Showing 1 to 83 of 82.
- AGUNAHA Jewish woman who is trapped in a marriage, either because her husband has disappeared or because he will not grant her a gett.
- ALEPHThe first letter of the Proto-Canaanite alphabet, and its descendants in descended Semitic scripts, such as Phoenician 𐤀 (ʾ, ʾaleph), Aramaic 𐡀 (ʾ), Classical Syriac ܐ ('ālaph), He
- ALIYAHThe calling up of someone to the bimah for the reading of the Torah.
- AYINThe sixteenth letter of many Semitic alphabets/abjads (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and others).
- BETHELA holy place.
- BIMAThe raised platform in the front of a synagogue where the Torah is read on a podium.
- BRISRitual male circumcision; the ceremony in which this is performed.
- CAMPHIRECamphor.
- CHAMETZFood products made from leavened grain flour, which may not be consumed on Passover.
- CHEDERAn elementary school for Jewish children, teaching basic Judaism and Hebrew.
- CHERUBSplural of cherub
- COBBERA pal, buddy, mate, friend; often used in direct address by one male to another.
- COHENA Jewish priest: direct male descendant of the Biblical high priest Aaron, brother of Moses.
- COTTONA fibrous substance: A soft, fibrous, usually white substance consisting of fine hairs, especially the substance around the seeds of a plant of genus Gossypium. Any similar soft, f
- DAITHAn ear piercing in the inner cartilage just above the earhole.
- DAYANA rabbinic judge.
- DUNAMAn Ottoman Turkish unit of surface area nominally equal to 1,600 square (Turkish) paces but actually varied at a provincial and local level according to land quality to accommodate
- DYBBUKA malicious possessing spirit, believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person.
- EPHODA priestly vestment, without sleeves, worn girdled at the waist.
- ERUVAn eruv chatzerot; ritual aggregation of properties that allows Jews observing traditional Shabbat rules to carry burdens across property lines.
- FLESHPOTA place offering entertainment of a sensual or luxurious nature.
- GALUTThe Jewish Diaspora (dispersion from Israel).
- GANEFA thief; a rascal or scoundrel.
- GENIZAHA depository where sacred Hebrew books or other sacred items that by Jewish law cannot be disposed of are kept before they can be properly buried in a cemetery.
- GIMELThe third letter of the several Semitic alphabets (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac).
- GOLEMA humanoid creature made from clay, animated by magic.
- GOYIMplural of goy
- HARVESTMANA male harvester; any harvester (person who works to gather in the crops at harvest time).
- HEDERAn elementary school in which students are taught to read Hebrew texts.
- HESPEDA eulogy.
- HOMERA former Hebrew unit of dry volume, about equal to 230 L or 6+⁄2 US bushels.
- HORAA circle dance popular in the Balkans, Israel and Yiddish culture worldwide.
- JORUMA large vessel for drinking (usually alcoholic beverages).
- KANEHA Hebrew measure of length, equal to six cubits.
- KAPHThe eleventh letter of many Semitic alphabets/abjads (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and others).
- KASHRUTThe Jewish dietary laws, stating which foods are fit to eat.
- KETUBAHA traditional Jewish marriage contract that outlines the rights and responsibilities of the groom in relation to the bride.
- KLEZMERA Jewish folk musician.
- KOSHERFit for use or consumption, in accordance with Jewish law (especially relating to food).
- LAMEDThe twelfth letter of many Semitic alphabets/abjads (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and others).
- LECHAYIM"To life": a Jewish drinking toast.
- LECHAYIMS"To life": a Jewish drinking toast.
- MACHZORA prayerbook for a Jewish holiday.
- MAFTIRThe person who reads the Haftarah.
- MATZOThin, unleavened bread in Jewish cuisine.
- MATZOSplural of matzo
- MAVENAn expert in a given field; also, a person who is interested in and knowledgeable about a particular activity or thing; an aficionado.
- MENORAHA holy candelabrum with seven branches used in the Temple of Jerusalem.
- MIKVEHA ritual bath in which various Jewish purifications are performed.
- MITZVAHAny of the 613 commandments of Jewish law.
- MOHELThe person who performs the circumcision in a Jewish bris.
- MOLOCHAny of species Moloch horridus of Australian lizards, sole species of the genus Moloch.
- MOSHAVAn Israeli town or settlement, especially a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah.
- NACHESA feeling of contentment at another person's successes.
- NAMESAKEAn entity that lends its name to another entity.
- NOOGIEAn act of putting a person in a headlock and rubbing one's knuckles on the other person's head, often a playful gesture of affection when done lightly.
- OMERA former small Hebrew unit of dry volume equal to about 2.3 L or 2.1 quarts.
- PRUTAHA bronze coin, equivalent to the Roman quadrans, used in ancient Palestine.
- QOPHThe nineteenth letter of many Semitic alphabets/abjads (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and others).
- RIGADOONA quickstep dance for two people.
- SCAPEGOATIn the Mosaic Day of Atonement ritual, a goat symbolically imbued with the sins of the people, and sent out alive into the wilderness while another was sacrificed.
- SCHMOOZETo talk casually, especially in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection.
- SCHWAAn indeterminate central vowel sound as the "a" in "about", represented as /ə/ in IPA.
- SEDERThe ceremonial meal held on the first night or first two nights of Passover. (usually as part of the phrase "Tu BiShvat seder") A ceremonial meal held on Tu BiShvat, consisting of
- SEFERA book, especially a religious book.
- SELAHA word occurring between verses or paragraphs in parts of the Hebrew Bible, namely in Habakkuk and the Psalms; perhaps indicating a pause, either for contemplation or for clearing
- SHALOMA traditional Jewish greeting or farewell.
- SHEGETZA gentile, a non-Jewish male.
- SHEKELA currency unit of both ancient and modern Israel.
- SHICKERDrunk, drunkard.
- SHICKEREDsimple past and past participle of shicker
- SHIURA lesson on a topic in the Tanakh.
- SHIVAA weeklong period of formal mourning for a close relative.
- SHKOTZIMplural of shegetz
- SHOFARA ram’s-horn trumpet, used for Jewish ritual purposes.
- TALLITA traditional Jewish prayer shawl with tassels which covers the chest and upper part of the back.
- TERAPHAn idol or other image of reverence and divination among the ancient Hebrews; apparently especially a kind of household god.
- TSURISProblems or troubles.
- TUSHIEButtocks, bottom.
- ULPANAn Israeli school where the Hebrew language is taught to new immigrants.
- YESHIVAAn academy for the advanced study of Jewish texts.
- YODHThe tenth letter of many Semitic alphabets/abjads (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and others).
- ZAYINThe seventh letter of many Semitic alphabets (Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic and others).