Though I’m capable of expressing myself in standard American English, I won’t always do it here. Jewish speakers of English, even those with little or no religious affiliation, tend to use a lot of vocabulary derived from Hebrew, Yiddish and Aramaic. This is a blog of Jewish interest and I expect most readers to be Jewish, so there’s going to be a certain amount of jargon present simply because I’m trying to communicate in a streamlined and idiomatic way with my audience (assuming I have one). I’ll add words here as they occur in the blog, but in the event that I miss a term you don’t know, please do not hesitate to ask!
Aliyyah (עֲלִיָּה): Literally “ascent.” May refer to:
- The act of reciting the berakhot before and after the formal chanting of a section of the Torah in a service.
- Informally, the section referred to in sense 1.
- Emigration to Israel. In colloquial Jewish English, one who moves to Israel “makes aliyyah.”
Amora (אֲמוֹרָא): Literally “one who speaks.” The amora’im were rabbis living in the period from (roughly) 200 C.E. to 500 C.E., and are largely responsible for the development of the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds.
Ashkenazi (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי): The demonym for most Jews who trace their ancestry back to Europe, notably excluding those from Iberian Peninsula and, irregularly, the Italian Peninsula. (Italy has historically been home to at least three different Jewish ethnic groups, Ashkenazim among them.)
Berakhah (בְּרָכָה): ”Blessing” or “benediction.” In the latter sense, usually a formulaic liturgical fragment directly addressed to God offering praise, supplication or thanks, as appropriate to the occasion.
Bli neder (בְּלִי נֵֽדֶר): “Without [making] a vow.” A formal vow within Jewish law is an extremely serious matter, since the vow takes on the same force as a commandment from the Torah itself. Many observant Jews preface statements about their future plans with this phrase, especially plans involving religious activities or obligations, in order to avoid the complications that would arise should they be unable to follow through. More informally, some people use “bli neder” to mean “I will try, but no promises.”
Chametz (חָמֵץ): A leavened grain product; more technically, any grain or grain product that has been exposed to moisture for more than 18 minutes and is therefore presumed to have begun fermenting. Jewish law forbids Jews to consume, own or derive any benefit from chametz during Pesach. Only wheat, barley, oats, rye and spelt can become chametz. (A point of interest: the Hebrew word chametz is related to the word chamutz, meaning “sour.” That’s because, until the 19th century development of commercial yeast production, all leavened bread was sourdough bread.)
Chuppah (חוּפָּה): An open-sided canopy under which a Jewish wedding takes place. Symbolic of the home the couple will build together.
Derekh eretz (דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ): Literally “way of [the] land.” An ambiguous term with a number of different meanings. In modern Jewish-American usage it most often means proper social conduct.
Gemara (גְּמָרָא): A collection of commentaries, interpretations and discussions revolving around the Mishnah. See also Talmud. NB: The term “Gemara” is used colloquially in some Jewish circles to refer to the Talmud as a whole.
Goy (גּוֹי): Literally “nation.” Colloquially, someone who is not Jewish. Some people consider this term impolite, probably because they have heard Jewish chauvinists use it to insult (just as an anti-Semite can manage to pronounce “Jew” as if it were derogatory). There is nothing inherently disrespectful about the word, though, and no disrespect or malice is intended when it is used in this blog.
Goyish (גוייש): Non-Jewish. See goy.
Gribenes (גריבענעם): Poultry skin cracklings, a byproduct of schmaltz production. Traditionally eaten as a snack or first course, and in times of poverty sometimes the major source of protein in a meal.
Halakha (הָלָכָה): Literally “way” or “way of walking.” In common usage:
- The general field of practical Jewish law.
- A particular law within the corpus of (1).
Hekhsher (הֶכְשֵׁר): A kosher certification mark. Used since the early 20th century to denote foods ready for purchase that meet the standards of Jewish dietary law. Though many food products can be assumed to be kosher without a hekhsher, products that have been cooked or otherwise processed usually require one.
Kemach (קֶמַח): Literally “flour.” In the context of the passage that gives this blog its name, connotes all food and other worldly necessities. For those interested, Norman E. found an article dealing with the semantics of the word’s literal meaning.
