Adam haRishon: The first human being
Adam Kadmon: The Kabblistic term for primordial man; the soul out of which all souls come
Akiva, Rabbi: One of the greatest Jewish sages, born 20 CE; well known for both his personal story (he and his wife Rachel are the major players in the greatest love story in the Talmud) as well as his teachings, particularly the paradox, “All is foreseen and free will is given”
Alkebetz, Rabbi Shlomo Halevi: Great Kabbalists born in 1500; author of the well-known Sabbath hymn “L’cha Dodi”
Amen: The traditional response to a Hebrew blessing, implying “it is so” or “I agree”; Kabbalists believe that responding “Amen” to a traditional blessing helps send the blessing to God; the one who responds “Amen” spiritually connects with the blessing and joins it its ascent
Ari: Acronym of Rabbi Isaac Luria, born 1534; universally considered the greatest Kabbalist in history
Aseret hadibrot: The ten utterances; although this is the term used to refer to the Ten Commandments, it’s also a reference to the fundamental tenet of Kabbalah that God constantly creates the world through the sustained divine speech in the form of ten primary flows of divine plenty, the ten sefirot
Assiyah: The world of action; one of the four worlds
Atzilut: The world of emanation; one of the four worlds
Avinu Malkenu: An important prayer in Jewish liturgy; literally “our Father, our King,” which expresses the divine paradox of God being far and near
Avraham: The biblical patriarch Abraham, who is the manifestation of the sefirah of Chesed (lovingkindness)
Ba’alaht teshuvah: A female who isn’t originally an observant Jew but who becomes observant; literally a “master of return”
Baal Shem Tov: Rabbi Israel, Kabbalist and founder of Hasidism; literally “Master of the Good Name”; see Hasidism
Ba’al teshuvah: A male who isn’t originally an observant Jew but who becomes observant; literally a “master of return”
Bamidbar: Hebrew name for the book of Numbers in the Bible
Bar Mitzvah: Coming-of-age ceremony for a 13-year-old Jewish boy when he begins a process that leads to becoming a fully responsible adult; signals the beginning of the process of the soul’s maturation to a state where it’s fully challenged by the temptations of good and evil
Baruch dayan emet: The blessing said upon hearing of a death or other bad news; literally “Blessed is the True Judge”
Bashert: Destined, fated; commonly used to refer to the person who is one’s destined soul mate
Bat mitzvah: Coming-of-age ceremony for a 12-year-old Jewish girl when she begins a process that leads to becoming a fully responsible adult
Bereshit: Hebrew name for the book of Genesis in the Bible
Beriyah: The world of creation; one of the four worlds
Binah: Understanding; one of the ten sefirot
Birkat HaMazon: Traditional Jewish grace after meals
Bitachon: Trust in God
Bracha: Blessing
Brit milah: Ritual circumcision
Caro, Rabbi Yosef: Great Kabbalist born in 1488; well known as the author/compiler of the Code of Jewish Law
Chabad: The spiritual approach of Lubavitch Chasidism; literally an acronym of the three sefirot of Chochmah, Binah, and Da’at
Challot: Traditional Jewish braided bread eaten on the Sabbath; plural form of challah
Chanukah: Festival of Lights
Chavah: Hebrew name for the biblical Eve
Chaya: One of the five levels of the human soul
Chesed: Lovingkindness; one of the ten sefirot
Cheshbon hanefesh: Nighttime ritual of evaluating one’s actions and thoughts of the day that’s ending; literally “accounting of the soul”
Chevrusah: Torah study partner; the importance of studying Torah with a partner makes the relationship with a chevrusah one of the most cherished relationships in one’s life
Chidush: An original, innovative interpretation, usually of a verse in the Torah
Chochmah: Wisdom; one of the ten sefirot
Chumash: The Five Books of Moses; literally “five”
Cordovero, Rabbi Moshe: Prominent Kabbalist born in 1522; author of one of the classic works of Kabbalah, Pardes Rimonim
Daat: Knowledge; one of the ten sefirot
Devarim: Hebrew name for the book of Deuteronomy in the Bible
Devekut: Cleaving to God
Din: Judgment; another name for one of the ten sefirot, Gevurah
Drash: Homiletic interpretation of the Torah; see Pardes
Dvar Torah: Usually a short sermon or talk on a spiritual topic; literally “word of Torah”
Ehyeh asher ehyeh: Biblical phrase spoken by God to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:14); literally “I am that I am”
Ein Sof: Kabbalistic term for God’s essence; literally “without end”
Elul: Hebrew month leading up to the Jewish New Year; dedicated to introspection and examination of one’s deeds and goals
Emunah: Faith in God
Gam zu l’tova: Aramaic expression meaning “this too is for the best”; literally “also this is for good”
