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| Term | Hebrew | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Airev Rav | the multitude of Egyptians (Gairim) who had joined Bnai Yisrael in the Exodus from Egypt | |
| Aleinu | ืขืืื ื | The Aleinu praises God for allowing the Jewish people to serve him, and expresses their hope that the whole world will recognize God and abandon idolatry. |
| Amidah | ืขืืืื | “, also known as the Shemoneh Esreh (“The Eighteen”) prayer, is the essential component of the Jewish services. It is said three times a day (four times on holidays, and five times on Yom Kipur). |
| Anim Zemirot | ืื ืขืื ืืืืจืืช | More formally known as “The Song of Glory,” this song is sung at the end of morning prayers on Shabbat. |
| Atzilut | Cosmic world referenced by Jewish mysticism | |
| Avodat HaKodesh | Writings of Kabbalist Ibn Gabbai | |
| Begedkephat | the six consonants in Hebrew which make use of the Dagesh Kal to indicate their sounds. The letters always take a Dagesh Kal when the begin a word. | |
| Beis Din Beit Din | rabbinical court | |
| Birkat Cohanim | ืืจืืช ืืื ืื | The “Priestly Blessing,” recited by the Kohanim on Jewish holidays (every day in Israel). |
| Birkat HaBayit | ืืจืืช ืืืืช | A blessing for the home often found inside on wall plaques or hamsas. |
| Birkat HaMazon | ืืจืืช ืืืืื | The blessing after meals, thanking God for the food and His support in general. |
| Chateph | “hurried” | |
| Chevra Kadisha | ืืืจื ืงืืืฉื | Aramaic term for Holy Fellowship - The society that cares for deceased and visits the sick. They fulfill the customs associated with accompanying the personโs body after death (shโmirah), as well as the gentle rituals associated with washing and preparing the body (taharah). |
| Chilul HaShem | ืืืืื ืืฉืโ |
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| Daggesh | ืึธึผืึตืฉื | a diacritic used in the Hebrew alphabet. It was added to the Hebrew orthography at the same time as the Masoretic system of niqqud (vowel points). It takes the form of a dot placed inside a Hebrew letter and has the effect of modifying the sound in one of two ways.
An identical mark called mappiq (usually in Heh ื at the end of a word), carrying a different phonetic function, may be applied to different consonants; the same mark is also employed in the vowel shuruq (differentiated by there being no other vowel with the consonant). Dagesh and mappiq symbols are often omitted in writing. For instance, ืึผ is often written as ื. The use or omission of such marks is usually consistent throughout any given context. The two functions of dagesh are distinguished as either kal (light) or hazak (strong). |
| Dagesh Chazak | ืืืฉ ืืืง | Dagesh Forte - strong dot - i.e. gemination dagesh, or ืืืฉ ืืคืื, often referred to as “dagesh forte”) may be placed in almost any letter, this indicated a gemination (doubling or lengthening) of that letter in pronunciation in forms of Hebrew earlier than modern Hebrew. This phonetic variation is not adhered to in Modern Hebrew and is only used by current speakers of Hebrew in situations for careful pronunciation, such as reading of scriptures in a synagogue service, recitations of biblical or traditional texts or on ceremonious occasions, and then only by very precise readers. |
| Dagesh Kal | ืืืฉ ืงื, or ืืืฉ ืงืฉืื | frequently also referred to as “dagesh lene” = “weak dagesh,” or in other words “weak dot” as opposed to “strong dot” may be placed inside the consonants ื bet, ื gimel, ื dalet, ื kaf, ืค pe and ืช tav. Historically, each had two sounds: one hard (plosive consonant), and one soft (fricative consonant), depending on the position of the letter and other factors. When vowel diacritics are used, the hard sounds are indicated by a central dot called dagesh, while the soft sounds lack a dagesh. In Modern Hebrew, however, the dagesh only changes the pronunciation of ื bet, ื kaf, and ืค pe (traditional Ashkenazic pronunciation also varies the pronunciation of ืช tav, and some traditional Middle Eastern pronunciations carry alternate forms for ื dalet). |
| Furtive Patach | A patach that is placed after a final ayin or khaf. The patach is pronounced before the consonant. | |
| Ein Keloheinu | ืืื ืืืืืื ื | A lyrical prayer recited at the end of services on Shabbat and holidays, praising God’s uniqueness. |
| Geresh | ืณ (not ') | a mark similar to an apostrophe that means “not a word” or indicates something unusual about how a letter is sounded. A single geresh mark is placed after a letter to indicate that it is to be read as a number. ‘A (see Gereshim). A gerish is also used in a word to indicate that the normal sound is not made for the letter. This is only used in transliterating foreign words into Hebrew. Three are three punctuation geresh ( ืณ ), accent geresh ( ึึ ) and accent geresh muqdam ( ึ ) |
| Gereshim | ืด (not ") | A mark similar to a quote mark that means “not a word” and is used to indicate that the “word” should be read as a number. It is placed before the final letter. e.g. (gimel geroshim yod resh tav is 613 (400 (tav) + 200 (resh) + 10(yod) + 3(gimel)) |
| Haftarah | ืืคืืจื | A short selection from the Prophets read following a reading from the Torah. Typically, the haftarah is thematically linked to the sedra (Torah portion) that precedes it.
