English words from Hebrew
- akumAn idolater, a heathen, a nonbeliever
- alamothsoprano or, possibly, virgin
- aleph-bethThe Hebrew alphabet.
- am ha'aretzAn ignoramus.
- AmminadabThe father of Nahshon and the son of Ram (biblical figure).
- amudThe lectern on the bima.
- Am Yisrael ChaiA slogan used to express confidence in the continuity of the Jewish people.
- AnaiahOne of the elders who stood with Ezra the Scribe. (biblical character)
- animal soulAccording to Kabbalah, one of the two souls Jews possess, and the only one that gentiles have. It animates the living body and is the source of both animalistic desires and traits like kindness and compassion.
- antigoyismPrejudice against non-Jews; the belief that Jews are superior to non-Jews.
- AnusimA Jew who violates Jewish law or is an apostate due to coercion, such as state persecution, often living as crypto-Jews.
- apikorosA Jewish skeptic or apostate.
- apple of SodomA gigantic tree supposed to have grown on the site of the destroyed cities Sodom and Gomorrah (see Genesis 18–19 in the Bible), the apples of which would turn to ash and smoke once picked.
- argamanA particular purple dye or color.
- Aron KodeshThe ark, the cabinet in which the Torah is kept.
- ArrabaA city in Northern district, Israel.
- AshmedaiSynonym of Asmodeus.
- av beit dinThe vice-president of a Jewish Sanhedrin or rabbinical court (beit din).
- averahA sin.
- AvigailA female given name from Hebrew, variant of Abigail.
- avodah zarahidolatry
- AzharotDidactic liturgical poems on, or versifications of, the 613 commandments in rabbinical enumeration.
- baal chesedA highly generous or righteous person.
- Baal-gadA city noted for Baal-worship, located at the most northern or northwestern point to which Joshua's victories extended.
- baal keriahbaal korei
- Baal-Shem-TovIsrael ben Eliezer, founder of the modern Hassidic movement of Judaism.
- Babylonian TalmudThe Talmud composed and compiled primarily from the teachings, discussions and disagreements of the Amoraim of the Babylonian exile.
- bachurA yeshiva student
- BaracaAn international, interdenominational organization of Bible classes for young men, founded in the late 19th century.
- bat mitzvahA Jewish coming of age ceremony for a girl.
- bechorabirthright of the firstborn son.
- bechorimFirstborn sons.
- bedikahA ritual inspection or examination.
- bedikat chametzThe search for chametz throughout the household prior to Passover.
- Beit HamikdashThe Temple in Jerusalem
- beit olamA cemetery
- Beit ShemeshA city in Israel.
- bekhorA firstborn child.
- BelteshazzarBabylonian name of the biblical prophet Daniel (cf. Daniel 1:7)
- BendavidA surname from Hebrew.
- BenzionA male given name from Hebrew.
- berakhahA formula of blessing or thanksgiving.
- besamimA spice mixture used for its scent on Havdalah.
- beth dinA rabbinical court which regulates certain parts of Jewish law.
- beth hamidrashA Jewish house of study where the study of the Torah is undertaken.
- b'ezrat HashemExpressing the speaker’s wish for a given future event to occur, and also generally their emphasis on its contingency upon the divine will.
- B"Ha common phrase used primarily by Jews when hoping for good fortune and God’s support for a better tomorrow
- BiluA Jewish movement for the agricultural settlement of the Land of Israel.
- BinyaminaA district, a former village in Binyamina-Giv'at Ada, Haifa district, Israel.
- Binyamina-Giv'at AdaA town, a local council of Haifa district, Israel.
- binyan pa'althe G-stem of a verbal construction/pattern of a root in Hebrew
- bitachonFaith, trust, especially in God.
- biur chametzThe process of destroying (as by burning) the chametz in one's possession before Passover.
- bli nederA qualification of an undertaking to do something, such that the commitment does not include the strength of a vow.
- blood avengerone who takes revenge on behalf of a killed person, as in a blood feud
- Bnei BrakA city in Israel.
- B'nei YisraelThe Jewish people collectively.
- bochurA (male) student at a yeshiva.
- bourekasIsraeli snacks related to the burek, made from either phyllo dough or puff pastry, with various fillings.
- bracha levatalaa blessing said in vain
- brit milahThe Jewish ceremony of circumcision normally performed on the eighth day of life.
- camphireCamphor.
- CaphtorA locality mentioned in the Bible, inhabited by the Caphtorites or Caphtorim, a division of the ancient Egyptians.
- caravillaA small prefabricated home.
- CasluhimAn ancient Egyptian people mentioned in the Bible and related literature.
- ChabadnikA member of the Hasidic group Chabad.
- chag sameachA greeting used on Jewish holidays.
- chalav stamMilk or other dairy product that is assumed to be kosher despite not being supervised by a mashgiach.
- chalav yisraelmilk or dairy product produced under rabbinic supervision.
- chalutzA member of a group of Jewish immigrants to Palestine who worked in agriculture or forestry.
- Chamisha Chumshei TorahThe Pentateuch collectively.
- chatanThe bridegroom.
- chatzotThe time exactly halfway between sunset and sunrise; midnight.
- chaverA friend or comrade; a chavrusa.
- chavrusaA partner with whom one studies Talmud and other topics in Judaism; by extension, any study partner.
- chayavresponsible, culpable, obligated, typically in either the fulfillment of a mitzvah or in receiving punishment from a beit din
- chazeretA symbolic bitter herb eaten at Passover, typically Romaine lettuce, used in the korech sandwich.
- chazzanutJewish liturgical music, as performed by a cantor.
- ChemoshThe god of the ancient Moabites.
- cheshbon hanefesha Jewish practice before the High Holidays where a person takes time to reflect on their character and actions.
- cheshbon nefeshSynonym of cheshbon hanefesh
- chevra kadishaA society that ensures proper treatment of the dead before burial.
- Children of IsraelJewish people, collectively.
- chillul HashemA disgrace before God; especially, shameful behavior by a Jew seen as 'giving God a bad name'.
- chittimA type of wood mentioned in the Bible, from which the Ark of the Covenant was constructed.
- chiyuvAn obligation.
- ChokmahWisdom.
- Chol HaMoedThe intermediate days between the beginning and end of the Jewish festivals of Pesach and Sukkot, on which some work is permitted.
- chovahA ritual that is not commanded in the Torah but that is still considered mandatory.
- chumraObservance of a law to an extent beyond that required by the laxest interpretation.
- ColelA Hebrew root only found in the term rule of Colel.
- ComayA surname from Hebrew.
- counting of the OmerThe ritual of stating the specific day of the Omer.
- dageshA symbol used in Hebrew script to denote a geminated consonant, or a consonant pronounced as a plosive as opposed to as a fricative.
- Dan RiverA river in North Carolina and Virginia, United States.
- datlashAn apostate from Judaism.
- David HaMelechKing David, the second king of Judah and Israel, the successor of King Saul in the Hebrew Bible; the son of Jesse and the father of Nathan and King Solomon.
- dayenuIt will (or would) have been sufficient.
- Day of AtonementYom Kippur.
- derech eretzProper behavior; manners