By Rabbi Julian Sinclair
Achsania is the talmudic term for lodgings.
In the Bible, Adam was the name of the first human and is also the generic Hebrew word for humans in general.
During these pre-election days in Israel, one hears many politicians declaiming his or her “ani ma’amin”, by which they mean their credo.
Apocrypha refers to books not included in the biblical canon, which was closed around 100 CE.
According to New York Times columnist William Safire, the Yiddish beigel was shortened and anglicised to bagel around 1932.
Bechor means firstborn, referring both to children and livestock in the Bible.
Bekarov etzelch literally means “soon with you”. It is a wish for the recipient of such a salutation to get married in the near future.
The three weeks between the fasts of Tammuz 17 and Av 9 next week are called the period of bein hametzarim, between the straits or narrow places.
Benoni is the word you would use in Israel to ask for a medium-sized cup of coffee.
A bor is an ignoramus.
Always be prepared for the Bulmus Attack
The Cardo was the main shopping street in Roman Jerusalem.
Charif means hot and spicy, not for the faint-hearted. It also means intelligent and insightful.
Chatzi hamalchut comes from Megillat Esther. Ahasuerus tells Esther three times that he would do anything for her "even to half the kingdom, it shall be granted you".
The modern Hebrew word for soldier is chayal, coined by Eliezer Ben Yehuda.
Chibah means affection or love.
Chizuk means emotional or spiritual support or encouragement.
Chol Hamoed is the name for the days during Succot and Pesach that fall in between the Yomtovim at the beginning and the end.
Chosen not only refers to muscle but also to wealth or treasure.
Darchei Shalom means the ways or paths of peace.
In the Bible, de'ah means knowledge.
Dikduk means grammar in modern Hebrew.
Dor is "generation" in Hebrew.
In Arabic, dugri means truthfulness to the facts, the opposite of a lie.
Eitan means strong, lasting.
To "lose it" in English means lose one's temper. In Hebrew we say "labed (to lose) eshtonot".
Etnachta is one of the biblical cantillation symbols first developed in talmudic times and codified by the 10th century.
An ezrach is someone native-born, with roots to the land.
An Arabic word that has made its way into Hebrew, fadicha describes much more than a faux pas. It is a slip-up that verges on the pathetic.
Ga'agua means longing or homesickness.
Gaon is the modern Hebrew for genius.
A male convert is called a ger; a female convert is called a giyoret.
Genesis uses the word matar for rain.
Literally, the word means delicious or yummy in Yiddish.
The word harat is connected to pregnancy and birth.
A hechsher is a stamp, symbol or label denoting that a product is kosher.
Hergel means routine or habit and comes from regel, foot or leg.
"An educated person must know the wisdom of higayon for the sake of his Torah study."
Rabbi Julian Sinclair dips into the dictionary
Jerusalem has more than 70 names. That's not a myth or a midrash. You can actually count them.
By Anonymous
If you lose some money or cut your finger, someone might say to you in a comforting tone, "It should be a kapparah."
Karich is the modern Hebrew for sandwich.
Katonti is a pithy and elegant way to express a sense of inadequacy before an honour or responsibility.
In addition to meaning “thus”, ken also means valid.
Kayemet means exists or remains.
“It is a tradition to buy wheat and distribute it to the poor for Pesach.” So writes Rabbi Moshe Isserlis (the Rema), a 16th century rabbinic leader of Ashkenazi Jewry.
Kitniyot are pulses or beans in Hebrew.
In Yiddish, klezmer denotes the musician; however it derives from the Hebrew, kli zemer, which means musical instrument.
Kliachar yad literally means by means of the back of the hand and is a talmudic term referring to the performance of actions in a manner that is different from the normal way of doing things.
Kohelet can mean the assembler of an audience who will listen to his sayings.
When you act l’shem shamayim, you have no ulterior motive, no ego involved.
Today, leshon bnai Adam means "laymen's terms".
Levyatan in Hebrew means “whale” and in biblical Hebrew refers to a great sea-creature.
Lo naim means more than "unpleasant" and has no exact English equivalent.
On the shores of Israel’s Mediterranean coast lies a defunct detention camp that now serves as a museum of the legacy of the Ma’apilim.
Tithing property
Machzor is a cycle, deriving from the root chazar, to return.
Madda means science in modern Hebrew.
A prosaic word but it provides us with a brilliant example of the development of modern Hebrew
Literally, “What suddenly”, mah pitom can be translated as “No way” or “Don’t be daft.”
