Jewish English Lexicon

achron

"Latter-day religious authorities... scholars of the Renaissance and later times" (Glinert).

Adar

The sixth month of the Jewish calendar year.

aggadah

Parts of the Talmud and Midrash that do not deal with law, including stories, fables, and sayings. "Talmudic stories or philosophical material" (Glinert).

al het

"A Yom Kippur prayer that asks forgiveness for a multitude of sins committed during the previous year" (JPS).

Aleinu

"A prayer in praise of God, Aleinu acknowledges the unique relationship between God and the Jewish people" (JPS)

Amalek

The biblical name of the nomadic people descended from Esau who became the enemies of the people of Israel.

Any enemy of the Jewish people

amora

A Talmudic sage whose teachings comprise the Gemara. "Amoraim are contrasted with the tannaim, ancient rabbis who are quoted in the Mishnah" (JPS).

amud

page (in a prayerbook)

one side of a page (of Talmud)

pulpit, lectern

The thirteen articles of Jewish faith written by Maimonides, each beginning with the phrase "ani maamin" ("I believe"). "The twelfth of which says, I believe believe with complete faith in the coming of the Messiah. Even though he may tarry I will wait for him on any day that he may come'" (JPS).

Anim Zmirot

"A hymn composed of an alphabetic acrostic of 31 lines, generally sung in front of the open ark at the conclusion of the Musaf service on Shabbat." (JPS)

aravot

"the branches of the willow that are part of the lulav used on Sukkot" (JPS).

arba kanfot

A tallit katan (see tzitzit)

arba kosot

"The four glasses of wine drunk on Passover" (Glinert).

arba minim

"The four plant species used on Sukkot" (Glinert).

arbes

Boiled chickpeas

Asara B'Tevet

"A minor fast day that falls on the 10th of Tevet. It commemorates the start of the siege of Jerusalem by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia in 586 B.C.E., which is considered the beginning of the destruction of the First Temple" (JPS).

askan

A Jewish communal or social worker (Steinmetz)

Activist

A person who is influential in working for the community

Av

"The fifth month in the Jewish calendar, it usually corresponds to July or August" (JPS).

avade

Of course. / Obviously!

And how!

aveilus

Mourning (Glinert)

Avinu Malkeinu

"A High Holy Day prayer in which God is asked to 'be gracious to us and answer us, even though we have not done all the good that we might have'" (JPS).

avodah

"A unique part of the Musaf service on Yom Kippur, the Avodah prayers describe the sacrificial ritual in the Temple in ancient Jerusalem on the Day of Atonement" (Eisenberg).

"Literally, 'divine service'" (Eisenberg)

work, generally

the name for a unit at camp in which campers help with such duties as service in the dining hall, laundry, etc.

"Service and worship of God" (Eisenberg)

ba'al tekiah

"The title for the person who blows the shofar on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur" (JPS).

ba'al tshuvah

a Jew raised non-religious who becomes Orthodox, [lit. 'one who returns/repents']

baal koreh

The individual who chants Torah from the scroll at a synagogue. Sometimes used to refer specifically to a person capable of learning and chanting an entire parsha, or to a professional/paid reader as opposed to an amateur.

baal-teshuva

A Jew from a secular background who chooses to become observant.

"Newly religious Jew; penitent" (Glinert)

balaboosta

1) Female head of household 2) Impressively competent homemaker

balabos

Male head of a household

Proprietor

baruch haba

"Welcome!"

baruch tihiyeh

"May you be blessed"

bedieved

"done just well enough to fulfill a need or duty; perfunctorily" (Weiser, Frumspeak)

"under duress, or done when no options are available; as a last resort" (Weiser, Frumspeak)

done after the fact (in an acceptable, but still not ideal, manner); ex post facto

"resentfully; without enthusiasm; begrudgingly" (Weiser, Frumspeak)

bedika

Inspection or search, especially with regard to preparations for Passover

bedikas chametz

"The ceremony immediately before Pesach in which family members conduct a ritual search of the home for hametz, pieces of bread or leavened food that are forbidden on Passover" (JPS).

beit midrash

"Study hall" (Glinert)

"A religious school or synagogue Hebrew school" (JPS).

bencher

prayer booklet or card with the text of the blessings after meals, and often times including other meal-time blessings and songs

besamim

"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).

Spices

bokser

The fruit of the carob tree, traditionally eaten on Tu Bishvat.

broiges

a dispute (n)

angry, annoyed (adj.)

