Glossary

Hebrew, Yiddish, and Jewish terms you'll encounter throughout this site and in conversations about leaving Orthodoxy.

ABCDEFGHKMNOPRSTYZ

A

Agunah
A 'chained woman' - one whose husband refuses to grant a Get.
Apikoros
A heretic; one who denies fundamental Jewish beliefs. Originally from the Greek philosopher Epicurus.
Ayin Hara
The evil eye; belief that jealousy or attention can cause harm.

B

Bais Yaakov
School system for Orthodox girls, founded by Sarah Schenirer in 1917.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah
Coming of age ceremony; boy at 13, girl at 12.
Beit Din
Jewish court of law.
Brit Milah
Circumcision performed on the 8th day of a boy's life.

C

Chazal
Our sages of blessed memory - collective term for the rabbis of the Talmud.
Cheder
Elementary school for boys in the Orthodox world, focused on Torah and Talmud.
Chesed
Loving kindness; one of the highest values in Jewish ethics.

D

Derech
Path, way. 'The Derech' refers to the Orthodox way of life.
Dybbuk
A dead person's soul believed to possess a living person in Kabbalistic tradition.

E

Emunah Peshutah
Simple, unquestioning faith — elevated as an ideal in many Orthodox circles.
Eruv
A symbolic boundary allowing carrying on Shabbat.
Ervah
Nakedness; sexual impropriety.

F

Frum
Religious/observant (Yiddish).

G

Gehinnom
The Jewish concept of purgatory/hell; typically described as lasting up to 12 months.
Gemara
Rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah.
Get
A Jewish divorce document. Only a man can issue one.
Goyishe Kop
Derogatory Yiddish term meaning 'gentile head' — implying non-Jewish foolishness.

H

Halacha
Jewish law. Literally 'the way to walk.'

K

Kaddish
Mourner's prayer recited for the deceased.
Kashrut/Kosher
Jewish dietary laws.
Ketubah
Jewish marriage contract.
Kiddushin
Jewish betrothal/marriage.
Klipah
Spiritual 'shell' or impurity in Kabbalistic thought.
Kofer
A denier; one who denies principles of faith. Literally 'one who covers/denies.'
Kollel
Institute for full-time Talmud study for married men, usually with a stipend.
Kvitlach
Written prayer notes given to a rebbe for intercession.

M

Melachot
The 39 categories of work forbidden on Shabbat.
Mesirah
The prohibition on reporting a Jew to non-Jewish authorities; used to silence abuse victims.
Metzitzah B'peh
Oral suction performed by the mohel during circumcision to draw blood from the wound.
Mikvah
Ritual bath used for purification.
Mishnah
The first major written collection of Jewish oral traditions, compiled ~200 CE.

N

Niddah
A menstruating woman; the laws governing menstrual impurity.
Noahide Laws
Seven universal laws believed to be binding on all non-Jews.

O

Olam Haba
The World to Come; the afterlife in Jewish belief.
Onah
A wife's right to conjugal relations.
OTD
Off the Derech - modern term for someone who has left Orthodox observance.

P

Pikuach Nefesh
The principle that saving a life overrides almost all other commandments.
Pirkei Avot
Ethics of the Fathers - a tractate of ethical teachings.
Pru U'rvu
Be fruitful and multiply — the commandment to procreate.

R

Rambam
Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon) - medieval philosopher and legal authority.

S

Scrupulosity
A form of OCD focused on religious and moral obsessions.
Sefaria
Free online library of Jewish texts (sefaria.org).
Segulah
A folk ritual believed to bring about a specific result (finding a spouse, healing, etc.).
Shabbat/Shabbos
The Jewish sabbath, from Friday sundown to Saturday night.
Sheitel
Wig worn by married Orthodox women to cover their hair.
Shidduch
An arranged match/date for the purpose of marriage.
Shiva
Seven-day mourning period after burial.
Shulchan Aruch
The 'Set Table' - the authoritative code of Jewish law compiled by Rabbi Yosef Karo in the 16th century.

T

Tahara
Ritual purification of a body before burial.
Talmud
The central text of Rabbinic Judaism, comprising the Mishnah and Gemara.
Tanya
Foundational text of Chabad Chassidism.
Teshuva
Repentance; literally 'return.'
Torah
The Five Books of Moses; also used broadly for all Jewish religious teaching.
Treif
Non-kosher food.
Tzedakah
Commonly translated as charity; literally means justice.
Tznius/Tzniut
Modesty, particularly regarding women's dress and behavior.

Y

Yeshiva
Jewish school focused on Torah and Talmud study.
Yiras Shamayim
Fear of Heaven; considered the primary character trait of a religious Jew.

Z

Zohar
The central text of Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah).