Glossary Page
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Common Jewish terms
& expressions as used
throughout this web site
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Aliyah
Opportunities for congregants to be called up to the Torah.
Plural-- Aliyot
Maftir Aliyah--The last torah portion read at that time. 'Celebrants of life events are ordinarily given the last aliyah, which includes blessing the last part of the Torah reading as well as blessing the haftarah reading. The person given this honor is referred to as the maftir, from the same root as haftarah, meaning "the one who concludes."
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Aleinu
A prayer that is recited at or near the end of every service. It also praises G-d. Here is a little of it in English:
It is our duty to praise the Master of all, to ascribe greatness to the Molder of primeval creation, for He has not made us like the nations of the lands... Therefore, we put our hope in you, L-rd our G-d, that we may soon see Your mighty splendor... On that day, the L-rd will be One and His Name will be One.
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Amidah (uh-MEE-duh)|
Lit. standing. A prayer that is the center of any Jewish religious service. Also known as the Shemoneh Esrei or the Tefilah.
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Ark
The cabinet that contains the torah scrolls. The Ark of the Covenant.
An acronym of aron kodesh, lit., holy chest. The cabinet where the Torah scrolls are kept
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Bar/Bat Mitzvah|
The term Bar Mitzvah literally means "son of a commandment," and Bat Mitzvah means "daughter of a commandment." This alludes to two things:
A Bar Mitzvah boy or Bat Mitzvah girl strives to come closer to God -- like a son and daughter to his or her parent.
The chief way of doing so is by keeping the commandments (Mitzvot) that God gave in the Torah. Indeed, perhaps the most significant occurrence on this day is that the young person becomes fully responsible for keeping the commandments of the Torah as of that day.
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Bimah|
A centrally positioned reading platform (dais) with a reading desk.
See our bima
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Barchu |
The call to prayer chanted when an individual comes for an aliya.
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Chumash (KHUH-mish) |
Lit. five. A compilation of the first five books of the Bible and readings from the prophets, organized in the order of the weekly Torah portions.
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Haftorah
Q: What does Haftorah mean and why do we read it?
A: It means "completion". Prophetic portions - the texts of the Haftarah were chanted initially when Jews were unable to study "Torah" - due to governing interference by foreign powers (Rome).
The texts were purposely chosen directly connecting in some way to the week's portion or theme of the holiday.
Even though the initial rationale for reciting them is no longer applicable (persecution), it is still good to study other parts of the Bible.
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Following the Torah reading, a designated selection from one of the Prophets is read.
The Haftorah selection always relates somehow to the Torah portion just read or an upcoming Jewish Holiday.
The Haftorah is preceded and followed by its own set of brachot, blessings.
The custom of reading the Haftorah is in remembrance of the Roman occupation of Israel when Jews were forbidden from reading the Torah.
Instead, the Jews began to read selections from the Prophets which in some way related to the weekly Torah portion.
Reading the Haftorah has been a part of the Shabbat service ever since.
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Hamotzei
Two covered, braided or twisted loaves of challah, a traditional Jewish bread, are used at each of the Sabbath's shalosh seudot, three festive meals, eaten every Sabbath. Meals require two loaves of bread in remembrance of the double portion of manna G-d caused to rain down every Friday during the Israelites journey through the desert.
Baruch ata adonai elohenu melech haolam, hamotei lechem min ha-aretz.
Blessed are you ruler of the universe, who brings forth bread from the ground.
After the blessing, the bread is uncovered and sprinkled with salt as a reminder of the temple, in which salt was used at each sacrifice and the bread distributed among guests. Most people use a knife to cut the challah, but some prefer to pull apart the challah by hand. The reason for this is that no instruments made of metal, which was used in making weapons, were allowed to touched the mizbe'ach, the sacrificial alter.
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Hebrew Name|
Naming a child is one of the most important decisions new parents make. The Talmud (Berachot 7b) teaches that a Hebrew name has an influence on its bearer. Hence, many people feel it is important to name your children after individuals with positive character traits who have led fortunate lives and have helped bring goodness to the world.
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Kaddish (KAH-dish)
Aramaic: Holy. A prayer in Aramaic praising G-d, commonly associated with mourning practices.
Here's a small piece of it, in English:
May His great Name grow exalted and sanctified in the world that He created as He willed.
May He give reign to His kingship in your lifetimes and in your days, and in the lifetimes of the entire family of Israel, swiftly and soon.
May His great Name be blessed forever and ever. Blessed, praised, glorified, exalted, extolled, mighty...
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See this link for English, Hebrew and transliteration of prayer
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Kiddush
The Hebrew word for sanctification, which comes from the same Hebrew root as Kadosh, meaning to make separate or holy.
The kiddush is the prayer by which the rabbis decided we sanctify Shabbat before sitting down to the first of three Sabbath meals.
The Hebrew text can be found in any siddur. Here is a translation:
And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. The heaven and the earth were finished and all their arrrya. And on the seventh day G-d finished the work which G-d had been doing, and G-d ceased on the seventh day from all the work which had been done. And G-d blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because on it G-d ceased from all the work of creation which had been done. (Genesis 1:31)
The kiddush is usually said over wine or grape juice, so it is appropriate to say a bracha, or blessing, before the wine is consumed.
