Chelm.org's Glossary of Jewish Terms

Aggada

Discussion in the Talmud which is folkloric or speculative. Illustrative - but not necessarily the source for halacha.

Ashkenazi

A Jew that lives in the Northern European areas of Germany, Poland, Austria, and Russia, or is descended from such a Jew.

Basar

Hebrew - "meat"

BCE

Abbr - "Before the Common Era". Read C.E. that follows.

CE

Abbr - "Common Era". Since Judaism does not believe in the divinity of Jesus, Using the phrase A.D. and B.C. (Anno Domini and Before Christ) to denote years would violate our faith. As an alternative - we use B.C.E and C.E.

Bedikah

Hebrew - "inspection" or "search". The search the shochet does of the internal organs to insure the animals fitness for consumption. Bedikah Chametz is the search for Chametz (unkosher for Pesah food) before Pesah.

Birkot Hamazon

Hebrew - "Blessing of the Food". The blessing recited after eating.

CJLS

Committee on Jewish Law and Practice

Chadash

Hebrew - "new". The new harvest of grain, that in Israel can not be eaten til after Pesah. In the Galut opinion differs on whether it can be eaten (usual practice is that it can).

Chalav

Hebrew - "milk"

Chalav Yisrael

Hebrew - "Milk of a Jew"

Challah

Hebrew - The dough that is separated in reminder of the portion of dough brought to the Temple (also called challah). The special bread baked of Holidays has assumed this name because of this procedure.

Chelev

Hebrew - The fat located around the major organs. Reserved for the Temple sacrifice and thus forbidden as food.

Chumra

Hebrew - "severity" or "restriction". A extra rule or practice one voluntarily takes on as a personal fence around the Torah.

Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS)

Committee set up by the Conservative RA to interpret and revise Rabbinic Law and tradition.

CYLAH (CJLS)

Abbrev. - "Consult Your Local Authority on Halacha". This is a disclaimer. Rulings on Jewish Law should be made but your own local autority on halacha, not determined by web pages. Also I (as the author) have neither the education or background to properly dictate halacha. Use the information here for your own education, and in actual practice - CYLAH.

Dam

Hebrew - "blood"

Dispora

Greek - "dispersed". The Jews living outside Israel (dispersed by the destruction of the second Temple).

Fleishig

Yiddish - "of meat". Describing food that contain meat products, or the equipment that is used with fleishig food.

Galut

Hebrew - "exile" or "captivity". The Jews living outside of Israel.

Gamara

Hebrew - from gamar - "to complete" - The rabbinic portion of the Talmud that discusses the Mishna.

Gid Hanaseh

Hebrew - "sinew of the sciatic". The sciatic nerve. Reserved for the Temple sacrifice and thus forbidden as food.

Glatt

Yiddish - "smooth". Used to describe meat that does not have lung lesions (thus is smooth). Also used to describe anyone is extremely strict in their practice (sometimes pejoratively).

Halacha

Hebrew - "to walk". An term that encompasses the legal aspects of Jewish practice. What is the halacha = What is the Jewish law. Halachic process is the process of developing halacha.

Hashgacha

Hebrew - "supervision". Rabbinic supervision of a food product or facility

Hechsher

A Symbol or seal (originally always a seal with the Mashgiach's name) placed on a preprepared product certifying its kashrut.

Josephus

A Roman historian of Jewish origins who lived from about 40 C.E. to 100 C.E. His work 'The Jewish Wars' written on the comtemporary Roman wars to fight the Jewish uprisings are the best accounts (from a Roman viewpoint) of the jews of that time.

Kasher

Hebrew - "to be kosher" - verb. To make of meet the requirements of being kosher.

Kosher

Hebrew - "fit". adj. being ritually fit.

Kashrut

Hebrew - "fitness". The term to generally describe the laws of food.

Maccabee

A family who lead the successful revolt against the Syrians to retake Israel and Jerusalem in 167 B.C.E. and chronicaled in theh book of same name and celebrated by the holiday of Chanukah. Mattathius was the father (and priest), on his death his son Judah took of command.

Mashgiach

Hebrew - "overseer". The person who supervises the preparation and serving of Kosher food.

Milchig

Yiddish - "of milk". Describing food that contain milk products, or the equipment that is used with milchig food.

Mishna

Hebrew - "study (by oral repetition)" - The Oral part of the Torah law (as found in the Talmud).

Mitzvah

Hebrew - "Commandment" - A term with two parlances; common and halachic. The common parlance means a good deed. The accurate meaning is a point of Jewish law or a commandment.

Neveilah

Hebrew - "carcass" or "carrion" - Meat that comes from an animal not killed by ritual means (Shechita). Not fit for consumption.

Pareve

Yiddish - "neutral". Describing food that contains neither milk or meat, or equipment used with such food.

Pirke Avot

Hebrew - "Saying of our Fathers". Talmudic collection of saying of our great sages.

Rambam

Rabbi Moses ben Maimon or Maimonides. Sage of 12th century. Born in Spain and lived in Morocco and Cairo. Wrote "Mishneh Torah" and "Guide to the Perplexed". First great codifier.

Responsa

Greek - "response". A rabbinic review and decision on a particular question of religious practice.

Sephardic

A Jew from Spain, Africa, Asia, Southern France, Yugoslavia, Greece or Turkey, or a Jew descended from such a Jew.

Shechita

Hebrew - "slaughtering". The practice of Kosher slaughter.

Shochet

Hebrew - "slaughterer". A person trained in the rituals of slaughter, who is allowed to perform shechita.

Shulchan Aruch

The last major codification of Jewish law agreed on by all sects. Written in the mid 16th century by Joseph Karo and Moses Isserling.

Shuman

Hebrew - "fat". The general term for fat which is permissible to eat (as opposed to chelev).

Stam

Hebrew - "neutral". Describing food that contains neither milk or meat, or equipment used with such food.

Sukkot

Hebrew - "booths". One of the three main Jewish pligrimage holidays that lasts eight days starting with the 15th of Tishrei (Just after Yom Kippur). Celebrated but eating (and living) out side in a booth or Sukkah. Also the traditional time for the repurification/rededication of the Temple.

T'refah

Hebrew - from taraf "to tear". Unfit food. Literally from meat torn from a living animal.

Tahor

Hebrew - "pure" or "ritually clean".

Takkanot

Hebrew - "decrees". Rabbinic rulings in the middle ages generally forbidding a practice allowed under Jewish law.

Talmud

Compilation of the Oral Law (mishna) and the original rabbinic ruling on it (Gamara).

Tamei

Hebrew - "impure" or "ritually unclean".

Tevilat Kaylim

Hebrew - "ritual immersion". The consecration of metal and glass utensils in a mikvah or a stream. Sometimes referred to as "toiffoling"

Treif

see T'refah

Va'ad Hakashrut

Hebrew - "committee of kashrut". A group or organization that performs mashgiah. Sometimes known as a Va'ad for short.