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'rabeinu; 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-rabbah	(Heb./Aram.): ( lit., "May His great Name..."): opening phrase of one of the congregational responses to the recitation of *Kaddish
am haaretz	ignoramus
amora	(Aram.): authority of the 3rd-5th cents. quoted in the *Gemara
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
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
Chagas	acronym formed by the initial letters of the Heb. words chessed, gevurah and tiferes, which are (respectively) the fourth, fifth and sixth of the Ten *Sefiros, or divine emanations. They represent (i) the first three of the seven divine middos, the emotive (rather than the intellectual) attributes, and (ii) the corresponding attributes in the soul of a Jew. Chagas hence signifies those branches of the chassidic movement which are rooted in an emotive approach to the service of G-d (cf. *Chabad)
challah	(a) in the time of the *Beis HaMikdash, a mandatory contribution of dough for the Kohen (which today is recalled by leaving a piece of dough to burn in the oven); (b) a usually braided loaf (pl., challos) baked in honor of Shabbos
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
Chevra Kaddisha	(lit., "holy brotherhood"; Heb./Aram.): burial society, traditionally voluntary
chozer	(lit., "repeater"): individual who repeats from memory entire chassidic discourses delivered by a Rebbe on a day when they cannot be otherwise recorded
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
derush	(a) the non-literal or homiletical interpretation of Biblical words on a superrational or mystical level, as in aggadic 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
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
hachnassas orchim	hospitality
haftorah	the passage from the Prophets read in the synagogue after the reading from the *Chumash
Halachah	(a) (upper case:) the entire body of Jewish law; (b) (lower case:) an individual law
HaMelech	king, as in: David HaMelech -- King David
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
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
Korban Pesach	the sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb (Shmos, ch. 12)
kuntreis	booklet
Lag BaOmer	the thirty-third day of the *Omer, a minor festival falling between *Pesach and *Shavuos
leshem Shamayim	for the sake of heaven; altruistically
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)
machzor	prayer book for Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur
maseches	tractate [of the *Talmud]
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)	exponent of *haskalah
matzah (pl., matzos)	unleavened bread eaten on *Pesach
matzas mitzvah	the matzah with which one fulfills the mitzvah of eating matzah at the *Seder, and ideally baked on erev Pesach expressly for that purpose
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
meshares	(a) domestic assistant; (b) beadle
mesirus nefesh	(a) the potential for self-sacrifice innate in every Jew; (b) devotedness to the point of physical or spiritual self-sacrifice
mezuzah (pl., mezuzos)	tiny parchment scroll affixed to a doorpost and containing the first two paragraphs of Shema (Deut. 6:4-9 and 11:13-21)
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
moreh tzedek	(lit., "teacher of righteousness"): rav who is qualified to render halachic decisions
Motzaei Shabbos	Saturday evening after the close of *Shabbos
Mussar	books of ethical teaching
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
Nesi'im	see *Nasi
Nesius	the post of *Nasi
netilas yadayim	ritual washing of the hands (see Siddur, p. 6)
neveilah	carcass, whose meat is unfit for consumption
niggun (pl., niggunim)	melody, usually wordless, especially one figuring in divine service
Omer	(lit., a certain measure of grain): the period of 49 days counted (Sefiras HaOmer) from the second day of *Pesach to the eve of *Shavuos (Lev. 23:15-16; Siddur, p. 340)
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
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
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)
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
seudas mitzvah	festive meal held in celebration of a religious obligation
Shabbas HaGadol	(lit., "the great *Shabbos"): the Shabbos preceding the festival of *Pesach
Shabbas Shirah	the *Shabbos on which one reads Parshas Beshalach, which includes the Shirah, the Song of the Sea (Shmos 15:1-19)
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	synagogue caretaker
Shas	(acronym of shishah sidrei [mishneh]; 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
Shemoneh-Esreh	prayer (also known as Amidah) which is the solemn climax of each of the three daily services (see Siddur, p. 50)
shemurah-matzah	(more grammatically, matzah shemurah -- "guarded *matzah"): matzah made of wheat or flour that has been guarded with especial care against dampness and consequent leavening
Shir HaShirim	the Book of The Song of Songs
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.)
siyum	(lit., "conclusion"): celebration marking one's completion of a Talmudic tractate
sukkah	(lit., "booth"): temporary dwelling roofed with vegetation 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)
tanna (pl., tannaim)	authority of the 1st-2nd cents. quoted in the *Mishnah
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
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
Tikkun Leil Shavuos	the order of readings used during the night-long vigil of *Shavuos
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
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
Yiddishkeit	(lit., "Jewishness"; Yid.): the Torah way of life
yishuvnik	(Yid.): villager
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