AGGADAH from the Hebrew verb “to tell.” A category of rabbinic texts defined by its interest in narrative. A variety of topics are labeled aggadah, from parables to folklore, though they are all assumed to contrast with the legal category of halakhah.
‘AMIDAH a central component of the daily rabbinic prayer service, this liturgy also is referred to as “The Prayer” (Hebrew ha-tefillah).
AMORA/AMORAIM/AMORAIC “Speakers” or “Explainers” in Aramaic. The Amoraim (singular Amora) are the second major group of rabbinic figures, active in both Palestine and Babylonia from the mid-third until roughly the early sixth centuries C.E.
’ANDROGINOS a dual-sexed hermaphrodite. Hebrew, from Greek.
‘ARAVAH “willow” in Hebrew; one of the four species used in Sukkot ritual.
‘AVODAH ZARAH “foreign worship” in Hebrew, i.e., idolatry.
’AYLONIT Hebrew term for a person identified as “female” at birth who at the onset of puberty develops “male” characteristics and is infertile.
BAR “son” in Aramaic.
BARAITA’ “outside” in Aramaic (plural baraitot). Refers to a rabbinic tradition reputed to be of tannaitic origin that is cited in an amoraic text. This attribution of earlier authorship may or may not be accurate.
BEYT HA-MIQDASH Hebrew term referring to the Temple. Literally, “The House of Holiness/Sanctification.”
BEYT HA-MIDRASH Hebrew term referring to the rabbinic study-house. Literally “The House of Study.”
BEN “son” in Hebrew.
BEY “son” in Hebrew.
DARKHEI HA-’EMORI “the ways of the Amorites” in Hebrew. A collection of practices of which some Rabbis disapprove, but for which they have no clear basis in which to ground a prohibition.
‘ERUV “mixture” in Hebrew. A rabbinic legal fiction in which multiple domains are “mixed” into a single domain. Since carrying objects from one domain into another is prohibited on the Sabbath, this allows for transporting objects farther on the Sabbath than would otherwise be allowable.
’ETROG “citron” in Hebrew; one of the four species used in Sukkot ritual.
GEMARA’ the amoraic commentary on Mishnah; from an Aramaic root meaning both “to complete” and “to learn.”
GEMATRIYA’ An interpretive activity in which each letter of a word is converted to a number and then the numbers are analyzed for their interpretive value. Based on the rabbinic presumption of divine authorship, gematriya’ assumes God intended these numbers to be added and interpreted. Hebrew, from Greek.
GER “resident outsider,” in Hebrew. The Hebrew Bible devotes significant attention to regulations governing this category.
GEZERAH SHAVAH Hebrew term for analogy, one of the basic rabbinic hermeneutic principles, which allows for the comparison of multiple biblical passages based on shared language, such as word repetition.
HADAS “myrtle” in Hebrew; one of the four species used in Sukkot ritual.
HAGGADAH “Telling” in Hebrew. The Haggadah is the ritual recitation of the Passover story, which functions as the central liturgical script for the rabbinic Passover Seder.
HALAKHAH normative rabbinic law, from the Hebrew meaning “path” or “way.” Also refers to a category of rabbinic texts defined by its attention to legal matters. The adjective is halakhic.
ḤALITZAH from the Hebrew word used in Deuteronomy 25:9 for untying a shoe, this refers to the ritual refusal of a woman to partake in Levirate marriage (Hebrew yibum) and marry a brother of her deceased husband, with whom she had no children.
ḤAMETZ “leaven” in Hebrew. This category of food can neither be consumed, owned, nor derived benefit from on Passover.
HAVDALAH “separation” or “division” in Hebrew. A rabbinic ritual that serves to distinguish the sacred time of Shabbat or a holiday from the secular day that follows.
ḤIDDUSH Hebrew term referring to a unique legal case or legal innovation.
ḤUPPAH “bridal canopy” in Hebrew. Often refers to the rabbinic wedding ceremony.
KASHRUT abstract Hebrew noun of kasher (“kosher”), meaning “fit/valid/permissible/suitable,” often associated with food. The Rabbis use the term to refer to a variety of contexts in which they assess the validity of a person/object/substance for a given category.