Gaon: Genius; a title given to rare individuals of exceptional intellectual and spiritual ability
Gedulah: Greatness; another name for the sefirah of Chesed
Gemara: Rabbinic commentary on the Mishnah that’s part of the Talmud; literally “completion”
Gevurah: Strength; one of the ten sefirot
Gilgul HaNefesh: Kabbalistic term for reincarnation; literally “revolving of the soul”
Hagaddah: Book used during the Passover meal that tells the story of the Children of Israel’s exodus from Egypt
Hamakom: One of the names of God; literally “the Place”
Hanukkah: see Chanukah
Hashem: Hebrew term used to refer to God; literally “the Name”
Hashgacha pratit: Divine providence, meaning that God is the force behind all events; literally “private/individual supervision”
Hasidism: The greatest revival movement in Jewish history; dedicated to teaching Kabbalah to the masses; founded by the Baal Shem Tov
Havdalah: Ritual at the end of the Sabbath that ushers in the new week; literally “separation”
Hidur mitzvah: Act of enhancing the beauty of religious acts (such as setting a beautiful table for the Sabbath); literally “glorifying a commandment”
Hillel: Talmudic sage who lived in the first century BC; best known for wise sayings such as “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. That is the whole Torah; the rest is commentary. Go and study it.”
Hod: Splendor; one of the ten sefirot
Iggeret Hakodesh: Kabbalistic text attributed to Nachmanides that deals with human sexuality; literally “the holy letter”
Jerusalem: The holiest city in Judaism; the capital of the State of Israel
Kabbalah: The theology of the Jewish people; literally “received [tradition]”
Kaddish: A traditional Jewish prayer in a variety of forms, the best known being the mourner’s prayer; literally “sanctification”
Kavanah: Inner intention
Keter: Crown; one of the ten sefirot
Ketubah: Jewish marriage contract
Ketuvim: One of the three major parts of the Holy Scriptures of Judaism, includes the Psalms, the Song of Songs, and Proverbs; literally “writings”
Kiddush: Hebrew prayer recited on the Sabbath and Holy Days before drinking a cup of wine; literally “sanctification”
Knesset hagadol: The main spiritual and legislative body of the post-prophetic era; Jewish council of the wisest men of the fifth century BCE, literally “the Great Assembly”
Kohelet: Hebrew name for the book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible
Lag B’Omer: The 33rd day of the Counting of Omer; commemorates a break in the plague that killed students of Rabbi Akiva; also the day of the death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, author of the Zohar
Luria, Rabbi Isaac: see Ari
Maariv: Daily evening prayer session; literally “evening”
Maaseh bereshit: Kabbalistic study of the part of the biblical book of Genesis dealing with the Creation; literally “the work of Creation”
Maaseh merkavah: Kabbalistic study of the part of the biblical book of Ezekiel dealing with the prophet’s vision of a divine chariot; literally “the work of the Chariot”
Machzor: Jewish prayer book for holy days other than the Sabbath; literally “cycle”
Malach: An angel
Malach hamavet: Angel of Death
Malchut: Kingdom; one of the ten sefirot
Matzah: Unleavened bread eaten on the holy days of Passover
Mazal: Luck, fate
Megillat Esther: The biblical book of Esther, read publicly on the Jewish holy day of Purim
Melech: King
Meron: City in Israel; the burial place of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, author of the Zohar, as well as his son Rabbi Elazar, the sages Hillel and Shammai, and other great sages of Judaism and Kabbalah
Midrash: A homily or story that expands on a biblical verse as a way of interpreting the text; also refers to any number of compilations of such interpretations; literally “inquiry”
Mikvah: Ritual bath used by married women on a monthly basis to fulfill the laws of family purity; also used daily by many pious Jews; use is a requirement for conversion
Minchah: Afternoon daily prayer session; literally “offering”
Mishnah: Compilation of the oral law of Judaism by Judah the Prince, the leader of the Jewish people; traditionally believed to be given orally by God to Moses at Mount Sinai
Mishneh Torah: Kabbalistic text comprised of 14 books written and compiled by Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides, also known as the Rambam); intended to be a summary of the entire body of Jewish religious law; literally “the Second Law”
Mitzraim: Hebrew term for ancient Egypt, literally “a narrow place”
Modeh ani (M)/Modah ani (F): Short prayer of gratitude that’s recited at the moment of awakening each day; commonly the first prayer taught to children
Naaseh v’nishmah: Phrase from the Torah (Exodus 24:7) spoken by the Children of Israel to Moses after Moses read the Book of the Covenant to them; it means “We will do and we will listen [understand]”
