of over-stepping boundries with no shame (negative)
guts (positive)
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Cohen
"A made descendent of the family of Aaron, of the tribe of Levi. Aaron and his descendants were consecrated to the service of God... in the Tabernacle... in the desert and later the Holy Temple" (Steinmetz). Often poorly translated as "priest," though the term "Levite" or "Aaronite" is more accurate, especially due to Christian usage (Steinmetz).
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davka
"definitely or exactly stated; specifically" (Weiser)
just to annoy, just to be contrary
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.)
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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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duchen
A ritual where the kohanim recite the Priestly Blessing (Num. 6:24-26), blessing the rest of the congregation.
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dveykus
spiritual ecstasy; lit. "cleaving"
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emunah
"faith"; sometimes contrasted with practical striving in the material world
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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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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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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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Hasid
Adherent of a Hasidic Jewish group ("A mystical religious movement founded in Poland" (JPS)
Pious person
A disciple of a rabbi, not only a member of a Hasidic group.
A follower in a non-religious sense (ironic).
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im yirtzeh hashem
if God wills it, God willing (used when making plans for or describing the future)
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kehillah
"A Jewish community" (JPS)
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kosher
"acceptable according to Jewish [ritual] law" (JPS); "trustworthy, reliable" (Rosten); acceptable according to dietary laws
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koved
"honor, dignity, respect" (JPS)
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l'chaim
traditional toast. [lit. "to life" (Rosten)]
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machloket
disagreement, dispute, argument, conflict, especially one about a halachic issue
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madrega
level, especially spiritual level
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mamish
"1. As though true to fact...2. Surely or certainly...3. Actually, genuinely...4. To a high degree...5. Enthusiastic response: WOW." (Weiser)
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mamzer
bastard [see note]; "A detestable [person] like the colloquial English "He's a bastard"" (Rosten)
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matzeivah
headstone
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mazel tov
congratulations [lit. "good fortune"]
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mazume
"ready money, cash" (Steinmetz)
"A group of three or more adult males who join together to recite the after-meal blessings..." (Steinmetz).
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mechuten
the father of one's child's spouse, though can sometimes be used to refer to the grandfather of one's grandchild's spouse.
In laws, more generally (http://www.pass.to/glossary/gloz2.htm#letm).
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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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meshuga
crazy
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middos
character traits (singular: "middah")
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mishpacha
"Literally, "family". ...The word conveys a warm feeling of friendship." (JPS)
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naches
"Proud pleasure, special joy--particularly from the achievements of a child... 2. Psychological reward or gratification." (Rosten)
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neshama
soul
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nifter
deceased
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nigun
"A wordless melody; a tune" (JPS)
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nu
so what?; so?; hurry up already
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olav ha-sholom
"peace be upon him"; said of someone who is deceased
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oy
exclamation of dismay, exasperation, or surprise
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parnasa
livelihood, income
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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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rachmones
mercy, pity, empathy
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refua shlema
"Get well soon." Lit. "full recovery"
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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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segula
Folk remedy, safeguard, superstitious action, talisman
divinely bestowed reward as a result of an individual's participation in a minhag or mitzvah
"procedure that is not based on medical or scientific logic yet is efficacious in improving a situation or protecting a person from harm" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segula_(Kabbalah))
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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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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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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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sheymes
n., such content
adj., of or relating to printed material, such as a book or even an audio recording, that contains the name of God, and therefore must not be erased, put on the floor, etc., out of respect for the Divine Name
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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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sidra
weekly Torah portion
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simcha
"A joyous occasion; a celebration" (JPS); usually related to a lifecycle event
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tachlis
purpose, aim
practical details of a matter, "brass tacks" (as in, "Let's get down to brass tacks.")
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tam
taste
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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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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
The fringes on a tallit (tallis) prayer shawl or on a tallit katan.
A garment worn under the shirt by Orthodox men and boys, with a tassel hanging down from each of the four corners.
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yemach shemo
"may his name be erased", appended to the names of evil people such as Haman and Hitler
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yichus
"Pedigree, lineage, family background." (JPS)
Bragging rights based on respected family history
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yontif
a Jewish holiday, especially one on which work is prohibited (in contrast to chol hamoed)
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zichrono livracha
may his memory be for a blessing (often abbreviated 'z"l')
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zitsfleysh
lit. "sitting-flesh" : 'the ability to sit down for a long period fo time'
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