An asterisk indicates a cross reference within this Glossary. All non-English entries are Hebrew unless otherwise indicated.

"770"	770 Eastern Parkway, N.Y., the address of Lubavitch World Headquarters
Adar	the twelfth month of the Jewish year when counting from Nissan (or the sixth when counting from Tishrei); the joyful month in which the holiday of Purim is celebrated
aliyah	(lit., "ascent"): immigration to *Eretz Yisrael
Anash	(acronym for anshei shlomeinu): the chassidic brotherhood
Aron HaKodesh	(lit., "the holy ark"): the repository for the Torah scrolls in a synagogue
Av	the fifth month
baal teshuvah (pl., baalei teshuvah; lit., "master of return," i.e., a penitent)	in contemporary usage, one who has discovered his spiritual heritage and its responsibilities when already an adult
bachur (pl., bachurim; lit. "young man")	a *yeshivah student
badchan	jester at weddings, etc.
bar-mitzvah	(boy celebrating his) religious coming of age at 13
behiddur	enhanced or meticulous observance of a *mitzvah beyond the demands of the letter of the law
Beis HaMikdash	the (First or Second) Temple in Jerusalem
berachah	blessing or benediction
bitachon	trust in G-d
bris	(lit., "covenant"): circumcision
bubbe (or: bobbe; Yid.)	grandmother
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
Chabad House	an outreach center established by the Chabad-Lubavitch chassidic movement
chassid	adherent of the chassidic movement and follower of a Rebbe
Chassidus	chassidic thought
cheder (pl., chadarim)	school in which young children learn reading skills and begin the study of the Torah
Chessed	the Divine or mortal attribute of lovingkindness
chinuch	education
Chol HaMoed	the semi-festive intermediate days of *Pesach or *Sukkos
chutzpah	nerve
daven	(Yid.): to pray
Elul	the sixth month of the Jewish year when counting from Nissan (or the twelfth when counting from Tishrei); a month devoted to repentance and soul-searching in preparation for the Days of Awe
emunah	faith
Eretz Yisrael	the Land of Israel
erev	the day preceding
farbrengen	a gathering of chassidim
gabbai	the person responsible for the proper functioning of a synagogue or communal body
gartl	(Yid.): belt worn during prayer
gmach	an acronym for the Heb. words gemilus chessed which mean "deed of kindness," esp. an interest-free loan, or a fund which distributes such loans
get	bill of divorce
Gevurah	the Divine or mortal attribute of strict justice
halachah (pl., halachos; Eng. adj.	halachic): (a) the body of Torah law; (b) a particular law
Havdalah	(lit., "distinction"): the blessings recited over a cup of wine at the conclusion of a Sabbath or festival to distinguish it from the ordinary weekdays that follow
ikvesa diMeshicha	(Aram.): the era in which the approaching footsteps of *Mashiach can be heard
Kabbalah	the mystical dimension of the Torah
kashrus	the state of being *kosher
Kiddush	(lit., "sanctification"): (a) a blessing recited over a cup of wine expressing the sanctity of the Sabbath or of a festival; (b) refreshments served in the synagogue after the recital of Kiddush, the occasion being usually graced by the sharing of Torah thoughts and song
Kiddush Levanah	(lit., "the sanctification of the moon"): prayers recited in the first half of each month and related to the appearance of the New Moon
Kislev	the ninth month of the Jewish year when counting from Nissan (or the third when counting from Tishrei); the month in which Chanukah begins
kohen	priest, descendant of Aaron
kollel	*yeshivah for advanced adult students
kosher	(lit., "fit for use"): (of food or religious articles:) meeting the standards prescribed by Torah law
kos shel berachah	the cup of wine over which the Grace after Meals has been recited
Lag BaOmer	the thirty-third day of the Omer, a minor festival falling between *Pesach and *Shavuos
LeChaim!	(lit., "to life"): toast exchanged over strong drink
lekach	(Yid.): cake
lishmah	(lit., "for its own sake"): altruistically
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 first delivered by a *Rebbe
Maariv	the evening prayer service
Machzor	prayer book used on holidays
Mashiach	(lit., "the anointed one"): the Messiah
