Even though It’s helpful to know how to read Hebrew, if you don’t, there is a way around it, transliteration.  No more guilt (even though it’s a part of being Jewish) for not being a fluent Hebrew reader, Do you want to know more than 150 Hebrew words?  here is your Fundamental Jewish-Ness dictionary. 5 words a day can take you a long way!  Yeshar Koach, <\/span>Strength to you. Enjoy.<\/p>\n

Abba <\/span><\/span>= <\/span>Daddy<\/p>\n

Adon Olam<\/span><\/span> = Master of the World<\/p>\n

Adamah<\/span><\/span> = Earth<\/p>\n

Adonai <\/span><\/span>= My master, God<\/p>\n

Ahavah <\/span><\/span>= <\/span>Love<\/p>\n

Havanah<\/span><\/span> = Understanding<\/p>\n

Afikoman<\/span><\/span> = The middle matzah on a Seder plate. During the Passover evening meal (Seder), hidden and the kids in attendance go to look for it, the one who finds it gets a gift<\/p>\n

Alav hashalom<\/span><\/span> = Rest in peace<\/p>\n

Aliyah <\/span><\/span>= <\/span>The act of being called to the Torah to say the blessing over the Torah before and after it is read.<\/p>\n

Amidah<\/span><\/span> = Standing up. It\u2019s the main prayer of each prayer service. The silent prayer in which we praise God, request our needs and express gratitude.<\/p>\n

Avodah<\/span><\/span> = Work, duty<\/p>\n

Avraham Avinu<\/span><\/span> = Our Father Abraham<\/p>\n

Baruch Hashem<\/span><\/span> = <\/span>Thank God<\/p>\n

Am Yisrael chai <\/span><\/span>= The Jewish people will live<\/p>\n

Aron hakodesh<\/span><\/span> = The Holy ark containing the Torah scrolls<\/p>\n

Avinu Malkenu<\/span><\/span> = Our Father, Our King.  Hebrew prayer of confession sung during the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services<\/p>\n

Balagan<\/span><\/span> = <\/span>chaos, mess and confusion<\/p>\n

Bar mitzvah<\/span><\/span> =Son of the commandments. This coming-of-age ceremony is held when a Jewish boy or girl reaches 13 years of age<\/p>\n

Bat mitzvah<\/span><\/span> = Daughter of the commandments. This coming-of-age ceremony is held when a Jewish orthodox girl reaches 12 years of age<\/p>\n

Bar\u2019chu <\/span><\/span>= The call to pray<\/p>\n

Beit K’neset<\/span><\/span> = Synagogue<\/p>\n

Bimah<\/span><\/span> = A stage in a synagogue from which services are conducted<\/p>\n

Brit<\/span><\/span> = T<\/span>he ritual circumcision performed when an infant boy is 8 days old, entering him into the covenant between God and Abraham.<\/p>\n

Bubbe<\/span><\/span> = Yiddish for grandmother.<\/p>\n

Bli Eyin Hara<\/span><\/span> = Without the evil eye<\/p>\n

Bli Neder<\/span><\/span> =  Without a vow, I promise without a vow<\/p>\n

Bracha<\/span><\/span> = <\/span>A blessing<\/p>\n

Brachot<\/span><\/span> = Blessings<\/p>\n

Chag Sameach<\/span><\/span> =<\/span> Happy holiday<\/p>\n

Challah <\/span><\/span>= Braided bread typically served on Shabbat<\/p>\n

Chanukah<\/span><\/span> = The 8 night festival of light, commemorating the miracle of one day\u2019s worth of oil burning for 8 days<\/p>\n

Chatunah<\/span><\/span> = Wedding<\/p>\n

Chazzan<\/span><\/span> = Cantor<\/p>\n

Chesed<\/span><\/span> = Kindness<\/p>\n

Chodesh Tov<\/span><\/span> = Good month<\/p>\n

Chol HaMoed<\/span><\/span> = The intermediate days between the 1st. and last two days of Pesach and Sukkos<\/p>\n

Chametz <\/span><\/span>= <\/span>Leavened bread, bagels, crackers, risen wheat, we don\u2019t eat on Pesach<\/p>\n

Chumash<\/span><\/span> = 5 books of the Torah \/ Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy<\/p>\n

Chuppah<\/span><\/span> = Wedding canopy<\/p>\n

Chutzpah<\/span><\/span> = Nerve positively \/ negative<\/p>\n

Chai<\/span><\/span> = Life<\/p>\n

Chametz<\/span><\/span> =  Non kosher food on Passover<\/p>\n

Charoset<\/span><\/span> = Mixture of wine, apples, nuts and cinnamon eaten at Passover. The texture is symbolic of the mortar used by Hebrew slaves in their building for Pharaoh.<\/p>\n

