All asterisk indicates a cross-reference within this Glossary.

All non-English entries are Hebrew unless otherwise indicated.

Acharonim	(lit., "the later ones"): the Torah sages from the Renaissance period until the present day
ahavas yisrael	(lit., the love of Israel): the love for one's fellow Jews
Anochi	the first word of the Ten Commandments; identified with G-d's essence, a spiritual level which transcends any and all human understanding
Bein HaMetzarim	(lit., "between the straits"): the three weeks of mourning between the fall of Jerusalem on the Seventeenth of Tammuz and the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash on the Ninth of Av
Beis HaMikdash	The Temple in Jerusalem
Binah	(lit., "understanding"): the second of the Ten Sefiros, or Divine emanations; the second stage of the intellectual process, the power that develops abstract conception, giving it breadth and depth
bittul	self-nullification, a commitment to G-d and divine service that transcends self-concern.
Chabad	(acronym for the Hebrew words meaning "wisdom, understanding, and knowledge"): the approach to Chassidism which filters its spiritual and emotional power through the intellect; a synonym for Chabad is *Lubavitch, the name of the town where this movement originally flourished
chassid	a pious, kind-hearted person, whose commitment extends beyond the requirement of the law; a follower of the chassidic movement, any of its particular schools, or any *Rebbe
Chassidus	the body of Chassidic thought and philosophy
chayah	the fourth level of the soul, the level identified with an all-encompassing faith in G-d
Chayos	the highest level of angels
Chochmah	(lit., "wisdom"): the first of the Ten Sefiros, or Divine emanations; correspondingly, the first stage of our intellectual process; reason in potentia
Daas	(lit., "knowledge"): the third of the Ten Sefiros, or divine emanations; the third stage of the intellectual process (cf. *Chabad), at which concepts, having proceeded from seminal intuition (cf. *Chochmah) through meditative gestation (cf. *Binah), now mature into their corresponding dispositions or attributes of character (middos)
Devarim	(lit. "words"): The Book of Deuteronomy; alternatively, the first Torah reading in that book
E-lohim (poss., E-lohecho)	one of the names of G-d; in particular, this name is associated with the Divine attributes that hold back, limit, and conceal G-dly influence so that it can descend and ultimately, be enclothed within the limited context of worldly existence
Eretz Yisrael	(lit., the land of Israel)
esrog	the citron fruit, used for the mitzvah of the four species on Sukkos
Gemara	The Talmud; the elucidation of the Mishnah, and the discussion of related concepts by the Sages.
halachah (adj. halachic)	the body of Jewish Law; alternatively a single law
hakkafos (pl. of Hakkafah)	(lit., "circuits"): the sevenfold procession made with the Torah scrolls in the synagogue on *Simchas Torah, accompanied by singing and dancing (Siddur, p. 335)
Havayah	the Four-Letter Name of G-d, Y-H-V-H (with its letters transposed, as pronounced in the study of *Chassidus), signifying His transcendence of nature's finite bounds of time and space
Kabbalah	(lit., "received tradition"): the Jewish mystical tradition
kabbalas ol	(lit., "the acceptance of [G-d's] yoke"): an unswerving, selfless commitment to carrying out the will of G-d
kelipah	(lit., "rind" or "shell"; pl. kelipos): used figuratively (on a personal or universal level) to signify an outer covering which conceals the light within; hence, the unholy side of the universe
kelipas nogah	(lit., "the shining *kelipah"): a dimension of kelipah in which the light is intermingled with the shell, giving it the potential to be refined
kosher	complying to the dietary laws; alternatively, fit to be used for ritual purposes
Likkutei Torah	a collection of chassidic discourses by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Lubavitch	(lit., "town of love"; Rus.): townlet in White Russia which from 1813-1915 was the center of *Chabad *Chassidism, and whose name has remained a synonym for it
lulav	closed palm-branch, used during the festival of Sukkos for the mitzvah of the Four Species
maamar	a formal chassidic discourse
Mashiach	the Messiah
Mechilta	an exegetical treatise on the book of Exodus written in the period of the *Mishnah
mesirus nefesh	(lit., "sacrifice of the soul"): the willingness to sacrifice oneself, either through martyrdom, or through a selfless life, for the sake of the Torah and its commandments
Midrash	the classical collection of the Sages' homiletical teachings on the Bible
mikveh	a ritual bath
