Jewish English Lexicon

Adonai

"Literally, 'my Lord', another word for God." (JPS)

aleichem sholom

Peace be upon you. Response to "sholom aleichem"

am haaretz

People of the land

Bumpkin, ignoramus, uneducated person

Vulgar, boorish person

amen

Agreed. "The word used at the end of prayer to signify affirmation." (Rosten)

pl. Ashkenazim. "The name given to the group of Jews who were originally from Germany and France (and their descendants)... The Ashkenazim migrated to Central and Eastern Europe during times of oppression" (JPS).

Ashkenazic

Adjectival form for 'Ashkenazim', "The name given to the group of Jews who were originally from Germany and France, and their descendants" (JPS)

averah

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

balaboosta

1) Female head of household 2) Impressively competent homemaker

balabos

Male head of a household

Proprietor

bar mitzvah

Jewish coming-of-age ceremony/celebration for a 13-year-old boy; the boy who has come of age.

batlan

"Someone without a trade or regular means of livelihood" (Rosten).

"One who consistently wastes time: Bum, Fainéant" (Weiser).

"A misfit, such as a Talmud student of no promise" (Rosten).

"naive, impractical person" (Steinmetz)

"Layabout" (Glinert)

"An unemployed or lazy man" (Rosten).

"Someone with intellectual pretensions and half-baked ideas" (Rosten).

beit din

A rabbinical court of law that makes judgments on matters of Jewish religious life, especially conversion and divorce.

berya

"Complimentary term for a talented, competent, energetic woman, especially one who gets a lot done - and does it well - around the house." (JPS Dictionary of Words)

bracha

blessing (in the technical or figurative sense)

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

challah

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

chaver

comrade, mister (in left-wing political organizations)

friend

chazan

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

chazir

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

cheder

Hebrew and religious classes (often on Sundays) for elementary school children.

chillul Hashem

disgracing God's name; an action that might be looked down upon; an action that might make Jews look bad

chuppah

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

wedding ceremony (not including reception)

chutzpah

guts (positive)

nerve, audacity, the quality of over-stepping boundries with no shame (negative)

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).

dayan

a rabbinic judge who may directly question and cross-examine witnesses

a judge who sits and adjudicates cases involving religious practices or spiritual matters

dybbuk

a spirit, "often thought to be the soul of a dead person, that wanders the earth looking for a living body to inhabit" (JPS)

Elohim/Elokim

"One of the many names used to refer to God" (JPS)

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)

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)

gematria

"An ancient system of Hebrew numerology," (JPS), in which each Hebrew letter possesses a numerical value, allowing words or phrases to express possible "hidden" meaning (when one adds up the letters' values)

get

a writ or deed of divorce

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

goyish

"in the manner or style of a non-Jewish person" (JPS), especially something WASPy or "white bread"

haftorah

"A reading from the biblical book of Prophets that is recited in synagogue immediately following the reading of the Torah" (JPS)

haggadah

"The small book of liturgy, prayers, songs, and rituals used at a Pesach seder" (JPS)

halacha

"Jewish law" (JPS)

hanukkah

The winter-time festival that commemorates the rededication of the Temple after the Maccabean revolt in the second century B.C.E. (lit. "dedication")

Hasid

Pious person

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

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

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

Haskalah

19th century Jewish Enlightenment, in which modern philosophy and literature entered Jewish consciousness

havdalah

"literally 'separation'. The ceremony that marks the end of [the Sabbath] on Saturday evening" (JPS)

hazarai

treyf (non-kosher) food

junk food

"Junk, trash" (Rosten)

Kabbalah

a Jewish mystical work, sometimes used as a catch-all term for Jewish mysticism. "The Jewish mystical tradition" (JPS)

kaddishl

A son who will say kaddish for a parent (literally, "little kaddish").

kallah

bride

Jewish communal gathering, conference

kaparot

Ritual performed between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to remove sins carried out by swinging a chicken over ones head.

kashe

A question posing some difficulty because of apparent inconsistencies with accepted premises: problem. A tough, perplexing question.

Question, difficulty (Steinmetz), challenge, objection.

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)

klezmer

"Eastern European style of instrumental music" (JPS)

kosher

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

l'chaim

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

maariv

the evening prayer

magen david

"star of david", a symbol that has commonly been associated with Jews and Judaism; [lit. "shield of david"]

mamzer

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

matzoh

unleavened bread eaten on Passover

maven

"An expert or connoisseur; a specialist" (JPS)

mazel

congratulations

luck (good)

mazel tov

congratulations [lit. "good fortune"]

mazume

"ready money, cash" (Steinmetz)

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

mechuten

In laws, more generally (http://www.pass.to/glossary/gloz2.htm#letm).

the father of one's child's spouse, though can sometimes be used to refer to the grandfather of one's grandchild's spouse.

menorah

candelabrum, especially for Chanukah

meshuga

crazy

mezuzah

a piece of parchment with the Shema written on it that is then placed in a case and mounted on doorways in keeping with the Biblical commandment mentioned in the Shema

midrash

stories or explanations that interpret or ellaborate on the Torah's text.

mikvah

"Ritual bath" (JPS)

mise meshune

horrible, violent, or unnatural death, often used as a curse

Mishnah

an authoritative collection of exegetical material embodying the oral tradition of Jewish law and forming the first part of the Talmud.

mishpacha

"Literally, "family". ...The word conveys a warm feeling of friendship." (JPS)

mitzvah

Literally, "commandment"

good deed

mohel

A person trained to perform Jewish ritual circumcision

moshiach

The Messiah

olav ha-sholom

"peace be upon him"; said of someone who is deceased

parve

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

payos

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

Pesach

The Jewish Holiday of Passover

Purim

A joyous holiday that takes place in February or March on the 14th of Adar, retelling the story of the Book of Esther.

rachmones

mercy, pity, empathy

Rosh Hashanah

The Jewish new year

rov

A particularly notable rabbi; a halachic decisor

schach

branches or bamboo used to cover a sukkah

sechel

"Common sense" (JPS), intelligence

seder

period for Torah study

The name for the six sections of the Mishnah.

order, orderliness, system, routine

A ceremony involving recitations, singing, food, and drink typically associated with Passover, but also with Tu B'shvat and Rosh Hashanah.

Sephardic

Jews whose ancestors came from the Iberian Peninsula before the Jewish expulsion

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)

shadchen

matchmaker

shalom

hello, goodbye, peace

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

shehecheyanu

the blessing of thanksgiving that celebrates reaching a celebratory moment or marking a significant first

shema

prayer recited in most services as well as at bedtime, and when death is imminent; one of the most important and well-known prayers in Judaism

sheygets

"1. A non-Jewish boy. 2. An impudent youth or man. 3. An irreligious or nonobservant Jew. The term is often regarded as disparaging." (Steinmetz)

shidduch

mate

a date in the process of finding one's spouse

match

arranged spousal match

shiksa

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

shivah

week-long period of mourning after the death of a relative, during which close relatives stay at home and greet visitors. mourners traditionally sit on low stools during this time, so someone in mourning is said to be 'sitting shiva'.

shofar

ram's horn sounded during the month of elul, especially associated with rosh hashanah

siddur

Jewish prayer book

smichah

"Rabbinic ordination" (Steinmetz)

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.

tachlis

purpose, aim

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

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)

tefillin

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

"phylacteries"

Torah

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

treif

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

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.