Chaver<\/span><\/span> =  A friend<\/p>\n

Chavurah<\/span><\/span>  Jewish study, worship and socializing group<\/p>\n

Erev<\/span><\/span> = Evening<\/p>\n

Erev Tov<\/span><\/span> = Good evening<\/p>\n

Ezrat Nashim<\/span><\/span> = Women\u2019s section in an Orthodox synagogue<\/p>\n

Etz Chayim<\/span><\/span> = Tree of life<\/p>\n

Gelt<\/span><\/span> = Money<\/p>\n

Get<\/span><\/span> = Jewish divorce document<\/p>\n

Gmar Chasima Tovah <\/span><\/span>= may you be inscribed for good, said between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur<\/p>\n

G’milut chasadim<\/span><\/span> = Acts of loving kindness<\/p>\n

Daven<\/span><\/span> = Pray<\/p>\n

Derech eretz<\/span><\/span> = manners<\/p>\n

Divrey Torah <\/span><\/span>= words of Torah<\/p>\n

Drasha<\/span><\/span> = Sermon<\/p>\n

Haggadah<\/span><\/span> = Passover book<\/p>\n

Hakafah<\/span><\/span> = Walking with the Torah scroll through the sanctuary<\/p>\n

Halachah<\/span><\/span> = Jewish law<\/p>\n

Hashem<\/span><\/span> =”The name\u201d the name of God<\/p>\n

Imma <\/span><\/span>= Mom<\/p>\n

Kaballah<\/span><\/span> = Jewish mysticism<\/p>\n

Kaddish<\/span><\/span> = Mourner\u2019s prayer in memory of the deceased.<\/p>\n

Kallah<\/span><\/span> = Fianc\u00e9e, female<\/p>\n

Kapara<\/span><\/span> \u2013 Atonement<\/p>\n

kavanna <\/span><\/span>=  Intention<\/p>\n

Kever  <\/span><\/span>= <\/span>Gravesite<\/p>\n

K’tubah<\/span><\/span> = Jewish wedding contract<\/p>\n

Kiddush<\/span><\/span> = Ceremonial blessing recited over wine<\/p>\n

Kiddush Hashem<\/span><\/span> = Sanctifying the name of God through action<\/p>\n

Kinderlach<\/span><\/span> = Kids<\/p>\n

Kittel<\/span><\/span> = White robe a wear under the chuppah, Rosh Hashana, Pesach and are buried in.<\/p>\n

Kippah<\/span><\/span> = Skull cap<\/p>\n

Kosher<\/span><\/span>  = clean, pure refers to food that has been ritually prepared or blessed so it can be eaten by religious Jews<\/p>\n

Kol Ishah<\/span><\/span> = <\/span>A woman’s voice<\/p>\n

Kol Nidrei<\/span><\/span> = Service held on Yom Kippur eve<\/p>\n

Kotel<\/span><\/span> = The Western Wall, Wailing Wall, this structure in Old Jerusalem is all that remains of a wall that surrounded the Second Temple, destroyed in 70 CE.<\/p>\n

Machzor<\/span><\/span> = High Holiday prayer book<\/p>\n

Magen David <\/span><\/span>= <\/span>Star of David<\/p>\n

Matzah<\/span><\/span> = U<\/span>nleavened bread eaten during the holiday of Passover<\/p>\n

Mashiach<\/span><\/span> = Redeemer<\/p>\n

Morah<\/span><\/span> = A teacher<\/p>\n

Mechitzah<\/span><\/span> = Curtain \/  partial wall in the sanctuary of an Orthodox synagogue  separating men and women during worship services<\/p>\n

Meshugah<\/span><\/span> = Crazy<\/p>\n

Megillah<\/span><\/span> = Scroll of Esther<\/p>\n

Mezuzah<\/span><\/span> = A parchment on which are written verses from the Torah, inserted into a case and attached to the door posts of Jewish homes.<\/p>\n

Mikvah <\/span><\/span>= <\/span>Ritual bath<\/p>\n

Minhagim<\/span><\/span> = Customs<\/p>\n

Minyan<\/span><\/span> = <\/span>Orthodox and Conservative synagogues require 1O males, above the age of 13, to recite certain prayers<\/p>\n

Mi Shebeirach <\/span><\/span>= <\/span>Prayer for healing<\/p>\n

Mishpachah<\/span><\/span> = <\/span>Family<\/p>\n

Mitzvah<\/span><\/span> = commandment, a good deed<\/p>\n

Mohel<\/span><\/span> = A Rabbi who performs circumcisions<\/p>\n

Mussaf<\/span><\/span> = A special prayer we say on Shabbat and holidays<\/p>\n

Nachat<\/span><\/span> = Pride parents get when their kid is doing well<\/p>\n

Neshama<\/span><\/span> = Soul, spirit<\/p>\n

Parnasah<\/span><\/span> = Income<\/p>\n

Parshah<\/span><\/span> = The weekly Torah portion, read every Shabbat completing one cycle each year.<\/p>\n

