afikoman |
lit. dessert; the portion of matza eaten to conclude the Seder meal |
aĥshevei |
a principle whereby one’s actions indicate that he assigns subjective significance to an otherwise insignificant object |
al ha-sova |
while satisfied |
bal yera’eh |
the prohibition against ĥametz being seen in one’s possession on Pesaĥ |
bal yimatzei |
the prohibition against ĥametz being found in one’s possession on Pesaĥ |
basar be-ĥalav |
the forbidden mixture of milk and meat |
batei midrash |
Torah study halls |
batel be-rov |
rendered insignificant by the majority |
batel be-shishim |
rendered insignificant as less than one sixtieth of a mixture |
be-di’avad |
a level of performance that ex post facto satisfies an obligation in a less-than-ideal manner |
bedika |
search; often used as shorthand for bedikat ĥametz |
bedikat ĥametz |
the mitzva to search for ĥametz in order to eliminate it from possession before Pesaĥ; see chapter 4 |
beit din |
rabbinical court |
beit knesset |
synagogue |
ben yomo |
less than 24 hours (the time it takes for absorbed taste to become foul) removed from last use |
berakha |
a formal blessing recited before eating or performing a mitzva, and on other occasions |
berakha aĥarona |
a blessing recited after eating or drinking |
berakhale-vatala |
a blessing in vain |
Birkat Ha-mazon |
known as the “grace after meals”; the berakha aĥarona consisting of four berakhot recited after a bread-based meal |
bitul |
nullification |
bi’ur ĥametz |
the elimination of ĥametz |
bli neder |
a verbal caveat that ensures that an undertaking does not acquire the status of a vow |
de-Oraita |
biblically mandated |
Eretz Yisrael |
the Land of Israel |
Erev Pesaĥ |
lit. the eve Pesaĥ; the day preceding Pesaĥ, on which Israel is obligated to offer the korban Pesaĥ |
gebrokts |
see matza sheruya and sec. 8:2 |
ĤagHa-matzot |
the Festival of Unleavened Bread; the biblical name for Pesaĥ |
Hagada |
the central text of the Seder, the central part of which retells the story of the Exodus |
hagala |
immersion in boiling water; see chapter 10 |
halakha |
the collective body of Jewish law; an individual Jewish law |
ĥalla |
the mitzva to give a part of a large batch of dough to a kohen |
Hallel |
chapters 113-118 of Tehilim, all of which are thanksgiving psalms, recited on Jewish holidays |
Hallel Ha-gadol |
Tehilim chapter 136; the “Great Hallel” |
ĥametz |
cereal grain that leavened; see chapter 2. |
ĥametz gamur |
absolute ĥametz, in which the leavening process has been completed |
ĥametz nuksheh |
“hardened ĥametz”; see section 2:5 |
ĥametz she-avar alav ha-Pesaĥ |
ĥametz that belonged to a Jew during the holiday |
ha-motzi |
the berakha over bread |
ha-motzi leĥem min ha-aretz |
“Who brings forth bread from the earth”; the formula for the berakha on bread |
ĥaroset |
a sweet paste made of fruits and nuts eaten at the Seder to commemorate the clay mortar our forefathers made when they were enslaved in Egypt |
hasava |
reclining; see 16:10-11 |
hatarat nedarim |
the annulment of vows before a rabbinical court |
heavy libun |
see libun |
hefker |
ownerless |
hefsek |
A problematic interruption between two acts or recitations that must be performed or recited together |
heteira bala |
it absorbed permissible matter |
Ĥol Ha-mo’ed |
the intermediate days of Sukkot and Pesaĥ, on which certain weekday activities are permitted |
ĥozer ve-ne’or |
“reawakened”; the reversal of nullification in which a nullified ingredient regains its former status; see sections 7:2-3 |
ĥutz la-aretz |
countries outside of Eretz Yisrael |
irui |
“pouring”; one of the ways taste is transferred; an intermediate phase between kli rishon and kli sheni |
isura bala |
it absorbed forbidden matter |
karet |
extirpation, the most severe biblical punishment |
karpas |
the vegetable eaten at the beginning of the Seder |
ke-bole’o kakh polto |
taste is released from a vessel in the same manner that it was absorbed; see sec. 10:3 |
kezayit (pl. kezeytim) |
a olive’s bulk, a standard halakhic measure of volume or weight; see sections 16:23-24 |
kiddush |
the invocation of the sanctity of a holy day with blessings over a cup of wine |
kinyan |
an act that effects an acquisition or another change in status |
kitniyot |
non-ĥametz species that may not be eaten on Pesaĥ according to Ashkenazic custom; see chapter 9 |
klirishon |
the vessel in which food was cooked; see section 10:8 |
klisheni |
the vessel into which hot food was transferred; see section 10:8 |
korban |
a sacrificial offering |
korbanĥagiga |
a sacrifice offered at each of the three pilgrimage festivals |
korban Pesaĥ |
the Paschal offering |
korekh |
matza and maror eaten together to commemorate the practice of Hillel the Elder in Temple times; see section 16:28 |
kosshelberakha |
a cup of wine linked to the performance of a mitzva |
kvisha |
“pickling,” or the absorption of taste through prolonged soaking; see section 10:14 |
leĥem mishneh |
the two whole loaves of bread/matza over which the berakha of ha-motzi is recited at Shabbat and Yom Tov meals |
leĥemoni |
“poor man’s bread”; how matza is described in Devarim 16:3 |
le-khatĥila |
