BLOG, MY CONVERSION
Jewish Dictionary: Do you speak "Jewish"?

JANUARY 24, 2019


​I am publishing this detailed Jewish dictionary for everyone who is still learning to understand "Jewish". When I started studying in the Midrasha I didn't understand a word! I hope this Jewish dictionary helps you to understand and communicate in the Jewish world!

​The list was created by Jenna Marin, who shares her super inspiring journey of making T'shuva on her blog modernjewishgirl.com and it was expanded by me with conversion related words that appear in my everyday life. Enjoy learning to speak "Jewish"!
​
Aliyah: lit. “Rising up.” This can refer to 1. Immigration to Israel or 2. Being called to the Torah to recite a blessing during the Torah reading.

Am Yisrael: The Jewish Nation

Amidah: lit. “Standing”; the Standing Prayer. Also known as the “Shemoneh Esrei,” which means “the Eighteen” because the Amidah prayer was originally composed of 18 blessings (there are now 19). It is the pinnacle of the daily prayer services.

Ashkenazi: Jewish from middle and east Europe

Aveirah: lit. “missing the mark,” refers to a sin or transgression of the Torah.

Avodah Zarah: Idolatry

Ayin Hara: Evil Eye

Baal Teshuva (m.) or Baala Teshuva (f.): lit. “A master of teshuva or repentance.” A Jew who returns to Jewish observance and study. (Teshuva means to return)

Bar Mitzvah/Bat Mitzvah: lit. “Son/Daughter of the Commandment.” A Bar or Bat Mitzvah is not the fancy party; it happens automatically at the age of 13 for boys and 12 for girls. At that age, boys and girls become obligated to observe the Torah. The service and party publicly celebrates that occasion.

Baruch HaShem: lit. “Blessed is God”; “Thank God.” Sometimes when you ask a religious person how she is doing, she will simply answer, “Baruch Hashem.”

Bashert: Yiddish for “Destiny.” Used to describe one’s soulmate or the fact that an event or friendship is seemingly “meant to be.”

Bat / ben melech: King’s daughter / son. Example: Jews are supposed to act like a bas/ben melech with everything they do.

Beit Din: A Rabbinical court of Jewish law

Beit HaMikdash: The Holy Temple, which stood in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount, near the present day Kotel (see "Kotel")

Beit Midrash: lit. “study hall”; a place to study Torah.

Ben Torah: lit. “Son of the Torah”; a person who lives according to the Torah.

Bencher: A book containing the Grace After Meals (Birkat Hamazon), the blessings we say after eating a meal with bread. Many religious people give out benchers at their wedding.

Benching: praying the Birkat Hamazon

Besrat HaShem: With the help of God

Birkat Hamazon: A prayer after eating bread

Brachah, brachot (pl.): blessing(s). Recited before performing a mitzvah, like lighting Shabbat candles, as well as before and after eating.

Bitachon: Trust in God that things will work out how He thinks is best, despite what we think is best. One who has emunah, faith in God, should have bitachon as well.

Brit Milah: Circumcision; a brit 

Challah: The traditional Jewish bread served on Shabbat and holidays. Challah is named after the mitzvah of Hafrashas Challah, where Jewish women separate a piece of the dough before baking their Challahs. 

Chametz: Leavened dough. Jews do not eat chametz on Pessach. 

Chas v’shalom: Heaven forbid

Chatan: Bridegroom. When two people get married, the bride is the kallah and the groom is the chatan if he is Sephardic (of Middle Eastern, North African, Spanish, or Portuguese descent) or chassan if he is Ashkenazi (of Eastern European descent).

Chassid, Chassidim: Follower(s) of a Rebbe; a chassid is pious individual who seeks spiritual perfection in serving God. Chassidim have specific customs based on their lineage andemphasize the study of Chassidus. The Chassidic movement was developed by the Baal Shem Tov in the 18th century in Eastern Europe. 

Chessed: Acts of loving kindness; giving

Chillul Hashem: Profanation of the Divine Name; i.e. if a Jew commits a crime it makes God look bad because the Jews are God’s chosen people. 

Chumash: The Five Books of Moses: Bereishit (Genesis), Shemot (Exodus), Vayikra (Leviticus), Bamidbar (Numbers), and Devarim (Deuteronomy). The English names are not literal translations.

