Glossary
Every word we use that isn't plain English, one line each, in voice.
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- KaddishAramaicthe mourner's prayer, said by those in mourning
- kashrut / kosherHebrewJewish dietary law, and food that complies with it
- ketubahAramaicthe Jewish marriage contract, read at the wedding
- kibitzYiddishto chat idly, especially with unsolicited advice
- kippahHebrewthe head covering worn as a sign of respect for God
- kishkesYiddishguts, intestines, or gut instinct
- knessetHebrewIsrael's 120-seat parliament
- kvellYiddishto glow with pride, usually about your kids
- kvetchYiddishto complain, at length, with feeling
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- macherYiddisha big shot, someone who gets things done
- mazel tovHebrewcongratulations, good fortune
- menschYiddisha genuinely decent, honorable person
- meshugenehYiddishcrazy, foolish, off their rocker
- mezuzahHebrewthe case with a parchment scroll on a doorframe
- mikvehHebrewa ritual immersion bath
- minyanHebrewa quorum of ten needed for certain prayers
- mishegasYiddishcraziness, nonsense, a chaotic situation
- MizrahiHebrewJews from the Middle East and North Africa
- Modern OrthodoxEnglishOrthodox observance combined with secular life
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- sabraHebrewa native-born Israeli
- schlepYiddishto carry or drag something heavy, tediously
- schmearYiddishthe cream cheese on a bagel, or the whole works
- schmutzYiddishdirt, grime, a smudge
- schvitzYiddishto sweat, or a steam bath itself
- SephardiHebrewdescended from Jews of Spain and Portugal before 1492
- shabbatHebrewthe weekly Jewish Sabbath, sundown Friday to nightfall Saturday
- shabbosYiddishthe Yiddish pronunciation of Shabbat, the Sabbath
- shandaYiddisha shame, a public embarrassment
- ShavuotHebrewthe holiday marking the giving of the Torah at Sinai
- shivaHebrewthe seven-day mourning period after a burial
- shofarHebrewa ram's horn, blown at Rosh Hashanah
- shomer ShabbosHebrewobservant of the Sabbath laws
- shpielYiddisha long rehearsed pitch or story, someone's whole routine
- shulYiddishsynagogue
- siddurHebrewthe Jewish prayer book used for daily and Shabbat services
- Simchat TorahHebrewmarks finishing and restarting the Torah reading cycle
- SukkotHebrewthe fall harvest festival, marked by a temporary hut
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- tallitHebrewthe fringed prayer shawl worn during prayer
- TalmudHebrewthe central text of rabbinic law and commentary
- tchotchkeYiddisha small trinket or knickknack
- tefillinHebrewsmall leather boxes worn on the arm and head for prayer
- tikkun olamHebrewrepairing the world, social responsibility
- Tisha B'AvHebrewthe fast day mourning the destruction of both Temples
- TorahHebrewthe Five Books of Moses, also Jewish teaching broadly
- treyfYiddishnot kosher
- tushYiddishbackside, buttocks
- tzedakahHebrewobligatory giving, rooted in justice
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