ab initio; a level of performance that satisfies an obligation in an ideal manner |
le-shem matzat mitzva |
“for the sake of the matza of the mitzva”; the required intention one must have when baking matza to be used for the mitzva |
libun |
heating a vessel by fire to the point that absorbed taste is incinerated |
light libun |
heating a utensil by fire to the point that a piece of straw or thread placed on the opposite side of the utensil becomes blackened from the heat |
Ma nishtana |
“Why is this night different?”; a series of questions that the children ask at the Seder |
Ma’ariv |
evening prayers |
Magid |
the part of the Seder in which the story of the Exodus is recounted |
MakatBekhorot |
the Plague of the Firstborn |
marit ayin |
“appearances”; an action that must be avoided because it may give a false impression of being a violation |
maror |
the bitter vegetable that must be eaten at the Seder |
Mashi’aĥ |
the Messiah; the restorer of the Davidic dynasty |
matza |
unleavened bread eaten by Jews on Pesaĥ |
matza ashira |
matza that was kneaded in a liquid other than water, colloquially known as “egg matza”; see section 8:1 |
mayim she-lanu |
water drawn before nightfall and kept overnight in a cool place, later to be used in matza |
mekhiratĥametz |
the sale of ĥametz to remove it from Jewish possession before Pesaĥ; see chapter 6 |
melakha |
productive work of the type prohibited on Shabbat and Yom Tov |
melakha gemura |
full-fledged work; see section 13:2 |
melolugmav |
a measure of liquid; enough to fill the drinker’s mouth with one cheek inflated |
mezonot |
food that is made from grain but is not bread, or the berakha recited on such foods |
mikveh |
a ritual immersion pool |
mil |
a unit of distance; it takes 18 minues (22.5 according to some, and 24 according to others) to walk a mil |
Minĥa |
the afternoon prayers |
minĥa gedola |
5.5 seasonal hours before sunset; the earliest time to recite the afternoon prayers |
minĥaketana |
2.5 seasonal hours before sunset |
nat bar nat |
taste that has been absorbed into a medium twice removed from its origins |
nat bar nat bar nat |
taste that is thrice removed from its origins |
netilatyadayim |
ritual hand washing |
Nisan |
the first month of the Jewish year |
notar |
uneaten portions of a sacrifice left over until the morning, which must be incinerated and may not be eaten |
noten ta’am bar noten ta’am |
see nat bar nat |
noten ta’am li-fgam |
something that imparts foul taste |
olat re’iya |
a burnt-offering sacrificed in honor of one of the three pilgrimage festivals |
pagum |
befouled |
pidyon ha-ben |
the mitzva of redeeming the [firstborn] son |
plata |
a warming tray used to reheat foods on Shabbat |
pras |
half a loaf of bread; see section 16:25 |
reshut |
voluntary, optional |
revi’it |
a liquid measure equal to a quarter of a log, calculated by most to be c. 75 ml |
safek |
a case of uncertainty or doubt |
safek de-rabanan |
an uncertainly about a rabbinic ordinance |
se’or |
a leavening agent that one uses to make dough ferment |
Se’uda shlishit |
the obligatory third Shabbat meal |
se’udatmitzva |
a festive meal celebrating the fulfillment of a mitzva |
Seder |
the banquet on the first night of Pesaĥ that includes several special recitations, customs, and mitzvot |
sefirot |
mystical “emanations” through which God created and sustains the world |
sfek sfeika |
a double uncertainty |
sha’ah zmanit |
a seasonal hour; one-twelfth of the time between sunrise and sunset (or between sunset and sunrise) |
Shabbat Ha-Gadol |
the Shabbat immediately before Pesaĥ |
Shaĥarit |
the morning prayers |
shali’aĥ |
proxy or agent |
she-heĥeyanu |
“Who has given us life”; a berakha recited at specific significant occasions |
Shekhina |
the divine presence in this world |
shi’ur |
a standard halakhic measurement for weight, distance, or volume |
shi’ur akhilat pras |
the time it takes to eat half a loaf of bread; see section 16:25 |
shmura matza |
matza that has been guarded from becoming ĥametz; see section 1:2 |
siyummasekhet |
a se’udat mitzva occasioned by the completion of a tractate of the Talmud |
Ta’anitBekhorot |
the Fast of the Firstborns; see section 13:3 |
tefaĥim |
a handbreadth; a halakhic measurement equal to c. 8cm |
tefillin |
phylacteries; black leather boxes and straps containing parchment scrolls, worn during weekday morning prayers |
teruma |
a priestly gift contributed from one’s produce |
tum’a |
ritual contamination/impurity |
Tzafun |
the part of the Seder in which the afikoman is eaten |
tzeit ha-kokhavim |
the appearance of three distinct stars, marking nightfall for various halakhic purposes |
yadsoledet bo |
hot enough to cause the hand to recoil, somewhere between 45ºC and 71ºC |
Yaĥatz |
the part of the Seder in which the middle matza is broken and the larger part designated as the afikoman |
Yom Tov |
the festivals of biblical origin during which melakha is prohibited |
yom tov sheni shel galuyot |
the extra day of Yom Tov observed in the Diaspora |
zeh ve-zeh gorem |
an effect produced by multiple factors |
zero’a |
a piece of roasted or boiled meat or poultry, preferably a shankbone, placed on the Seder plate |