All asterisk indicates a cross-reference within this Glossary.

All non-English entries are Hebrew unless otherwise indicated.

acharonim	(lit., "the later ones"): the Torah sages from the Renaissance period until the present day
afikoman	the piece of *matzah eaten at the conclusion of the *Seder meal recalling the Paschal sacrifice
AriZal	(lit., "the lion of blessed memory"): R. Isaac Luria (1534-1572), one of the leading Kabbalistic luminaries
Asiyah, the World of	(lit., "the World of Deed"): In Kabbalistic terminology, this refers to the lowest of the four spiritual worlds, the realm of spiritual existence which relates directly to our material world.
Atzilus, the World of	(lit., "the World of Emanation"): the highest of the four spiritual worlds
Bach	(acronym for Bayis Chadesh): a *Halachic commentary on the Tur written by R. Yoel Sirkis (1561-1640) in Poland; one of the classic works of Jewish law
batul	(lit., "nullified"): with regard to the laws of kashrus, this refers to an amount of a forbidden substance that has become mixed with a greater portion of permitted substances to the extent that the forbidden substance is considered as insignificant; with regard to our Divine service, a state where an individual loses self-consciousness
Beis HaMikdash	the Temple in Jerusalem
benoni	(lit., "intermediate man"): classically, an individual whose merits are equally balanced between good and evil; according to *Chassidus, 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
Beriah, the World of	(lit., "the World of Creation"): the second (in descending order) of the four spiritual worlds
Binah	(lit., "understanding"): the second of the Ten *Sefiros, or Divine emanations; the second stage of the intellectual process, the power that develops abstract conception, giving it breadth and depth
bittul	self-nullification, a commitment to G-d and divine service that transcends self-concern
Chabad	(acronym for the Hebrew words meaning "wisdom, understanding, and knowledge"): the approach to Chassidism which filters its spiritual and emotional power through the intellect; a synonym for Chabad is *Lubavitch, the name of the town where this movement originally flourished
chametz	leaven, which is forbidden to be eaten on the Passover holiday
chassid	a pious, kind-hearted person, whose commitment to Divine service extends beyond the requirement of the law
Chassidus	the body of Chassidic thought and philosophy
Chochmah	(lit., "wisdom"): the first of the Ten *Sefiros, or Divine emanations; correspondingly, the first stage of our intellectual process; reason in potentia
chukim	(lit. "statutes"): mitzvos which have no rationale basis for their observance
Eretz Yisrael	(lit., the land of Israel)
Haggadah	(lit. "telling"): the text from which the *Seder service is conducted on the first two nights of Passover in the Diaspora (or on the first night only in Israel)
halachah (adj. halachic)	the body of Jewish Law; alternatively a single law
heter iska	a halachic convention that allows interest to be paid for money deposited
hiddurim	fastidious care in the observance of Jewish law
Kabbalah	(lit., "received tradition"): the Jewish mystical tradition
kabbalas ol	(lit., "the acceptance of [G-d's] yoke"): an unswerving, selfless commitment to carrying out the will of G-d
kelipah	(lit., "rind" or "shell"; pl. kelipos): 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
kelipas nogah	(lit., "the shining *kelipah"): a dimension of kelipah in which the light is intermingled with the shell, giving it the potential to be refined
kareis	(lit. "excision"): the cutting of the soul, causing premature death on the earthly plane and a severing of the soul's connection with G-d on the spiritual plane
Kiddush	(lit., "sanctification"): blessings recited over a goblet of wine and expressing the sanctity of *Shabbos (e.g., Siddur, p. 146) or a festival
Kli Yakar	a commentary on the Torah written by Rabbi Shlomo Efraim of Luntschitz; included in many printings of the Torah
korban tamid	the daily sacrifice, offered in the Temple in the morning and before nightfall
Lag BaOmer	the 33rd day of the *Omer, a festival falling between Passover and *Shavuos, commemorating the end of a plague which killed thousands of Rabbi Akiva's students; also the *yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, author of the *Zohar
Likkutei Torah	a collection of chassidic discourses by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
lishmah	(lit., "for its own sake"): the study of the Torah or the observance of *mitzvos without any ulterior motive
Lubavitch	(lit., "town of love"; Rus.): townlet in White Russia which from 1813-1915 was the center of *Chabad Chassidism, and whose name has remained a synonym for it
maamar	a formal chassidic discourse
Magen Avraham	commentary on the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim, by a prominent 17th-century Polish scholar called R. Avraham Abele HaLevi but better known by the title of his work
Maggid	(lit., "recite"): the portion of the *Seder in which the story of the Exodus from Egypt is retold
Maharil	acronym for R. Yaakov HaLevi Moellin, foremost German talmudist of the 14th century; the father of Ashkenazi minhagim
Mashiach	the Messiah
matzah (pl., matzos)	the unleavened bread eaten on the holiday of Passover
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
Mechilta	a text of exegesis on the Book of Exodus compiled in the era of the *Mishnah
Midrash	the classic collection of the Sages' homiletical teachings on the Bible
Mishnah	the first compilation of the Oral Law authored by Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi (approx. 200 C.E.); the germinal statements of law elucidated by the Gemara, together with which they constitute the *Talmud; when not capitalized, a single statement of law from this work
Mishneh Torah	the *Rambam's magnum opus which serves as a compendium of the entire Oral Law