Chuppah: The wedding canopy. The traditional Jewish wedding service is often called “the Chuppah.”

Chutzpah: Yiddish for “nerve, arrogance.”

Daven / davening: Yiddish for “praying”

D’rabbanan: A law that is Rabbinic in origin; meaning it was created by the Rabbis based on their interpretation of the written and oral Torah. (For an explanation of the oral v. written Torah, see "Talmud".)

D’var Torah: lit. “Words of Torah.” In Hebrew, “devar” means “words” and also “things.” In Biblical Hebrew, the word itself represents the essence of that thing. For instance, the word for “world,” “olam,” also means “hidden,” because the essence of this world is that God hides His presence from us. There are no arbitrary words like “table,” in Biblical Hebrew. Hebrew is “Lashon HaKodesh,” the holy language.

Emunah: Faith, belief in G-d. More specifically, it is faithfulness to that which you knowintellectually to be true. Emunah is the work of aligning the heart with the mind. There is no “blind faith” in Judaism.

Eretz Yisrael: The Land of Israel

​Erev Shabbat: Friday until Shabbat starts

FFB: Frum (religious/observant) from birth. Example: I grew up with religious parents, so I’m a FFB.

Frum: Religious, Torah observant in Yiddish

Gadol, Gedolim (pl.): lit “Great or Big.” The greatest Rabbis of the generation are the Gedolim.

Gemara: See "Talmud"

Ger Tzadik: A convert. In order to promote sincerity, Judaism does not seek out converts, but welcomes converts after they go through the conversion process.

Goy, goyim (pl.): lit. "nation". Is very often used to speak about non-Jews but has a negative connotation.

Gut Shabbes: Yiddish for “Shabbat Shalom” 

Haftorah: A reading after the weekly Torah portion on Shabbat

Halacha: Torah law

HaShem: lit. The Name (Ha means “The” and Shem means “Name”) Instead of saying the name of God Jews say "Hashem".

Havdalah: Ceremony marking the conclusion of Shabbat or Holidays, from a holier state of reality, to a more mundane state of reality.

Kabbalah: Kabbalah is the deepest, mystical teachings in Judaism. 

Kabbalat Shabbat: lit. “Receiving Shabbat” is the Friday nightservice filled with songs that means “receiving the Shabbat.” 

​Kashrut: Jewish dietary laws (see "kosher")

Kedushah: Holiness

Ketubah: The Jewish marriage contract

Kiddush: lit. “Sanctification.” A blessing recited over wine or grape juice to sanctify Shabbat and the Holidays

Kippa, Kippot (pl): The little skullcap worn by Jewish men, as a reminder that there is Someone above them (Women don’t need that reminder ;))

Kitniyot: Legumes, such as rice, corn, and chickpeas, which are eaten by Sephardic Jews on Pessach, but not Ashkenazic Jews.

Korban: Animal offering brought in the Holy Temple

Kosher: lit. “Fit, proper, correct.” Food that is kosher is in accordance with Jewish dietary laws. Contrary to common belief, kosher food is not food that is blessed by a Rabbi. Generally speaking, to keep kosher means keeping milk and meat products separate, refraining fromshellfish or pork, eating meat that was slaughtered in a certain way, and washing and checking vegetables properly.
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Kotel: lit. “Wall.” The Kotel refers to the western retaining wall of the Second Temple, also known as "Western Wall", which was the last Holy Temple the Jews had in Jerusalem over 2,000 years ago. Today, it is considered one of the holiest sites of the Jews and both Jews and non-Jews alike go there to pray.

Lashon HaKodesh: lit. “The Holy Tongue", refers to the Hebrew language

Lashon Hara: lit. “The Evil Tongue",slander, malicious gossip. It is forbidden to speak gossip or speech that is negative and true about someone else or a group of people.

L'chaim: lit. "on the life", used to say cheers before drinking

Moshiach: The Messiah

Mazel: lit. “A drip from above.” Mazel is the “flow” that comes down to us from God. When people say “Mazel tov,” they are acknowledging that a “tov” or “good” flow has come to that person, whether in the form of an engagement, birth, or otherwise.