BT

ba'al teshuva, returnee to faith, Jew who chose to become Orthodox

bubbale

sweetie, darling [term of endearment]

chacham

wise, learned person; genius

wiseguy

rabbi (Sephardi)

chad gadya

The name of a song sung at the end of the Passover seder.

chag sameach

"Literally, 'Happy Holiday.' The traditional, all-purpose greeting exchanged on almost any Jewish holiday" (JPS).

chazak veematz

"Be very strong and courageous!"

cheshbon hanefesh

"Soul-searching, self-accounting" (Glinert).

chrain

A spicy paste made from grated horseradish.

chumrah

a religious stringency

daf

A page of a Talmudic tractate.

duchen

A ritual where the kohanim recite the Priestly Blessing (Num. 6:24-26), blessing the rest of the congregation.

dveykus

spiritual ecstasy; lit. "cleaving"

emes

Truth, true

"In accordance with the truth: True" (Weiser)

eyd

A witness

eyer kichlech

Egg cookies, usually in the shape of bow ties.

g'mar chatima tova

"A customary greeting among Jews on Yom Kippur [and the period between Yom Kippur and Rosh haShanah]" (JPS). lit. "a good end of [the process of] sealing [in the Book of Life]".

gaon

"A title of honor for the rabbis and teachers who were the spiritual heads of the Babylonian yeshivot between the 6th and 11th centuries C.E." (JPS)

"A rabbi whose learning was so great that he was given the honorary title of gaon" (Rosten), e.g. the Vilna Gaon

Modern Hebrew: genius (JPS)

gemilas chesed

(pl. gemilas chasodim) A loan of money without interest to help a needy person.

genizah

A storage room in a synagogue where disused sacred books and often-sacred articles are kept, since bringing them or disposing of them otherwise is considered a sacrilege.

ger

(pl. gerim) A convert to Judaism.

get

a writ or deed of divorce

gezerah

"An authoritative command either to perform or to refrain from performing a particular act" (Weiser)

"an addition to a previously existing precept" (Weiser)

In Jewish law, a prohibition enacted by the Sages as a measure to protect religious observance under changed conditions.

"evil decree" (Steinmetz)

gut chodesh

"Good month!" Ashkenazi greeting on Rosh Chodesh.

gut moed

"Good festival season!" Used by Ashkenazim on Chol Hamoed.

gut voch

"Good week!" Ashkenazi greeting at the conclusion of the Sabbath.

gut yontef

"Happy holiday!" Ashkenazi greeting used on any of the holidays, including Rosh Hashanahh and Yom Kippur.

gut yor

"Good year!" Ashkenazi greeting on Rosh Hashanah.

halevai

If only

I wish!

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

Hashem

God, lit. "the name"

Hashem imachem

"God be with you!" Sephardi greeting given by ice approaching the Torah-reading desk after being called up to the Torah.

hasraah

A formal warning given to a person who is about to commit a sin.

hiddur mitzvah

"Literally, 'beautifying the mitzvah.' The tradition of putting extra time, style, or resources into a mitzvah so that it is performed as beautifully as possible" (JPS).

isru chag

"The day after the end of Pesach, Sukkos, and Shavuos, regarded as a semi-holiday on which mourning is curbed and fasting prohibited" (Dictionary of Jewish Usage)

kallah

Jewish communal gathering, conference

bride

kein yirbu

"So they may increase in number"

keinehora

"no evil eye" (Rosten). "An expression said to ward off the evil eye or bad luck in general; the verbal equivalent of knocking on wood." (JPS)

kenas

A fine paid as a penalty for wrongdoing.

kesiva vechasima tova

"A good writing and sealing (in the Book of Life)!" Formal Ashkenazi greeting on Rosh Hashanah.

kezayit

A halakhic measure for the minimum amount that may not be eaten of a prohibited substance or that must be eaten to fulfill a commandment.

kinyan

The act or manner of legally acquiring or agreeing to something.