Mashiach's Seudah	festive meal instituted by the Baal Shem Tov and held on the Last Day of Pesach in anticipation of the coming of *Mashiach
mashpia	(lit., "source of influence"): spiritual mentor serving in a *yeshivah or chassidic community
matzah (pl., matzos)	the unleavened bread eaten on Passover
mechitzah	the partition separating the men's and women's sections in a synagogue
Melaveh Malkah	festive meal held on Saturday night to usher out the Sabbath Queen
mem	thirteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet
Menorah	(a) the seven-branched gold candelabra in the Temple; (b) the eight lights lit on Chanukah
mesirus nefesh	self-sacrifice
mezuzah (pl., mezuzos; lit., "doorpost")	a small parchment scroll affixed to a doorpost which contains the first two paragraphs of the Shema (Devarim 6:4-9 and 11:13-21)
Midrash	classical collection of the Sages' homiletical teachings on the Torah, on the non-literal level of derush
mikveh (pl., mikvaos)	a ritual bath used by women for purification after emerging from the state of niddah, and used by both men and women in their endeavors to attain spiritual self-refinement
Minchah	the afternoon prayer service
minyan	(lit., "number"): the quorum necessary for communal prayer
mitzvah (pl., mitzvos; lit., "command")	a religious obligation; one of the Torah's 613 Commandments
Modeh ani	first two words of a Jew's daily statement of faith and thanksgiving immediately upon wakening
mohel (pl., mohalim)	circumcisor
Moshe Rabbeinu	Moses our teacher
Motzaei Shabbos	Saturday evening after the close of *Shabbos
nadn	(Heb./Yid.): dowry
Negev	the south of *Eretz Yisrael
neshamah	soul
niggun (pl., niggunim)	melody, esp. one figuring in divine service
nigleh	(lit., "the revealed [knowledge]"): the study of the Jewish law as reflected in the *Talmud, and in the works of the subsequent commentaries and codifiers; cf. *nistar
Nissan	the first month of the Jewish year according to certain reckonings, or the seventh when counting the months from Tishrei; the month of the Exodus from Egypt
nistar	(lit., "the hidden [knowledge]"): the Jewish mystical tradition, viz., the Kabbalah; cf. *nigleh
Pesach	Passover, festival of seven days (eight in the Diaspora) beginning on 15 Nissan, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt
Pesach Sheni	(lit., "the second Passover"): opportunity given to certain persons who were unable to offer the Paschal sacrifice to do so one month later, on 14 Iyar
pnimiyus haTorah	the inner (i.e., mystical) dimension of the Torah, viz., *Kabbalah and *Chassidus
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 Tam	R. Yaakov Tam, grandson of Rashi; one of the earliest authors of the Tosafos commenting on the *Talmud
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): author of the commentaries which have become the classic guides to the Torah and *Talmud
rav	("rabbi"): halachic authority and spiritual guide of a community
Reb	(Yid.): Mr.
Rebbe	(lit., "my teacher [or master]"): saintly Torah leader who serves as spiritual guide to a following of chassidim
rebbitzin	the wife of a rabbi or Rebbe
Rosh HaShanah	(lit., "head of the year"): the New Year festival, falling on [1] and [2] Tishrei
rosh *yeshivah	academic head of a Talmudic academy
Seder	(lit., "order"): the order of service observed at home on the first night (first two nights in the Diaspora) of Passover (see *Pesach)
semichah	Rabbinic ordination
Shabbos	the Sabbath
Shacharis	the morning prayer service
shaliach (pl., shluchim; fem., shluchah)	an emissary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe involved in Jewish outreach work
Shalom Aleichem	(lit., "Peace upon you!"): (a) a common greeting; (b) hymn of welcome to the ministering angels who visit every Jewish home on Friday eve; see Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 144
Shalosh Seudos	(lit., "three meals"): i.e., Seudah Shelishis, the Third Meal of *Shabbos
Shavuos	(lit., "weeks"): festival commemorating the Giving of the Torah at Sinai, in *Eretz Yisrael falling on 6 Sivan, and in the Diaspora on 6-7 Sivan
Shema	first word of the verse beginning Shema Yisrael ("Hear O Israel..."), the daily declaration of faith in the Unity of G-d; see Siddur Tehillat HaShem, p. 46
