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A Glossary of Unfamiliar Terms Compiled from numerous source documents

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Abbreviations Used In This Glossary
abbr. = abbreviated alt. = alternate Ar. = Aramaic esp. = especially	Gr. = Greek Heb. = Hebrew lit. = literally n. = noun	pl. = plural pron. = pronounced prop. = properly sg. = singular	usu. = usually v. = verb Yid. = Yiddish
Transliteration/Pronunciation Guide • Books of the Bible Proper Names • Tribes of Israel • The Mishnah
For more Hebrew words and phrases, you might enjoy John Parsons’ Hebrew4Christians.com
Use this “Jump Bar” to directly to any letter of the AlephBet A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z Appendix   Liturgy & Worship   Pronunciation   [More]

A  a

A.D.

abbreviation for Latin Ano Dominae, Year of the LORD; see C.E. Common Era
 

Abaddon !wddba

Destruction
 

ab ba

(Ar.) father
 

abba aba

(Ar.) An affectionate way to say father, dear father, or daddy
 

Abib byba

(Alt. Aviv) the first month of the Jewish calendar, also called Nisan, during which Pesach falls
 

ach xa (pl. achim)

brother
 

acharit tyrxa (alt. achariyth)

end, final end, last, descendants
 

Acharit HaYamim

The end of the days. The end times when the Olam Hazeh comes to a close and the Olam Haba is about to begin.
 

Acharon !wrxa (pl. Acharonim)

lit.=last one: post-Rishonim commentator (pl. acharonim)
 

Achashverosh

Persian king in Book of Esther
 

achavah hwxa

brotherhood
 

Achavah B’Mashiach

Brotherhood in Mashiach
 

achayot twxa (sg. achot)

sisters
 

achdus

unity
 

achei sheker

false brothers
 

acheinu

our brother
 

achim ~yxa (sg. ach)

brothers
 

achot (pl. achayot)

sister
 

achoteinu

our sister
 

achraius

accountability
 

achyon

nephew
 

ad kahn

sufficient for the purpose; enough
 

ad kdeikach

so much
 

ad mosai

how much longer
 

adam

man; humanity; human; mankind; humankind
 

Adam

the first man; Adam
 

Adam Chadash Echad

One New Humanity
 

Adam HeChadash

The New Humanity
 

adamah

ground or mud
 

adamah tova

good ground; good earth
 

Adar

Sixth month of Hebrew civil calendar: February-March; 14th is Purim
 

adat

congregation; community
 

HaEl Chai

the Community of the Living God
 

Hashem

Congregation of God
 

aderaba

to the contrary
 

admat kodesh

holy ground
 

Admor (pl. admorim)

Acronym for “adoneinu, moreinu, verabbeinu” —“our master, teacher, and rabbi.” A term often applied to Chasidic spiritual leaders
 

adon (pl. adonim)

lord; master
 

Adon HaKatzir

the Lord of the Harvest

 

Adon Olam

"Master of the World," a concluding hymn
 

Adonai (alt. Adonoi)

My Lord, Lord of all. Spoken by Jewish people instead of using God’s personal name YHWH (Yahweh) or YHVH (Yahveh)
 

Adonai echad

“GOD is one" [Devarim (Deuteronomy) 6:4]
 

Adonai Eloheinu

LORD our God
 

Adonai Elohei Tzva'ot (alt. Adonai Tzivos)

LORD God of Hosts
 

Adonai Elohim

The LORD God
  

 

Adonai Tzivos (alt. Adonai Elohei Tzva'ot)

 LORD of Armies
 

Adoneynu

our Lord; Lord
 

adonim (sg. adon)

masters
 

Adonoi (alt. Adonai)

Lord
 

afikoman (alt. afikomen, aphikomen)

Gr. for that which comes after, or “dessert.” The half-piece of the central matzah eaten at the end of the Pesach Seder. Traditionally, the children “steal” it at the beginning of the seder and “ransom” it back to the leader of the seder at the end of the meal. In some places, the leader of the seder hides it, and the children have to find it. It is represented in a broken piece of matzah wrapped in linen and buried (hidden).

