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Taam: (a) flavor; delight (b) reason
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Taamim: the musical cantillation signs that accompany the printed text of the Torah, known in Yiddish as trop
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Tabernacle: the temporary Sanctuary in which the Divine Presence dwelled during the Jews’ journeys through the desert
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Tachanun: (lit. "supplication"); the penitential prayers recited on all non-festive days
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Taf: the twenty-second letter of the Hebrew alphabet, prounounced "t," with a numerical value of 400.
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Tafel: (lit. “of secondary importance”); an object which is subordinate to another object (the ikkar)
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Tagim: the “crowns” which adorn the upper edges of certain letters in the ritual script of Torah scrolls, etc
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Taharah: Ritual purity.
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Taharah (Preparation for Burial): (lit. “purification”); ritual washing and dressing of the deceased in preparation for burial
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Taharat HaMishpachah: (lit. “family purity”); the system of laws which govern Jewish marital life.
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Takanah: one of the halachic sublaws ordained by the sages of the various generations
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Tallit: Prayer shawl fringed with tzitzit at four corners, worn by men during certain prayer services.
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Tallit Kattan: (literally: small cloak) four-cornered poncho-like fringed cloak worn by Jewish men and boys beneath their shirts.
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Talmid Chacham: Torah scholar
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Talmud, The: the basic compendium of Jewish law and thought; its tractates mainly comprise the discussions collectively known as the Gemara, which elucidate the germinal statements of law (mishnayot) collectively known as the Mishnah; when unspecified refers to the Talmud Bavli, the edition developed in Babylonia, and edited at the end of the fifth century C.E.; the Talmud Yerushalmi is the edition compiled in the Land of Israel at the end of the fourth century C.E.
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Tamar, Daughter of David: (9th century BCE) Daughter of David, sister of Absalom. She was violated by her half-brother Amnon. Absalom killed Amnon to avenge his sister's honor, creating a rift between David and Absalom.
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Tamar, Daughter-in-law of Judah: (a) Originally married to Judah's son Er. After Er’s death, she married his brother Onan. After Onan, too, she seduced Judah and bore him twin sons, Zerach and Peretz (progenitor of King David). According to the Midrash, she was the daughter of Shem. (b) A common Jewish name.
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Tamid: tractate of the Mishnah which concerns itself with the daily service in the Temple and therefore concerns several particulars concerning the Temple’s structure
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Tamim: present or former student of the Lubavitcher yeshivot (known as Tomchei Tmimim)
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Tammuz: Hebrew month corresponding to June-July; the Three Weeks of mourning for the destruction of the Beit Hamkidash begin in this month
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Tammuz 12-13: birthday of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn (1880), and anniversary of his release from a capital sentence and imprisonment in Soviet Russia (1927)
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Tammuz 17 (Fast): fast commemorating five calamities, including the breaching of the walls of Jerusalem during the Roman siege that led to the destruction of the Holy Temple
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Tammuz 3: The anniversary of passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson of righteous memory (b. 1902), who passed away in the early morning hours of the 3rd of the Hebrew month of Tammuz, of the year 5754 from creation (1994).
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Tanach: The bible; acronym for Torah (i.e., the Five Books of Moses), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (the “Writings”; i.e., the Hagiographa).
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Tannaim: (lit. “teachers”); Sages whose opinions are quoted in the Mishnah and other works of that period (273 BCE-190 CE)
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Tanya: fundamental text of Chabad Chassidic philosophy, written by the movement’s founder, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi in the 18th century; Tanya'' is the initial word of the book, which is also called Likkutei Amarim ("Collected Discourses'') and Sefer shel Beinonim ("The Book of the Intermediates'')
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Tarfon, Rabbi: (c. 46-c.117) Mishnaic sage, an adherent of the House of Shammai, a contemporary of Rabbis and Joshua ben Hananiah. A Kohen, he served in the Temple and many of his recollections of the Temple service are recorded in the Talmud. He was extremely wealthy, gave generously to charity, and was renowned for the tremendous respect he accorded his mother.
