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A': symbol for 'Adonai, one of the names of God

Amidah: central prayer of Rabbinic origin; recited thrice daily while standing

bakasha: piyyut (see below) in the form of a petition for greater concentration in prayer

bashert: predestined; meant to be

bimah: raised platform in synagogue architecture

Birkhot hashahar: benedictions recited as part of the preliminary morning service

davening: praying

devar Torah: remarks, sermon, or essay about a portion of Torah

havurah: fellowship or small community of worshippers or learners

hazzan: cantor trained in liturgy and music

hazzanut: cantorial style singing

hevra: community

hupah: wedding canopy

Kabbalat Shabbat: service welcoming the Sabbath on Friday evening before the regular evening service; meant to enhance the experience of prayer

Musaf: additional service recited on Sabbath and Festivals after Torah reading

Palmah: elite force of the Haganah, the pre-1948 forerunner of the Israeli army

parasha: specific section of Torah assigned for reading in the synagogue each week

Pesukei dezimra: literally, "verses of song"; psalms read in the preliminary morning service

piyyut: liturgical poem of the post-Rabbinic period written to embellish the obligatory prayers; often based on biblical sources or meant to convey deep religious feeling

ruah: spirit, often in the sense of community enthusiasm or spirituality

Shabbat/Shabbos: Sabbath

Shaharit: morning service

sheliah tzibbur: "agent of the congregation"; one who leads the community in prayer

sheloshim: literally, "thirty"; thirtyday mourning period following a person¹s death

shidakh: arranged match

shofar: ram's horn, blown during the High Holiday season

shul: synagogue (Yiddish)

siddur: prayer book

tefila: prayer (pl. tefilot)

Torah: handwritten scroll of the Five Books of Moses; understood generally to mean sacred Jewish texts and learning

yad: pointer used by the Torah reader to follow the words without touching the scroll with a Þnger

yahrtzeit: anniversary of a person¹s death on the Jewish calendar (Yiddish)

yiddishkeit: literally, "Jewishness"(Yiddish); often used in the sense of an attachment to the Jewish people and immersion in its culture

Yizkor: memorial service, recited on festivals

yeshiva: school of advanced Jewish learning

Yom ha'Atzmaut: Israeli Independence Day (5 Iyar on the Jewish calendar)

z"l: abbreviation for zikhrono/zikhronah livrakha (may his/her memory be for a blessing), often placed after the name of a deceased person (In Hebrew transliteration, " indicates an abbreviation.)

Zohar: literally, "splendor"; the major work of Jewish mysticism