The origin of haftarah reading is lost to history, and several theories have been proposed to explain its role in Jewish practice, suggesting it arose in response to the persecution of the Jews under Antiochus Epiphanes which preceded the Maccabean revolt, wherein Torah reading was prohibited or that it was “instituted against the Samaritans, who denied the canonicity of the Prophets (except for Joshua), and later against the Sadducees. Haftarot implicitly affirm the sanctity of the prophetic books, a view long rejected by Samaritans, who hold that the Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible) alone is the inspired word of God. The Brit Chadasha (New Covenant) has several references suggesting this Jewish custom was in place during that era. Acts 13:15 states that “after the reading of the law and the prophets” Paul was invited to deliver an exhortation. Luke 4:17 states that during the Sabbath service in Nazareth the Book of Isaiah was handed to Yeshua, “and when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,” the passage being Isaiah 61:1โ2. Unfortunately, the Greek word used there meaning “found” does not make it clear whether the passage read was fixed beforehand or whether it was chosen at random. Haftarot is the plural form of the word. |
| Hallel | ืืื | Psalms 113โ118, recited as a prayer of praise and thanksgiving on Jewish holidays. Hallel is said in one of two forms: Full Hallel and Partial Hallel. |
| Kaddish | ืงืืืฉ | An Aramaic prayer which focuses on the idea of magnification and sanctification of God’s name. It is usually associated as a prayer said for the dead, but several versions exist. (the Mourner’s Kaddish itself does not actually mention death.) |
| Ketav Ashri | Square script | |
| Ketav Ashuri | Aramaic square script | |
| Ketav Rashi | Rashi script | |
| Ketiv/Qere | “written” versus (:cell PQA(PSS(what is):) “read”. In Torah there are few words that are read differently than they are written. This is based on the assumption that a scribal transcription error occured but the Torah is copied verbatim. | |
| Ketuvei HaShalichim or Ketuvei Shelachim | Apostolic Writings (aka New Covenant, New Testament) | |
| Khemniphats | ||
| Kinot | ืงืื ืืชโ | Elegies (elegy - not eulogy - a mournful, melancholic or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead) traditionally recited by Jews on Tisha B’Av to mourn the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem and other tragedies in Jewish history, including the Crusades and the Holocaust. The Kinnot are recited on the night of Tisha B’Av after reciting the Book of Lamentations, which was also called “Kinnot” in the Talmudic era before it assumed its more familiar name of “Eichah.” |
| Kis, Kos Kas | This is phrase referring to the qualities a woman should ask about a future mate.
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| Kivroth HaTaavah | were buried. | |
| Kol Nidre | ืืโื ืืจื | A prayer recited in the synagogue at the beginning of the evening service on Yom Kippur (ืืื ืืืคืืจ), the Day of Atonement. It is a declaration of absolution from vows taken, to free the congregants from guilt due to unfulfilled vows during the previous (and coming) year. |
| Ma Tovu | ืื ืืืื | A prayer of reverence for the synagogue, recited in the morning upon entering. |
| Machloket | Torah Debate lit. “debate” or “dispute”); in Torah, a dispute between two differing opinions on a legal interpretation | |
| Macron | ||
| Machlokes | dispute or controversy | |
| Masorah | ||
| Matres Lectiones | ||
| Maqqof | ||
| Mappiq | ||
| Meteg | ||
| Mile`h | ||
| Milra’ | ||
| Munach | ||
| Nikkud (plural nikudot) | A system of marking (points) developed by the Masorites to indicate vowel sounds in word | |
| Paseq | ||
| Pasuk | ||
| Pause | ||
| Qere | “read”. See Ketiv/Qere | |
| Rechilus | gossip | |
| Reshaim | Wicked ones (probably from ra shem “bad/evil name(s)” | |
| Scribes | Please visit the article The Authority of the Scribes for a nice explanation. | |
| Shehecheyanu | ืฉืืืื ื | The blessing for special (once a year) occasions, recited on holidays and other special occasions. |
| Shema Yisrael | ืฉืืข ืืฉืจืื | A centerpiece of Jewish prayer services which affirms belief and trust in the One God, the Shema is composed of three sections taken from the Torah. |
| Shesh Zichirot | The Six Remembrances; the daily Rededication; six Scriptural passages that command us always to bear in mind specific events:
See the Reference Entry SheshZichirot for the full text. | |
| Sheva Na | Vocal schva | |
| Sheva Nach | ||