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Targum Onkelos: (lit. "translation"); classic Aramaic translation and paraphrase of the bible by the second-century proselyte, Onkelos
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Taryag: ‘613’ The number of Biblical precepts, consisting of 248 positive commandments and 365 negative commandments
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Tashlich: (lit. “You shall cast...”); riverside ritual of atonement on Rosh HaShanah
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Tefach: a unit of length used in Jewish law, corresponding to the width of a fist
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Tefillah: Prayer.
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Tefillah BeTzibbur: praying with a congregation
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Tefillat HaDerech: (lit. “the prayer of the road”); prayer recited by travelers
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Tefillin: (lit. "phylacteries"); small black leather cubes containing parchment scrolls inscribed with the Shema and other biblical passages, wrapped on the arm and head of adult men during weekday morning prayers
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Tehillim: the Book of Psalms, alternatively, several Psalms
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Tekiah: the protracted Shofar blast
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Tekiah Shevarim Teruah Tekiah: the traditional order of the sounds of the shofar: a long steady blast, a series of short wailing blasts, a series of very short sounds in rapid succession, and another long steady blast
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Ten Commandments: the Ten Commandments
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Ten Days of Repentance: The first ten days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, beginning on Rosh Hashanah and culminating on Yom Kippur.
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Ten Martyrs, the: Ten Mishnaic sages who were killed by the Romans in the second century CE as an atonement for the sale of Joseph. They are: Rabban Simeon ben Gamaliel II, Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha, Rabbi Akiba, Rabbi Hananiah ben Teradion, Rabbi Hutzpit the Interpreter, Rabbi Eleazar ben Samua, Rabbi Hananiah ben Hakinai, Rabbi Yeshevav the Scribe, Rabbi Judah ben Damah, and Rabbi Judah ben Bava. On Yom Kippur and Tishah B'Av it is customary to read an elegy that discusses the martyrdom of these holy men. (Some sources replace some of the names above with Rabbi Hananiah the Deputy High Priest, Rabbi Judah ben Teima, Rabbi Judah the Baker, and Rabbi Tarfon.)
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Terah: (1883-1678 BCE) Idolatrous father of Abraham. According to the Midrash, he was an idol merchant. Repented before his death.
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Teresh: A chamberlain in King Ahasuerus's court. Together with his colleague Bigthan, plotted to assassinate the king. Mordecai discovered their plot, and they were both hanged. This event played a pivotal role in the Purim story, as described in the Scroll of Esther which is read every year on Purim.
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Teruah: the short staccato Shofar blast
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Terumah: Seventh Torah portion in the Book of Exodus.
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Terumah: (lit. “the elevated portion”); a portion of the agricultural produce given to the priests; this portion must be guarded from ritual impurity and eaten in a state of purity
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Teshuvah ("Return"; Repentance): (lit. “return”); repentance, return to a Jew’s true essence
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Tet: the ninth letter of the hebrew alphabet, pronounced "t," with a numerical value of nine
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Tevet 10 (Fast): fast day commemorating the date on which the Babylonians laid siege around the walls of Jerusalem, leading to the eventual destruction of the Holy Temple
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Tevet 24: The 24th of the month of Tevet on the Jewish calendar is the anniversary of the passing of the founder of Chabad, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, in 1812 (the Jewish year 5573).
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Tevet, Month of: Hebrew month corresponding to December-January
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The Lubavitcher Rebbe, R. Menachem Mendel Schneerson: Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, of righteous memory (1902-1994); seventh leader of Chabad-Lubavitch, lived in Nikolayev and Dnieperptrosk (Ukraine), Leningrad, Berlin, Warsaw, Paris and New York; built upon and expanded his predecessors’ work to revolutionize Jewish life across the globe; known simply as “the Rebbe”
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The Shunamite Woman: Childless woman who regularly hosted Elisha when he traveled through Shunam. In appreciation, Elisha blessed her with a son. When he died several years later, Elisha miraculously resurrected him.
