All entries are Hebrew unless otherwise indicated. Ar., Aramaic; Gr., Greek; Heb., Hebrew; Rus., Russian; Yid., Yiddish; Yid.-Heb., Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew

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. 774 ff.; and Rabbi Jacob I. Schochet, Mystical Concepts in Chassidism, op. cit., P. 802 ff.

Acharonim	the Later Sages, who flourished after the middle of the sixteenth century
Adar	Heb. Month falling during February-March; in leap years, there are two months of Adar, called Adar I and Adar II
Aggadah	allegorical tales and other non-legal matter found in the *Talmud
Aleinu	(lit., "it is incumbent upon us"): prayer consisting of two passages recited at the conclusion of each of the three daily prayer services (Siddur, p. 84, et. al.)
Amen!	response given after hearing a prayer or blessing, and at certain points during the prayer service; expresses belief in what has just been said
amud	prayer lectern where the *chazan stands when leading the prayers
Anash	(acronym for anshei shlomeinu, lit., "men of our peace"; cf. Yirmeyahu 38:22, Ovadiah 1:7): cordial term used for the chassidic brotherhood; a synonym is Chassidei Anash (lit., "chassidim [who are members] of Anash")
apikores	(derived from Gr.); (a) one who denies Rabbinic authority; (b) a heretic
Av	Heb. month falling during July-August; also called *Menachem Av
avodah	(lit., "labor" or "service"): (in universal Torah usage) divine service, particularly through prayer (see *davenen) and (in chassidic usage) through the labor of self-refinement
Avremke	familiar form of the name Avraham (Abraham)
Az Yashir	("then... sang"); the song that Moshe and the Israelites sang after the parting of the sea; passage taken from Shemos 15, recited during the *Shacharis prayer service (Siddur, p. 39)
bar mitzvah	(lit., "obligated to fulfill the commandments"): the attainment of religious majority, at which point one becomes personally responsible for his religious practice; a male becomes bar mitzvah at the age of 13
bas	"daughter of..."; used as part of a woman's formal name, followed by the name of either her father or mother
Basra	see Bavos
Bavos	(lit., "Gates": Ar.): the first three tractates of the section of the *Talmud which deals primarily with monetary and property issues: Bava Kamma ("the First Gate") deals chiefly with property damages and personal injuries; Bava Metzia ("the Middle Gate") deals chiefly with ownership and transfer of personal property; Bava Basra ("the Last Gate") deals chiefly with ownership and transfer of real property, and with legal documents
beinoni	(lit., "an intermediate person"; pl., beinonim): (a) in general *Torah usage, refers to a person whose sins are exactly balanced by his *mitzvos; (b) in *chassidic usage, refers to a person who never actually commits a sin either through action, word, or thought, but who has not completely divorced himself from the potential for sinning, as explained in *Tanya, ch. 1.
beis hamedrash	house of (*Torah) study, usually serving as a synagogue as well; in chassidic circles, the terms beis hamedrash and *shul are often used interchangeably.
