An asterisk indicates a cross-reference within this Glossary.

All non-English entries are Hebrew unless otherwise indicated.

For further definition of the terminology of Chassidus, see Rabbi Nissan Mindel, Glossary, in the Bi-Lingual Edition of Likutei Amarim -- Tanya (Kehot Publication Society; London, 1973), p. 774ff.; and Rabbi Jacob I. Schochet, Mystical Concepts in Chassidism, op. cit., p. 802ff.

admur	(pl., admurim; acronym formed by the initial letters of the Heb. words adoneinu moreinu v'rabbeinu; lit., "our master, mentor and rabbi"); *Rebbe
Aggadah	the non-halachic portions of the *Talmud, composed mainly of ethical teachings based on the non-literal interpretation of Biblical texts
alef	the first letter of the Heb. alphabet
Amen-yehei-shmei-rabba	(Heb./Aram.; lit., "May His great Name..."): opening phrase of one of the congregational responses to the recitation of *Kaddish
am haaretz	ignoramus
Anash	(acronym for anshei shlomeinu, lit., "the men of our peace"; cf. Jer. 38:22, Obad. 1:7): cordial term used for the chassidic fraternity
Aron Kodesh	the Holy Ark in a synagogue, in which the Torah scrolls are kept
avodah	(lit., "work" or "service"): (in Torah usage) divine service, particularly through prayer and (in chassidic usage) through the labor of self-refinement
avodah shebalev	the heart's service of G-d through contemplative prayer; see also *davenen
bar-mitzvah	religious coming of age at 13
Bavli	("Babylonian"): see *Talmud
Beinoni (pl., Beinonim)	(lit., "intermediate man"): an individual whose spiritual labors have brought him to a level at which he never sins in thought, word or deed, despite his still active Evil Inclination; see Tanya, Ch. 12
beis din	rabbinical court
Beis HaMikdash	the Temple (First or Second) in Jerusalem
beis midrash	communal House of Study
berachah (pl., berachos)	blessing or benediction
bimah	the dais from which the Torah is read in the synagogue
Chabad	acronym formed by the initial letters of the Heb. words chochmah, binah and daas, which are both (i) the first three of the Ten *Sefiros, or divine emanations, and (ii) the corresponding stages that comprise the intellectual process (*seichel) in the soul of a Jew. Chabad hence signifies: (a) the branch of the chassidic movement which is rooted in an intellectual approach to the service of G-d, and which was founded by R. Shneur Zalman of Liadi; a synonym for Chabad in this sense is *Lubavitch, originally the name of the township where the movement flourished 1813-1915; (b) the philosophy of this school of Chassidism (see *Chassidus)
chadarim	(lit., "rooms"; pl. of cheder): (a) elementary Torah schools; (b) academy founded by the Alter Rebbe in Liozna for advanced scholars
Chanukkah	(lit., "inaugural dedication"): eight-day festival beginning 25 Kislev, commemorating the Maccabees' rededication of the *Beis HaMikdash in the second century B.C.E., and marked by the kindling of lights
chassid	(lit., "one who is pious and benevolent"; pl., chassidim): adherent of the chassidic movement (see *Chassidus)
Chassidus	Chassidism, i.e., (a) the movement within Orthodox Judaism founded in White Russia by R. Yisrael, the Baal Shem Tov (1698-1760), and stressing: emotional involvement in prayer; service of G-d through the material universe; wholehearted earnestness in divine service; the mystical in addition to the legalistic dimension of Judaism; the power of joy, and of music; the love to be shown to every Jew, unconditionally; and the mutual physical and moral responsibility of the members of the informal chassidic brotherhood, each chassid having cultivated a spiritual attachment (hiskashrus) to their saintly mentor, the *Rebbe; (b) the philosophy and literature of this movement; see also *Chabad
chassidish (with variable suffix)	(lit., "chassidic"): the Yid. adjective means more than simply "chassidic": it embraces all the positive qualities of character that distinguish a person imbued with the teachings of *Chassidus
chazzan (pl., chazzanim)	professional or lay person who leads congregational prayer services
cheder	(lit., "room"; pl., *chadarim): (a) an elementary Torah school; (b) a particular class within the school
