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Vocabulary
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  • High Holy Day

    Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
     

  • L’shanah Tovah Tikatayvu

    “May you be inscribed for a good year.”

    This is the Rosh Hashanah greeting which expresses the hope that all friends and loved ones will be written in the Book of Life and granted happiness and fulfillment in the year ahead.
     

  • Machzor

    High Holy Day prayer book. The word “machzor” literally means “cycle.”
     

  • Shofar

    The shofar is made from the horn of a ram. It is sounded every morning during the month preceding Rosh Hashanah, on Rosh Hashanah itself, and again at the conclusion of Yom Kippur. Some say that its piercing sound is a “wake-up call” that reminds people to engage in the process of repentance.
     

  • Tallit

    A prayer shawl, with fringes attached to each corner to remind us of the 613 commandments. Even though used for morning worship only, the tallit is worn for the Yom Kippur evening service. The reason for this exception is that the tallit helps to create a special atmosphere for worship and accentuates the idea of purity.
     

  • Teshuvah

    Literally means “returning,” a Hebrew term for repentance.
     

  • Tzedakah

    “Righteousness,” often mistranslated as “charity”.
     

  • Yahrzeit candle

    Memorial candle lit on the XXX anniversary of a loved one’s death, and also on those days when Yizkor is recited. Yizkor is recited on the afternoon of Yom Kippur.
     

  • Yom Tov

    Literally “a good day.” The term has come to mean “holy day.” It is often pronounced Yuntiff (the Yiddish pronunciation) and the standard holiday greeting is “Gut Yuntiff”.