Megillah: Scroll. There are five “megillahs” in the “Writings” portion of the Torah: Esther (read on Purim), Ruth (read on Shavuot), Song of Songs (read on Passover/Pesach), Lamentations/Eicha (read on Tisha B’Av) and Ecclesiastes/Kohelet (read on Sukkot/Shemini Atzeret).

Midrasha: Torah school where women learn Torah

Mikvah: lit. “Gathering.” The mikvah is a ritual bath that one immerses in for spiritual purification. It is used in the conversion process. Married women immerse in a mikvah seven days after their menstrual cycle ends. Some religious men immerse in a mikvah regularly or before Shabbat or a Holiday for spiritual purification.

Minhag: Custom. Jews from different backgrounds have various minhagim or customs. Some customs are so old that they have become binding religious practice. 

Mishnah: See "Oral Law"

Mitzvah: Commandment. It can also be used to mean a good deed, though technically it is one of the 613 mitzvot that God gave the Jewish people. Today, it is impossible to perform all 613, since we do not have a Temple. Yet the mitzvot are opportunities for connection with God.

Nefesh: Soul; spiritual self. There are different levels of the soul and the nefesh is a lower level of the soul.

Neshamah: Another word for soul. The neshamah is a higher level of the soul. One of the foundational principles in Judaism is the idea that God endowed man with free will. Simply speaking, man’s free will battles occur between the different levels of the soul: the animal soul which has physical desires and the spiritual soul, which seeks to do God’s will. 

Nigun: Tune or melody. Niggunim are Jewish songs often sung at Shabbat or Holiday meals.

Olam: World. In Hebrew, “Olam,” also means hidden, which connotes that this is a world in which God is hidden.

Oral Law: The Oral Torah was the part of the revelation at Mt. Sinai that was passed down orally through the Sages, (as oppose to written in the Five Books of Moses-the written Torah). Over a thousand years after God gave the Jews the Torah (written and oral) at Mt. Sinai, the great Rabbis of the time recorded the Oral Law in a document called the Mishnah. Later, additional commentaries elaborating on the Mishnah were written, which is the Gemara. The Oral Law extrapolates on the Written Torah and explains how to practically carry out its laws.

Parve: Yiddish for “neutral.” Foods that are pareve are neither meat or dairy and can be eaten with other meat or other dairy foods. Meat foods are called fleishik, which is Yiddish for meat. Dairy foods are called milchik, which is Yiddish for dairy.

Parasha: Weekly Torah portion, which is read in the synagogue each Shabbat.

Pasuk: Sentence

Peyos: Long sideburns. Men wear peyote to observe the commandment in the Torah not to round the corners of your head. Typically, Chasidic Jews wear longer, more noticeable peyos than other Orthodox men.

Pikuach nefesh: Describes the principle in Jewish law that saving a life overrides almost all other mitzvos.

Rabbi (Rabbeim in plural): A man authorized to make halachic (Jewish law) decisions.

Rebbetzin (Yiddish)/Rabbanit (Hebrew): Usually a woman who is married to a Rabbi. 

Rosh Chodesh: lit. “The Head of the Month.” Rosh Chodesh is the first day of the month on the Jewish calendar, which is both lunar and solar. It is a special day, where we add additional prayers of praise (called Hallel and Mussaf).

Sephardi: Jewish originally from Spain

Schmooze / schmoozing: Yiddish for talking in a more informal setting

Shabbat/Shabbos: The Sabbath/day of rest. Shabbat begins on Friday at sunset and ends Saturday night about an hour after sundown. During this time, any types of creative "work" is forbidden. It is the holiest day of the week, where we are given the space to focus on what is truly important: our relationship with ourselves, others, and God.

Shalom: Peace/ Hello

Sheitel: Wig. In Judaism, married women are supposed to cover their hair. Many Ashkenazi women choose to do so with a wig.

Shidduch: Marriage match

Shiur, shiurim (pl.): Torah class(es) or lecture(s).

Shiva: lit. “Seven.” The seven-day mourning period after the burial of a close relative.

Shomer Negiah: lit. “Guards Touch.” One who is shomer negiah does not touch anyone of the opposite sex, aside from his/her close relatives and spouse. A main reason behind shomer negiah is to reserve the intimacy of touch for one’s spouse.