Chessed	(lit., "lovingkindness"): the first of the seven divine middos, or attributes, and of their corresponding mortal middos, or spiritual emotions
Chevrah Kaddisha	(lit., "holy brotherhood"; Heb./Aram.): burial society, traditionally voluntary
Chumash	(lit., "fivefold"): the Five Books of Moses
chuppah	(a) the canopy under which a wedding ceremony is solemnized; (b) the wedding ceremony
daven, davenen	(Yid.): (a) praying, prayers; in *Chabad usage also signifies (b) the *avodah of praying at length, the reading of passages in the *Siddur being interspersed with pauses for disciplined meditation from memory on related texts in *Chassidus
derash	see *derush
derush	(a) the non-literal or homiletical interpretation of Biblical words on a superrational or mystical level, as in aggadic or Midrashic exposition; (b) a *maamar
Elokus	Divinity
Eretz Yisrael	the Land of Israel
erev...	the eve of [a Sabbath or festival]
farbrengen	(Yid.): (a) an assemblage addressed by the Rebbe; (b) an informal gathering of chassidim which includes a spontaneous exchange of Torah insights and chassidic oral traditions as well as singing and refreshments, and which strives for mutual and brotherly edification
gabbai (pl., gabbaim)	(a) person responsible for the proper functioning of a synagogue or other communal body; (b) a kind of organizing secretary to a Rebbe
Gan Eden	the Garden of Eden; Paradise
gaon (pl., geonim)	(lit., "magnificent"): a Torah genius; especially, the head of one of the Babylonian Talmudic academies that illuminated the period which the world calls the "Dark Ages"
gartl	(Yid.): belt worn during prayer
Gehinnom	Purgatory
Gemara	(Aram.): that part of the *Talmud that discusses and explains the *mishnah; (b) loosely, the *Talmud as a whole
gemilus chessed	(a) a kindly act, esp. the giving of an interest-free loan; (b) an interest-free loan
geonim	pl. of *gaon
Gevurah	(lit., "might" or "strict justice"): the second of the seven divine middos, or attributes, and of their corresponding mortal middos, or spiritual emotions
haftorah	the passage from the Prophets read in the synagogue after the reading from the *Chumash
Hakkafos	(lit., "circuits"): the sevenfold procession made with the Torah scrolls in the synagogue on *Simchas Torah, and accompanied by singing and dancing
Halachah	(a) (upper case:) the entire body of Jewish law; (b) (lower case:) an individual law
hashgachah peratis	Divine Providence
haskalah	(lit., "intellectualization"; unconnected except in etymology with the Haskalah, the so-called "Enlightenment" movement of the 18th cent.): the theoretical dimension of chassidic thought, an exponent of which is called a maskil
Havayah	the Four-Letter Name of G-d, as pronounced in the study of *Chassidus
Havdalah	(lit., "separation"): benedictions pronounced over wine at nightfall at the conclusion of a Sabbath or festival to mark it off from the ordinary weekdays that follow (see Siddur, p. 234)
hiddur (pl., hiddurim)	(lit., "embellishment"): enhancement or meticulous observance of a *mitzvah beyond the demands of the letter of the law
hillula	(Aram.): day of rejoicing; applied to the anniversary of the passing of a *tzaddik, since on that day his soul ascends to loftier perceptions of *Elokus
Hishtalshelus	see *Seder Hishtalshelus
hiskashrus	the bond between chassid and Rebbe (see *mekushar)
histalkus	passing [of a *tzaddik]
Kabbalah	(lit., "received tradition"): the body of classical Jewish mystical teachings
Kabbalas Shabbos	the Friday evening service that welcomes the incoming *Shabbos
Kaddish	(lit., "holy"; Aram.): brief prayer recited by mourner or by one leading communal prayer service (see Siddur, p. 74)
kashrus	the state of being ritually fit, or kosher
kavanah	devout concentration and intent, as in prayer and the observance of the *mitzvos
kavanos (pl. of kavanah)	mystical concepts on which the worshiper with a kabbalistic training concentrates at specified points in the divine service of prayer and *mitzvos
kelippah	(lit., "rind" or "shell"): used figuratively (on a personal or universal level) to signify an outer covering which conceals the light within; hence, the unholy side of the universe
