Jewish Learning

Shabbat Guide

Shabbat Guide

JUF is pleased to provide this basic guide to celebrating Shabbat.

The Holocaust Project

Encyclopedia Britannica Holocaust Project

JUF partners with Encyclopedia Britannica to bring you their collection of Britannica's Holocaust Project resources.

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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