Jewish English Lexicon

ad me'ah v'esrim

[may you/he/she live] "until a hundred and twenty" -- often used as a birthday wish for long life, or when mentioning a person who is getting on in years.

Adar

The sixth month of the Jewish calendar year.

al regel achat

lit. "on one foot"; off-the-cuff; "To answer a question or deal with a query very briefly and cursorily." (Glinert)

aliyah

immigration to Israel

ascent

"calling to the reading of the Torah" (Glinert)

ascent of the soul of a deceased person to a higher level, as is believed to happen on their yartzeit

amud

page (in a prayerbook)

one side of a page (of Talmud)

pulpit, lectern

Arava

"The dry lowland area of the eastern Negev, often called the Aravah Vallet" (JPS)

Av

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

b'emet

"As a matter of fact." (Weiser); "Really?"

baruch haba

"Welcome!"

bechiya ledorot

"A cause for eternal regret" (Glinert)

beit knesset

Jewish place of worship; "synagogue" (JPS)

bekitzur

"Briefly or concisely: succinctly" (Weiser)

besamim

"Literally, 'spices.' It almost always refers to the spices in the spice box used for the Havdalah ceremony" (JPS).

Spices

"Modern Israeli slang for illegal drugs" (JPS).

bitachon

security

faith, trust

boker or

literally, "morning light". said in response to "boker tov."

chag

"Festival" (Glinert)

chag sameach

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

chanichim

campers; members of youth movement, as in Hashomer Hatzair

disciples (in a classroom)

chas v'chalila

"heaven forbid" (Steinmetz's Yiddish and English dictionary)

chaver

comrade, mister (in left-wing political organizations)

friend

chaverim

members, friends

chet

The eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Often used to refer to a standing formation in the shape of the letter.

chozer b'teshuva

a returnee to the faith

daf

A page of a Talmudic tractate.

giyur

The act of converting to Judaism.

Conversion ceremony

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)