Al Hanisim
“For the
miracles;” name of blessing recited during the Amidah both on Purim and
Chanukah
aliyah Going up; used to refer to going up to the bimah to
recite blessings over the Torah or immigrating to Israel; aliyot
(pl)
avodah
Work or service; the work
we do to find sacred connections to God, community, and self, including prayer,
ritual, and celebrations
bar mitzvah/bat mitzvah
Subject to the
commandments; a sort of Jewish age of majority
chaverim
Friends
cheit Sin,
transgression
chuppah Marriage canopy
dibuk chaverim Being a loyal
friend
eirusin
Betrothal
emet
Truth
erech apayim Being slow to
anger
haftarah Section from the Prophets or Writings read after the Torah
reading
Haggadah Telling; the book that
contains the seder and the teachings of Passover
Hashomeir achi anochi“
Am I my brother’s keeper?”
(Genesis 4:9).
Hineini
Biblical, "Here I am."
Connotation of being ready and present in body, mind, and spirit.
ish
Man, mortal, human
being
ketubah
Jewish wedding
contract
kiddushin
Marriage; consecration
Kol Nidrei “All vows,” recited on Erev
Yom Kippur
Lech
L'cha
Go forth, the first call of
God to Abraham (Genesis 12:1).
Lo taamod al dam rei-echa
Do not standy idly by the
blood of your neighbor (Leviticus 19:16).
middah/middot
Virtue(s), ethic(s),
measures of character.
midrash Rabbinic interpretation of
Biblical text
Mikra'ot G'dolot The title given to any work
containing many commentaries on and translations of the Bible
n'divut
Generosity
nes
Miracle
ometz lev
Courage
Pirkei Avot
"Chapters of the Fathers; a
tractate, or section, of the Mishnah containing the wisdom, sayings, and ethical
teachings expressed by the teachers of the Mishnah
seder
Order; often used to refer
to the service of the festive meal for Passover
seiver panim yafot Having a pleasant
demeanor
Sh'chinah
The presence of God in the
world, often associated with the feminine aspect of God
Tanach Acronym for the Hebrew Bible
coming from the first letters of the three sections of the Bible: Torah,
N'vi-im and K'tuvim
tikkun middot Repairing our ethical/moral
selves
yichud "Uniqueness;" time
designated for the bride and groom to spend alone together after the marriage
ceremony and before the celebration with friends and family
