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The Chosen
VOCABULARY
abba
father
apikorsim
a word of disfavor used by the ultra-Orthodox to refer to the Modern Orthodox
apikoros
singular form of apikorsim
apikorsische
adjective form of apikorsim
assimilationist a person who believes in the inclusion of different racial and ethnic groups into mainstream culture.
Ba’al Shem Tov Founder of the sect of Hasidim; born about 1700
Besht
The abbreviated name for Ba’al Shem Tov (BeSHT)
blatt
A portion of the Talmud
chalah
A loaf of yeast-leavened egg bread, usually braided, traditionally eaten by Jews on the Sabbath, holidays, and
other ceremonial occasions; sometimes spelled challah
Cossacks
a member of any of a number of autonomous communities drawn from various ethnic and linguistic groups
(as Slavs, Tatars, and Circassians) that formed in Ukraine, southern Russia, the Caucasus, and Siberia after
about 1400 and that were completely incorporated into czarist Russia during the 18th and 19th centuries
desecration
to damage something sacred, or do something that is offensive to the religious nature of something
earlocks
hair grown long at the temples. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men obey the Torah precept that directs, “You shall
not clip your hair at the temples or mar the edges of your beard. You shall not lacerate your bodies for the
dead or tattoo any marks upon yourselves” (Leviticus 19:27-28); also called side-curls.
gematriya
A system in which each letter of the Hebrew alphabet is assigned a number, so every Hebrew word has a
numerical value.
Gentile
a non-Jew.
goy
In the Hebrew of the Bible “goi” and its plural “goyyim” originally meant “nation,” and were applied both to
Israelites and to non-Israelites; commonly used to refer to non-Jews, derived from the word Gentile.
Haganah
a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948. It
was the main precursor for Israel’s army, the IDF
Hasidic
descendants of Jews who founded the Jewish sect of Hasidism (Hah see dism) in eighteenth-century Europe.
Hasid singular of Hasidic
Hasidism suggests that it is possible to reach a close relationship with God through song and joy rather than
only through more formal avenues of prayer.
Israel
In the Bible “Israel” is the national name of the people who are known racially as “Hebrews.”
Kabbalah
a medieval and modern system of Jewish mysticism, marked by belief in creation through emanation and a
symbol method of interpreting Scripture
Kaddish
An important and central blessing in the Jewish prayer service.
kashruth
Keeping kosher, or in accordance with Jewish law.
Mincha
an afternoon Jewish religious service.
Mitnagadim
Mitnagdim or misnagdim is a Hebrew word meaning “opponents”; this term was used to refer to Ashkenazi
religious Jews who opposed Hasidic Judaism. Today the term mitnagdim is loosely used by Hasidim to refer
to European religious Orthodox Jews who are not Hasidic, although they are not necessarily opposed to
Hasidic Judaism.
momzer
a colloquial word of disrespect.
Neturai Karta an international organization of Orthodox Jews dedicated to the propagation and clarification of Torah
Judaism.
Orthodox
Judaism that adheres to the Torah and Talmud as interpreted in an authoritative rabbinic law code and applies
their principles and regulations to modern living
Phylacteries
either of two small square leather boxes containing slips inscribed with scriptural passages and traditionally
worn on the left arm and on the head by observant Jewish men and especially adherents of Orthodox
Judaism during morning weekday prayers. Also called tefillin.
pilpul
A method of Talmudic study. The word is derived from the verb “pilpel” (lit. “to spice,” “to season,” and in a
metaphorical sense, “to dispute violently” or “cleverly.”
Revisionists
a nationalist right wing tendency within the Zionist movement
samovar
an urn with a spigot used for heating water for tea; originated in Russia.
Semitic
Jewish
Shabbat
another word for the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week reserved for rest and worship; for Jews, the
Sabbath is on Saturday.
Shabbtai Zvi
A man who claimed to be the Jewish messiah in 1664.
Shamashim
(plural of shamash) assistants at a Jewish religious service who perform a variety of functions.
shlepper
a Yiddish word for a person who moves slowly or awkwardly.
shtibblach
A Hassidic synagogue
skullcap
a close-fitting, brimless cap worn by Orthodox Jewish men.
Solomon
a son of David and 10th century B.C. king of Israel proverbial for his wisdom
sulfa
A prescription medication
Talmud
the oral law of Judaism, based on rabbis’ interpretations of ambiguous laws in the Torah and on issues
concerning a wide variety of topics in Jewish life. The oral law was written down in the first century A.D.
tractate
A volume dealing with a specific topic. Every tractate (Hebrew: Masekhet) in the Talmud has a unique Hebrew
name that appears at the center of the upper margin.
tzaddik
a righteous and saintly person by Jewish religious standards
tzitzit (tsee seet) fringes that hang down from the Jewish prayer shawl and are intended to remind Jews of the necessity of
observing Jewish law. The Torah states, “When you look upon it [tzizit], you will remember to do all the
commands of the Lord” (Numbers 37:39). Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, such as the Hasidim, wear a prayer
shawl under their clothes and leave the fringes visible over the waists of their trousers.
Yeshiva
a school to which Orthodox Jews send their male children. Half of the academic day is spent on Jewish
subjects, and the other half on secular subjects. In the novel, Reuven attends a yeshiva that offers more
secular classes than Danny’s yeshiva does. At times, this difference causes resentment in Danny, who thinks
that Reuven is less observant of Jewish law.
Yiddish
The language of Eastern European Jews, Yiddish comes from German and Polish roots. Hasidic Jews prefer
to use Yiddish as an everyday language, believing that the use of Hebrew, the original language of the Jewish
people, is a holy tongue; to use Hebrew in an ordinary classroom would desecrate God’s name. Reuven’s
Modern Orthodox sect, however, uses Hebrew in its classrooms.
Zionism
an international movement originally for the establishment of a Jewish national or religious community in
Palestine and later for the support of modern Israel