Ketuba (כְּתֻבָּה): A Jewish marriage contract, traditionally written in Aramaic and detailing the husband’s obligations toward the wife. These documents are often elaborately decorated, framed and hung on a wall in the couple’s home.
Kitniyot (קִטְנִיּוֹת): Literally “little things.” Grains other that wheat, barley, oats, rye and spelt, along with leguminous seeds and other physically similar foods. Though they are not chametz, kitniyot are customarily not eaten by Ashkenazi Jews during Pesach. Non-Ashkenazi Jews do not have this custom, and freely eat kitniyot during the holiday. There is no universally accepted list of items considered to be kitniyot, and traditions vary between communities and families.
Kosher (כָּשֵׁר): Literally “fit” or “acceptable.” Usually refers to food that meets the requirements of Jewish dietary law, but in more technical language may describe a ritual that is performed correctly or a ritual object that is correctly made. A ritual or object that is not kosher is pasul. (Strictly speaking, this word should be pronounced “kasher” in the dialect of Hebrew that I use, but the listed pronunciation is so nearly universal among English speakers that I have opted to employ it in order to avoid confusion.)
Matzah (מַצָּה): Unleavened bread, central to the observance of Passover (Pesach) made from only flour and water. For matzah to be acceptable for Passover use, no more than 18 minutes may pass from the moment the water and flour come into contact to the moment the bread is finished baking. The Ashkenazi tradition is to make extremely thin matzah, hence the cracker-like consistency of most commercial brands, but other communities make matzah that is thicker and softer, more closely resembling other varieties of flatbread.
Mishnah (מֶשְׁנָה): A body of orally transmitted laws, customs and sayings that, along with the Five Books of Moses, forms the basis of Jewish law. It was first codified and written down in about 200 C.E. due to concerns that a decline in scholarship would lead to the loss of the traditions. Along with the Gemara, it forms the basis of the Talmud.
Pasul (פָּסוּל): Invalid. Refers to rituals or ritual objects that do not fulfill the commandment they are meant to fulfill because of some defect. A ritual or object that is not pasul is kosher.
Schmaltz (שמאַלץ): Rendered poultry fat, a staple in traditional Ashkenazi cooking. It lost popularity among the postwar generation and is now largely unknown in Jewish-American kitchens, but there may be a slow resurgence at hand.
Seder (סֵדֶר): Literally “order.” In the context of Passover (Pesach), a ritualized dinner that incorporates symbolic foods, Torah study and prayer, all relating to the exodus from Egypt. The central ritual component of the modern Passover holiday.
Sheva Berakhot (שֶֽׁבֵע בְּרָכוֹת): “Seven blessings.”
- A series of seven benedictions recited immediately following a wedding. They are also to be recited at one public meal each day for seven days following the wedding. A minyan must be present for their recitation; the presence of people who were not at the wedding or any of the previous meals is also mandatory.
- Informally, one of the public meals described in (1).
Talmud (תַּלְמוּד): Literally “study” (as a noun). A body of literature encompassing both the Mishna and the Gemara. There are two Talmuds: the Talmud Yerushalmi (Jerusalem Talmud, also called the Palestinian Talmud) and the Talmud Bavli (Babylonian Talmud). The Babylonian Talmud was compiled later and is more extensive; most of the time a reference to “the Talmud” refers to the Babylonian unless otherwise specified.
Tish’a Be’av (תִּשְׁעָה בְּאָב): Literally “the ninth of [the month of] Av.” A day of mourning that falls in early- to mid-summer, commemorating the destructions of the First Temple (in 586 B.C.E.) and the Second Temple (in 70 C.E.). The most salient observance of the day is a fast, which begins before sunset and ends at nightfall the following evening; at most temperate latitudes this means roughly 25 hours without eating or drinking.
Torah (תּוֹרָה): Literally “teaching.” Most commonly refers to the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, also known collectively as the Five Books of Moses. Secondarily, the collected body of Jewish religious literature, including novel insights and ideas.
Tzniut (צְנִיעוּת): Modesty, including all the various connotations of that word in English. In American parlance, usually used in discussions of attire, and especially women’s clothing.
