Jewish English Lexicon

Shulchan Aruch

a code of Jewish Law (halachah) written by Rabbi Joseph Caro in four sections, based on the Arba Turim (Tur); with its various commentaries, it is considered the central redaction of Jewish Law.

the Chabad/Lubavitch redaction of the Shulchan Aruch as written by Shneur Zalman of Liadi, notable for its application of Chassidic principles to halachah and codification of differences between Lubavitch Jews and others

shutim

responsa - rabbinic rulings

shvach

weak, pathetic, (a place or gathering that is) lacking in activity

shvantz

very rude man, lowlife, snitch

penis, dick

tail

shvartsa

black person, [lit. "black"]. Often considered offensive in English.

shver

difficult, onerous, complex

Si kiere El Dyo

(Literally) If it is God's will -An expression that nothing is certain, or completely in our hands -a mild expression of doubt, like "If it turns out that way"

siddur

Jewish prayer book

sidra

weekly Torah portion

sifria

library

sikkum

summarize, usually at the end of a session

a summary

simcha

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

sivuv

noun: a go-around, walk-around, lap, especially one done in order to double-check something

siyum

literally, "completion" traditionally means completing studying of a tractate of talmud, often with a ceremony and celebration following, but can be used for the completion of another course of study.

slicha

"Excuse me", "Sorry"

slivovitz

plum brandy, often consumed on passover because it doesn't contain fermented grains.

smichah

"Rabbinic ordination" (Steinmetz)

snag

Misnaged (non-Hasidic Orthodox Jew)

sofer

A scribe trained in transcribing the Torah, mezuzah, tefillin scriptures and other religious texts on parchment.

spiel

play, performance, speech. "A long, involved story or tale." (JPS)

spodik

fur hat, similar to but taller (more cylindrical) than a shtreimel, worn by certain Chassidic groups

stam

only, simply, just for fun, not for a specific purpose

That's it!

Just kidding!

sufganiyot

jelly-filled donuts traditionally eaten on Chanukah

sugya

passage from the Talmud

"A distinct matter for consideration in discussion, thought, or study" (Weiser)

sukkah

A temporary dwelling used during the holiday of Sukkot

Sukkot

The feast of the booths; a fall holiday when Jews live in makeshift huts to represent the time the Israelites spent wandering in the desert.

svara

justification, reason, plausible explanation

guess, hypothesis

svive

environment, surroundings

group or get-together

tachlis

practical details of a matter, "brass tacks" (as in, "Let's get down to brass tacks.")

purpose, aim

tachrichim

burial shrouds

tafkid

divinely ordained purpose

task

assignment

taharas hamishpachah

the body of law surrounding menstruation, lit. "family purity"

taiva

lust, desire

taka

(can also be used ironically)

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

tallis

prayer shawl

Talmud

"The body of Jewish law and tradition comprising the Mishnah and the Gemara, compiled from about 30 B.C.E to about 500 C.E." (Steinmetz)

talmudic

1. literally, having to do with the talmud 2. a debate that was complex and had many sides

tam

taste

Tanach

the entire Jewish bible including the Torah, Prophets, Writings. ['tanakh' is an acronym of the names of the three sections of the bible: torah, nevi'im and kethuvim.]

tashlich

"The custom of going to a...body of running water on the afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashanah...and reciting certain penitential verses [and throwing breadcrumbs, symbolizing sins, in to the water.]" (Steinmetz)

tate

little boy; especially when using diminutive tatele / tattele / tattaleh / tattale / tateleh (in child-directed speech)

dad

tchotchke

trinket, knicknack

tefach

A halachic unit of measure: four fingers (a palm's breadth) high.

tefillah

prayer, services, or an individual prayer

tefillat haderech

the prayer for a safe journey

tefillin

Small black boxes containing sections of the shema attached to leather straps and worn around the head and arm during prayer.

"phylacteries"

Tefillin date

A date on which the male brings along his tefillin, in the expectation that he may spend the night with his date (because he is conscientious about the mitzvah of tefillin and the need to put on his tefillin the following morning).

teiglach

a confection of dough balls dipped in honey/syrup and eaten at Rosh Hashanah

teiku

The question remains unanswered.