Sheva Berachos	the seven blessings recited at a wedding celebration and after the Grace after Meals at the festivities held during the following week
Shimusha Rabbah	author of one of the views as to the order in which four prescribed Scriptural passages should be placed within the *tefillin
Shivah	the seven-day period of mourning following a bereavement
Shlita	an acronym for the Hebrew words meaning, "May he live a long and good life"
shochet	ritual slaughterer
Shofar	ram's horn sounded on *Rosh HaShanah
shomer Shabbos	Sabbath-observant
shtetl	(Yid.): an Eastern European township of the kind in which many Jews lived in recent centuries
shul	synagogue
Shulchan Aruch	(lit., "a set table"): the standard Code of Jewish Law compiled by R. Yosef Caro in the mid-sixteenth century
sichah (pl., sichos; lit., "a talk")	an informal Torah discourse (as delivered by the Rebbe)
Siddur (pl., Siddurim)	prayer book
Simchas Torah	(lit., "the rejoicing of the Torah"): a day appended to the festival of *Sukkos (in *Eretz Yisrael, the eighth day; in the Diaspora, the ninth), on which the annual cycle of weekly Torah readings is completed, and celebrated exuberantly
Sivan	the third month of the Jewish year when counting from Nissan (or the ninth when counting from Tishrei); includes the festival of *Shavuos
Sukkos	(lit., "booths"): festival of seven days (eight in the Diaspora) beginning on 15 Tishrei, taking its name from the temporary dwelling in which one lives during this period
tallis	prayer shawl fringed with tzitzis and worn by men during prayer
Talmud	the basic compendium of Jewish law, thought, and Biblical commentary; when unspecified refers to the Talmud Bavli, the edition developed and edited in Babylonia at the end of the fifth century C.E.
Tammuz	the fourth month of the Jewish year when counting from Nissan (or the tenth when counting from Tishrei)
Tanya	the classic text of *Chabad chassidic thought authored by the Alter Rebbe
tefillin	small black leather cubes containing parchment scrolls inscribed with the *Shema and other Biblical passages, bound to the forearm and head and worn by men during weekday morning prayers
Tehillim	the Book of Psalms
tekios	the blasts of the *Shofar
teshuvah	(lit., "return"): repentance
Teves	the tenth month of the Jewish year when counting from Nissan (or the fourth when counting from Tishrei)
Tiferes	the Divine or mortal attribute of beauty, fusing *Chessed and *Gevurah
tish	("table"; Yid.): i.e., the ceremonial Sabbath meal which a chassidic Rebbe conducts in the company of his chassidim
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
Toldos Yaakov Yosef	the earliest written record of the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, by his disciple R. Yaakov Yosef of Polonnoye
Torah Shebiksav	(lit., "the Written Torah"): Scripture
tzaddik (pl., tzaddikim)	righteous man, often used as a synonym for Rebbe
tzedakah	charity
tzitzis	fringes on the corner of a *tallis (see Bamidbar 15:37-40)
Ufaratza	(lit., "and you shall spread out"): the Biblical word that has become a byline for Lubavitch outreach efforts
yahrzeit	(Yid.): anniversary of a person's passing
yarmulka	(Yid.): skullcap
Yechidah	the highest of the five levels of the soul, the rung at which the soul is in absolute unity with G-d
yechidus	private meeting with a Rebbe
yeshivah (pl., yeshivos)	Rabbinical academy
Yid	(Yid.): Jew
Yiddishkeit	(lit., "Jewishness"; Yid.): the Torah way of life
yiras shamayim	the fear (or awe) of heaven
Yom Kippur	the Day of Atonement, fast day falling on 10 Tishrei and climaxing the Days of Awe
Yom-Tov	a festival
Yud-Beis Tammuz	("the Twelfth of Tammuz"): the Previous Rebbe's birthday (1880) and the anniversary of his release from capital sentence and imprisonment in Soviet Russia in 1927
Yud Shvat	("the Tenth of Shvat"): anniversary of the passing of the Previous Rebbe in 1950
Yud-Tes Kislev	("the Nineteenth of Kislev"): anniversary of the passing of the Maggid of Mezritch in 1772, and anniversary of the release from capital sentence of his disciple, the Alter Rebbe, in 1798
zeide	("grandfather"; Yid.)
Zohar	(lit., "radiance"): classical work embodying the mystical teachings of the *Kabbalah