Nachmanides: Another name for the great Kabbalist Moshe ben Nahman, who wrote many classic works including a popular commentary on the Torah
Nefesh: One of the five levels of the soul
Neshamah: One of the five levels of the soul
Netzach: Victory; one of the ten sefirot
Nevi’im: The books of the Prophets
Nochosh: The biblical term for the snake in the Garden of Eden in the book of Genesis; the snake represents the evil tempter, also referred to as Satan
Nusach Sefarad: Style of praying, in content and pronunciation, used by Hasidim and other Eastern European Jews for a number of centuries; despite the reference to “Sefardic” (of Spanish and Portuguese descent), it isn’t the way contemporary Sefardic Jews speak and pray
Ohel: Commonly refers to the little house sometimes built over a gravestone; literally “tent”; in modern Jewish circles, if one says that he’ll visit “the ohel” in New York, he’s referring to the graves of two great Kabbalists of the 20th century, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, and his father-in-law, the previous Rebbe of Lubavitch, Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Schneersohn
Olam: World; in Kabbalistic terms, a world is a plane of existence, and both reality and human beings consist of four worlds: a physical world of action, an emotional world, an intellectual world, and a spiritual world
Olam haba: The world to come
Olom hazeh: This world
Oneg: Delight; commonly used in the form of oneg Shabbat, the refreshments served after prayer at most synagogues on Friday nights, when the Sabbath begins
Pardes: orchard or garden; forms the basis of the English word “paradise”; an acronym of four Hebrew letters that correspond to the different levels of understanding the verses of the Torah (the literal meaning, the moral message, that which is implied but not explicitly stated, and the mystical, Kabbalistic level)
Pesach (Passover): A seven-day holy day (eight days outside of Israel) commemorating the Children of Israel’s exodus from Egypt (led by Moses) to escape bondage as slaves to Pharaoh; marked by many customs, including family gatherings to tell the story of the exodus and the eating of unleavened bread, matzah, for at least the first day (a prohibition against eating leaven remains in force for all the days). Unbeknownst to many contemporary practitioners, all the details of the laws of Pesach reflect Kabbalistic teachings.
Pirke Avot: Section of the Mishnah consisting of wise sayings of the great sages of Jewish and therefore Kabbalistic tradition; found in the Sabbath afternoon section of traditional Jewish prayer books because it’s customary to study these verses on the Sabbath; literally “the Chapters of the Fathers”
P’shat: Looking at verses from the Torah in a plain, simple, literal way
Purim: The holy day in late winter when Kabbalists publicly read the book of Esther from the Torah; students of this holy day focus on a number of fundamental Kabbalistic principles including the view that God is behind all occurrences and events
Rabbi: Title given to individuals who have proven to a tribunal of well- established rabbis that they can pass certain examinations to measure aspects of their qualifications for the position, its title, and its responsibilities; literally “my teacher”
Rambam: Traditional acronym for 12th-century Rabbi Moses ben Maimon; known to have written that his masterpiece, the Mishneh Torah, contains “everything”
Rebbe: see Schneeerson, Rabbi Menachem Mendel
Remez: One of the four levels of approaching verses in the Torah (see Pardes ); urges the Torah student to try to see beyond what the verse says literally to what’s implied from the language of the Torah; literally “hint”
Rodef: A pursuer of peace (many synagogues in the United States are named Rodef Shalom) or a murderous pursuer (a person who’s going to killing someone); literally “pursuer”
Rosh Chodesh: The New Moon; a monthly holiday celebrating the beginning of the new month (as determined by the lunar cycle); literally “the head of the month”
Rosh Hashanah: Holy day that begins a ten-day period of intense prayer and introspection called the Days of Awe, during which Kabbalists examine past actions and pray for the ability to improve and to choose correctly in the future; literally “the head of the year”
Ruach HaKodesh: A level of consciousness attained by certain people at certain times when the person can experience reality and speak from an extraordinarily high spiritual level, as if to say a spirit from God shines a special light on the person whose words and thoughts come from the holiest of places; literally “the holy spirit”