Beis HaMikdash	the (First or Second) Holy Temple in Jerusalem
Beitzah	(lit. "Egg"): a tractate of the *Talmud dealing primarily with the laws of *Yom Tov
ben	"son of..."; used as part of a man's formal name, followed by the name of either his father or mother
Ber	Yid. Form of the Heb. Name Dov; the two names are often joined together: Dov Ber
Berel; Berke	familiar forms of the name *Ber
BH	(abbr. of Baruch HaShem): "blessed be G-d"
bittul	self-effacement
bochurim	young men past the age of *bar mitzvah, but not yet married, usually studying at a *yeshivah
bris milah	(lit., "the covenant of circumcision"): (a); the ritual of circumcision; (b) a feast held in honor of the occasion
Ceruvim	angels resembling young children; relief images of two winged Ceruvim were part of the cover of the holy Ark in the *Mishkan; (cf. Shemos 25:17-22)
Chabad	(acronym formed by the initial letters of the Heb. words Chochmah, Binah and Daas): (a) the branch of the chassidic movement (see *Chassidus) whose roots are in an intellectual approach to the service of G-d, and which was founded by R. Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the Alter Rebbe; a synonym for Chabad in this sense is *Lubavitch, the name of the township where the movement flourished 1813-1915; (b) the philosophy of this school of Chassidism; (c) adherents of this movement (also called chassidei Chabad)
Chanukah	(lit., "rededication"): eight-day festival beginning on 25 *Kislev, celebrating the recapture of the second Temple from the Syrian Greeks, and its rededication
chassid (pl., chassidim)	(a) adherent of the chassidic movement (see *Chassidus); (b) follower of a particular chassidic *Rebbe
Chassidus	(a) Chassidism, i.e., 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 to their saintly mentor, the *Rebbe; (b) the philosophy and literature of this movement; see also Chabad
chazan	one who leads the *minyan in prayer; the cantor
cheder (pl. chadorim)	a Jewish elementary school; in chassidic circles, this term may refer to a class for a select group of advanced adult students
Cheshvan	Heb. month falling during October-November; also called *MarCheshvan
chochmah	(lit., "wisdom"): the first of the ten *sefiros, and, on the worldly plane, the first stage in the intellectual process, reason in potentia
Chol HaMoed	(lit., "weekday during the festival"): the intermediate days of the festivals of *Pesach and *Sukkos, observed as minor festivals
Choshen Mishpat	(lit., "breastplate of judgment"): the fourth section of the *Tur or *Shulchan Aruch, dealing with laws of judicial procedure, monetary affairs, real and personal property, property damages and personal injuries, etc.
Chumash	the pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible
daven; davenen; davening	(Yid.): (a) the 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; (c) used as a verb: "I am ready to daven *Minchah" or "he is busy davening"
Derech HaChayim	(lit., "Path of Life"): essay on *Chassidic text by the Mitteler Rebbe on the subject of *teshuvah
deveikus	(lit., "clinging"): spiritual attachment to, or unification with the Divine
Elul	Heb. month falling during August-September
erev	(lit., "evening" or "eve of"): when introducing another word (e.g., Erev Pesach) it can mean either (a) the evening with which the specified holy day begins or (b) the day that ends with the onset of the holy day at sunset
farbreng	(lit., "to spend time together": Yid): to conduct, or participate in, a *farbrengen
farbrengen	(Yid.): (a) a chassidic assembly addressed by the *Rebbe; (b) an informal gathering of *chassidim for mutual and brotherly edification, usually led by a *mashpia
gabbai	(a) an executive officer of the synagogue or other communal institution; (b) an official of the Rebbe's court, who admits people for yechidus
Gan Eden	the Garden of Eden (Paradise)
gaon (pl., geonim)	a *Torah genius
Gemara	the *Talmud; the elucidation of the *Mishnah, and the discussion of related topics, by the Sages
Hakkafah (pl., Hakkafos; lit., "circuit")	one of the seven processions with the Torah scrolls in the *shul on *Simchas Torah, accompanied by singing and dancing (Siddur, p. 335)
Halachah	various works dealing with applied Torah law
Hershelle	familiar form of the Yid. name Hirsh
Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah	Laws of Fundamental Torah Principles - the first section of the first volume of the *Rambam's legal code *Mishnah Torah
Iggeres HaKodesh	(lit., "The Holy Letter"): part of *Tanya, consisting of pastoral letters addressed by the Alter Rebbe to the chassidic communities
Itchalle	familiar form of the name Yitzchak (Isaac)
Kabbalah	(lit., "received tradition"): the body of classical Jewish mystical teachings, the central text of which is the *Zohar
Kabbalas Shabbos	(lit., "reception of Shabbos"): service recited Friday evenings before *Maariv (Siddur, p. 128ff.)