Kerias Shema	(lit., "the reading of Shema"): daily declaration of faith in the unity of the Creator (see Siddur, p. 46-48)
Kiddush	(lit., "sanctification"): (a) blessings over wine expressing the sanctity of *Shabbos or a festival (see Siddur, pp. 146, 201); (b) the refreshments following the recital of Kiddush, the occasion usually being graced by Torah teachings and *niggunim
Kohanim (pl. of Kohen)	"priest"; i.e., a descendant of Aharon
kuntreis	booklet
leshem Shamayim	for the sake of heaven; altruistically
limudei kodesh	the study of sacred texts
Lubavitch	(lit., "town of love"; Rus.): townlet in Smolensk oblast, Belorussia, which was the center of *Chabad Chassidism from 1813, when the Mitteler Rebbe moved there from Liadi, until 1915, when his greatgrandson the Rebbe Rashab left it for Rostov, after having established the Tomchei Temimim Yeshivah there in 1897; the name of the township has remained a synonym for the Chabad branch of Chassidism
maamar (pl., maamarim)	(lit., "word" or [written] article"): in *Chabad circles means a formal chassidic discourse first delivered by a Rebbe
Maariv	the evening prayer service (see Siddur, p. 106)
Mashiach	(lit., "the anointed one"): the Messiah
mashke	(lit., "beverage"): in chassidic usage signifies sip of strong drink over which LeChaim! is said
mashpia (pl., mashpi'im)	mentor who guides chassidim in the teachings and spiritual lifestyle of *Chassidus
maskil (pl., maskilim)	(a) in Chabad usage: an exponent of *haskalah, the theoretical dimension of chassidic thought; (b) an exponent of the Haskalah, the so-called "Enlightenment" movement of the 18th century
mekushar	a chassid who has cultivated a close spiritual bond (*hiskashrus) with his Rebbe
melamed (pl., melamdim)	(a) teacher at elementary Torah school; (b) private tutor
melaveh malkah	festive meal held on Saturday evening to farewell the departing Sabbath Queen
mesirus nefesh	(a) the potential for self-sacrifice innate in every Jew; (b) devotedness to the point of physical or spiritual self-sacrifice
middah (pl., middos)	(a) a character trait, emotion, or mental state; (b) one of the Divine Attributes (e.g., Mercy)
Midrash	(a) any one of the classical collections of the Sages' homiletical teachings on the Torah (see *derush); (b) a particular passage therefrom
mikveh (pl., mikvaos)	pool for ritual immersion
Minchah	the afternoon prayer service (see Siddur, p. 96)
minhag (pl., minhagim)	custom
minyan (pl., minyanim)	(a) quorum of at least ten adult males assembled for prayer or other *mitzvah; (b) (colloq.:) place of public prayer; *shul
mishnah (pl., mishnayos)	any one of the paragraphs collectively comprising the Mishnah, and containing seminal statements of law elucidated by the *Gemara, which together with the Mishnah constitutes the *Talmud
misnaged (pl., misnagdim)	opponent of Chassidism
mitzvah (pl., mitzvos)	a religious obligation; one of the 613 Commandments
mochin	(lit., "brains"; Aram.): the intellectual component of divine service
Motzaei Shabbos	Saturday evening after the close of *Shabbos
Mussar	books of ethical teaching
Nach	acronym for Nevi'im (the Books of the Prophets) and Kesuvim (the Holy Writings; i.e., the Hagiographa); synonym in popular usage: *Tanach
Nasi (pl., Nesi'im)	(a) in Biblical times, the head of any one of the Twelve Tribes; (b) in later generations, the civil and/or spiritual head of the Jewish community at large; (c) in the chassidic context, synonymous with *Rebbe
Neilah	(lit., "closing"): the climactic prayer service of *Yom Kippur
Nesi'im	see *Nasi
Nesius	the post of *Nasi
netilas yadayim	ritual washing of the hands (see Siddur, p. 6)
niggun (pl., niggunim)	melody, usually wordless, especially one figuring in divine service
nigleh	the revealed levels of the Torah (e.g., *Talmud and *Halachah); in contrast to nistar (see *pnimiyus haTorah)
olam	world (related to he'elem -- "obscurity"; i.e., the Divine self-concealment)
oved	one deeply involved in *avodah
parshah	a weekly Torah reading
Parshas...	the portion [of the Torah read publicly each week] named...