Pasuk<\/span><\/span> = Sentence<\/p>\n

Pirkey Avot<\/span><\/span> =  Ethics of Our Fathers<\/p>\n

Purim<\/span><\/span> = Celebrating the time when our enemies were plotting to annihilate us<\/p>\n

Pesach <\/span><\/span> = Passover, a week-long holiday celebrating the Israelites\u2019 Exodus from Egpyt, celebrated in the spring time<\/p>\n

Tehillim<\/span><\/span> = Book of psalms<\/p>\n

Rav<\/span><\/span> = Rabbi<\/p>\n

Refuah  Shlemah<\/span><\/span> = Complete recovery<\/p>\n

Rosh Hashana <\/span><\/span>= Head of the year. The beginning of the year<\/p>\n

Saba<\/span><\/span> = Grandpa<\/p>\n

Savta<\/span><\/span> = Grandma<\/p>\n

Seder<\/span><\/span> = Order.  The Passover order of the meal during which the story of the Exodus is told<\/p>\n

Shabbat<\/span><\/span> = <\/span>Saturday ( we welcome the Shabbat on Friday evening )<\/p>\n

Shacharit<\/span><\/span> = Dawn, morning service<\/p>\n

Shavuot<\/span><\/span> =  Weeks, celebrating the giving of the Torah upon Mount Sinai<\/p>\n

Shalom <\/span><\/span>= Hi, Peace, Goodbye<\/p>\n

Shanah<\/span><\/span> = <\/span>A year<\/p>\n

Shanah Tovah<\/span><\/span> = A good year, Rosh Hashsanah greeting<\/p>\n

Shema<\/span><\/span> = Hear, claiming the oneness of God, this is Judaism\u2019s most defining prayer<\/p>\n

Shivah<\/span><\/span> = <\/span>The seven day mourning period<\/p>\n

Shofar<\/span><\/span> = <\/span>Ram\u2019s horn blown during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services.<\/p>\n

Shomer Shabbat<\/span><\/span> = <\/span>observe the Shabbat laws, resting, not working<\/p>\n

Shul <\/span><\/span>= Synagogue<\/p>\n

Siddur<\/span><\/span> = Prayer book<\/p>\n

Simcha<\/span><\/span> = Happiness<\/p>\n

Simchat Torah<\/span><\/span> = <\/span>Holiday that celebrates conclusion of the yearly cycle of reading the Torah<\/p>\n

Sukkah<\/span><\/span> = Temporary shelter constructed during the harvest festival of Sukkot<\/p>\n

Talmud<\/span><\/span> =  The written collection of Jewish oral tradition.<\/p>\n

Tallit<\/span><\/span> = Prayer shawl<\/p>\n

Tanach<\/span><\/span> = <\/span>Acronym for<\/p>\n

*Torah <\/span>= The Five Books of Moses<\/p>\n

*Neviim<\/span> = Prophets<\/p>\n

*K’tuvim<\/span> = Holy Writings all of which constitute the three parts of the Bible<\/p>\n

Tareif <\/span><\/span>= <\/span>Not kosher<\/p>\n

T’fillin<\/span><\/span> = A set of black leather boxes containing parchment scrolls inscribed with verses from the Torah<\/p>\n

Tikkun olam<\/span><\/span> = <\/span>Repair of the world<\/p>\n

Todah<\/span><\/span> = <\/span>Thank you<\/p>\n

Tzitzit<\/span><\/span> = Attached to a four-cornered garment, fringes Orthodox men wear.<\/p>\n

Tzedekah<\/span><\/span> = Charity<\/p>\n

Ulpan<\/span><\/span> = An intensive learning course of the Hebrew language<\/p>\n

Yad Hashem<\/span><\/span> = The hand of God<\/p>\n

Yeshivah<\/span><\/span> =<\/span>  Sitting, and learning Torah<\/p>\n

Yeshar Koach<\/span><\/span> = Strength to you<\/p>\n

Yom Tov<\/span><\/span> = Good day<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jewish-Ness definition is the quality of being Jewish. Ness in Hebrew means a miracle. I like to define Jewish-Ness as miraculous Jews, as it feels like we’re being led by divine intervention. I’ll do my best to share some meaningful, Fundamental Jewish-Ness related content. \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3282,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,14],"tags":[29,30,31],"yoast_head":"\n