Many times, we get questions about various Yiddish and Hebrew terms used by the Messianic Jewish community. This list is by no means exhaustive, but we wanted to offer some assistance with understanding some of the articles available on this site. If you want to know the meaning of an expression, and you can’t find it here, please feel free to leave a comment asking us to add it to this glossary.

For now, if you can’t find what you’re looking for, you may want to look at Following the Ancient Paths. They have an excellent collection of definitions there.

Bar Mitzvah

Literally “son of the commandment”. Upon turning 13 (12 for girls), every Jewish child is regarded as an adult for religious purposes. This is usually celebrated by having the child conduct a service in the synagogue, read from a Torah scroll, and give a speech. There is often a party, as well.

Bat Mitzvah

Literally “daughter of the commandment”. Upon turning 12 (13 for boys), every Jewish child is regarded as an adult for religious purposes. This is usually celebrated by having the child conduct a service in the synagogue, read from a Torah scroll, and give a speech. There is often a party, as well.

B’nei Mitzvah

Literally “children of the commandment”. A catch-all term that can apply to both a “bar mitzvah” or a “bat mitzvah”.

Halacha/Halakha

The Hebrew term for “the walk”, this word refers to the body of rabbinic law. Often found modified as an English word, such as “halachic”, or “halachically”.

Hashem

Literally, “the Name”. A euphemism for the Name of God. It is used in order to avoid the possibility of using the Holy Name in an unworthy manner. The concern is based on the commandment, “Do not take the Name of YHWH, your God, in vain.”

Kashrut

The Hebrew term that is translated “kosher”. Refers to the laws of “clean and unclean” animals, specifying which animals are allowable as food. The original rules can be found in Vayikra/Leviticus 11 and Devarim/Deuteronomy 14.

Ketuvim

Hebrew for “Writings”, this is the name of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, along with “Torah” and “Navi’im” (“Prophets”).

Landsman (often heard, Lantsman)

Literally, “of the same land”, this word carries the connotation of having a shared nationality or heritage. It is a term of familiarity and brotherhood. Similar to the idea of Mishpochah, but not quite as intimate.

Maftir

The final two or three sentences of a weekly parsha reading. The maftir is chanted by anyone going through a b’nei mitvah ceremony.

Mezuzah

A small box affixed to the doorpost according to the commandment contained in Devarim/Deuternomy 6:9; contains several passages of Scripture, including Devarim/Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21.

Messiah

The “hope of Israel”. Based on a variety of texts in the Torah and the Prophets, the rabbis concluded that someone would come who would restore the Davidic throne, regather Israel, and bring an end to Gentile oppression of Israel. Messianics maintain Yeshua fits this role, while most in traditional Judaism do not.

Messianic Perspective

The Messianic community is not homogeneous. As a result of members coming from a diverse background, there is a great deal of variety in the doctrines and worship style of congregations calling themselves “Messianic”. However, there is a common perspective that is shared by nearly all Messianics. That is the idea that the Bible is a single continuous set of revelation that should be expected to communicate a single message. Once that is acknowledged, many of the other doctrinal points begin to diminish in significance.

Mishkan

Derived from the Hebrew root “shakan”. Means “dwelling place”; specifically, the dwelling place of God. The name of this blog is “Mishkan David”, which means “Tabernacle of David”, and is a reference to the restoration of the Davidic dynasty under King Messiah when he returns to rule the entire planet from his throne in Zion.

You can find more on this term in posts “What Is Mishkan David?, Part I” and “What Is Mishkan David?, Part II“.

Mishpochah

Also spelled, “mishpacah”, with or without the “h” ending. Literally, “family”. But not exclusive to immediate family. To the Jewish mind, this includes all Jews, everywhere.

There are a couple different ways to pronounce this word, one based on Hebrew and one based on Yiddish. You may hear “mish-pa-KHAH” (normative Hebrew pronunciation), or “mish-PO-khuh” (Yiddish inflection). Both are equally correct, but it is good to know which variation you are using, and why.

Pesach

Translated as “passover”. This is the Hebrew word for the Spring festival celebrated by all Jews to commemorate the deliverance from Egypt in approximately 1,500 BCE.

Prophet

Occasionally, one comes across an English word we all think we understand just fine, but its modern meaning no longer communicates the idea it was intended to convey. “Prophet” is one such word. In Hebrew culture, the word was used to indicate one who spoke forth a message of moral imperative, and had very little to do with future events. Foretelling the future was a secondary role, at best, and used primarily to validate the truth and divine origin of the exhortation spoken by the prophet.

Rambam

Rabbi Moses ben Maimon. Well-known sage and Torah commentator from the middle ages. Also known as Maimonides.

Rav Sha’ul

Known to most people as “Paul the Apostle”. The use of his Hebrew name and title helps to remind the reader of his original context and perspective.

Revelation

Describes the fact and manner of conveying information from the spiritual world to the materials world. In general, this occurs in two ways.

  • General Revelation: Also known as “Natural Revelation”, this describes the fact that much can be ascertained about Hashem based on the things he has created. From nature, we can see that Hashem is orderly, and just. Rav Sha’ul spoke of natural revelation in Romans 1:18-32, and Psalm 19 provides an excellent description of how general/natural revelation works.
  • Special Revelation: Describes the fact that God has chosen to reveal himself in a detailed manner through a specific set of texts, known as “The Bible”.

Seder

Literally, “order”. The term for the ritualized dinner that accompanies the start of Pesach/Passover.

Sedrah

Smaller section of text with a weekly Torah portion. If a Torah portion is viewed as a chapter break, then the sedrah represents a subtitled section within the chapter. There are seven sedrot (plural) in each Torah portion.

Sh’liach

Hebrew term for “emissary”, or “ambassador”. Commonly translated by the Greek word, “apostolos”, from which we get the English word “apostle”. Rav Sha’ul gives a great definition of the word without actually using “apostolos” in—

Second Corinthians 5:20
Therefore we are ambassadors of the Messiah; in effect, God is making his appeal through us. What we do is appeal on behalf of the Messiah, “Be reconciled to God!”

Shul

Place of meeting for religious worship and education. Derived from the Yiddish word for “school”. Used interchangeably with “synagogue”.

Synagogue

Place of meeting for religious worship and education. Derived from the Greek word for “gathering together”. Interchangeable with “shul”.

Talmud

The collection of rabbinic commentaries on the Torah. Actually a compilation of two major works, known as “Mishnah” and “Gemara”. The mishnah is the core commentary on the Torah text. The gemara is a commentary on the mishnah. The Talmud is not regarded by most as divinely inspired, but it contains many of the foundational statements and Bible interpretations that have become the core of Jewish life, philosophy, and religion.

Tanakh

The Hebrew Bible; acronym consisting of the initial letters of the words “Torah”, “Navi’im” (Prophets), and “Ketuvim” (Writings).

Tikkun Olam

Literally, “fixing up the world”. The Jewish ethical understanding that part of the human purpose is to cooperate with Hashem in making the world a better place than when we found it. Similar to the idea of “stewardship” that is popular in some Christian circles.

Torah

Technically, the five books of Moses; less formally, may be applied to the entire Bible, or even to the teachings of a specific rabbi.

Yeshua

The Hebrew name for the person identified by Christians as “Jesus Christ”. He was an itinerant preacher from the Galilee region in northern Israel, known for his teachings and miraculous deeds. His most significant miracle was rising from the dead after being in the grave for three days. He promised to return at an unidentified time in the future, when he will sit upon the Davidic throne in Jerusalem and usher in a global monarchy that is run in accordance with the laws of the Torah.