b'rachah Blessing; beginning with a
six-word Hebrew formula, "Praised are You, Adonai our God, Ruler of the
universe..."
B'reishit Genesis; the first book of the Torah; "At the
beginning"
b'samim
Spices
chameitz
Leavening, forbidden on
Pesach
Chanukah
Dedication; the holiday on
which the Temple was rededicated
chanukiyah
A special nine branched
candelabra for the celebration of Chanukah
chatimah Seal; the final sentence of
a Hebrew blessing
Chazak, chazak,
v'nitchazeik Be strong, and let us
strenghthen one another. Said at the completion of reading a book of
Torah
chesed
Kindness
chol
Secular, mundane,
profane
derech eretz
"The way of the land,"
generally referring to socially acceptable manners and proper
behavior
etrog
The fruit of a citron tree;
one of the four species used to celebrate Sukkot
gibor
Hero. Someone who does
something brave, exhibiting either inner or outer strength
g'milut chasadim
Personal acts of
loving-kindness
hachnasat orchim Welcoming
guests
hakafah/hakafot Circling; a processional
with the Torah through the congregation
Havdalah Distinction; a ceremony
performed on Saturday night, separating Shabbat from the rest of the week
hidur mitzvah Beautification of a
mitzvah
kodesh
Holiness
lulav Palm; one of the four
species used to celebrate Sukkot; also used to refer to branches of palm, willow
and myrtle bound together
Maccabee
The family that led the
revolt against the Syrian-Greek army and reclaimed the Temple
matanot l'evyonim
Gifts to the poor; a
mitzvah for the holiday of Purim (see Esther 9:22)
m'gillah
Scroll. There are five
m’gillot in Bible: Ruth, Esther, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Song of
Songs. Each m’gillah is read on a specific Jewish holiday
midrash
Rabbinic interpretation of
Biblical text
mishlo-ach manot
Gifts sent to family and
friends; a mitzvah for the holiday of Purim (see Esther 9:22)
mitzvah/mitzvot
A commandment; obligation;
Jewish responsibility
p'tichah
Opening; the first sentence
of a Hebrew blessing
Purim
Lottery; the name of a
holiday on which Haman cast lots to determine the day on which he would slay all
the Jews of Shushan
Rosh
HaShanah The Jewish New
Year
samei-ach Happy
shamash
Helper; the candle on the
chanukiyah that is lit first and used to light all the other
candles
Shehecheyanu
"For giving us life;" the
key word used to refer to the blessing said when something is done for the first
time or the first time in a season
sh'lom bayit
Peace in the
home
simchah
A joyous
occassion
Simchat
Torah
Rejoicing in the Torah; a
holiday celebrating the Torah on which the annual cycle of reading from the
Torah is completed and the beginning of the new cycle begins
sukkah
Booth, temporary dwelling;
built in celebration of the Sukkot holiday
todah rabbah
Thank you very
much
t'shuvah Repentance
tzedakah
Righteous
giving
ushpizin "Guests," Biblical and
historical characters, each one "invited" to the sukkah on a different night of
the holiday
Yom
Kippur
The Day of
Atonement
Z'man Cheiruteinu
The Season of Our
Liberation, another name for Pesach, referring to the liberation from
Egypt