Pesach	Passover; seven-day festival (eight in the Diaspora) beginning on 15 Nissan, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt
pnimiyus haTorah	the innermost, mystical dimension of the Torah; i.e., *Kabbalah and *Chassidus; synonym: nistar, lit., "the hidden dimension"
poskim (pl. of posek)	decisors; rabbis whose legal decisions are authoritative
Purim	(lit., "lots"): one-day festival falling on 14 Adar and commemorating the miraculous salvation of the Jews of the Persian Empire in the 4th cent. B.C.E.
rav (pl., rabbanim)	rabbi; Torah teacher
Rebbe	(common Yid. pronunciation of rebbe, "my teacher [or master]"): *tzaddik who serves as spiritual guide to a following of chassidim (see *Chassidus)
rebbitzin	(Yid.): wife of *rav or *Rebbe
Rosh Chodesh	(lit., "the head of the month"): one or two semi-festive days marking the beginning of the month
Rosh HaShanah	(lit., "the head of the year"): the solemn New Year festival, falling on 1 and 2 Tishrei
s'chach	the vegetative roof of a *sukkah
Seder; pl., Sedarim)	(lit., "order"): the order of service observed at home on the first night of *Pesach (and outside Eretz Yisrael on the first two nights)
Seder Hishtalshelus	the chainlike scheme whereby the Divine light progressively screens itself on its way "down" from infinite spirituality to the creation of finite materiality; see also *tzimtzum
Sefer Torah (pl., Sifrei Torah)	Torah scroll
Sefiros	ten divine attributes or emanations which manifest themselves in each of the Four Worlds, and are the source of the ten corresponding faculties (kochos) of the soul
seichel	the intellectual process, comprising chochmah, binah and daas (the acronym of which is *Chabad); sometimes referred to as *mochin (lit., "brains"), or as immos ("mothers"), being the source of the *middos
Selichos	penitential prayers read in the days preceding the Days of Awe
seudas mitzvah	festive meal held in celebration of a religious obligation
Shabbos (pl., Shabbasos)	the Sabbath
Shabbos Mevarchim	(lit., "the *Shabbos when one blesses"): the Shabbos preceding *Rosh Chodesh, marked by a prayer for the forthcoming month (see Siddur, p. 191)
Shabbos Parshas...	the *Shabbos on which a [named] *parshah is read
Shacharis	the morning prayer service (see Siddur, p. 12ff.)
shammes (pl., shammashim)	synagogue caretaker
Shas	(acronym of shishah sidrei [Mishnah]; lit., "the Six Orders [of the Mishnah"]): the *Talmud in its entirety
Shavuos	(lit., "weeks"): festival commemorating the Giving of the Torah at Sinai, in Eretz Yisrael falling on 6 Sivan, in the Diaspora on 6-7 Sivan
shechitah	the ritual slaughtering (by a *shochet) of kosher meat
sheliach mitzvah	emissary for the performance of a *mitzvah
Shema Yisrael	(lit., "Hear, O Israel..."): see *Kerias Shema
Shemini Atzeres	festival immediately following Sukkos; in *Eretz Yisrael observed for one day and coinciding with *Simchas Torah, and in the Diaspora extending into a second day which is known as Simchas Torah
Shemoneh-Esreh	prayer (also known as Amidah) which is the solemn climax of each of the three daily services (see Siddur, p. 50)
Shir HaShirim	the Book of The Song of Songs
shiur	lesson or group study session
shochet (pl., shochatim)	ritual slaughterer
Shofar	ram's horn sounded on Rosh HaShanah, the solemn New Year festival
shul	(Yid.): synagogue
Shulchan Aruch	(lit., "a set table"): the standard Code of Jewish Law compiled by R. Yosef Caro in the mid-16th cent.
sichah (pl., sichos)	an informal Torah talk delivered by a Rebbe (cf. *maamar)
Siddur (pl., Siddurim)	(lit., "order [of prayers]"): prayer book; page references in the present work are to the edition (with Eng. translation by R. Nissen Mangel) entitled Siddur Tehillat HaShem (Kehot, N.Y.)
Simchas Torah	(lit., "the rejoicing of the Torah"): festival immediately following *Sukkos, on which the public reading of the Torah is annually concluded and recommenced; in *Eretz Yisrael coincides with *Shemini Atzeres, and in the Diaspora falls on the following day
siyum	(lit., "conclusion"): celebration marking one's completion of a Talmudic tractate
sukkah	(lit., "booth"): temporary dwelling with a roof of vegetation (s'chach) in which one lives during the fesival of *Sukkos
Sukkos	(lit., "Booths"): seven-day festival (eight days in the Diaspora) beginning on 15 Tishrei, taking its name from the temporary dwelling in which one lives during this period, and marked also by the *mitzvah of the Four Species (lulav, esrog, hadassim, aravos)
Tachanun	the penitential prayers recited on all non-festive days (see Siddur, p. 61)
taharas hamishpachah	(lit., "purity of the family"): marital purity, involving periodic abstinence and immersion in a *mikveh
tallis	shawl fringed with tzitzis (cf. Num. 15:37-40) and worn by men during prayer
Talmud	(lit., "study"): comprising the *Mishnah and the *Gemara, its tractates constitute the basic compendium of Jewish law, thought, and Biblical commentary; when unspecified refers to the Talmud Bavli, the edition developed in Babylonia, and edited at end of the fifth cent. C.E.; the Talmud Yerushalmi is the edition compiled in Eretz Yisrael at end of the fourth cent. C.E.
