ahavat Yisrael
Love of the Jewish people
and the Land of Israel
Al
tifrosh min hatzibur
Do not separate yourself
from the community (Pirkei Avot 2:4)
Am Yisrael The Jewish people;
descendants of Jacob/Israel
Amidah
Standing; the name of the
central part of the worship service, which consists of nineteen
benedictions
avodat perech Hard labor, exploitative or
oppressive labor practices
Avot v'imahot Patriarchs and matriarchs;
the name of the first blessing of the Amidah
bakashah
Request,
petition
bakashot
Requests or petitions;
another name for the middle section of the Amidah
barak
Lightning
beit din Panel of three rabbis
and/or knowledgeable Jews who rule on issues of Jewish law
b'rit milah
Circumcision performed on
the 8th day of life in a ceremony which formally enters the child into the
Jewish people
b'tzelem Elohim In the image of God; a description of how people are created in
Genesis 1:27; a fundamental Jewish value, the basis for the belief in the
inherent dignity of every human being
bushah Embarrassment or
shame
Canaan In biblical times, the name
of the country we now know as Israel
chazak
Strong,
courageous
chevrah kadisha “Holy society”; the
organization of Jews who ritually prepare the deceased for Jewish
burial
ger
(pl. gerim)
A male convert; in biblical
Hebrew, a stranger
giyoret
A female
convert
G'vurot
Mighty deeds; the name of
the second blessing in the Amidah
Hat'filah
"The prayer," another name
for the Amidah section of the service
Kaddish
A prayer that praises and
affirms faith in God; one form of the Kaddish is recited by
mourners
kavod
Honor
K'dushah Holiness; name of the third blessing of the Amidah
K'dushat HaYom
Sacredness of the day;
blessings said during the Amidah on Shabbat and holidays in place of the
bakashot (petitions)
keiruv
Drawing near those who are
far; reaching out
k'hilah
Community
K'lal Yisrael
The community of Israel;
the Jewish people; the world community of Jews
Kol Yisrael areivim zeh
ba-zeh. All Israel is responsible
for one another (Shavuot 39a)
K'tuvim
Writings; the third section
of the Tanach, consisting of the books of Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of
Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra/Nehemiah, I and II
Chronicles
k'vod hamet Honoring the
dead
lapidot
Torches (singular:
lapid)
lishmah
For its (her) own sake, as
in Torah lishmah, the study of Torah simply for the joy of studying
Torah
midrash Rabbinic interpretation of
Biblical text
mikveh
Ritual bath
minyan
A quorum of ten; the
smallest legitimate number for community required to be present for the
recitation of certain prayers
mishpat Justice
navi Prophet
n'vu-ah Prophecy
N'vi-im
Prophets; the second
section of the Tanach, consisting of the books of Joshua, Judges, I and
II Samuel, I and II Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the Twelve Minor
Prophets
pikuach nefesh
Saving a life
Shiloh
An important center of
worship during the early days of the conquest of Canaan (described in the books
of Joshua and Judges)
shivah
The seven-day period of
intense mourning following burial
Sh'moneh Esreih
Eighteen; another name for
the Amidah because it originally included eighteen blessings
shomer
Guard
shoresh
Root; in Hebrew grammar,
the (usually) 3-letters upon which the word is built
tachrichim
Linen shrouds
taharah
Ritual washing of
deceased
tzedakah Righteous giving
tzedek
Righteousness,
justice
Tzedek, tzedek tirdof
Justice, justice shall you
pursue (Deuteronomy 16:20)
Un'taticha l'or goyim
Phrase from Isaiah 49:6: “I
will also make you a light to the nations, that My salvation may reach the ends
of the earth”
