aliyah (pl., aliyos; lit., "ascent")	the honor of being called upon in synagogue to ascend to the dais for the public Reading of the Torah
Beis HaMikdash	the (First or Second) Temple in Jerusalem
Chabad	(acronym formed by the initial letters of the Heb. words chochmah, binah and daas): 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; the philosophy of this school of Chassidism
challah	in the time of the * Beis HaMikdash, a mandatory contribution of dough for the * Kohen; a usually braided loaf (pl., challos) baked in honor of *Shabbos
Chassidus	Chassidism, i.e., the movement within Orthodox Judaism founded in the eighteenth century by R. Yisrael, the Baal Shem Tov, and stressing: emotional involvement in prayer; service of G-d through the material universe; the primacy of 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 fellow 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 and charismatic leader, the *Rebbe; the philosophy and literature of this movement; see also *Chabad
Chumash	the Five Books of Moses (the Pentateuch)
Ein Sof	the Infinite One
Eretz Yisrael	the Land of Israel
farbrengen	a chassidic gathering addressed by the Rebbe
hadlakas haner	the lighting of candles [in honor of Shabbos or Yom-Tov]
Halachah	Torah law Kabbalah ("received tradition"): the body of classical Jewish mystical teachings
kashrus	the state of being kosher, i.e., ritually valid or fit for use
Kohen (pl., Kohanim)	"priest"; i.e., a descendant of Aharon kuntreis: booklet lekach (Yid.): sweet cake (honey cake)
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
Mashiach	(lit., "the anointed one"): Messiah Megillah (pl., megillos): a scroll, esp. the Scroll of Esther which is publicly read on * Purim
Midrash	one of the classical collections of the Sages' homiletical teachings on the Torah, on the non-literal level of derush
minyan	quorum of at least ten adult males assembled for prayer or other mitzvah; place of public prayer; shul
Mishkan	the Tabernacle, i.e., the temporary Sanctuary in the wilderness; see Shmos 25ff.
mitzvah (pl., mitzvos)	a religious obligation; one of the 613 Commandments
Motzaei [Shabbos, etc.]	evening on which [a * Shabbos or * Yom-Tov] ends
parshah (pl., parshiyos)	portion of the Torah read publicly each week
Parshas...	the Parshah of [a certain Shabbos or festive occasion]
pnimiyus	the innermost, mystical dimension [of the Torah]
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.
pushke	(Yid.): box [for charity] Rebbe (common Yid. pronunciation of "my teacher [or master]"): tzaddik who serves as spiritual guide to a following of chassidim
Rebbitzin	(Yid.): wife of a rav or Rebbe Rosh HaShanah (lit., "head of the year"): the New Year festival, falling on [1] and [2] Tishrei
Sefirah (pl., Sefiros)	divine attributes or emanations which are manifested in each of the Four Worlds, and are the source of the ten corresponding faculties (kochos) of the soul
Shechinah	the Divine Presence Shabbos: the Sabbath Siddur (lit., "order [of prayers]"): prayer book Sukkos (lit., "Booths"): seven-day festival 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 Four Species taharas hamishpachah : the marital laws that safeguard a family's purity and integrity
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 (mishnayos) 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 C.E.; the Talmud Yerushalmi is the edition compiled in Eretz Yisrael at end of the fourth century C.E.
Tanach	acronym for Torah (i.e., the Five Books of Moses), Nevi'im (Prophets), and Kesuvim (the Holy 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 Likkutei 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
tzaddik (pl., tzaddikim)	completely righteous individual; Rebbe
tzedakah	charity tzniyus: modesty yahrzeit (Yid.): the anniversary of an individual's passing yechidus: private interview (rather: a meeting of souls) at which a chassid seeks guidance and enlightenment from his Rebbe
Yiddishkeit	(lit., "Jewishness"; Yid.): the Torah way of life Yom-Tov: a Jewish festival zemiros: the hymns sung at the Shabbos and Yom-Tov table Zohar (lit., "radiance"): classical work containing the mystical teachings of the Kabbalah

Hebrew/English Names of Biblical Books Cited

Transliteration of Hebrew Name	English Equivalent
Bamidbar	Numbers
Bereishis	Genesis
Chavakuk	Habakkuk
Devarim	Deuteronomy
Divrei HaYamim	Chronicles
Melachim	Kings
Michah	Micah
Mishlei	Proverbs
Shir HaShirim	Song of Songs
Shmos	Exodus
Shmuel	Samuel
Tehillim	Psalms
Vayikra	Leviticus
Yechezkel	Ezekiel
Yeshayahu	Isaiah
Yirmeyahu	Jeremiah
Zechariah	Zachariah