Talmud Torah	(lit., "the study of the Torah"): a (usually) part-time Torah school
tamim	see *temimim
Tanach	acronym for Torah (i.e., the Five Books of Moses), Nevi'im (the Prophets), and Kesuvim (the Writings; i.e., the Hagiographa)
Tanya	the Alter Rebbe's basic exposition of *Chabad *Chassidus; "Tanya" is the initial word of the book, which is also called Likutei Amarim ("Collected Discourses") and Sefer shel Beinonim ("The Book of the Intermediates")
tefillin	small black leather cubes containing parchment scrolls inscribed with *Shema Yisrael and other Biblical passages, bound to the arm and forehead and worn by men at weekday morning prayers; "phylacteries" (see Siddur, p. 12)
Tehillim	(lit., "praises"): the Book of Psalms
temimim (pl. of tamim)	students past or present of one of the senior yeshivos (known as Tomchei Temimim) of the *Lubavitch branch of *Chassidism
teshuvah	(lit., "return [to G-d]"): repentance
Tikkun	(lit., "correction, restitution, reformation"): (a) for its meaning in *Chassidus, see Schochet, op. cit., p. 876; (b) Tikkun Leil Shavuos, the order of readings used during the night-long vigol of *Shavuos
Tikkun Chatzos	(lit., "midnight service"): an optional devotional exercise lamenting the Destruction of the *Beis HaMikdash and the subsequent exile of the Divine Presence on a cosmic level
Tohu	(lit., "chaos"): for its meaning in *Chassidus, see Schochet, op. cit., p. 876
Tomchei Temimim	(a) the *yeshivah founded in Lubavitch in 1897 by the Rebbe Rashab; (b) one of its subsequent offshoots
Tosafos	(lit., "supplements"): classical commentaries on the *Talmud beginning to appear in the mid-12th cent.
treif(ah)	non-kosher food
tzaddik (pl., tzaddikim)	(a) completely righteous individual; (b) *Rebbe
tzedakah	charity
tzimtzum	(a) the self-limitation of the infinite and emanating Divine light by progressive degrees of contraction, condensation and concealment, and making possible the creation of finite and physical substances (cf. *Seder Hishtalshelus); (b) any one of the stages in this process
yahrzeit	(lit., "anniversary"; Yid.): the anniversary of someone's passing
yechidus	private interview (rather: an encounter of souls) at which a chassid seeks guidance and enlightenment from his *Rebbe
Yerushalmi	(lit., "Jerusalemite"): see *Talmud
yeshivah (pl., yeshivos)	Torah academy for advanced students
yichudim	(lit., "unions"): exercises in Kabbalistic meditation that effect mystical unions in the supernal spheres
Yid	(Yid.): a Jew
Yiddishkeit	(lit., "Jewishness"; Yid.): the Torah way of life
yishuvnik	(Yid.): villager
Yizkor	(lit., "May He remember…"): initial word of Hazkaras Neshamos, memorial prayer for the souls of departed relatives, recited on certain festivals; see Siddur, p. 255
Yom Kippur	the Day of Atonement, fast day falling on 10 Tishrei and climaxing the Days of Awe
Yom-Tov	festival
Yud Shvat (a date)	the tenth of Shvat, anniversary of the passing of the Rebbe Rayatz (1950)
Yud-Tes/Chaf Kislev (a date)	chassidic festival celebrating the liberation of the Alter Rebbe from capital sentence and imprisonment in Petersburg (19-20 Kislev 5559/1798), after being slandered to the czarist authorities by his opponents, the misnagdim
zal	(Yid.): study hall in a yeshivah
zeide	(Yid.): grandfather
zemiros	hymns sung at the table on *Shabbos and *Yom-Tov
Zohar	basic work of the *Kabbalah