Malachi is an angel in Hebrew. It derives from the verb lech, to go and literally means a messenger.
Matzpun is the Hebrew for conscience.
Washing hands after a meal
The word meforaz is biblical and refers to unwalled cities.
Chanucah celebrates the success of the Hasmonean Revolt, in Hebrew Mered.
The Talmud speaks of “yayin hamazug bemayim, wine blended with water”.
Its literal translation is “what would give”.
Synagogues, study houses, and even homes are called mikdash me'at, a small temple.
The term moshav laitzim comes from Psalms 1:1. “Happy is the man that has not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in a place of scoffers.”
Mugmar is a talmudic term that refers to the spices put over the coals at the end of a meal in order to fragrance the room.
Nachamu is the name given to the Shabbat after Tishah b'Av.
Nadiv means both generous and noble.
"I still can't taste the nafka minah between Coke and Pepsi."
The overriding theme of Neilah is God's readiness always to accept and forgive all who turn in repentance.
Before eating bread, we wash our hands and say the blessing al netilat yadayim, which literally means “on the taking of hands”.
Nezikin means damages, from the verb l’hazik, to hurt or damage.
The word nimusim is of Greek origins and entered Hebrew in talmudic times.
In modern Hebrew, nin means “great-grandson”.
A nudnik is someone who is constantly asking you for something or otherwise taking up your time.
The term oferet yetzukah means a solid mould of lead and conjures up images of families playing dreidl, with Chanucah candles shining on the window sill.
An orayach is a guest. It derives from the biblical word orach, meaning “way”.
An ot is a sign, and the Exdous story abounds in them.
A pashkevil may announce the release of a new scholarly work or a lecture by a great sage.
Pekel is the original Yiddish form of the word, deriving from the German word pack.
A parashah is a section, a distinct unit. A perush makes something distinct, clear.
Rashi explains ploni to mean covered and hidden, deriving from a word looked at recently in this column - peleh.
According to the Mishnah (Ohalot 1), we have 248 limbs (evarim), the numerical equivalent of the word ramach.
Rechev is the standard word for car and comes from the biblical verb lirkov, which means to ride.
A midrash (Deuteronomy Rabba 4:2) on the giving of the Torah describes safra vesaifa descending from the heavens.
The Sambatyon is a mythical river separating the Ten Lost Tribes from the rest of Israel.
The sandak (sandek in Yiddish) is the person who holds a baby boy on his knees during a circumcision.
Counting the Omer
A prominent word in "Yinglish" and refers to a woman's wig, worn for religious purposes as a form of head-covering.
Today, shivi’im is trifling amount compared to the reigning big numbers of billion and trillion.
The shkediyah is the almond tree, and its fruit is called a shaked.
Shmittah is the sabbatical year for the land of Israel.
The Shulchan Aruch is accepted today as the authoritative code of Jewish law.
A siman is a mark, sign or omen. The root is the verb soom, which means to put or place and so also to mark or distinguish.
Sprauncy (pronounced "shprauncy") is one of those unusual Jewish words that appears to be a genuinely original invention of British Jews.
Taharah is purification, from tahor, meaning pure.
On Pesach we switch from mentioning rain in the Amidah to speaking of tal, dew.
Techelet is the sky-blue dye colour that was familiar in ancient Israel, best known from the Shema’s command to “put upon the fringe of each corner a thread of blue”.
Tefillin are the black boxes attached with leather straps that Jewish men wear for morning weekday prayers.
The biblical name for Rosh Hashanah is Yom Teruah.
“Take the vestments, and clothe Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod” Exodus 29:5
A tikkun is a correction. In kabbalistic circles it refers to a spiritual correction for some fault.
Tinok shenishbah means a small child who was kidnapped by non-Jews.
Tzedek meaning justice, has been a mark and aspiration of the Jewish people since its beginning.
A tzavua person dyes him or herself to give off a false appearance.
The Ushpizin are the seven mystical visitors whom we welcome to our succot throughout the holiday, They are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron and David.
A phrase that can describe the most trivial situations such as having to change tables at a wedding.
Yachad means "together" and comes from echad, one.
Chanucah celebrates the Jewish victory over the Yevanim, the Greeks.
Iodine derives from the Greek iota, the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet.
The literal meaning of the Aramaic word yuhara is luminous gem.
Zimun is the mishnaic Hebrew for invitation. In modern Hebrew, we say hazmanah.