 

Agadah

non-legal rabbinic writings
 

agalim

bulls
 

Agam HaEish

Lake of Fire
 

agape

(Gk.) divine love
 

aggadah (alt. agada, agadah)

stories, parables, philosophical material (pl. agadot, aggadot)
 

agmat nefesh

grief
 

agudah

bound together; union
 

Agudas Yisroel-Agudath

Israel of America, the foremost organization of orthodox Jewry in the United States. A major aspect of its activity is the representation of orthodox Jewish interests before the government.
 

agunah

a woman whose husband had disappeared, and who could not remarry without witnesses to his death, hence a “bound” woman
 

agunah

lit. = chained one: wife of an M.I.A.; woman whose husband refuses to grant a divorce
 

ahava (alt. ahavah)

(Heb.) love [n]; agape
 

ahavah shel achvah

brotherly love
 

Ahavas HaEmes

Love of the Truth
 

ahavas hakesef

love of money
 

ahavas Hashem

God’s love
 

ahavat ta’anugot

hedonism
 

ainikle

(Yid.) grandchild
 

airusin

betrothal; engagement
 

aizen

well-founded; incontrovertible
 

akama

quite a number
 

akedah

binding
 

Akedah (alt. Akeida)

Binding an animal for sacrifice; specifically, Avraham’s binding of Yitz’chak for sacrifice to God — not consummated. The binding of the sacrifice
 

Akiba

A rabbi who lived at the time of the second Temple (died c. C.E. 133). He thought Bar Kochba was the Messiah.
 

akrab (alt. akrav)

scorpion (pl. akrabim, akrabim)
 

Al Chet

Literally: for the sin; an important Yom Kippur prayer listing sins for which we beg forgiveness
 

Al Hanisim (alt. Ha-nissim)

thanksgiving for the miracles added to prayer and grace after the meal on the festivals of Chanukkah and Purim
 

al kiddush HaShem

for the sanctification of God
 

al kol panim

nevertheless
 

al menat

in order that
 

Al Mikrah Megillah

the blessing before the reading of the Megillah
 

Al Netilat Yadayim

the blessing over the washing of hands before the meal
 

al pnei hamayim

on the surface of the waters
 

al taarotz

do not be afraid
 

Alef (aleph)

the first letter of the Hebrew Alef-Beyt (alphabet)
 

Alenu Leshabe’ach

a prayer of thanksgiving for being separated from the heathens
 

Aleinu

“It is Upon Us,” a concluding hymn
 

alav hashalom

“(May he/she) rest in peace.”
 

aliyah

(Hebrew: עֲלִיָּה aliyah, “ascent”, pl. aliyot) Literally: going up. To “have an aliyah” refers to the honor of being called up to the bema to recite or chant the blessings over the Torah. Figuratively speaking, the “home going,” when Jews make a return to the homeland (Israel). To “make aliyah” or “go on aliyah” means to immigrate to Israel. It is also used of a pilgrimage from the Diaspora to Israel.

aliyah leregel

pilgrimage
 

al-killayon

incorruptibility
 

alma

virgin
 

almanah

widow
 

almanot

widows
 

almot

virgins
 

als

since
 

alter

old
 

am

people
 

Am haAretz

peasantry. Used by the Talmud and thereafter to mean ignorant … people of the land
 

Am Yisra'el Chai

The People of Israel Live!

amal

toil
 

Amein

It is true, so be it, may it become true. (also amen, oimen, omen) (see note)
 

Amidah

Standing prayer, quietly murmured, that is part of each daily service in the synagogue, alternatively called the Tefillah or the Shemoneh Esre. A prayer, recited silently, thrice daily, while standing up, the prayer of the eighteen benedictions.
 

