770 – 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, New York; the address of Lubavitch World Headquarters

Akiva, Rabbi – leading Mishnaic authority; martyred by the Romans circa 138

Aliya – (lit. ascent) term used referring to calling someone to the Torah reading in the synagogue

Amalek – a Biblical Canaanite nation descending from Esau and a legendary foe of the Jewish people

Amida – (lit. standing) also referred to as Shemona Esrei (Eighteen Benedictions); the main section of all obligatory prayers, recited standing

Bachya ibn Paquda, Rabbi – 1040-1080; eleventh century sage and writer on Jewish thought; his most acclaimed work is Chovas Halevavos (Duties of the Heart)

Bar Mitzva – (lit. son of the command) a Jewish boy who reaches the age of thirteen, the age of adulthood in Jewish life, thus becoming religiously responsible for his own conduct; also refers to the event marking this milestone

Chabad – (a) acronym for Chochma, Bina and Daas, meaning “wisdom, intellect and understanding,” denoting the three intellectual faculties spoken of in Jewish mystical thought; (b) the Chassidic movement, synonymous with Lubavitch and founded by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, which focuses on incorporating G‑dliness into our lives through intellectual study of G‑d (utilizing the Chabad faculties to govern the midos), joy, love of G‑d, and love of fellow man

Chassid – (pl. chassidim) (a) one who goes beyond the letter of the law (b) an adherent and follower of a Chassidic Rebbe

Chassidism – the practices and beliefs of the Chassidic movement, emphasizing attachment to G‑d, love of G‑d, joy in Divine worship and brotherly love

Chassidus – Chassidic thought

Chupa – wedding canopy

DovBer of Mezritch, Rabbi – ?-1772; second leader of the Chassidic movement

Elimelech of Lisensk, Rabbi – 1717-1787; Chassidic Rebbe, brother of Rabbi Zusia from Anipoli

Farbrengen – Chassidic gathering

Gabbai – the person responsible for the proper functioning of a synagogue or communal body

G‑d – in Jewish belief, any word that is used as an appellation of G‑d must be treated respectfully; it is common to avoid spelling out the entire word in case the paper upon which it is written be discarded in an undignified manner

Gimmel Tammuz – Hebrew date of the passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, on June 12, 1994

Hagba – the ritual of lifting the Torah and displaying it to the congregation after the Torah reading

Hashem – G‑d

Hayom Yom – (lit. From Day to Day) an anthology of aphorisms and customs, arranged according to the days of the year, assembled from the talks and letters of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch (1880-1950), sixth Lubavitch Rebbe; compiled by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, seventh Lubavitch Rebbe

Hiskashrus – the bond between a chassid and a Rebbe

Isaac of Homil, Rabbi – one of the leading chassidim of the first three Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbes; head of the Rabbinic Court in Homil

Israelite – member of the Jewish people, not descending from the tribe of Levi

Kabbala – (lit. received tradition) the mystical tradition that is an integral part of Judaism

Kohanite – priest, descending from Aaron the High Priest

L’chaim – (lit. to life) traditional words of toast offered on alcoholic drinks

Levi Yitzchok of Berditchev, Rabbi – 1740-1809, Chassidic leader known for his compassion for and defense of the Jewish people

Levite – descendant of the tribe of Levi

Lubavitch – (Russian: town of love), (a) town in the county of Mohilev, White Russia, which served as the center of the Chabad Chassidic movement for four generations; (b) the Chabad Chassidic movement, which became known as the Lubavitch movement

Maggid – preacher

Maggid of Dubno – Rabbi Yaakov Kranz, 1741-1804; famous European preacher, best known for his parables

Maggid of Mezritch – see DovBer of Mezritch, Rabbi

Maimonides – Rabbi Moses ben (son of) Maimon, known by the acronym of his name the “RaMBaM,” 1135-1204; one of the foremost Jewish thinkers of the Middle Ages; his Mishna Torah is one of the pillars of Jewish law, and his Guide to the Perplexed – a classic in Jewish philosophy.

Malchus – (lit. sovereignty) the last of the ten sefiros (Divine attributes spoken of in Jewish mystical thought), embodying G‑d’s royalty, speech, feminine aspect and power of creation

Mashpia – (lit. source of flow) in Chassidic circles, a spiritual mentor

Mazal Tov – (lit. good luck) Congratulations!