mitzvah	(lit., "commandment"; pl., mitzvos): one of the 613 Commandments; in a larger sense, any religious obligation
Modeh Ani	(lit.; "I thankfully acknowledge"): the prayer of thanksgiving reciting immediately upon arising each morning
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
Nigleh	(lit., "what has been revealed"): the body of Torah law
niddah	the state of ritual impurity contracted by women with the inception of menstrual bleeding
Nissan	the first month of the Jewish year according to certain reckonings, or the seventh when counting the months from Tishrei; the month of the Exodus from Egypt
nosar	the prohibition against leaving sacrificial meat past the time when it is permitted to be eaten
omer	a Biblical dry measure; an offering of barley of this measure brought on the day following the first day of Passover; this day and the subsequent forty-eight days are counted in preparation for the holiday of Shavuos
Or HaChayim	a commentary on the Torah authored by Rabbi Chayim ben Atar of Morocco and later of Israel (1696-1743); printed in many editions of the Torah
orlah	the prohibition which forbids benefiting from the fruit of a tree for the first three years after it is planted
Pardes	(lit., "orchard"): the metaphorical term used to refer to (a) the four levels of Torah interpretation: pshat (the literal meaning of the text), remez (its allusions), derush (the homilies that can be derived from it), and sod (its mystical secrets); (b) more particularly, the study and experience of those mystical secrets
parshah (pl. parshiyos, poss. parshas)	(lit., "portion"): one of the 54 weekly Torah readings
Pesach	a) the holiday of Passover, b) the sacrifice offered on the eve of that holiday
pikuach nefesh	a threat to life
P'nimiyus HaTorah	(lit., "the inner dimension of the Torah"): the realm of the Torah that deals with mystical truth
Rabbeinu	our teacher, an appellation of respect added to the name of great educational leaders
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 to the Perplexed, one of the classics of Jewish philosophy
Rashi	(acronym for Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki; 1040-1105): the author of the foremost commentaries to the Torah and the Talmud
ratzu	a state of yearning for G-d
Rebbe	(lit., "my teacher [or master]"): saintly Torah leader who serves as spiritual guide to a following of chassidim
Rishonim	(lit., "the first ones"): the Torah sages of the Middle Ages
Rosh Chodesh (pl. Rashei Chodashim)	(lit., "head of the month"): the first day of each Jewish month
Rosh HaShanah	(lit., "head of the year"): the solemn New Year festival, falling on 1 and 2 Tishrei
Sanctuary	a) the tabernacle in which the Divine Presence dwelled during the Jews' journeys through the desert; b) the portion of the tabernacle and the Temple building before the Holy of Holies which contained the inner altar, the table for the showbread, and the menorah
saraph	(lit., "burning one"): a category of the ministering angels, given this name because they are characterized by a love for G-d which consumes like fire
Seder	(lit., "order"): the order of service observed at home on the first two nights of Passover
Seder HaHishtalshelus	the spiritual cosmos; the chainlike progression of spiritual realms
Sefiros	Kabbalistic term for the attributes of G-dliness which serve as a medium between His infinite light and our limited framework of reference
Shabbos (pl., Shabbosos)	the Sabbath
Shabbos HaGadol	(lit., "the Great Sabbath"): the Sabbath preceding the holiday of Passover
Shabbos Shuvah	(lit., "the Sabbath of Repentance): the Sabbath between *Rosh HaShanah and *Yom Kippur
Shavuos	(lit., "weeks"): festival commemorating the Giving of the Torah at Sinai, in Eretz Yisrael falling on 6 Sivan, and in the Diaspora on 6-7 *Sivan
Shema	the fundamental Jewish prayer which we are obligated to recite each day, in the evening and in the morning
Shemitah	the Sabbatical year
Shulchan Aruch	(lit., "a set table"): the standard Code of Jewish Law compiled by R. Yosef Caro in the mid-sixteenth century; also used to refer to later codes; e.g., the Shulchan Aruch HaRav compiled by R. Shneur Zalman of Liadi
shuv	the dedication to Divine service on the material plane which follows a phase of ratzu, an intense yearning for G-d
sichah (pl., sichos)	an informal Torah talk delivered by a *Rebbe (cf. *maamar)
Sifra	also known as Toras Kohanim, an exegetical treatise on the Book of Leviticus written in the period of the Mishnah
Sivan	the third month of the Jewish year when counting from Nissan (or the ninth when counting from Tishrei)
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
Talmud	the basic compendium of Jewish law, thought, and Biblical commentary, comprising *Mishnah and Gemara; when unspecified refers to the Babylonian Talmud, the edition developed in Babylonia, and edited at end of the fifth century C.E.; the Jerusalem Talmud is the edition compiled in *Eretz Yisrael at end of the fourth century C.E.
Tanya	the classic text of Chabad chassidic thought authored by the Alter Rebbe
tefillin	small, black leather boxes each containing four Biblical passages which the Torah commands adult males to wear daily
teshuvah	(lit., "return [to G-d]"): repentance
Tosafos	(lit., "supplements"): classical commentaries on the *Talmud beginning to appear in the mid-twelfth century)
Turei Zahav	a major commentary on the Shulchan Aruch written by R. David HaLevi (1586-1667) in Poland
tzaddik (pl. tzaddikim)	righteous man
tzedakah	charity
Vayikra	(lit., "And He called"): a) the Book of Leviticus; b) the first Torah reading in that book
Yetzirah, the World of	(lit., "the World of Formation"): the third (in descending order) of the four spiritual worlds
Yom Kippur	the Day of Atonement, fast day falling on 10 Tishrei and climaxing the Days of Awe
Yovel	the Jubilee year
Zohar	(lit., "radiance"): The title of the classic mystical work embodying the teachings of the *Kabbalah