Amora'im

lit.=explainers: Gemarah-era commentators (200-500 CE)
 

ammud

pillar
 

Ammudei HaKehillah

Pillars of the Kehillah
 

amol

 formerly
 

amolike times

olden times
 

Amora

Speaker, interpreter; expounder of Talmudic (Mishnaic) law from compilation of Mishnah to redaction of entire Talmud, in Babylon (where the amoraim were known as Mar or Rav) and in Palestine (where they were designated Rabbi). Their discussions and teachings, 220-550, form the Gemara, lengthier sections of the Talmud that follow each Mishnah (pl. Amoraim)
 

anafah

heron
 

ana'fim

the branches
 

anan

cloud
 

Anan Edim

Cloud of Witnesses
 

ananim

clouds
 

anashim

men
 

anashim ne’emanim

faithful men
 

anav

humble
 

anavah

meekness; humility
 

anavat ruach

a spirit of meekness
 

Anenu

a passage added to prayer on public fast days
 

Ani Ma’amin

Lit.: I believe; often sung at the seder and at Yom Hashoah observances in memory of Holocaust victims who sang this song of faith on their way to their deaths — phrase that begins each of Maimonides’ Thirteen Principles of Faith
 

Ani Ma’amin hoda’ah

confession
 

aniyim

poor
 

anochiyut

selfishness
 

Anshei K’neset Hagdolah

Sages of the Great Synod during the first part of the Second Sanctuary Period
 

anshuldiks

pardon
 

aphikomen

(alt. afikoman, afikomen ) Hebrew transliteration of Greek derivative, epikomios. That which comes last, the hidden Passover bread eaten at the seder.
 

apikoros

skeptic; unbeliever
 

apikorosim

unbelievers
 

apocalyptic

ideas and teachings pertaining to the revelation (apocalypse) of the last days and the end of the world
 

Apocrypha

A Greek adjective in the neuter plural (from apokruphos, “hidden, concealed”) denotes strictly “things concealed.” Old Testament Apocrypha, specifically the fourteen books written after the Old Testament canon was closed and which, being the least remote from the canonical books, laid strongest claim to canonicity … The body of Jewish literature written between the second century B.C. and the second century A.D., not included in the canon of the Bible
 

apostate

one whose actions are not consistent with the standards of behavior set by his religious community; compare heretic
 

Apostolic Writings

The collected inspired writings of Yeshua’s Shliachim (Apostles); also know as the B’rit Hadashah (“Renewed Covenant,” or so-called “New Testament”
 

arain getun

engrossed
 

Aravah (pl. Aravot)

willow branch taken as one of the four species on Succot (the Feast of Tabernacles).
 

arayot

lions
 

arba’ah

four
 

arba kanfos

lit.=four corners: tzitzit

Arba Kanfos

The Four Corners of the Earth

Arba’ah Minim (the Four Species)

Palm, myrtle, willow, and citron; another name for the lulav and etrog together, used on Sukkot
 

arba’im

forty
 

arbaa asar

fourteen
 

arbaat elafim

four thousand
 

Arbah Chayyot

Four living beings
 

arbah pinot ha’aretz

the four corners of the earth
 

arbaim yom varbaim lailah

forty days and forty nights
 

arbe; arbeh

locusts
 

arelim

uncircumcised ones
 

Aretz

lit.=land: Israel

ari

(alt. arye) lion
 

Ariel

Lion of God; Fireplace on God’s altar
 

Aron haKodesh

Literally: the Holy Ark. The special cabinet in which the Torah scrolls are kept in the synagogue The Holy Ark is called Heichal in Sephardic synagogues.
 

aron met

coffin
 

aron otzaram

chest of treasury
 

arye

(alt. ari) lion
 

asach

a lot of
 

asam

barn
 

asarah

ten
 

Aseret HaDibrot

The Ten Commandments

Aseret Yimei Teshuva

The Ten Days of Repentance between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, a time of introspection and semi-mourning