Kaddish	(lit., "sanctification"): a prayer recited by the *chazan between sections of the public prayer service, and by mourners at the conclusion of the service
Kamma	see Bavos
Kerias Shema	recitation of the *Shema
kesser	(lit., "crown"): in *Kabbalah, refers to the Divine Light as it exists on a plane higher than, and divorced from, the *sefiros, though viewed by some kabbalists as being the first of the sefiros
Kiddush	(lit., "sanctification"): (a) blessings recited over a goblet of wine, during the evening, and again during the afternoon of *Shabbos or *Yom Tov, expressing the sanctity of the occasion (eg., Siddur, p. 201); (b) a gathering, including light refreshment and words of Torah, held in conjunction with the recitation of this prayer
Kislev	Heb. month falling during November-December
Kohen (pl., Kohanim)	"priest"; i.e., a descendant of Aharon
Kohen Gadol	the "high priest," or chief of the Kohanim; he alone may perform the sacrificial service of *Yom Kippur
Lag BaOmer	the thirty-third day of the *Omer, observed as a minor festival, esp. by *chassidim
LeChayim!	(lit., "To life!"): toast or blessing exchanged over strong drink
Leible	familiar form of the Yid. name Leib
Leivik	familiar form of the Heb. name Levy
Likkutei Amarim	see Tanya
Likkutei Torah	(lit., "collected teachings"): a classic collection of chassidic discourses by the Alter Rebbe, collected and edited by the Tzemach Tzedek
Lubavitch	(lit., "town of love": Rus.): village in White Russia which, from 1813 to 1915, was the center of *Chabad *Chassidism, and whose name has remained a synonym for it
Maariv	evening prayer service (Siddur, p. 106)
maggid	a preacher
MarCheshvan	see Cheshvan
mashgiach (pl., mashgichim)	supervisor of students at a *yeshivah, who oversees the students' attendance, personal behavior, and study habits, and assists them with any difficulties they find during their studies
Mashiach	(lit., "the anointed one"): Messiah
mashpia (pl., mashpiyim)	chassidic spiritual mentor, who guides chassidim in the teachings and spiritual lifestyle of *Chassidus, usually officially appointed by the *Rebbe, by the administration of a chassidic *yeshivah, or by the leaders of a chassidic community
masmid	one who studies Torah constantly, with great diligence
Mazel Tov!	(lit., "a good star"): "Good Luck!"; also, commonly used in the sense of "Congratulations!" or a combination of these two sentiments
melamed (pl., melamdim)	an elementary *Torah teacher in the traditional *cheder
mesirus nefesh	(lit., "sacrifice of the soul"): the willingness to sacrifice oneself, either through martyrdom, or through a selfless life, for the sake of the *Torah and its commandments
Metzia	see Bavos
Mezonos	blessing ("who creates various kinds of foods") recited over foods prepared from the five species of grain (*Siddur, p. 87)
mezuzos	parchment scrolls, handwritten by a scribe, containing the first two passages of the *Shema, which are rolled up and affixed to the doorposts of Jewish homes
Midrash	any one of the classical collections of the Sages' homiletical teachings on the Torah
Midrash Rabbah	a compilation of *Midrashic interpretations of the *Chumash and certain other Biblical books, composed in the fourth century
Minchah	afternoon prayer service (Siddur, p. 96)
minyan (pl., minyonim)	(a) ten adult male Jews; (b) a quorum for public prayer, consisting of ten such Jews; (c) a room where the minyan prays
Mishkan	the temporary tabernacle used as a sanctuary before the construction of the first *Beis HaMikdash (cf. Shemos 25-27)
Mishnah	the germinal statements of law elucidated by the Gemara, together with which they constitute the *Talmud
Mishnayos	individual passages from the *Mishnah; see *Talmud
Mishneh Torah	(lit., "Repetition of the *Torah"): title of the *Rambam's codification of Jewish law, also known as Yad HaChazakah ("the strong hand")
misnaged (pl., misnagdim)	opponent of *Chassidus, either as an individual, or as a member of an organized opposition group
mitzvah	(lit., "commandment"; pl., mitzvos): (a) one of the 613 commandments or (b) in a larger sense, any religious obligation or meritorious act
Moshe Rabbeinu	Moshe our Teacher (or Master)
Motzoei Shabbos	(a) the night following the *Shabbos day
Nedorim	*Talmudic tractate dealing chiefly with the laws of vows and oaths taken voluntarily, and how one may be released therefrom
niggun	melody, usually wordless, especially one in the *chassidic style, used in divine service
Nissan	Heb. month falling during March-April
Ohel	(lit., "tent"): in chassidic usage means the structure built over the resting place of a *tzaddik, and frequented by chassidim in prayer
Omer	the fifty-day period between *Pesach and *Shavuos
Orach Chayim	(lit., "Path of Life"): the first section of the *Tur and the *Shulchan Aruch, dealing with prayers, blessings, *Shabbos, and the various festivals
