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 |