Jewish Word Glossary
Glossary Key
abbr. = abbreviated esp .= especially Heb. = Hebrew lit. = literally n = noun |
pl. = plural pron. = pronounced usu. = usually v = verb Yid. = Yiddish |
A |
B | C
| D |
E | F
| G |
H | I
| J | K |
L
M |
N | O
| P |
R | S
| T |
U | V
| W | X | Y
| Z
P
- pahst (nisht)
- (Yid.) (in)appropriate
- parnasah
- livelihood
- parsha
- chapter, esp. of Torah
- parshat hashavua
- weekly parsha read in shul; the parsha for a given week
- parve
- status of food containing neither dairy nor meat ingredients; wishy-washy [slang]
- pashut
- simple, basic; literal
- pashut pshat
- the simplest explanation
- paskin
- to answer a question on religious practice
- paskudnyak
- corrupt, degenerate, immoral person
- pe'ah
- li.=corner: section of field left for poor to glean
- peh
- mouth
- perek
- paragraph, esp. in Torah
- perochet
- ornamental curtain in front of aron
- Pesach
- Passover, in spring
- pesachdik
- legal for Passover use or consumption
- Petach Tikva
- Israeli city, east of Tel Aviv-- Chicago's Israeli "sister city"
- petirah
- lit.= exemption, absolution: death
- peyis
- sideburns, esp. long ones worn by chasidim
- pidyon haben
- the redemption of the bachor from Temple service; still done ceremoniously
- pidyon shvuyim
- lit.=the redeption of captives: the rescue of refugees
- pigua
- lit.=encounter, attack: terror attack
- Pirkei Avot
- "Ethics of the Fathers," a Mishnaic book of sages' sayings
- pikuach nefesh
- the tenet of violating Jewish law to save a life
- pintele
- (Yid.) lit.=the point of a Jew: the "spark" of Jewishness within all Jews
- pisk
- (Yid.) mouth; loudmouth
- pisk-malocheh
- lit.=mouth work: (Yid.) lip service; one who does not fulfill promises
- pits'l
- (Yid.) tiny bit; very young or small child
- Ploni Almoni
- anonymous one, John Doe
- plotz
- (Yid.) explode, esp. with intense emotion
- pnimiyut
- lit.=face-ness: the focus on essential, rather than surface, matters
- pogrom
- violent, anti-Semitic attack of a Jewish village or area
- polke
- leg or thigh, esp. of a chicken
- posek
- one trusted to made halachic decisions
- potch
- (Yid.) spank
- potchkeh
- (Yid.) tamper, fuss
- potchkied
- (Yid.) overdone, overwrought
- poter
- exempt, esp. from a mitzvah
- pritzeh
- (Yid.) princess
- prust
- rough, coarse; socially unrefined
- pshat
- explanation, interpretation
- "Pum fakert"/ punkt fahrkhert
- lit.=exactly wrong: "Quite the opposite, actually." (compare to "vice versa")
- pupik
- (Yid.) navel, belly button
- Purim
- spring holiday for Book of Esther events
- punim
- (Yid.) face
- pushka
- box or canister for collecting tzedakah