An unanswered question.

tekes

ceremony, usually surrounding something identified as Israeli or Jewish

tell over

to repeat or teach a story heard elsewhere

tepple

a pot or a pan

a bedpan

teshuvah

repentance [lit. "return"]

teva

character (quality of a person or thing)

nature

Thanksgivukkah

"Thanksgivukkah is a pop-culture portmanteau neologism given to the convergence of the American holiday of Thanksgiving and the first day of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah on Thursday, November 28, 2013" (Wikipedia)

The Chosen People

refers to the jewish people as a whole having a unique relationship with god; (translation of hebrew phrase "am nivchar")

Three Weeks

a period of semi-mourning commemorating the destruction of the first and second temples in jerusalem. "The three weeks between shiva asar betamuz (17th of Tamuz), when the walls of Jerusalem were breached, and Tisha b'Av (9th of Av), when the Temple was destroyed." (Steinmetz)

tichel

headscarf worn by Orthodox women

tikkun olam

kabbalistic concept of mystically repairing the fabric of the world through the performance of mitzvot

"repairing (the) world," making the world a better place through volunteering, social justice work, and philanthropy

tisch

a festive friday night gathering, often involving alcohol and singing [lit. "table"]. in hasidic circles, the rebbe often hosts a tisch with hundreds of hasidim at which he shares his teachings.

Tizke vetichye vita'arich yamim

May you have the fortune to have a long and good life!

Tizku Leshanim rabot

Wishing you many, many years!

tochacha

The portions of the Torah containing the curses the Israelites will incur if they do not follow the commandments (Lev. 26 and Deut. 28)

Rebuke, or corrections, for one's behavior, particularly as it pertains to Jewish practice.

toda

"thank you"

toivel

to immerse dishes in a ritual bath (mikvah) to render them usable in a kosher kitchen

Torah

Literally, "teaching". 1. The five books of moses. 2. Jewish law and values in general.

Torah reading

a section of the torah read on certain days during the week. (translation of hebrew phrase "kriyas hatorah")

toranut

tour of duty, esp. the task of serving and clearing food, and/or setting and clearing plates, at communal meals at Jewish summer camp

The people given the job of toranut

Tot Shabbat

A synagogue-based service or play group for young children on Shabbat.

tov

"good", "okay"

treif

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

triple-h

good-looking Jewish female ("hot Hebrew honey")

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.

truntor

old broken down car/ jalopy

tsedreyt

mixed up, twisted, distorted, turned around

tsekrochen

slovenly, [feeling] feeble or fragile, usually owing to minor illness or a night of excess.

tseloznik

a cute, mischievous child

a spoiled child

tsemisht

mixed-up, confused

tsibur

The public.

The (Jewish) community.

A prayer group.

tsniusdik

modest, discrete, especially according to Orthodox norms of dress, comportment, and gender interaction

tsorris

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

tsu gezunt

a response after another person sneezes (analogous to "bless you")

Tu b'Av

the 15th of Av, sometimes associated with romantic love and jokingly called 'Jewish Valentine's Day'.

Tu Bishvat

Jewish Arbor Day, the New Year for Trees, literally 'the 15th day of Shevat'.

tuches

buttocks

tuches afn tisch

lay your cards on the table [lit. "backside on the table"]

tumler

"A funmaker, a 'live wire,' a clown, a prankster, the 'life of the party." (Rosten)

tuna bagel

a person (usually a young, Hasidic man) who appears to be religious but is in part or in whole not observant; OR who is observant and wears Hasidic garb, but otherwise behaves like non-Hasidic Orthodox Jews

tush

buttocks

tza'ar ba'alei chayim

pity for living creatures (Steinmetz), or compassion for animals.

tzadik

Common name for the 18th letter of the Hebrew alphabet (tzadi / tzade).

A highly learned and esteemed rabbinic leader (sometimes used as an alternative name for a Hasidic rebbe).

Someone who does extremely righteous deeds.

TzaHaL

acronym for: ts'va ha-haganah le-yisrael, the Israeli defense force (IDF)

tzedakah

charity, money given to charity

tzedek, tzedek tirdof

"justice, justice, you will pursue." (Deuteronomy 16:20)

tzeit

nightfall; the time when three stars have appeared in the sky (short for tzeit hakochavim - stars coming out)

tzevet

staff member

staff

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.

tznius

(adj.) modest, discrete, especially according to Orthodox norms of dress, comportment, and gender interaction

(n.) modesty, discretion, especially according to Orthodox norms of dress, comportment, and gender interaction

tzom kal

"have an easy fast"; used as a greeting on Jewish fast days, especially Yom Kippur

tzrif

cabin/bunk

unaffiliated

Refers to members of the Jewish population who are not involved with a synagogue or other Jewish community organizations.

unetaneh tokef

a particular High Holiday prayer recited on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

ungepatchke

overdone, tacky, ostentatious, overcomplicated. "Excessively and unaesthetically decorated; overly baroque." (Rosten)

unveiling

the ceremony marking the unveiling of a deceased person's headstone one year after his or her burial

upsherin

the first haircut of a 3 year old; [lit. 'cutting off']

ushpizin

transcendent "guests" welcomed into the sukkah during Sukkot, one per day

va'ad

"committee or council" (Steinmetz), group convened for a particular purpose, including rabbinical council, kashrut supervisory council, youth group/synagogue board of directors, study group, etc.