Melnitz

Glossary

Most Yiddish expressions come from the Hebrew. The pronunciation varies according to the origins of the speaker.

adir hu

‘mighty is He’, start of a song from the Pesach Haggadah

aliya

‘ascent’. Immigration to Palestine/Israel

almemor

platform for reading from the Torah

amod no’ach!

at ease! (military language)

arba kanfes

‘four corners’; undershirt with tassels

Ashkenazi

refers to the rites, customs, texts and Hebrew pronunciation of western, central and eastern European Jews

badchen

a wedding entertainer

balebos

master of the house, owner

bar mitzvah

‘son of the commandment’; ceremony of maturity for boys reaching their 13th year

beheimes

livestock, cow

bekovedik

respectable

bentch

bless; say the mealtime prayer

bentch gomel

give thanks after a danger survived

berches m.

plaited Sabbath bread, usually covered with poppy-seed

bishge

serving girl, maid

B’nai B’rith

‘Sons of the Covenant’, name of an international Jewish charitable organisation

bocher pl. bochrim

Talmud student, pupil

boruch Hashem

God be praised

Bovo Basro

‘the last gate’; name of a Talmudic tractate

Bris, bris milah

circumcision

bronfen

spirits

bundel

stuffed cow’s stomach

Chai

life; in numerology: eighteen

chaluz pl. chaluzim

pioneer

Chanukah

eight-day festival commemorating the reconsecration of the Temple after the Maccabean revolt

Charoset

mixture of apples, nuts, wine and cinnamon. One of the symbolic meals eaten at Pesach

chassene

wedding

chaver pl. chaverim

colleague, friend, comrade

chazer-treyf

‘pig-treyf’, a strong way of describing things impure according to the dietary rules

cheder

‘room’, Jewish school in which only religious subjects are taught

chevra

society, association

chevra kadisha

a burial society

chochem

a wise man, an intelligent person (also ironic)

chochme pl. chochmes

wisdom, cleverness (also ironically)

Chol HaMoed

half-holidays between the first and last two days of Pesach and the feast of tabernacles, on which the prohibition on work is largely suspended

chossen m.

bridegroom

chumash

Pentateuch, the

chuppah

wedding baldaquin; wedding

droosh

sermon

Echod mi yodea

‘Who knows one’, the beginning of a counting song from the Pesach Haggadah (q.v.)

eretz

literally ‘country’; Palestine/Israel

Erev Shabbos

the eve of Shabbos

esrog pl. esrogim

citrus fruit used in the ritual of the feast of tabernacles

eyshes chayil

a ‘woman of valour’ ‘virtuous woman’; the beginning of a prayer spoken by the husband on Friday evening

gabbai

community chairman; secretary of a Hassidic rabbi

galekh

Catholic priest

Gan Eden

Garden of Eden, paradise

ganev

thief

gematria

numerology

Gemore

a term for the Talmud

get

letter of divorce, divorce

getzines-lecker

someone who sucks up to the wealthy

goy pl. goyim

non-Jew (adj.) non-Jewish

goyim naches

‘the pleasures of non-Jews’, unjewish things

Hachnossas Kallo

a charitable association to fund brides without dowries

haftarah, haftoroh

a Bible reading presented after the weekly selection on the Sabbath and feast days

Haggadah

collection of prayers and songs for seder (q.v.) evening

halevei!

if only!

Hallel

term applied to Psalms 113–118 in liturgical use

HaMotzi

the prayer for the breaking of the bread, spoken before meals

hanoe

delight, pleasure

Hashomer Hatza’ir

‘the youth guard’, a socialist-Zionist youth organisation

Hassid pl. Hassidim

‘pious’, devotee of Hassidism

Hatikva

‘Hope’, Zionist and later Israeli national anthem

Havdole

‘separation’; ceremony at the end of the Sabbath

heimish

home-like, friendly

Hershele Ostropoler

legendary prankster

hesped m.

funeral oration

holekrash

naming ceremony for girls, no longer practised

Ivrit

Modern Hebrew

Kaddish

prayer for the dead

kaf, shin, resh

Hebrew letters

kalleh

bride

kauhen, pl. kauhanim

priest, descendant of Aaron

Kiddush

sanctification; blessing spoken over the wine on the Sabbath and on feast days

klafte

‘bitch’, derogatory term for a woman

klezmer m.

musician

Kol Nidre, Kol Nidrei

‘all vows’; prayer said on the eve of the Day of Atonement

koved

honour

krechzen

to moan, complain

kugel

traditional baked dish of pasta or potatoes for the Sabbath

kvitel

note; petition to a rabbi

l’chaim

‘to life’, cheers!

lekoved

in honour of

levaya

funeral

Levi

a Levite; a member of the tribe of Levi

lulav

palm frond used in the ritual of tabernacles

maasseh

a story

matzo

unleavened bread eaten on Pesach

mazel tov!

good luck!

mechullah

broke

medina

state, country (golden medina, America)

me neshuma!

by my soul!

menucha

peace

meshuga, meshugena

mad, a madman

meshugas

madness

metsiya

a bargain

mezuzah

capsule of Bible verses fixed to the house door post

mifkad

muster (military language)

mikvah

ritual bath

Mincha

midday prayer

minhag

religious practice, accepted tradition

minyan

quorum of ten men required for prayer

minyan man

extra member of the congregation paid to complete the minyan

mishloach manot

gifts traditionally given at Purim (q.v.)

mishpocha

family

Misrach

East; the direction of prayer

mitzvah pl. mitzvot/mitzves

commandment; good deed; honorary post in synagogue

Mitzvah tantz

traditional dance with the bride/bridegroom after the wedding

mohel

person who performs ritual circumcisions

moichel: be moichel

forgive

Moshiach

Messiah, redeemer

moyreh

fear

mussar

moral instruction

nafka

prostitute, whore

narrishkeit

stupidity, foolishness

nebbish!