Meir of Premishlan, Rabbi – Rebbe in Premishlan

Mendel Futerfas, Rabbi – 1906-1995; a renowned mashpia of the twentieth century and Chassid of the Rebbe

Mendel of Kotzk, Rabbi – 1787-1859; a Chassidic Rebbe, forbearer of the Gur dynasty

Mensch – Yiddish: a person of integrity and honor

Mezuza – (pl. mezuzos; lit. doorpost) a small parchment scroll affixed to a doorpost, which contains two Torah portions (for protection)

Midrash – the classical collection of the Sages’ homiletical teachings on the Torah

Mikva – body of water for ritual immersion effecting purification (from ritual or spiritual defilement or unsuitability) and/or spiritual elevation

Minyan – quorum of ten males over the age of thirteen, necessary for communal prayer services

Mitzva – (pl. mitzvos; lit. commandment) one of the Torah’s 613 Divine commandments; a good deed or religious precept

Moshiach – (lit. the anointed one) the Messiah

Neshama – soul

Rashab – see Shalom DovBer of Lubavitch, Rabbi

Rashi – Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki; 1040-1105; fundamental commentator on the Tanach (bible) and Talmud

Rav Huna – Talmudic sage

Reb Zusia – see Zusia of Anipoli, Rabbi

Rebbe – (lit. my teacher) Chassidic Master

Rebbe, The – Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, 1902-1994; seventh Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, building upon and expanding his predecessors’ work to revolutionize Jewish life across the globe; known throughout the world simply as “the Rebbe”

Rosh Hashana – (lit. head of the year) the Jewish New Year Holiday celebrated on the Hebrew date of 1-2 Tishrei

Schneur Zalman of Liadi, Rabbi – 1745-1812; author of the Tanya and Shulchan Aruch; founder of the Chabad (Lubavitch) Chassidic movement and its first Rebbe

Shabbos – the Sabbath

Shalom DovBer of Lubavitch, Rabbi – 1860-1920; Fifth Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe

Shliach – emissary; commonly denoting the emissaries of the Rebbe

Shlichus – the act of going out on a mission, often referring to the Rebbe sending out Shluchim

Shmuel Munkes, Rabbi – one of the leading Chassidim of Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi; known for his wit and “Chassidic pranks”

Shmuel of Lubavitch, Rabbi – 1834-1882; fifth Chabad-Lubavitch Rebbe

Tallis – prayer shawl fringed at four corners, worn by men during certain prayer services

Talmud – the basic compendium of the Oral Law, comprised of the Mishnah and its two commentaries, The Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud

Tammuz – the fourth month of the Jewish year (when counting from Nissan)

Tanya – basic work of Chabad Chassidism written by its founder Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi

Tefillin – phylacteries; black leather boxes, containing Torah portions written on scrolls, wrapped on the arm and head of adult men during weekday morning prayers

Teshuva – (lit. return) returning to G‑d; in the narrower sense, the act of repentance from sin

Torah – (lit. teaching) (a) The Five Books of Moses (The Bible); (b) the Divine teachings of G‑d encompassing the whole body of Jewish law, practice and tradition

Tzefat – Safed

Vort (Gut Vort) – (Yiddish, lit. (good) word) a thought provoking teaching or remark

Yeshiva – academy of Torah learning

Yisroel Baal Shem Tov, Rabbi – 1698-1760; founder of the Chassidic movement

Yisroel of Ruzhin, Rabbi – 1797 - 1851, Chassidic Rebbe

Yochanan HaSandler, Rabbi – second century Talmudic Sage

Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement, Jewish Holiday observed on the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tishrei

Yonasan Eibshitz, Rabbi – Talmudic Scholar and Rabbi of Homburg and Prague in the era of Rabbi Yisroel Baal Shem Tov

Yosef Yitzchak of Lubavitch, Rabbi – 1880-1950; Lubavitch, Warsaw and New York; sixth Rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch

Yud – the tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet

Yud Tes Kislev – (lit. the nineteenth of Kislev), anniversary of the passing of the Maggid of Mezritch in 1772; anniversary of the release from capital sentence and prison of his disciple, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, in 1798

Z”A – acronym for Ze’er Anpin (lit. small face) denoting the first six midos (of the ten sefiros spoken of in Jewish mystical thought)

Zohar – basic work of Kabbala; compiled by 2nd century mishnaic sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai

Zusia of Anipoli, Rabbi – 1718?-1800; disciple of Rabbi DovBer of Mezritch; famed for his simple ways and self-effacement