KETIV Aramaic for “that which is written,” a rabbinic practice wherein a potentially problematic biblical word or phrase is preserved as written (ketiv), but pronounced in a corrected form when read aloud liturgically (qere).
KETUBBAH Hebrew term referring to a boilerplate rabbinic marriage contract, which stipulates economic arrangements and other responsibilities of both parties.
KUTI/KUTIM Samaritan/Samaritans in Hebrew. Though Samaritans claimed a shared history with ancient Israelites, they branched off and forged a similar, but distinct, path. For this reason, the Rabbis consider them to be an intermediate group, sometimes included in Us, and other times in Them.
LOG Hebrew for a common rabbinic small measure of liquid volume. A quarter of a log of undiluted wine is often deemed equivalent to four cups of diluted wine.
LULAV “date-palm frond” in Hebrew; one of the four species used in Sukkot ritual.
MA‘ASEH Hebrew term best translated as “Once upon a time . . .,” referring to an (often fictional) event in the past that has pedagogical and/or legal implications.
MAKHSHIRIN often translated as “prepared for ritual impurity,” this Hebrew term refers to an object that is susceptible to ritual impurity if it comes into contact with a liquid that transmits ritual impurity. More specifically, it refers to the liquids themselves that transmit this ritual impurity.
MAMZER Hebrew term (plural mamzerim) for a child conceived as a result of incest or adultery.
MASEKHET “web” in Hebrew (plural masekhtot), a tractate of Mishnah or Talmud.
MATZAH “unleavened bread” in Hebrew. The central food consumed on Passover.
MAYIM HA-MARIM “the bitter waters” in Hebrew. The biblical ritual in which a suspected adulteress must submit to an elaborate ritual ordeal, which is understood to “prove” her guilt or innocence.
ME‘ILAH Hebrew for theft of sacred property.
MELA’KHOT Hebrew for thirty-nine categories of labor prohibited on the Sabbath.
MIDRASH from a Hebrew root meaning “to investigate,” a rabbinic interpretative practice governed by certain rules as to this investigation can occur. Midrash can refer to the actual interpretive activity and to collections of these interpretations, so both to the process and the product (i.e., a text).
MINḤAH Hebrew term for the daily afternoon sacrifice during the time of the Temple, which the Rabbis translate into a daily afternoon prayer service.
MIQVEH “ritual bath” in Hebrew (plural miqva’ot). Immersion in a miqveh is part of the ritual purification process. Especially associated with niddah purification ritual and conversion.
MISHTEH “drinking party” in Hebrew. Usually refers to a wedding feast.
MITZVAH “commandment” in Hebrew.
NAZIR Hebrew term for laypersons who vow to abstain from wine (and various associated foodstuffs), refrain from cutting their hair, and not become ritually impure through contact with corpses.
NEVELAH “carrion” in Hebrew. In the Hebrew Bible, an animal that dies a natural death. The Rabbis change the meaning of the term to refer to an improperly slaughtered animal.
NIDDAH “menstruant” in Hebrew, the status of a woman who is menstruating, which has ritual impurity implications.
‘OLAM HA-BA’ “the world to come” in Hebrew. A future time when the scales of justice will be rebalanced, the wicked will receive their punishment, and the righteous their reward. Unlike ‘olam ha-zeh, the world to come will endure forever.
‘OLAM HA-ZEH “this world” in Hebrew. The present reality, ephemeral in contrast to ‘olam ha-ba’.
‘ONAH Hebrew term referring to the conjugal rights that a husband owes his wife.
‘OVDEY KOKHAVIM “worshippers of the stars” in Hebrew. A common rabbinic term for idolaters.
PARSHAH section of the Hebrew Bible in Hebrew.
PASSOVER one of the three Pilgrimage Festivals, Passover (Hebrew Pesaḥ) commemorates the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt.
PIQUAḤ NEFESH “preservation of life” in Hebrew. According to the Rabbis, the preservation of life supersedes any commandment, with only three exceptions: idolatry, forbidden sexual relations, and murder.
QERE “that which is read” in Aramaic. A rabbinic practice in which a potentially problematic biblical word or phrase is preserved as written (ketiv), but pronounced in a corrected form when read aloud liturgically (qere).
QIDDUSH “declare holy” or “sanctification” in Hebrew. Refers to the blessing over wine before the Friday evening Sabbath meal (and other holidays).
