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.

B

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.
Chesed
Loving kindness; one of the highest values in Jewish ethics.

D

Derech
Path, way. 'The Derech' refers to the Orthodox way of life.

E

Eruv
A symbolic boundary allowing carrying on Shabbat.
Ervah
Nakedness; sexual impropriety.

F

Frum
Religious/observant (Yiddish).

G

Gemara
Rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah.
Get
A Jewish divorce document. Only a man can issue one.

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.'

M

Melachot
The 39 categories of work forbidden on Shabbat.
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.

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.

R

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

S

Sefaria
Free online library of Jewish texts (sefaria.org).
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.

Z

Zohar
The central text of Jewish mysticism (Kabbalah).