Alter Rebbe | Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad (1745-1812). Author of Tanya and Rav Shulchan Aruch, among numerous other works. His Shulchan Aruch is accepted as authoritative among all Chassidim. |
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Beis HaMikdosh | The Holy Temple in ancient Jerusalem. The first one was built by King Solomon and destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. The second was built by the returning exiles from Babylon and destroyed by Titus of Rome in 70 C.E.. The third will soon be built by Moshiach, never to be destroyed again. |
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Bamidbar | The Book of Numbers. |
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Bereishis | The Book of Genesis. |
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Chanah | Mother of the prophet Samuel who annointed King David. |
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Chassidus | Chassidic philosophy based on sayings of the Baal Shem Tov. |
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Devarim | The Book of Deuteronomy. |
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Eretz Yisrael | the Land of Israel. |
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Esav | Elder son of Isaac. Progenitor of Rome. |
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Farbrengen (Yiddish) | Chassidic gathering for discussing Chassidus, to recount greatness of Rebbeim and stories of Chassidim, and to give each other moral exhortation. In addition to its immediate purpose, a farbrengen serves to strengthen bonds among Chassidim. |
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Gittin | Tractate of the Talmud dealing with divorce laws. |
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Hakkafah | Circling the synagogue on the Simchat Torah festival. |
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Halachah | Jewish Law. |
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Halachic | Of, or having to do with Halachah, i.e. Jewish Law. |
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Haman | A servant of Persian king Achashverosh who attempted to destroy the entire Jewish people in the year 474 BCE. |
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Hisvaadiyos | Anthology of the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s public farbrengens. |
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Hilchos Shabbos | The Laws regarding the Shabbos. |
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Iyar | Eighth Jewish month counting from Tishrei. |
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Kiddushin | Tractate of the Talmud dealing with marriage laws. |
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Kislev | 3rd Jewish month counting from Tishrei. |
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Mazal | Astrological source of life. |
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Melech | King. |
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Midrash | Homiletical exposition of the Torah |
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Mikveh | Bath of Jewish spiritual purity. |
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Minyan | When 10 Jews gather, this constitutes a Minyan. |
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Mishnah | Oral Law |
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Mitzvah | Commandment or good deed. There are 613 commandments. |
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Mivtzoyim | Jewish awareness campaigns initiated by the Lubavitcher Rebbe. |
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Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah | Council of Sages of Agudath Israel |
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Moshiach | Messiah. He will unite the world, such that there will no longer be hunger nor war... |
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Motzoei Shabbos | Evening following the conclusion of the Sabbath. |
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Parsha | Weekly reading of the books of Moses on the Sabbath morning. |
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Pikuach Nefesh | Immediate danger of loss of a life. |
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Psak-din | Authoritative Halachic ruling given by qualified Rabbis who are experts at Jewish jurisprudence. |
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Purim | Festival commemorating the miraculous turn of events where the Jewish nation were not only saved from Haman, but were even permitted to seek revenge on the plotters. Note: Nazi Albert Streicher’s last words before being hung were, “Purim Festival 1946”. |
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Rabbonim | see Rav |
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Rambam | Maimonides. |
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Rav (pl. Rabbonim) | Rabbi or, literally, “teacher.” |
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Rosh Yeshivah | Head of a Yeshivah, a house of learning Torah. |
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Sanhedrin | Rabbinic courts in the time of the Temple. |
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Sefer (pl. Seforim) | Book of religious content. |
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Seforim | see Sefer. |
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Sh’mos | Book of Exodus. |
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Shabbos | Jewish Sabbath. |
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Shemini Atzeres | The festival following the festival of Succos. |
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Shleimus HaAm | The preservation of the purity of the Jewish people. |
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Shleimus HaAretz | The entire land of Israel as delineated in the Bible. |
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Shleimus HaTorah | The complete Bible without any missing letters. |
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Shmuel | The prophet Samuel. |
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Sicha (pl. Sichos) | Public address of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. |
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Talmud | Discussions of the Amoraic Rabbis in the third to fifth centuries explaining the Oral Law. |
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Talmudist | Scholar of Talmud. |
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Tammuz | Tenth Jewish month. |
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Tanya | Monumental philosophical work of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the first Lubavitcher Rebbe. |
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Tefillin | Phylacteries worn by Jewish men during morning prayers. |
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Tomchei Tmimim | The name of the first Lubavitcher Yeshiva established in the White Russian town of Lubavitch in 1897. From there sprang thousands of students, who withstood the web of Stalin against all odds. It is these students, that the Rebbe’s father-in-law’s father (refered to in text) charged with the world shattering task of bringing Moshiach. This task was allocated during a Simchas Torah address to the students of Tomchei Tmimim in the year 1900 (see this treatise in Hebrew, or English version published by the Kehot Publication Society 1993). |
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Tevilas Ezra | Decree of Ezra requiring immersion in case of emission. |
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Torah | Old Testament. |
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Tzedakah | Giving to those in need. |
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Vayikra | Book of Leviticus. |
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Yeshivah (pl. Yeshivos) | Place of study of Judaism |
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Yisrael | Israel. Sometimes refers to Jacob. |
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Yishmael | Elder son of Abraham and progenitor of Arab people. |
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Yom Tov | Jewish festival day such as Passover. |
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