"A groom's formal acceptance of the terms of the ketubbah. At a traditional wedding, this ritual takes place during the chossen's tish, when the rabbi or a witness, acting on behalf of the bride, offers the groom a handkerchief or some other object" (JPS).

kishka

"Stuffed derma: a sausagelike comestible of meat, flour, and spices stuffed into intestine casing and baked" (Rosten) Also, "guts," literally, Slavic. (Wikipedia)

kivyakhol

Substitute or euphemism for God's name, similar to Hashem

"As if", "so to speak," can be used to refer to anthropomorphic language about God

kriah

Reading, especially Torah

Rending a garment (ritual of mourning)

kulah

A lenient ruling or measure

"A leniency based on subtle legality: Loophole" (Weiser).

lav

לאו A scriptural prohibition

leibedik

lively, enthusiastic; warm, heartfelt

lekech

"Honey cake, traditionally served on Rosh Hashanah... made with honey, eggs, cinnamon, and, often, coffee" (JPS).

lemaan Hashem

"Definitely"

leshana tova tikateivu

"(May you) be inscribed for a good year (in the Book of Life)!" A formal greeting exchanged bu Ashkenazim on Rosh Hashanah.

mandelbrot

"Literally, 'almond bread.' A crunchy, dry cookie, similar to biscotti" (JPS).

marit ayin

suspicious-looking action; doing something that may cause an observer to think that one violated halachah and thus arouse suspicion, or alternatively, doing something that could mislead somebody to interpret than an action is permitted and then violate halachah him/herself

mazel

luck (good)

congratulations

mazume

"ready money, cash" (Steinmetz)

"A group of three or more adult males who join together to recite the after-meal blessings..." (Steinmetz).

melacha

"Work or actions forbidden on Shabbat" (JPS). Mostly applies on Yom Tov, as well, and often refers to creative work, or use of electronics.

"That which requires exertion or effort: Task" (Weiser).

"Art or skill: Trade" (Weiser).

meykil

"One who is not strict: Liberal, Latitudinarian" (Weiser)

"Taking the lenient position: Liberal" (Weiser)

A decisor who follows a lenient option and issues a kulah (lenient ruling).

"Yielding to wishes: Indulgent" (Weiser)

"Not harsh or strict: Easygoing" (Weiser)

meyzid

One who commits a sin consciously and deliberately.

nittel nacht

Christmas Eve

onesh

Punishment

patsh

to give a light slap

a smack (playful)

pesadik

"Acceptable to be eaten on Pesach" (JPS), kosher for Passover.

pikuach nefesh

The principle that the law of saving a person's life takes precedence over all other laws, with the exception of the laws prohibiting idolatry, incestuous relations, and the murder of an innocent person.

rachmones

mercy, pity, empathy

rishon

"Earlier rabbis and scholars, who lived from around the 11th to the mid-15th century C.E., before the Shulchan Arukh, the compilation of Jewish law, was written." (JPS)

safek

A doubt or doubtful case.

"Unresolved question: Uncertainty" (Weiser)

"Doubt in the integrity of: Suspicion" (Weiser)

shechita

Kosher animal slaughter.

shochet

ritual slaughterer in the system of kashrut

shogeg

One who commits a sin unintentionally.

shomer

one who keeps vigil over a dead body before it is buried

adj. observant, observing the laws of kosher, shabbat, or negiya (not touching members of the opposite gender outside of family)

a member of Hashomer Hatzair or a camper or counselor at a Hashomer Hatzair camp

a chaperone, protector, or guard

a camp counselor on duty

shtar

Any legal document or writ, such as a bill of sale or a promissory note.

shtrayml

A hat trimmed with fur pieces, typically worn by Hassidim on Shabbat.

sidra

weekly Torah portion

takkanah

A rabbinical decree or ordinance, issued to improve religious life.

tate

dad

tenai

(pl. form tenaim only, used as sg) "A traditional name for an engagement party" (JPS)

"A condition of circumstance upon which a certain effect is predicated: Stipulation" (Weiser).

(pl. form tenaim only, used as sg.) "The original prenuptial contract, the tenaim dates from the 12th century. It is the detailed dowry and other financial arrangements, the date of the wedding, and the penalty if anyone backed out. Some traditional and Hasidic Jews still prepare a tenaim and read it aloud at an engagement party or sign it before the wedding ceremony, at the same time the ketubbah is signed" (JPS).

A condition, especially one made as part of an agreement.

tichel

headscarf worn by Orthodox women

titchadesh

"Use it in good health" or "Enjoy your new item"

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.

tzimmes

"A prolonged procedure, and involved business, a mix-up" (Rosten).

"A sweet, baked dish of vegetables or fruit. Carrot tzimmes, a popular version, includes carrots, sweet potatoes, dried apricots, raisins, sugar, and cinnamon" (JPS).

"Troubles, difficulties, a contretemps" (Rosten).

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

yasher koach

Congratulations!

Good job!

Thank you (used by Orthodox Jews)