Satan: The evil inclination; also represented as the snake (see Nochosh ); represents a figure in the deepest levels of spiritual discussion about the nature of good and evil and the relationship between the human soul and its various urges and appetites
Schneeerson, Rabbi Menachem Mendel: Spiritual giant of the 20th century who’s known simply as the Rebbe to Jews around the world today; a great scholar of the Talmud and the works of Kabbalah whose guidance was sought by countless people during the decades of his leadership in the Jewish world
Seder: The festive family dinner of Passover (see Pesach ) during which family members, friends, and guests gather to recount and celebrate the exodus from slavery in ancient Egypt, led by Moses; literally “order”
Sefer Bahir: An ancient Kabbalistic text of great significance to the student of Kabbalah; the first book that explicitly discusses the sefirot as divine attributes and powers emanating from God; literally “the Book of Brilliance”
Sefer Yetzirah: An ancient Kabbalistic text considered by some as the earliest Kabbalistic text; deals with the structure of Creation; many great scholars have written commentaries on Sefer Yetzirah; literally “the Book of Formation”
Sefirah: Singular form of sefirot; see Sefirot
Sefirat HaOmer: The period of seven weeks between the holy days of Passover and Shavuot; part of each day is devoted to a meditation on the sefirot, their meanings, and the ways in which they combine
Sefirot: The ten fundamental forces that are the basic instruments of the Divine; the ten are Keter, Chochmah, Binah, Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod, and Malkhut; point to a profound Kabbalistic area of study having to do with the human potential for true knowledge of God; English translations include “number,” “category,” “sphere,” “lights,” and other terms
Shabbat: Also known as the Sabbath; the seventh day of the week; a weekly day of rest that’s dedicated to prayer, Torah study, and a sense of gratitude and delight; the details of Shabbat rituals, including the precise details of Shabbat evening meal, are all of Kabbalistic significance
Shacharit: Morning daily prayer session; literally “dawn” or “daybreak”
Shalom Zachor: Traditional ritual performed for newborn boys on the first Shabbat after birth that’s marked by a celebration of the birth and an awareness that the world of action into which the boy’s soul has arrived; the celebration wishes tidings of peace to the newcomer; literally “peace little boy”
Shammai: Talmudic sage who lived in the first century BCE and who, with his school and his disciples, developed a counterbalance to the points of view of the sage Hillel and his school; his mutual explorations of spiritual as well as down-to-earth issues have led to students carefully weighing all sides of an issue
Shamor: One of the attitudes that Kabbalists cultivate toward the divine gift of Shabbat (the other attitude is Zachor; see Zachor ); requires a person to be steadfast and to protect the sanctity of the Sabbath; literally “to guard”
Shavuot: Holy day observed each spring, seven weeks after the beginning of Passover (see Pesach ); celebrates the giving of the Torah by God to Moses and his People
Shehechiyanu: A reference to a popular blessing recited on major holy days and many other milestone occasions expressing gratitude to God for one’s existence and recognizing that God is sustaining the Creation at every moment; literally “who keeps us alive”
Sh’ma: The first word of a central prayer recited twice a day declaring God’s Oneness, which Kabbalistic tradition contemplates; literally “hear”
Shemot: Hebrew name for the book of Exodus in the Five Books of Moses
Shimon bar Yochai, Rabbi: Colleague of Rabbi Akiva (see Akiva, Rabbi ) who lived in the first century CE; traditionally considered the author of the Zohar
Shir Hashirim: Book contained in the section of the Holy Scriptures called Ketuvim (see Ketuvim ); literally “Song of Songs”
Shiva: Period of one week following the death of a loved one; spent in introspection and gradual adjustment to the fact that a loved one’s soul has separated from his or her body
Shloshim: Thirty-day period following the death of a loved one; spent in continued gradual adjustment to the fact that a loved one’s soul has separated from his or her body
Shnei Luchot Habrit: A revered Kabbalistic text by Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz, who lived in the 17th century; literally “two tablets of the covenant”
Shulchan Aruch: Authoritative Code of Jewish Law written and compiled by Rabbi Joseph Caro, a 16th-century Kabbalist; is consulted today as the primary source of Jewish law; literally “the prepared table”
Siddur: Standard Jewish prayer book used daily by Kabbalists throughout the centuries; from the Hebrew word for “order”