Mishnah	the first compilation of the Oral Law authored by Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi (approx. 150 C.E.); the germinal statements of law elucidated by the *Gemara, together with which they constitute the *Talmud; when not capitalized, a single statement of law from this work
Mishneh Torah	the *Rambam's magnum opus which serves as a compendium of the entire Oral Law
mitzvah	(lit., "commandment; pl., mitzvos): one of the 613 Commandments; in a larger sense, any religious obligation
Nasi (pl. nesi'im)	(a) in Biblical times, the head of any one of the Twelve Tribes; (b) in later generations, the civil and/or spiritual head of the Jewish community at large
Neilah	(lit., "locking"): the fifth prayer service recited before the conclusion of *Yom Kippur, when the gates of heaven are being locked
nefesh	soul, more precisely the lowest of the five levels of the soul
neshamah	soul, more precisely the third of the five levels of the soul
Nigleh	(lit., "what has been revealed"): the body of Torah law
Or Chozer	a rebounding light," light which reflects the input of a recipient
parshah (pl. parshiyos, poss. parshas)	(lit., "portion"): one of the 54 weekly Torah readings
P'nimiyus HaTorah	(lit., "the inner dimension of the Torah"): the realm of the Torah that deals with mystical truth
Rabbeinu	our teacher, an appellation of respect added to the name of great educational leaders
Rambam	(acronym for Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon; 1135-1204): Maimonides, one of the foremost Jewish thinkers of the Middle Ages; his Mishneh Torah is one of the pillars of Jewish law, and his Guide to the Perplexed, one of the classics of Jewish philosophy
Rashi	(acronym for Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki; 1040-1105): the author of the foremost commentaries to the Torah and the Talmud
Rebbe	(lit., "my teacher [or master]"): saintly Torah leader who serves as spiritual guide to a following of chassidim
Rishonim	(lit., "the first ones"): the Torah sages of the Middle Ages
Rosh HaShanah	(lit., "head of the year"): the New Year festival, falling on 1 and 2 Tishrei
ruach	spirit, more particularly, the second of the five levels of the soul
ruach hakodesh	(lit., "the holy spirit"): Divine inspiration which approaches prophecy
Seder HaHishtalshelus	the spiritual cosmos; the chainlike progression of spiritual realms
Shabbos (pl. Shabbosos)	the Sabbath
shofar	the ram's horn sounded on Rosh HaShanah, and during the month of Elul in preparation for that holiday
Shulchan Aruch	(lit., "a set table"): the standard Code of Jewish Law compiled by R. Yosef Caro in the mid-sixteenth century; also used to refer to later codes; e.g., the Shulchan Aruch HaRav compiled by R. Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Siddur	prayer book
Sifri	an exegetical treatise on the books of Numbers and Deuteronomy written in the period of the *Mishnah
Simchas Torah	(lit., "the Rejoicing of the Torah"): festival immediately following Sukkos, on which the public reading of the Torah is annually concluded and recommenced; in *Eretz Yisrael coincides with Shemini Atzeres, and in the Diaspora falls on the following day
Sukkos	(lit., "Booths"): seven-day festival (eight days in the Diaspora) beginning on 15 Tishrei, taking its name from the temporary dwelling in which one lives during this period
Talmud	the basic compendium of Jewish law, thought, and Biblical commentary, comprising *Mishnah and *Gemara; when unspecified refers to the Babylonian Talmud, the edition developed in Babylonia, and edited at end of the fifth century C.E.; the Jerusalem Talmud is the edition compiled in *Eretz Yisrael at end of the fourth century C.E.
Tanach	The Bible
Tanya	the classic text of Chabad chassidic thought authored by the Alter Rebbe
teshuvah	(lit., "return [to G-d]"): repentance
Tishah BeAv	(lit., "the Ninth of Av"): fast commemorating the Destruction of both the First and the Second Temple
Tishrei	the first month of the Jewish year according to certain reckonings, or the seventh when counting the months from Nissan; the month which includes *Rosh HaShanah, *Yom Kippur and *Sukkos
Tosafos	(lit., "supplements"): classical commentaries on the *Talmud beginning to appear in the mid-twelfth century)
tzaraas	an affliction effecting human beings, garments, and buildings mentioned in the Bible; mistakenly identified with leprosy
tzaddik (pl. tzaddikim)	righteous man
tzedakah	charity
yechidah	the highest of the five levels of the soul, the rung in which the soul is in absolute unity with G-d
yetzer hora	the evil inclination
Yom Kippur	the Day of Atonement, fast day falling on 10 Tishrei and climaxing the Days of Awe
Zohar	(lit., "radiance"): The title of the classic mystical work embodying the teachings of the *Kabbalah