Read Chains Around the Grass Online
Authors: Naomi Ragen
Kiddush—benediction over the wine for the Sabbath and specific Jewish holidays. For example, the Sabbath kiddush tells of how God completed creation on the sixth day and rested on the seventh.
Kinderlech—Yiddish for “children”, after the German, “Kinder.”
Kneidlech—dumplings made of matzah meal and egg that are cooked and eaten with chicken soup.
Knishes—festival dish of pastry or noodle dough with a sweet or savory filling; very popular are cheese knishes or knishes made with a filling of savory mashed potato.
Kugel—baked vegetable dish, see “Potato kugel.”
Latkes—Yiddish: fried potato pancakes.
Matzah—unleavened bread, used as the symbol and staple for Pesach (Passover) often referred to as the “bread of affliction”—indicating the time of the Israelite slavery in Egypt. It is said that the Israelites on escaping Egypt did not have time to allow their bread to rise, so instead they baked the large fat, dry crackers that, in the plural, are known as matzot.
Mazal—Hebrew: “good luck,” “good fortune.”
Meshuganah—Yiddish: from the Hebrew “meshugah” meaning someone who is crazy, wildly unstable.
Minyan—a Jewish prayer quorum requiring a minimum of ten males, Bar Mitzvah age and older.
Mitzvah—loosely, a “good deed” but it refers to a specifically designated set of 613 commandments (positive and negative) traditionally acknowledged to have been given by God or decreed by the Rabbis. Generally used to refer to a good deed.
Mensch—Yiddish: literally meaning “man,” referring to someone who is a good human being.
Nebbech—Yiddish: someone inept, unfortunate, to be pitied.
Nu—Yiddish, Hebrew: “so.”
Oneg Shabbat—Hebrew: literally “Sabbath joy or delight,” refers to the enjoyment of the Sabbath on Friday evening or Saturday, and includes a reception-like affair, with some refreshments, singing, or a lecture program.
Oy vey iz mere—Yiddish: exclamation of dismay meaning loosely “Alas!”
Potato kugel—baked dish, of potatoes and onions.
Putz—Yiddish: stupid, fool.
Rogelach—Yiddish: little yeast-based cakes, with cocoa-chocolate filling.
Schmuck, or shmuck—Yiddish: idiot, inept clown.
Shul—Yiddish for “synagogue,” and often referred to as “temple” in more liberal circles, the house of worship for a local Jewish community. Following the destruction of the Temple, the Jews had no choice but to erect shuls wherever their wanderings took them; there is evidence, however, that the Temple co-existed with some ancient shuls for a period of time.
Schmiess—Yiddish: from the German, to throw, or hurl—meaning a hard slap.
Shlepped—Yiddish: to carry something heavy or burdensome; to take a great deal of trouble over something.
Shandah—Yiddish: something shameful, a scandal. Shikker—Yiddish: from the Hebrew: shikor: drunk. Shiva—Hebrew: the traditional seven-day mourning period after a death, during which the family stays at home and receives condolence visits from family and friends.
Shvartzes—Yiddish: from German schwarz, a Black person.
Shegetz—Yiddish: a gentile; can also be used sarcastically for an irreligious, or anti-religious Jew.
Talmud—Hebrew for “teaching,” the name applied to the Babylonian Talmud and Palestinian Talmud, in which are collected the records of academic discussion and judicial administration of Jewish Law by generations of scholars during several centuries after 200 ce. The Talmud consists of the Mishnah, together with the Gemara, a commentary on the Mishnah.
Tateleh—Yiddish: affectionate term meaning “little father.”
Tefillin—Hebrew: phylacteries, or prayer boxes, strapped to the head and arm, worn during the daily morning prayer, but not on holidays or Shabbat. They are the sign of the covenant between God and his people.
Tuchas—Yiddish, from the Hebrew, tachat, bottom.
Tzimmes—literally: a Jewish hotpot, its flavor depends on long, slow cooking in which the sweet elements in it—be they carrots, dried fruits, sweet potatoes, squash, honey—slowly caramelize, giving rise to a glorious aroma. Some tzimmes dishes are purely vegetarian, others include brisket meat, either in cubes or as a joint, giving added richness. Figuratively: not to make a big deal out of an issue.
Tzurus—Yiddish: troubles, woes, from the Hebrew: tsarot. Yontif—derived from the Hebrew—Yom Tov: religious festival. Yosom—Yiddish: from the Hebrew, yetom, meaning “orphan”. Zetz—slap, flick.
About the Author
Naomi Ragen was born in New York, received a BA in English from Brooklyn College and an MA in English from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Since 1971 she has made her home in Jerusalem. The translation of her books into Hebrew in 1995 has made her one of Israel’s best-loved authors. An outspoken advocate for gender equality and human rights, she is a columnist for
The Jerusalem Post
. Her first play,
Women’s Minyan
, was commissioned by Habima, Israel’s National Theater.
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