Or HaChayim	(lit., "the Light of Life"): commentary on *Chumash, based on the *Kabbalah, composed by R. Chayim Ibn Attar (1696-1743), who was known as "the Holy Or HaChayim"
Panim Yafos	(lit., "Beautiful Faces"): commentary on *Chumash, based on both *Halachah and *Kabbalah, by R. Pinchas HaLevy Horowitz of Frankfürt (c. 1730-1805), a disciple of the Maggid of Mezritch
parshah	portion of the Torah read publicly each week
Parshas ...	the week when a named *parshah is read
Pesach	the Passover Festival, occurring on 15 *Nissan, celebrating the Exodus from Egypt
Pesachim	("Pesach Sacrifices): *Talmudic tractate dealing chiefly with the festival of *Pesach, its rituals and sacrificial service, and things forbidden during the festival
pidyon	(lit., "redemption"; short for pidyon nefesh, lit., "redemption of the soul"): a written note, usually accompanied by donation for charity, in which the writer petitions the *Rebbe to intercede in prayer on behalf of himself or of another person named therein; usually given to the Rebbe during *yechidus, or deposited at the *Ohel of a departed *tzaddik
pidyon sh'vuyim	ransom of captives
pilpul (pl., pilpulim)	a complex scholarly dissertation
Piskei HaRosh	a compilation of *Halachic rulings by R. Asher ben Yechiel (c. 1250-1327, also known as the Rosh, an acronym for Rabbeinu Asher), gleaned from his commentary on the *Talmud
Poskim	(a) works of applied Jewish law; (b) the authors of these works
Purim	(lit., "lots"): joyous festival falling on 14 *Adar, commemorating the miraculous rescue of the Jews of the Persian Empire from a wicked plots to exterminate them
Rabbeinu Tam's tefillin	*tefillin in which the written passages are arranged in the order prescribed by Rabbeinu [Yaakov ben Meir] Tam (c. 1100-1171), a grandson of *Rashi, and one of the leading authors of *Tosafos; these tefillin are put on by *chassidim and other extra-scrupulous people at the end of the prayers, after *Rashi's tefillin have been removed
Rambam	(acronym for Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon; 1135-1204): Maimonides, one of the foremost Jewish thinkers of the Middle Ages; his Mishneh Torah is one of the pillars of Jewish Law, and his Guide for the Perplexed, one of the classics of Jewish Philosophy
rasha	a completely wicked individual
Rashag	(acronym for Rav Shemaryahu Gurary; 1897-1989): eldest son-in-law of the Previous Rebbe
Rashi	(acronym for Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki; 1040-1105): the author of the foremost commentaries on the Bible and the *Talmud; his commentary on the Talmud is traditionally printed together with the text
Rashi's tefillin	*tefillin in which the written passages are arranged in the order prescribed by *Rashi; these tefillin are worn by all Jewish men during the weekday morning prayers; after the prayers, *chassidim and other extra-scrupulous people remove these tefillin and then put on *Rabbeinu Tam's tefillin
rav	rabbi, Torah teacher
Reb	a short form of "*Rebbe," used as a title prefacing a name; colloquially, used with the name of any adult male, not necessarily a rabbi or Rebbe
Rebbe	(common Yid. pronunciation of hcr, "my teacher [or master]"; pl., Rebbeim): *tzaddik who serves as spiritual guide to a following of *chassidim; see *Chassidus
Rebbetzin	(Yid.-Heb.): wife of a rabbi or *Rebbe; occasionally, refers to a woman of great spiritual achievements in her own right
Rishonim	the Earlier Sages, who flourished from the mid-eleventh to the mid-sixteenth centuries
Rosh Chodesh	(lit., "head of the month"): New Moon, i.e., one or two semi-festive days at the beginning of the month
Rosh HaShanah	(lit., "head of the year"): the Jewish New Year festival, falling on [1] and [2] *Tishrei
rosh yeshivah (pl., roshei yeshivah)	(a) dean of a yeshivah; (b) senior lecturer at a yeshivah
ruach hakodesh	spirit of prophecy
Seder Birchos HaNehenin	"Order of Blessings over Various kinds of Enjoyment" - a short treatise by the Alter Rebbe, printed in the unabridged version of his *Siddur, compiling the laws regarding various blessings
sefer (pl., seforim)	a [sacred] text
Sefer Shel Beinonim	see Tanya
sefirah (pl., sefiros)	*Kabbalistic term for the attributes of G-dliness which serve as a medium between His infinite light and our limited framework of reference, or between the supernal worlds, and our lower world
Selichos	(lit., "pardons"): (a) special prayers recited before dawn during the week preceding *Rosh HaShanah; (b) the days during these prayers are recited
Seven-Seventy (or 770)	familiar name for the building at 770 Eastern Parkway, in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York; the central headquarters of the worldwide Lubavitcher Chassidic Movement, the Previous Rebbe's residence from 1940 until his passing in 1950, and the present home of the central Yeshivah Tomchei Temimim
Sha!	(Yid.): "Silence!"