Simchat Torah: Holy day in the fall when Kabbalists participate in the synagogue celebration of actually dancing with a Torah scroll and rejoicing in the love of the Torah; literally “the joys of the Torah”
Sod: Splendor; one of the ten sefirot
Sukkot: A fall holiday of eight days, which trace their origins to the Torah; marked by the custom of building temporary huts and living as much as possible in them, it’s both a joyful time as well as a time to contemplate what’s permanent and what’s transitory at a time of year when one is surrounded by the fruits of one’s harvest
Talmud: A literary and spiritual work comprised of 63 book-length parts that’s the central pillar of Jewish culture; contains thousands of years of Jewish wisdom and has been studied by the great Kabbalists throughout the centuries, all of whom saw Talmud study as a requirement of their spiritual work
Tanach: Popular Hebrew acronym for the three parts of the Holy Scriptures: the Torah (the Five Books of Moses), Nevi’im (the books of the Prophets), and Ketuvim (the Writings)
Tefillah: Prayer
Tehillim: The biblical book of Psalms, most of which are attributed to King David; expresses a vast range of human thought and emotion; selections are often a part of the daily and holy day liturgies
Teshuvah: Profound spiritual process of refining oneself and changing; the ability to use one’s mistakes to prompt movement in a good direction; tradition calls for Kabbalists to strive for Teshuvah constantly; literally “turning”
Tiferet: Beauty; one of the ten sefirot
Tikkun: Repair; commonly used in the phrase “Tikkun Olam,” which refers to repairing the world; the Kabbalist’s primary task is repairing the imperfect world
Tisha b’Av: The ninth day of the month of Av, which usually falls in August; the saddest day on the Jewish calendar in that it commemorates the destruction of both Holy Temples in Jerusalem as well as other well-known Jewish calamities and tragedies that also occurred on that day; observed by fasting and participating in communal prayer with a mood of mourning
Torah: Refers to the Five Books of Moses, the entire Holy Scriptures, the whole body of Torah literature throughout history, and more; the “place” where all Kabbalists meet as students of the holy texts
Tzfat: City in Northern Israel that was the center of the greatest flowering of Kabbalah in history; home of some of the most important Kabbalists in the 16th century
Tzimtzum: The contraction that God willed in order to make room for Creation; Kabbalists should follow this example and contract, making themselves humble; literally “contraction”
Tzedakah: The act of giving charity, which is an act of justice, of putting things right, according to Jewish thought and law; at least 10 percent of the Kabbalist’s earnings should go to charity; literally “justice”
Vayikrah: The Five Books of Moses known as Leviticus
Vidui: The text spoken on one’s death bed; also the name of the confessional prayers recited on the day of Yom Kippur (see Yom Kippur ); literally “confession”
Vilna Gaon: Also known as Rabbi Elijah, a great 18th-century leader of Lithuanian Jewry and master of Kabbalah; wrote an important commentary on one of the classics of Kabbalah, Sefer Yeztirah; universally considered a genius; literally “the genius from Vilna”
Yaakov: Biblical patriarch known as Jacob; the son of Isaac
Yartzeit: The anniversary of a person’s death; both a day of memory and a day when a Kabbalist confirms the belief that death is the soul’s graduation to the next station in its spiritual journey; literally “year’s time”
Yechidah: One of the five levels of the soul
Yeshiva: A traditional Jewish religious school; literally “place of sitting”
Yesod: Foundation; one of the ten sefirot
Yetzer hatov: Good inclination that’s in constant struggle with the evil inclination, Yetzer hara (see Yetzer hara )
Yetzerah: The world of formation; one of the four worlds
Yetzer hara: Evil inclination that’s in constant struggle with the good inclination, Yetzer hatov (see Yetzer hatov )
Yitzchak: Biblical patriarch known as Isaac; the son of Abraham and the father of Jacob
Yom Kippur: One of the Days of Awe; holy day in the fall that’s marked by fasting and praying that lead the Kabbalist in the direction of joy, spiritual victory, and faith in God’s acceptance of one’s prayers
Zachor: One of the attitudes that Kabbalists cultivate toward the divine gift of Shabbat (the other attitude is Shamor; see Shamor ); requires a person to recall the gift of the Sabbath each week; literally “to remember”
Zohar: Spiritual masterpiece that’s structured as a commentary on the Torah; traditionally attributed to the first century CE sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (see Shimon bar Yochai, Rabbi ); considered the major work of Kabbalah