All asterisk indicates a cross-reference within this Glossary.

All non-English entries are Hebrew unless otherwise indicated.

Achronim	(lit., "the later ones"): the Torah sages from the Renaissance period until the present day
adonim	the sockets which formed the base of the Sanctuary
Amalek	The first nation to attack the Jewish people after the exodus from Egypt (Shmos, ch. 17); subsequently, as well, the arch-enemy of people
Anochi	(lit., "I am"): the first word of the Ten Commandments which is used as a reference to G-d's essence
AriZal	(lit., "the lion of blessed memory"): R. Isaac Luria (1534-1572), one of the leading *Kabbalistic luminaries
atik	atik yomin (lit., "ancient days"): an elevated spiritual level that is in absolute oneness with G-d's essence
avodah	(lit., "work"): Divine service
Azharos	a liturgical poem authored by R. Saadia Gaon, outlining the 613 *mitzvos
baal teshuvah	(lit., "master of return"; pl. baalei teshuvah): a person who turns to G-d in repentance
batul	(lit., "nullified"): with regard to the laws of kashrus, this refers to an amount of a forbidden substance that has become mixed with a greater portion of permitted substances to the extent that the forbidden substance is considered as insignificant; with regard to our Divine service, a state where an individual loses self-consciousness
Bar Mitzvah	(lit., "one obligated to fulfill the commandments"): used to refer to the age when this obligation becomes incumbent on a person and also to the celebration marking that occasion
Beis HaMikdash	the Temple in Jerusalem
Bereishis	(lit., "in the beginning"): a) the Book of Genesis; b) the first Torah reading in that book
bitachon	(lit., "trust")
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
Chassidus	the body of Chassidic thought and philosophy
chesed	(lit., "kindness" or "grace"): the Divine attribute which is the source for and whose function can be compared to this human quality and thus is associated with the dispersion of G-dly light and energy to lower levels of existence
cheshbon hanefesh	(lit., "an account of the soul"): a process of stocktaking and introspection with regard to one's Divine service
chochmah	(lit., "wisdom"): the first of the Ten *Sefiros, or Divine emanations; correspondingly, the first stage of our intellectual process; reason in potentia
Chumash	the Five Books of Moses (the Pentateuch)
davar shebiminyan	(lit., "an entity which is counted"): an object which is sold by number rather than by weight or volume; accordingly, each unit is considered a significant entity and can never become *batul, halachicly insignificant, when mixed with other substances
daven	(Yid. "pray")
E-lohim (poss., E-lohecha)	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	a citron, one of the four species used to perform a *mitzvah on the holiday of Sukkos
gevurah	(lit., "might"): the Divine attribute which is the source for and whose function can be compared to this human quality and thus is associated with the holding back Divine revelation and restricting the dispersion of Divine light to lower levels of existence
Haftorah (pl. Haftoros)	(lit., "the final passage"): the passage from the Prophets read in the synagogue after the conclusion of the Torah reading
halachah (adj. halachic)	the body of Jewish Law; alternatively a single law
Havayah	the Four-Letter Name of G-d (with its letters transposed, as pronounced in the study of *Chassidus), signifying His transcendence of nature's finite bounds of time and space
ikvesa diMeshicha	the age which hears the approaching "footsteps of *Mashiach"
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
kosher	complying to the dietary laws; alternatively, fit to be used for ritual purposes
Lashon HaKodesh	(lit., "the Holy Tongue"): Biblical Hebrew
lishmah	(lit., "for its own sake"): the study of the Torah or the observance of mitzvos* without any ulterior motive
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
maamar	a formal chassidic discourse
Mashiach	the Messiah
Mechilta	a text of exegesis on the Book of Exodus compiled in the era 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
Megillah	(lit., "scroll"): when used as a proper noun without a modifier, it is generally a reference to the Scroll of Esther which relates the narrative commemorated by the holiday of *Purim
middos	within our human framework, this refers to our character traits and emotions; the same term also refers to Divine powers which are the source for and whose function can be compared to these human qualities
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
mitzvah	(lit., "commandment; pl., mitzvos): one of the 613 Commandments; in a larger sense, any religious obligation
Modeh Ani	(lit.; "I thankfully acknowledge"): the prayer of thanksgiving reciting immediately upon arising each morning
Nasi	(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
Nigleh	(lit., "what has been revealed"): the body of Torah law
paroches	the curtain which divided between the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holies
parshah (pl. parshiyos, poss. parshas)	(lit., "portion"): one of the 54 weekly Torah readings
Pesach	a) Passover, seven-day (eight in the diaspora) festival beginning on 15 Nissan, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt; b) the sacrifice offered on the eve of that holiday
P'nimiyus HaTorah	(lit., "the inner dimension of the Torah"): the realm of the Torah that deals with mystical truth
Purim	(lit., "lots"): one-day festival falling on 14 Adar and commemorating the miraculous salvation of the Jews of the Persian Empire in the fourth century B.C.E.