| Shmirat HaLashon | ืฉืืืจืช ืืืฉืื | The name of the book “Guarding the Tongue”, is based on the verse from Mishlei (Proverbs), “One who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards from troubles of his soul” (Mishlei: 21; 23) It was written by Rabbi Yisrael Meir also known as the “Chofetz Chaim which discusses the laws of forbidden speech in detail. See ShmiratHaLashon for more information. |
| Silluq | ||
| Sof Pasuk | ||
| T’fidanit | ืชึฐืคึดืืึธื ึดืืช | T’fi-da-nit A container built especially for the protection of Tefillin. It protects against damaging contact thus allowing you to carry your Tefillin anywhere. Sometimes abbreviated to “Tik Taf” |
| Taharah | the rituals associated with washing and preparing the body of the deceased | |
| Taryag Mitzvot | gimel gereshim yod resh tav 613 commandments | |
| Tefilat HaDerech | ืชืคืืช ืืืจื | The traveler’s prayer for a safe journey. |
| Tif Taf | See T’fidanit | |
| Tikkun | A tikkun is a book used by Jews to prepare for reading or writing a Torah scroll. There are two types of tikkun, a tikkun kor’im and a tikkun soferim. | |
| Tikkun kor’im | A tikkun kor’im (readers’ tikkun) is a study guide used when preparing to chant the Torah reading from the Torah in a Jewish synagogue. Each tikkun contains two renditions of the masoretic text in Hebrew. The right side of each page is written with the cantillation marks and vowel points, while the left is written in unpointed Hebrew, as it is written in the actual scroll. People who chant from the Torah must learn the tune and the pronunciation of the words beforehand, as the scroll itself has neither points nor cantilation marks, and since there are places where the word to be read (the Qere) differs from that written (the Kethib) in the scroll. | |
| Tikkun Olam | Repairing the World | |
| Tikkun soferim | A tikkun soferim (scribes’ tikkun) is similar, but is designed as a guide for scribes writing a copy of the Torah by hand. It contains additional information of use to scribes, such as directions concerning writing particular words, traditions of calligraphic ornamentation, and information about spacing and justification. For instance, it helps the scribe to know how many letters there are per line, so a tikkun soferim gives the size of each line, measured in yud-widths (because yud is the smallest Hebrew letter). See http://www.geniza.net/ritual/tikkun.shtml for an example. | |
| Tzitzit | In Numbers 15:37–41, Deuteronomy 22:12, God commanded Moses for the Children of Israel to put โfringesโ on the four corners of their garments. The Hebrew word is tzitzit which has a numerical value of 600. The tassels have 5 knots and 8 chords which equals 13. 613 is the number of mitzvot (commandments) found in the Torah (the first 5 books of the Tanakh - Hebrew Bible). The long chord is called the shamash (servant) which wraps all of the others. The number of shamash spirals between the knots is also interesting. Various Traditions signify one of the Names of God (YHVH) differently: Ashkenazi: 7–8−11–13 (LORD is one, from the Shema) Sephardic: 10–5−6–5 (LORD) Hasidic: 7–8−11–13 (LORD is one, from the Shema) Karaite: various braids, twists, “chains”---- |
Abbreviations
These abbreviation are shorthand for common Hebrew phrases. Here are some of the most common ones:
| Abbreviation | Hebrew | Full form | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| A”H | ืขืดื | Alav Hashalom (Male) Aleha Hashalom (Female) |
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| Admo”r | Adonainu, Morainu, VeRabbeinu |
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| AMUSh | ืืืืดืฉื | Ad Maia Veesrim Shana |
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| B”H | Baruch Hashem |
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| B”N | B’li Neder |
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| BLA”H | (B’li Ayin Hara) or (K’ain Ayin Hara) |
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| BS”D | ืืกืดื | B’siyata d’shmaya (Aramaic) |
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| HY”D | ืืืดื |
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| IY”H, IYH | Im Yirtzeh Hashem |
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| N”E | Nishmaso b’Eden (male) Nishmasa b’Eden (Female) |
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| R’ | Rabbi |
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| ShLIT”A | SHe’yikhye Lirot Yamim Tovim ve’Arukim |
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| YM”SH,Y’Sh,Y”ShU | Yemach Shmo Vezichro |
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| Z”L | Zichrono Livrocho |
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| ZT”L | ืืฆืดื | Zecher Tzadik Livrocho |
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