Baruch ata adonai eloheinu melech haolam, borei pri hagafen.
Blessed are you ruler of the universe, who created the fruit of the vine.
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Mitzvah (MITS-vuh)|
Lit. commandment. Plural: Mitzvot (mits-VOHT) Any of the 613 commandments that Jews are obligated to observe. It can also refer to any Jewish religious obligation, or more generally to any good deed.
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Mussaf |
The prayer service continues with the Mussaf which commemorates the additional Sabbath service which was performed on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. Mussaf consists of the Sh'mone Esrei prayer, literally translated as 18 blessings. Sh'mone Esrei, is read silently and then repeated by the chazan. The end of the service is usually sung and is a good opportunity for children to participate.
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Netilat Yadayim
At the conclusion of kiddush, hands are ritually washed as a remembrance of spiritual purification rites performed by the Kohanim, priests, at the beginning of the temple service. Hands are washed by pouring two cups of water on each hand using a special washing cup. A blessing is then recited before making the hamotzei, the blessing over bread.
Baruch ata adonai aloheinu melech haolam asher kidshanu b'mizvotav v'tzivanu al netilat yadayim.
Blessed are you Lord our G-d, King of the universe who has sanctified us through his commandments, and commanded us to wash our hands.
It is customary not to talk from this point on until the blessing is made over the bread.
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Shabbat |
The Sabbath.(shah-BAT; SHAH-bis) Shabbat is primarily a day of rest and spiritual enrichment. The word Shabbat comes from the root Shin-Bet-Tav, meaning to cease, to end, or to rest.
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Shabbat Shalom|
(shah-BAHT shah-LOHM) Hebrew. Literally, sabbath peace or peaceful sabbath. A general, all-purpose shabbat greeting.
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The Service
Order of service
- Morning Service (Shacharit)
- Morning Blessings
- Pesukei d'Zimra
- Shema and it's blessings and related passages
- Shemoneh Esrei /Amida
- Hallel, if appropriate
- Torah reading (Mondays, Thursdays, Shabbat and holidays)
- Aleinu, Ashrei (Psalm 145), and other closing prayers, Psalms and hymns (not on Shabbat and holidays; recited at the end of Musaf instead on those days)
- Additional Service (Musaf) (Shabbat and holidays only; recited immediately after Shacharit)
- Shemoneh Esrei
- Aleinu and other closing prayers, Psalms and hymns
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Shacharit
Siddur
Tallit
A prayer shawl with Biblically mandated fringes (tzitzit) on the four corners of the garment (see Numbers 15:37-41). The tzitzit are a symbol -- a reminder -- of "all" of the commandments (all 613 mitzvot). (It says so in Numbers: thus you shall be reminded to do all of my commandments) The word "tzitzit" adds up to (in the Jewish tradition of gematria, the assigning of numeric value to each letter of the alphabet) 600. In addition, there are eight strands, and five knots, so this is how you get to 613. A Talit is presented to a youth at the time of Bar or Bat Mitzvah because it is one of the outward signs that his or her status in the Jewish community as an adult has taken place.
To me, as a liberal Jew, the 613 commandments are themselves a symbol for the totality of Jewish life. Therefore, to me, wrapping myself in the tallit, draping it on my shoulders, placing it on the shoulders of a bar (or bat) mitzvah is a symbol of my commitment to that way of life, to the responsibility that rests on my shoulders, or that comes upon the shoulders of a young person at that special moment...
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Torah |
In its narrowest sense, Torah the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, sometimes called the Pentateuch. In its broadest sense, Torah is the entire body of Jewish teachings. Torah scrolls are written on lamb skins and the ink is a type of vegetable oil.
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No word in the Jewish religion is so indefinable and yet so indispensable as the word Torah. Torah is the most comprehensive term for the substance of Judaism. Torah is Teaching. Torah is Law. No one can hope to achieve even a minimal appreciation of the Jewish religion without learning, and then reflecting on, the idea of Torah and its place in the life of the Jew.
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The scrolls of the Torah are always beautifully 'dressed'. They are the most precious item in the synagogue and contain God's words. The silver ornaments on the top of the rollers jingle as the scrolls are taken out and call the congregation to listen to what God says.
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The word "Torah" literally means "instructions" (not "law"), and refers to the instructions given to God to Israel. Torah typically refers to the 5 books of Moses (the "written law"), but some people also use it to refer to the entire Jewish Scriptures (the Tanak) and still others include the "oral law", i.e. Talmud, as part of Torah.
TaNaK - is an acronym of the Jewish Scriptures. It stands for the following:
T=Torah
N=N'vi'im (the prophets)
K=K'tuvim (the writings)
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Tzedakah|
Charitable donations, a type of Mitzvah.
In Judaism, giving to the poor is not viewed as a generous, magnanimous act.
It is simply an act of justice and righteousness; the performance of a duty; giving the poor their due.
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Yad|
The reader uses a pointer called a "yad" (literally meaning "hand"). A "yad" is usually a metal or wood "stick" with a hand and a pointing finger on the end. Contact of the words on the Torah scroll with the oils, greases, and chemicals on the human hand can be harmful to the letters.
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Yarmulke or 'kippa' |
A headcovering worn in the synagogue.
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Other Web Resources
Commentary sites:
Children's Torah
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