Shaarei Orah	(lit., "Gates of Illumination"): *Chassidic essays by the Mitteler Rebbe on the festivals of *Chanukah and *Purim
Shabbos (pl., Shabbasos)	the Sabbath
Shabbos Parshas ...	the *Shabbos on which a (named) *parshah is read
Shabbos Selichos	the *Shabbos occurring just prior to the week when *Selichos are recited
Shacharis	the morning prayer service (Siddur, p. 12 ff.)
shadar	(acronym for sh'luche d'Rabbana: Ar., "emissary of our Rebbe"): an itinerant emissary sent by the *Rebbe to visit various chassidic communities, where he collects donations for the Rebbe's charitable funds, transmits the Rebbe's latest written or oral instructions (both to the local *mashpia and to the chassidim at large), and repeats the Rebbe's latest chassidic discourses
shadchonus	(Yid.-Heb.): marriage broker's fee
Shehakol	blessing ("by whose word all things come to be") recited over various foods (Siddur, p. 87)
Shehechiyanu	blessing ("who has granted us life, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season") recited at various festive or otherwise happy occasions and when hearing good news (e.g., Siddur, p. 87)
Shema	a text consisting of three passages of the Torah, to be recited during the morning and evening prayer services, and before retiring at night, beginning with the words *Shema Yisrael (eg., Siddur, p. 46; also recited as part of a deathbed confession
Shema Yisrael	"Hear O Israel": the opening words of the *Shema
shlita	(acronym for Sheyichye LeYomim Tovim Aruchim): abbreviation placed after a person's name, expressing the wish: "may he be preserved in life for many good days"
shochet	ritual slaughterer, who slaughters and inspects cattle and fowl in the ritually-prescribed manner, for kosher consumption
Shalom Aleichem!	"Peace upon you!" a traditional greeting
Shavuos	(lit., "weeks"): festival occurring in very late spring, celebrating the giving of the *Torah on Mt. Sinai, and the sacrificial service of the new wheat crop in Temple times
shtreimel	(Yid.): a round fur hat made of sable or mink, worn by *chassidim on *Shabbos, *Yom Tov, and other important occasions; among *Chabad chassidim it was usually worn only by the *Rebbe and his sons
shul	(Yid.): a synagogue; in chassidic circles, the terms shul and *beis hamedrash are often used interchangeably
Shulchan Aruch	(lit., "the set table"): (a) the standard Code of Jewish Law compiled by R. Yosef Karo (1488-1575); (b) a later version, compiled by the Alter Rebbe
Shvat	Heb. month falling during January-February
Siddur	(lit., "order [of prayers]"): prayer book; page references in the present work are to the edition (with English translation) entitled Siddur Tehillat HaShem (Kehot Publication Society, N.Y., 1979)
Sifra	(lit., "the book": Ar.): a compilation of Halachah and its derivation, based on the book of Vayikra, compiled during the third century
Simchas Torah	(lit., "the Rejoicing of the *Torah"): festival following *Sukkos, on which the public reading of the Torah is annually concluded and recommenced; observed with great joy, singing and dancing, and the *Hakkafos procession
Sivan	Heb. month falling during May-June
Sukkos	(lit., "Booths"): seven-day festival beginning on 15 *Tishrei, taking its name from the temporary dwelling in which one lives during this period
tallis	woolen cloak with fringes (called tzitzis), worn during prayer
Talmud	the basic compendium of Jewish law, thought, and Biblical commentary; its tractates mainly comprise the discussions collectively known as the *Gemara, which elucidate the germinal statements of law collectively known as the *Mishnah; when unspecified, refers to the Talmud Bavli, the edition developed in Babylonia, and edited at end of the fifth century; the Talmud *Yerushalmi is the edition compiled in Eretz Yisrael at end of the fourth century
