THE JPS DICTIONARY OF JEWISH WORDS JOYCE EISENBERG & ELLEN SCOLNIC The Jewish Publication Society Philadelphia 2001 • 5761 Copyright © 2001 by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic First edition.All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical,including photocopy,recording,or any information storage or retrieval system,except for brief passages in connection with a critical review,without permission in writing from the publisher: The Jewish Publication Society 2100 Arch Street,2nd Floor Philadelphia,PA 19103 www.jewishpub.org Design and composition by Sandy Freeman Manufactured in the United States of America 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Eisenberg, Joyce. [Dictionary of Jewish words] JPS dictionary of Jewish words / by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic. p. c.m. Over 1000 entries for Jewish holidays and life-cycle events,culture, history,the Bible and other sacred texts,and worship.Each entry has a pronunciation guide and is cross-referenced to related terms. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8276-0720-0 (cloth) ISBN 0-8276-0723-7 (paper) 1. Judaism—Terminology. 2.Hebrew language—Terms and phrases. I.J.P.S.dictionary of Jewish words. II.Title: Jewish Publication Society dictionary of Jewish words. III.Title:Dictionary of Jewish words. IV.Scolnic,Ellen. V.Jewish Publication Society. VI.Title. BM50 .E47 2001 296'.03—dc21 2001029218 To my parents,Jean and Stanley Spitzer,who unfailingly support and encourage all my projects;to our own Jewish children, Michael,Jessica,and Andrew,from whom we “shep nachas”every day;and most of all for David,my first—and best—editor of everything I do. —E.S. To my “support staff”:my son,Ben,whose keen interest in the world stimulates my mind;my daughter,Samantha,whose wis- dom soothes my soul;and my husband,Ted,for 30 years of humor,menschlikhkeit,and unconditional love. — J.E. Contents vii Contents Acknowledgments ix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction xi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-Z Guide 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bibliography 185 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Category Lists 188 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Acknowledgments ix Acknowledgments When we set out to write a dictionary of Jewish words,we focused on those words with which we were most familiar—particularly those related to Jewish holiday foods, Hebrew school homework, and Bar and Bat Mitzvah planning.But as we compiled our lists,we realized we had to define everything from agunah to zemirot, and when it came to distinguishing a piyyut from a pupik, we needed some help. Several people took considerable time reading our rough draft, contributing words to our list, and offering valuable criticism and encouragement.We wish to thank: David Scolnic, smartest all-around guy and most supportive Hebrew- and Torah-literate spouse,who could answer any ques- tion about Torah and prayer and retained all the knowledge he learned as a child,when he won a Bible contest. Pearl Kouzi,who put her years of Hebrew day school teaching experience and her fluency with Hebrew to work on our text. Mitzi Eisenberg, a loving bubbe, who can define any Yiddish word with all the color it deserves. Ben Eisenberg, who contributed many words to this book and brought home resources each week from Hebrew school. Jean E.Spitzer,English teacher,grammarian,and grandmom ex- traordinaire. Mitchell Schwartzman,for his love of the Yiddish language and his calendar. Rabbi Samuel and Judy Scolnic, wonderful and knowledgeable machetunim. x Acknowledgments Rabbi Max Hausen,religious leader emeritus of Main Line Re- form Temple in Wynnewood,Pennsylvania. The members of the Playpen Writers Group, for their encour- agement and support. Carol Hupping,managing editor of The Jewish Publication So- ciety, for her encouraging e-mails, steadfast support, and calm guidance through the editorial process. Bryna Fischer,Helaine Denenberg,and Rabbi Jill Hammer,who expertly assisted in the preparation of our manuscript. Ellen Frankel,CEO and editor-in-chief of The Jewish Publica- tion Society,who gave us her vote of confidence to create this dictionary and was in favor of the project from the start. The authors of all the books in our bibliography,for their insight and scholarship, from which we benefited as we prepared this book. Introduction xi Introduction Back in high school, a gentile friend of the family was invited for Sunday brunch.The table was set,as any good Jewish Sunday break- fast table would be,with bagels,cream cheese,and—a treat for us—a fish platter from the deli.“Help yourself to some bagels and lox,”the guest was instructed,to which she replied,“I’ve never had it before. Can I try just one lock?” That’s a true story.And it’s stories like this one that made us real- ize how many familiar Jewish words are not as well known to main- stream America. Likewise, even though we consider ourselves practicing Jews— Jewish mothers who put a chicken in the oven for every holiday— we encountered Hebrew and Yiddish words that left us puzzled.We didn’t want to drag out the Encyclopaedia Judaica every time Hebrew school homework was due.There had to be an easier way. We set out to draft a practical, easy-to-understand reference—a dictionary of Jewish words—not just for practicing Jews and inter- married families,but also for non-Jewish writers,businesspeople,and others who encounter a Jewish word and don’t know where to look up its meaning. We hope that our dictionary will be a user-friendly reference for everyday life—one where a Jew can find out the meaning of hakhnasat orchim when he comes across the phrase in his synagogue bulletin; where an intermarried couple planning their child’s Bar Mitzvah can find out what to do when they’re asked to “make a list of everyone who gets aliyot”; and where a gentile friend can read about what to expect when making a shivah call. Our A-to-Z guide is not a book of Jewish law.It’s not even a de- finitive dictionary.But does include the definitions and pronunciations of many common Hebrew and Yiddish words;cite the “whys”behind some Jewish customs,practices and rituals;and offer further resources for the reader who is interested in a more comprehensive explanation.