Chapter One – בְכוֹר

זָכוֹר – (zākhor) Hebrew term basically meaning to remember, to record, or to reinvent.

בְכוֹר – (bi-khor) Hebrew term used to refer to the eldest son.

Shivah – Hebrew, meaning ‘seven’, refers to the week of mourning after a Jewish funeral. The family of the deceased receives visitors at the family home for seven days. Immediate family members traditionally sit in low, hard chairs for the shivah week as well as observing other outward practices of mourning, including wearing ripped clothing.

Shtetl – Primarily Jewish towns and villages in Eastern Europe. 

Wort – Yiddish, ‘Word’

Chapter Two – כִּסְלֵו

כִּסְלֵו – (key-slev) Kislev is the third month of the Hebrew calendar.

Abba – Hebrew, ‘Father’

Beth Midrash – Religious school for higher learning, older boys.

Chai – (high) The letters correspond to the number 18, meaning ‘life’.

Cheder – Religious school for young boys

Daven – Hebrew, ‘To pray’

Erev Shabbas – The night that is the beginning of the Sabbath, Friday night.

Genizah – Hebrew, literally meaning‘hiding place’. A storeroom or cabinet for worn-out sacred writings called shemot because they contained God’s name or reference to God. Every synagogue will have a genizah. Cemeteries and religious community centers may also have a genizah. 

Genizot – plural of Genizah 

Hamor – Hebrew, ‘Donkey’

Hazar – Yiddish, ‘Pig’

Kippah – Head covering for Jewish males

Neeman – Head of the Jewish community

Pais – Sideburns found on religious Jewish males

Schvitz – Yiddish, ‘Sweat’

Shabbas – the Sabbath

Shemot – Hebrew, ‘Names’. Also refers to the papers stored in a genizah which contain the name of God

Sholem-aleychem – Yiddish greeting

Shtibl – Prayerhouses, most often used by various artisan groups

Shulhoyf – Synagogue courtyard, often the center of the shtetl

Yeshivah – Traditional religious school

Chapter Three - הַנָמֵר וְהַקָצָב

הַנָמֵר וְהַשׁוֹחֵט – (ha-na-mār veh-ha-sho-ket) The tiger and the butcher.

Arop – Yiddish, ‘Down’

Czerwiec – Polish, month of June. Literally meaning ‘Worms’.

Chevra Kadisha – Burial society who oversee preparation of bodies and burial according to Jewish law.

Esn – Yiddish, ‘Eat’

Gut – Yiddish, ‘Good’

Kluger – Yidish, A smart person

Listopad - Polish, month of November. Literally meaning ‘Falling leaves’.

Nudnik – Yiddish, A pest or a bore

Shochet – Ritual slaughterer (or person in charge of overseeing ritual slaughter) of meat and poultry in accordance with Jewish kosher laws

Styczen – Polish, month of January. Literally meaning ‘Rod’ or ‘Pole’

Chapter Four - קלוּגה קִינדעֶר

קלוּגה קִינדעֶר – (kluge kinder) Wise children

Boychik – Yiddish, Affectionate term for a young boy.

Lib – Yiddish, ‘Dear’

Mezuzot – The plural of mezuzah, parchment scroll with selected Torah passages in small container attached to doorframes.

Chapter Five - פִידיוֹן הַבֶּן

פִידיוֹן הַבֶּן – (pidyon ha-ben) Redemption of the First Born

Afikomen – The middle piece of matzah on the Passover plate.

Hagaddah – Meaning ‘telling’, it is the book that contains the order of the Passover seder.

Haroset – Sweet mixture of nuts and fruits representing mortar in the Passover story.

Karpas – Refers to green vegetable used in Passover seder.