Tammuz	Heb. month falling during June-July
Tanach	acronym for Torah (i.e., the Chumash), Nevi'im (the Prophets), and Kesuvim (the Writings; i.e., the Hagiographa); the Bible
Tanya	the Alter Rebbe's basic exposition of *Chabad *Chassidus; Tanya is the initial word of the book, which is also called *Likkutei Amarim ("Collected Discourses") and *Sefer Shel Beinonim ("The Book of the *Beinonim")
tefillin	small black leather cubes containing parchment scrolls with *Shema Yisrael and other Biblical passages hand written by a scribe, bound to the arm and forehead by leather straps; worn by Jewish men at weekday morning prayers
Tehillim	(lit., "praises"): the Book of Psalms
Temimim	(lit., "the perfect ones"; 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
Teves	Heb. month falling during December-January
Tishah BeAv	(lit., "Ninth day of Av): a day of fasting and mourning, marking the date when both the first and second Temples were destroyed
Tishrei	Heb. month falling during September-October
Tomchei Temimim	(a) the *yeshivah founded in *Lubavitch in 1897 by the Rebbe Rashab; (b) one of its subsequent offshoots
Torah	(lit. "law"): G-d's revealed truth, communicated as the Written Law (the Tanach), and the Oral Law (the oral tradition communicated by our Sages throughout history)
Torah Or	(lit., "the Torah is Light"): a collection of chassidic discourses by the Alter Rebbe, on Bereishis, Shemos, and various festivals.
Toras HaChassidus	the philosophy and literature of *Chassidus
Tosafos	(lit., "supplements"): classical commentaries on the *Talmud, composed by the descendants and disciples of *Rashi, which began to appear in the mid-twelfth century and are traditionally printed together with the text of the Talmud
Tur	(lit., "Row"; full name: Arba'ah Turim, "the Four Rows"): a four volume codification of *Halachah, containing Halachic rulings of all *Rishonim, compiled by R. Yaakov ben Asher (c. 1270-c. 1343); the *Shulchan Aruch and many later codifications of Halachah follow the format of the Tur
tzaddik (pl., tzaddikim)	(a) completely righteous individual; (b) *Rebbe
Tz'enah UR'enah	(lit., "go out and see [O daughters of Jerusalem]"): a text featuring passages from the *Chumash and related excerpts from the *Midrash, translated into Yiddish and arranged according to the weekly *Parshah and the festivals; originally compiled and translated by R. Yaakov ben Yitzchak Ashkenazy (c. 1540-c. 1626), though the printed edition now used was extensively edited by a later (unknown) author; it has been studied for centuries by generations of pious Jewish women, both uneducated and highly erudite
Velvel	familiar form of the name Volf, a Yid. form of the Heb. name Zev
yahrtzeit	(lit., "time of year": Yid.): the anniversary of a person s (usually a parent s) death
yechidus	private audience (more of an encounter of souls) at which a *chassid seeks guidance and enlightenment from his *Rebbe
Yerushalmi	edition of the *Talmud compiled in Eretz Yisrael at the end of the fourth century
yeshivah	rabbinical academy
Yevsektzia	(Rus.): the "Jewish Section" of the Soviet Communist Party
Yom Kippur	the Day of Atonement, solemn fast day falling on 10 *Tishrei and climaxing the annual penitential period
Yom Tov	(lit "Good Day"): a festival
Yossel	familiar form of the name Yosef
zabla	(acronym for Zeh Borer lo Echad; lit., "this one chooses one [judge] for himself"): a procedure for convening a rabbinical court of law to hear a case involving a dispute over money or property; each litigant chooses one judge or arbiter, and these two judges then designate the third judge
Zohar	(lit., "Radiance"): title of the classic mystical work from which the teachings of *Kabbalah are derived