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Third Meal ("Seudah Shelishit"): (lit. "the third meal"); the third of Shabbat's required three meals, held right before sunset, during the mystic time of Shabbat's waning
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Thirteen Attributes of Mercy: G-d’s boundless capacity for compassion, especially as expressed in the granting of atonement
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Three Weeks, The: the Three Weeks of mourning from the Seventeenth of Tammuz through Tishah B'Av, commemorating the period between the fall of Jerusalem and the Destruction of the Temple
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Tiferet (Harmony; Beauty; Compassion): (lit,. “beauty”) the third of the ten Middot, or Divine attributes, and their corresponding emotional attributes in the human soul; fuses the influence of Chessed and Gevurah and reveals a light that transcends them both; often identified with Mercy
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Tikkun Chatzot: (lit. “midnight service”); a prayer recited by pious Jews at midnight, lamenting the destruction of the Holy Temple
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Tikkun Leil Shavuot: (lit. "service of the night of Shavuot"); the series of selections from the written and oral law read and studied during the night-long vigil observed on the first night of Shavuot
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Tikkunei Zohar: (lit. “the songs of the Zohar"); a collection of mystical hymns, part of the collection of Zoharic literature
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Tinokot Shenishbu: (lit. “captive infants”); Jews who are unaware of Torah laws and values because they are victims of environmental duress, such as educational deprivation
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Tish: (Yiddish, lit. “table”); i.e., the ceremonial Sabbath meal which a chassidic Rebbe conducts in the company of his chassidim
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Tishah B'Av (Fast): (lit. "ninth of Av"); day of fasting and mourning on the ninth of Av commemorating the Destruction of the first and the second Holy Temples
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Tishrei, Month of: Hebrew month corresponding to September-October; the High Holidays and Sukkot are celebrated during this month
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Titus: (c. 40-81 CE) Son of Vespasian, uncle of Onkelos, emperor of Rome from 79 to 81 CE. He went to Judea to help his father, who was then general of the Roman army, quell the Jewish rebellion there. When his father returned to Rome upon being appointed emperor, Titus completed the destruction begun by his father, burning the Temple and massacring and exiling the Jews. Upon returning to Rome, a gnat entered his nose and pecked at his brain for years, until Titus' death.
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Tmimut: earnestness, simplicity
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Tohu & Tikkun: (Kabbalistic terms; lit. "chaos" and "rectification"); Kabbalah explains that at the beginning of creation, the world was in a spiritual condition called Tohu (chaos), an elevated realm of spiritual existence which lacked the balance and order that characterizes our frame of reference and which therefore “collapsed.” in an event called shevirat hakeilim – the breaking of the vessels, when the light departed from them. This “break” was planned by G-d in the first place, for it was a “destruction for the purpose of building,” since only then could there exist the orderly world we are familiar with, the world of tikkun ("rectification" or "order"). This world possesses lesser lights, but the vessels are plentiful. The sparks of holiness that “fell” when the vessels were broken are hidden within various parts of our world, and awaiting their “correction” through man’s Divine service
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Toldot Yaakov Yosef: the earliest record of the teachings of the Baal Shem Tov, written by his disciple R. Yaakov Yosef of Polnnoye
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Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch: the yeshivah founded in Lubavitch in 1897 by the Rebbe Rashab; one of its subsequent offshoots
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Torah Or: (lit. “the Torah is Light”); a classic collection of chassidic discourses by the Alter Rebbe
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Torah SheBichtav: (lit. “the Written Torah”); Scripture
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Torah, The: (lit. teaching) (a) The Five Books of Moses (The Bible); (b) the overall body of Jewish religious teachings encompassing the whole body of Jewish law, practice and tradition
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Torat Ha’Olah: work on philosophy and Kabbalah by R. Moshe Isserles c. 1540-1573.
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Torat HaChassidut: the philosophy and literature of Chassidut
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Tosafists: Tosafists were medieval rabbis who wrote explanatory notes on the Talmud. Their commentaries are traditionally printed together with the text of the Talmud and are collectively called Tosafot ("supplements").