(exclamation) alas!

Nebbish (noun) diminutive nebbishle

a pathetic creature; a simpleton

nedinye

dowry

nes min hashamayim

a miracle from heaven

nigun pl. nigunim

melody

oberbalmeragges

an important person

Omeyn

Amen

parnooseh

earnings, income

payes

sidelocks

Pesach

the feast of Passover

pilpul

textual analysis of the Talmud; casuistry

pitum

stem of the esrog (q.v.)

punim

face

Purim

the feast of Purim, commemorating the deliverance of the Jews in Persia

rachmones

pity

rav pl. Rabbonim

rabbi

Rashi

11th-century Talmudic commentator

Reb

polite form of address for respected Jews; sir

rebbe

rabbi

reshoim

anti-Semites, heretics or unbelievers

Riboyne shel Oylem

Lord of the world, God

reyvech

profit

rish’es

anti-Semitism, anti-Jewish behaviour

Rosh Hashanah

Jewish feast of New Year

ruddel

gossip

sargenes

shroud

Schippe Malke

the queen of spades; a woman in her best clothes

Schippe Siebele

the seven of spades; an inferior person

Schulchan Orech

‘the laid table’, a collection of religious rules for every day

Seder

‘order’; domestic religious service on the eve of Pesach, at which the Haggadah (q.v.) is read

seder plate

dish on which the traditional symbolic meals of the seder are served

sefer

religious book

seichel

intelligence, common sense

Sephardim

the Jews originally from Spain

seudah

a meal, especially a festive one

Shabbes

the Sabbath

shabbosdik

pertaining to the Sabbath

Shacharit

morning prayer

shadchen pl. shadchonim

marriage broker

shammes

synagogue servant

shassgener

drunkard

Shavuot

the Feast of Weeks, celebrating the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai

Shechinah

the divine presence

shechita

ritual slaughter

sheitel

the wig worn by married women

Shema, beni!

‘Hear, my son!’; exclamation of surprise

Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu

‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God…’; beginning of the most important Jewish prayer

Shemoneh Esrei

the eighteen blessings,

shidduch

arranged marriage

shirayim

the leftovers from the rabbi’s table, revered by the Hassidim as having healing powers

Shir Hama’a lot

‘song of ascents’, sung before the mealtime prayer

shiur

a lesson

shiva pl. shivas

the traditional week-long period of mourning

shlachmones

see mishloach manot

shlattenschammes

gofer, skivvy

shmatten past participle geshmat

to baptise (of a Jew)

shmattes

fabrics; rags

shmontses

unimportant, worthless things

shnoder

to donate

shnorrer

a beggar

shochet

ritual slaughterer

shockel

to rock rhythmically while praying

shofar

ram’s horn blown on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur (q.v.)

shomer

watchman

shtiebel

small (Hassidic) room for communal prayer

shtraiml

Hassidic fur hat

shul

synagogue

siddur

prayer book

sidra

weekly reading from the Torah

simcha

celebration

Simchas Torah

celebration at the end of the annual cycle of Torah readings

siyum

celebration at the end of a unit of Torah study

sude

solemn Sabbath dinner

sukkah

tabernacle

Sukkot

feast of tabernacles

tallis

prayer shawl

Talmid chochem

Talmud scholar

Talmud-Torah Association

association for the religious education of laypeople

Tata

father

Techías Hameisim

resurrection of the dead

tefillin

phylacteries, black boxes worn on the head and affixed with straps

tehillim

psalms

tekiyoh

a blast on the shofar (q.v.)

Tenach

the Old Testament

tochus

bottom, backside

treyf

forbidden by dietary laws

tsadik

a pious, holy man

tseylem

cross, crucifix

tsibeles

a speciality made from chopped onions

tsuris

sorrow

tzdoke

charity donation

va’ad

a council meeting, synod; committee

viduy

the confession of sins

Voch

the days of the week apart from the Sabbath

voyleh Juden

respected Jews

women’s shul

the part of the synagogue reserved for women

yahrzeit candle

candle lit on the anniversary of the death of a deceased relative

yeshiva

Talmudic college

yis’chadesh

‘May it renew’, word of congratulation used for a new item of clothing

Yisgadal veyiskadash shmey raba

‘Magnified and sanctified be his great name’, the opening words of the Kaddish (q.v.)

yishuv

‘settlement’; term applied to the Jewish population in Palestine

Yom Kippur

Day of Atonement

Yontev

feast, celebration

yontevdik

festive

Yossel Pendrik

derisory name for Christ on the cross