Asham

A guilt offering made by one who has sinned against his fellow man
 

ashem

guilty
 

ashir

oisher; rich man
 

ashirim

rich ones
 

ashirut

riches
 

Ashkenazi

(alt. Ashicenazi) Referring to a cultural branch of Judaism that developed in northern and eastern Europe and from which most American Jews are descended. (pl. Ashkenazim, Ashicenazim)
 

ashma; ashmah

guilt; a thing of guilt; condemnation
 

Ashrei, Ashrey

“Fortunate Are,” a popular alphabetic prayer (Psalm 145), recited thrice daily
 

ashrey; ashrei

happy; blessed
 

asim

barns; granaries
 

asir

prisoner
 

Asoroh B'Tevet

winter fast for Babylonian siege of Jerusalem

asur

prohibited; impermissible
 

Atah Chonantanu

a passage added to the evening prayer after the Sabbath to note the difference between the Sacred and the non-Sacred
 

atalef

bat
 

atarah atarot

crown[s]
 

Ateret HaChayyim

Crown of Life
 

Ateret HaKavod

Crown of Glory
 

Athid Lavo

The coming age.
 

atzamot

bones
 

atzav

idol; image
 

Atzeret

Conclusion; used for concluding observance of festival; word derived from “gathering” or “detention,” original meanings. Shemini Atzeret is concluding day of Sukkoth; Atzeret is Talmudic term for Shavuot, conclusion of Omer count. A festive gathering for the conclusion of a festive season, a concluding feast
 

atzilah

noble birth
 

atzlanit

 sluggards
 

atzlut

lazy idleness
 

Aufruf

Calling up of the bridegroom or bridal couple for the Torah blessings on the Shabbat preceding their wedding; the throwing of candy, etc. at a groom after he reads the Haftorah
 

Av

Eleventh month of Jewish year (Jul-Aug); 9th is Tisha B'Av

av

father (father of…)

Av Beit Din

(alt. Bayt, Bet) — Father of the court—judicial president in Talmudic era, and later
 

Av Harachamim

a prayer for the persecuted communities
 

Av HaRoeh b’seter

Father Who Sees in secret
 

av sela

bed rock
 

Avaddon

destruction; hell; Abbadon
 

avadim

 servants; slaves
 

avanim

stones
 

avdut

slavery; bondage
 

avel

iniquity; gross injustice
 

avelim

mourners
 

avelut

mourning
 

Avelut

 third period of mourning; the first year after death
 

averah

transgression
 

averos

sins
 

aveyra

sin; transgression of a "shalt not"

Avi-khol

Father of all
 

Avinu

our Father
 

Avinu Malkenu

Literally: our Father, our King. A prayer of supplication recited on Yom Kippur. A prayer said on the Days of Penitence and fast days.
 

Aviv

(alt. Abib) Nisan was known as Aviv/Abib prior to Babylonian captivity
 

avla; avlah

 injustice
 

Avodah

(alt. Abodah) — Service; specifically, the sacrificial Temple service as performed by high priest; today, referring to Yom Kippur observance and other synagogue rituals. Chasidic concept of life dedicated to God
 

avodah zarah

lit.=strange work: idolatry, idol worship
 

avodas

work
 

avodas hakodesh

work of holiness
 

avodas kodesh

worship; service
 

avodot hakodesh

ministries
 

avon

sin offense
 

Avot

the Patriarchs; Fathers
 

Avoteinu

 our Fathers
 

ayah

falcon
 

Ayin

16th letter of the Hebrew alef-beit (alphabet)
 

ayin

eye
 

ayin horo

evil eye
 

ayir

young donkey
 

ayrusin

marital engagement

ayshet chayil

a woman of valor
 

Ayshet Chayil

the entire last chapter of Proverbs, sung on Erev Shabbat and at weddings, describing a "woman of valor"

aza

certain
 

Azarah

(pl. Azarot) — the Temple Courtyard. Ezrat Nashim — the outer Courtyard in the Sanctuary
 

Azazel

Meaning unknown; used in reference to the “scapegoat,” the goat sent into the wilderness signifying removal of the nation’s sins. The Talmud thus denotes the mountain on which scapegoat is sent, to carry people’s sins into the wilderness, on Yom Kippur
 

azarah

(pl. azarot) — the Temple courtyard
 

Azharot

a passage on the commandments in the Torah read on Shavuot
 

azivah

abandonment
 

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