ROSH HASHANAH “head of the year” in Hebrew. The Jewish New Year.
SARIS “eunuch” in Hebrew.
SEDER “Order” in Hebrew. Central rabbinic Passover ritual, which includes recitation of the Haggadah and consumption of matzah and four cups of wine.
SHABBAT “Sabbath” in Hebrew. The day of rest, lasting from sundown on Friday night until sundown on Saturday night. Work is prohibited and a variety of liturgical and eating and drinking practices are mandated on Shabbat.
SHAVUOT “Weeks” in Hebrew. One of the three Pilgrimage Festivals, important for reasons unclear in the Hebrew Bible. Eventually, the Rabbis associated Shavuot with the commemoration of the giving of Torah at Mount Sinai.
SHEMA‘ “Hear!” in Hebrew, a central rabbinic prayer, recited twice daily. Composed of three scriptural passages (Deuteronomy 6:4–9 and 11:13–21; Numbers 15:37–41).
SHOFAR ram’s horn in Hebrew, a trumpet blown in the month leading up to Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, on which holidays the shofar is an integral part of the liturgy.
SOTAH “suspected adulteress” in Hebrew. A woman suspected of committing adultery, but with no substantiating proof, can be forced by her husband to undergo the bitter waters test (Hebrew mayim ha-marim).
SUGYA’ Aramaic term referring to a textual unit in the Talmud (plural sugyot).
SUKKOT “Booths” in Hebrew. One of the three Pilgrimage Festivals, Sukkot commemorates the conclusion of the yearly harvest season.
TAMḤUI communal soup kitchen in Hebrew.
TANNA/TANNAIM/TANNAITIC “Repeaters” or “Teachers” in Aramaic. The Tannaim (singular Tanna) were the first major group of Rabbis active from ca. 70 C.E. until the middle of the third century C.E.
TEFILLIN Hebrew term often translated as “phylacteries.” Tefillin are leather boxes containing certain biblical verses that are worn on the head and arm by men (and, in modernity, by women in some communities) during morning prayer services (though not on Shabbat). In the early rabbinic period, tefillin were worn by some Rabbis throughout the day.
TEREFAH “torn” in Hebrew. Refers in the Hebrew Bible to an animal killed by another animal. The Rabbis change the meaning of the term to refer to a properly slaughtered animal that is then rendered invalid for consumption for another reason.
TORAH SH-BE‘AL PEH “Oral Torah” in Hebrew. Part of the Rabbis’ dual conception of Torah, Oral Torah encompasses the rabbinic traditions that are perceived to be part of the ongoing process of divine revelation.
TORAH SH-BIKHTAV “Written Torah” in Hebrew. Part of the Rabbis’ dual conception of Torah, Written Torah refers to the Hebrew Bible and the foundational role it plays in justifying rabbinic tradition of commentary, interpretation, and expansion.
TUMTUM refers in Hebrew to a person not yet assigned a binary sex status.
YAYIN MEVUSHAL “cooked wine” in Hebrew. Libated wine (Hebrew yayn nesekh) is forbidden, but rabbinic tradition holds that, once cooked, wine cannot be used by pagans for the purposes of libation. Hence, this category of wine is permissible for use by rabbinic Jews.
YAYN NESEKH “libated wine” in Hebrew. Wine is the only beverage suitable for pouring out in libation to a deity/deities, so the Rabbis express extensive concern that they not imbibe or interact with “libated wine.”
YIBUM “Levirate marriage” in Hebrew (plural yevamot). According to the Hebrew Bible, a man is obligated to marry the widow of his deceased brother’s childless widow.
YOM KIPPUR “The Day of Atonement” in Hebrew. A day of introspection, repentance, and fasting.
ZAV in Hebrew, a person afflicted with genital discharge (plural zavim). According to the Hebrew Bible, a person in this status both has and transmits ritual impurity.
ZONAH “whore,” in Hebrew. Gendered as female, this term refers to a body that is physically transgressive of rabbinic sexual norms, and/or, in a metaphorical manner, to bodies that are transgressive of rabbinic theological norms. Starting in the Hebrew Bible, it also refers to Israel, gendered as female, violating its theologically monogamous relationship with God.