Rabbeinu	our teacher, an appellation of respect added to the name of great educational leaders
rachamim	(lit., "mercy"): the Divine attribute which is the source for and whose function can be compared to this human quality; the mediating force between the attributes of *chesed and *gevurah, also identified with *tiferes
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 Chodesh (pl. Rashei Chodashim)	(lit., "head of the month"): the first day of each Jewish month
Sanctuary	a) the tabernacle in which the Divine Presence dwelled during the Jews' journeys through the desert; b) the portion of the tabernacle and the Temple building before the Holy of Holies which contained the inner altar, the table for the showbread, and the menorah
Seder HaHishtalshelus	the spiritual cosmos; the chainlike progression of spiritual realms
Sefiros	Kabbalistic term for the attributes of G-dliness which serve as a medium between His infinite light and our limited framework of reference.
Shabbos	the Sabbath
shichachah	the obligation to abandon produce which one forgot to reap so that the poor may harvest it
shekel	a silver coin of the Biblical era
Shmos	(lit., "names"): a) the Book of Exodus; b) the first Torah reading in that book
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
Shvat	the eleventh month of the Jewish year when counting from Nissan (or the fifth when counting from Tishrei)
sichah (pl., sichos)	an informal Torah talk delivered by a *Rebbe (cf. *maamar)
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.
Tanya	the classic text of Chabad chassidic thought authored by the Alter Rebbe
Targum	(lit., "translation"): the rendering of the Bible into Aramaic
tefillin	small, black leather boxes each containing four Biblical passages which the Torah commands adult males to wear daily
teshuvah	(lit., "return [to G-d]"): repentance
tiferes	(lit., "beauty"): the Divine attribute which is the source for and whose function can be compared to this human quality; the mediating force between the attributes of *chesed and *gevurah, also identified with *rachamim
Tikkunei Zohar	(lit., "the hymns of the *Zohar"): mystical hymns
Tosafos	(lit., "supplements"): classical commentaries on the *Talmud beginning to appear in the mid-twelfth century)
Tosefta	(Aram. "supplement"): a body of teachings authored during the same period as the *Mishnah, but not included in that text; when not capitalized, the term refers to a single teaching of this type
tzaddik (pl. tzaddikim)	righteous man
tzedakah	charity
yahrzeit	(Yid.): the anniversary of a person's passing
yeshivah	Torah academy for advanced students
Yesod	(lit., "foundation"): the sixth of the *middos, the supernal emotional qualities and the parallel potentials within our spiritual personalities; the quality identified with establishing connection
yetzer hora	the evil inclination
Yud Shvat	(lit., "the tenth of Shvat"): the *yahrzeit of the Previous Rebbe
Zachor	the mitzvah of remembering Amalek's attack on the newborn Jewish nation commemorated by the reading of a special passage on the Sabbath preceding Purim*
Zohar	(lit., "radiance"): The title of the classic mystical work embodying the teachings of the *Kabbalah