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Tosafot: (lit. “supplements”); classical commentaries on the Talmud, composed by the descendants and disciples of Rashi, which began to appear in the mid-twelfth century and are traditionally printed together with the text of the Talmud
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Tosefta: (Aramaic, “supplement”); a body of teachings authored during the same period as the Mishnah, but not included in that text; also a single teaching of this type
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Treif: (Yiddish) food forbidden by the Kashrut laws
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Tu B'Shevat: the fifteenth of Shevat, celebrated as “The New Year for Trees”
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Tumah: spiritual impurity
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Tur: (lit. “Row”; full name: Arba’ah Turim, “the Four Rows”); a four volume codification of Jewish law, containing Halachic rulings of all Rishonim, compiled by R. Yaakov ben Asher (c. 1270-c. 1343); the Shulchan Aruch and many later codifications of Halachah follow the format of the Tur.
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Turei Zahav: a major commentary on the Shulchan Aruch written by R. David HaLevi (1586-1667) in Poland
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Twelve Tribal Leaders: The leaders of the twelve tribes during the Israelites' travel through the desert. They served both as governors of their respective tribes and as "senators," performing communal functions.
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Tyerer Tatte: (Yiddish) dear father
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Tz’enah Ur’enah: (lit. “go out and see [O daughters of Jerusalem]”); a text featuring passages from the Chumash and related excerpts from the Midrash, translated into Yiddish and arranged according to the weekly Parshah and the festivals; originally compiled and translated by R. Yaakov ben Yitzchak Ashkenazy (c. 1540-c. 1626), though the printed edition now used was extensively edited by a later (unknown) author; it has been studied by generations of pious Jewish women.
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Tzaddik of Jerusalem, The: Rabbi Aryeh Levine, one of the foremost rabbinic leaders in Israel from the 1930’s to the 1960’s.
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Tzaddik, Rasha & Beinoni: (Lit.: "righteous," "intermediate" and "wicked"). These terms are used in the Talmud and the rabbinic writings to describe various levels of righteousness, piety and spiritual attainment. In his Tanya, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi defines the rasha as one who succumbs to his animal self, the benoni as one who struggles with it, and the tzaddik as one who sublimates it and transforms it.
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Tzaddik, The: A wholly righteous person. In the context of Chabad lliterature, one who has conquered his animal impulses and is filled entirely with love and reverence for G-d.
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Tzadik: the eighteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, prounounced "tz," with a numerical value of 90
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Tzafun: (lit. "hidden") the twelfth step of the Passover seder--eating the afikoman which has been hidden away since the beginning of the seder.
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Tzaraat ("Leprosy"): A supra-natural bodily affliction (often mistranslated as leprosy).
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Tzedakah: (lit. "justice, righteousness"); charity
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Tzedakah Pushka: (lit. box) (Yid.) Charity box.
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Tzeirei: one of the Hebrew vowel signs
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Tzelofechad: After he died in the desert, his daughters successfully petitioned to be awarded his portion in the Land of Canaan. Some say he was killed by the Amalekites and the Canaanites among those who -- after the Spies catastrophe -- attempted to go to Canaan on their own. Others say he was the wood gatherer.
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Tzemach Tzedek: Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch, third leader of Chabad-Lubavitch; (1789-1866); son-in-law and successor of R. Dovber of Lubavitch; known by the title of the collection of responsa which he authored, "Tzemach Tzedek."
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Tzephaniah: (c. 5th century BCE) A contemporary of Jeremiah, he prophesied shortly before the destruction of the first Holy Temple.
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Tzephaniah: The book of Tanach containing Zephaniah's prophecies, foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem as well the Jews' eventual return from exile.
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Tzimtzum: (lit. "contraction"); the process of Divine self-contraction and self-limitation which makes possible the concept of limited, worldly existence
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Tziruf: (lit. "the process of smelting ore"); an analogy for the spiritual task of refining the world
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Tzitzit; Tallit: (a) Fringed four-cornered garment. (b) The fringes of said garment.
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Tzivot Hashem: “The army of G-d”; a Jewish children’s club established by the Lubavicher Rebbe in 1980
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Tziyun: (lit. “marker”); in chassidic usage, the resting place of a tzaddik frequented by chassidim in prayer.
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Tzniut ("modesty" in dress & behavior): modesty in dress and behavior
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