Shomer Shabbat: lit. “Guards Shabbat”; to keep Shabbat. This is generally the litmus test to see if someone’s considered an Orthodox Jew.

Shtreimel: Fur, round hat worn by some Chassidic men after they get married, usually on Shabbat or Holidays. Wearing a shtreimel over a kippah is a custom from Eastern Europe.

Shul: Yiddish for “Synagogue.” Orthodox Jews do not use the term “temple” to refer to synagogue because the word temple is reserved for the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, which was destroyed two thousand years ago. We are awaiting the rebuilding of the third, and final,Temple.

Siddur: Prayer book

Simchah: Joy

Taharas Mishpacha: Lit. “Family Purity.” Laws relating to the separation of a husband and wife during and after her menstrual period.

Tallit: Prayer shawl worn by men during services.

Talmud: The written Oral Law (Mishnah) and the commentary and explanation of the Mishnah (Gemarah). The oral tradition, as comprised in the Talmud, extrapolates on the Written Torah and explains how to practically carry out its laws.

Tanakh: Scripture. Tanakh is acronym for “T”orah, (The 5 Books of Moses) “N”evi’m (Prophets- like Joshua and Jeremiah) and “K”etuvim (Writings- like Megillat Esther).

Tefillah: Prayer

Tefillin: A set of small black leather boxes containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah which are worn by men during prayers on their forehead and arm.

Tehillim: Psalms (mostly written by King David)

Tichel: Yiddish for “headscarf.”
Worn by some married women.

Tikkun (Tikkun Olam): To Repair; Repair The World. The idea of Tikkun Olam, which is often used to mean social justice with a Jewish bent, is a deeper spiritual concept. Put simply, through observing Torah and mitzvot properly, we can heal the world.

Torah: The Written and Oral Law given by God to the Jews at Mt. Sinai. See "Oral Law" and "Tanakh."

Tzaddik: A righteous person

Tzedakah: Charity. It is customary to give tzedakah before praying.

Tzitzit: Men are commanded to wear fringes attached to the corners of a four cornered garment to remember the commandments (mitzvot). The numerical value of the word tzitzit(each Hebrew letter has a numerical value) is 600 plus the eight strings and five knots on each tassel equals 613, the number of Torah commandments.

Tzniut: if you had to define this in one word it would be “modesty,”although that’s not a great translation. Modesty in Judaism means dressing properly, according to Jewish law, but also knowing what to reveal to whom and when. It is as much about who we let into our internal worlds as how we reveal our external bodies.

Yahrtzeit: Yiddish for “Anniversary.” It is the anniversary of someone’s death. 

Yerushalayim: Jerusalem

Yeshivah: A school where men learn Torah

Yeshivish: The language used by orthodox Jews, especially when learning Torah. It’s a mixturebetween English, Yiddish, and Hebrew. It’s used many times for the sole reason that there’s nogood English translation for much of the Hebrew language.

Yetzer Hara/Yetzer Hatov: The evil inclination (“Ra” means “evil” in Hebrew)/The good inclination (“Tov” means “good” in Hebrew). The battles of man’s free will take place in the struggles each person has between his Yetzer Hara and his Yetzer Hatov.

Yichud: Prohibition of a man and woman who are not married to be secluded in a room together. 

Yiddish: A language spoken by Jews from middle and east Europe (very similar to German)

Yiddishkeit: Judaism

Yom Tov: Holy day

By Ilana Schiffner


​>> Do you know more Jewish words to complement this list? Write them in the comment section! 

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1 Comment

DESANTO
JANUARY 25, 2019

Very good, Sister! טוב מאוד אחותי :) Thank you for the list and I hope you'll update them over time. But I think you should include their Hebrew עברית spelling too, not just the transliteration one. ;) תודה לך שלום

    Leave a Comment

About Me

Welcome to "Jewishbychoice"! 
I am Ilana! 
​German, 28 years old, converted to Orthodox Judaism, currently living in Israel. Fascinated by Torah, Spirituality and Jewish values.
​Today I share my experiences on my blog and assist people in their conversion process. I teach weekly Judaism classes and offer professional conversion coaching.

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