1. Texts
and
Vocabulary
SHEMA,
Yisra’el!
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad.
Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.
In an undertone:
Barukh sheim k'vod malkhuto l'olam va'ed.
Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever.
V'ahav'ta eit Adonai Elohekha b'khol l'vav'kha uv'khol naf'sh'kha uv'khol m'odekha.
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your
might.
V'hayu had'varim ha'eileh asher anokhi m'tzav'kha hayom al l'vavekha.
And these words that I command you today shall be in your heart.

2. V'shinan'tam l'vanekha v'dibar'ta bam
And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall speak of them
b'shiv't'kha b'veitekha uv'lekh't'kha vaderekh uv'shakh'b'kha uv'kumekha
when you sit at home, and when you walk along the way, and when you lie down and when you rise
up.
Uk'shar'tam l'ot al yadekha v'hayu l'totafot bein einekha.
And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.
Ukh'tav'tam al m'zuzot beitekha uvish'arekha.
And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

5.
Blessings:
Blessing
over
Bread,
Blessing
over
Wine,
Friday
Evening
Blessing
Blessing
over
bread

6. Blessing
over
wine

7. Eveni

8.
Va'yihi erev va'y'hi voker
Yom ha'shishi. Va'yihulu ha'shamayim v'haaretz v'hol tzva'am. Va'yihal Elohim ba'yom ha'shvi'i milahto asher
asah, va'yishbot ba'yom ha'shvi'i mikolmlahto asher asah. Va'yivareh Elohim et yom ha'shvi'i va'yikadeish oto, ki
vo shavat mikol milahto, asher bara Elohim la'asot.
Savri maranan
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu melekh ha'olam, borei pri ha'gafen.
Barukh atah Adonai, Eloheinu melekh ha'olam, asher kidshanu b'mitzvotav v'ratzah banu, v'shabbat kadsho
b'ahava v'ratzon hinhilanu, zikaron l'maseh bireshit. Ki hu yom tehilah limikra'eh kodesh, zeher l'Yitziat mitrayim.
Ki vanu beharta v'otanu kidashta mikol ha'amim, v'shabbat kadshihah b'ahava uviratzon hinhaltanu. Barukh atah
Adonai, mikadesh ha'shabbat.

10. Names of the books of the Torah in Hebrew
‫ִית‬‫שׁ‬‫א‬ ֵ‫ְר‬‫בּ‬
-­‐
B’reshit
(In
beginning
–
Genesis)
‫ְמוֹת‬‫שׁ‬—
Sh’mot
(Names
–
Exodus)
‫א‬ ָ‫ְר‬‫ק‬ִ‫יּ‬ַ‫ו‬
–
Va’yikra
(And
he
called
–
Leviticus)
‫ַר‬‫בּ‬ְ‫ִד‬‫מ‬ְ‫בּ‬
–
B’midbar
(In
the
wilderness
–
Numbers)
‫ים‬ ִ‫ָר‬‫ב‬ְ‫
דּ‬
-­‐
D’varim
(words
–
Deuteronomy)

11. Genesis 1:1-5
No transliteration is given – try reading and transliterating this well-known text yourself!

12. Holy Days and Festivals
‫שבת‬ Shabbat
‫חדש‬ ‫רשא‬ Rosh Chodesh (the first of the month)
‫השנה‬ ‫רשא‬ Rosh HaShanah (New Year’s Day)
‫תשובה‬ ‫ימי‬ ‫עשרת‬ Aseret Y’mei T’shuvah (The Ten Days of Repentance)
‫כיפור‬ ‫יום‬ Yom Kippur
‫סוכות‬ or ‫ֻכּוֹת‬‫ס‬ Sukkot (The Feast of Booths)
‫עצרת‬ ‫תורה/שמיני‬ ‫שמחת‬ Sh’mini Atzeret/Simchat Torah (The Eighth Day/Rejoicing in the Torah)
‫חנוכה‬ Hanukkah
‫פורים‬ Purim
‫פּסח‬ Pesach (Passover) aka
‫ת‬‫
המצו‬‫ג‬‫ח‬
Chag
haMatzot
(The
Feast
of
Unleavened
Bread)

13. Greetings
Sabbath Greetings
‫ָלוֹם‬‫שׁ‬ ‫ָת‬‫בּ‬ַ‫שׁ‬ Shabbat Shalom “Peaceful Sabbath”
‫טוֹב‬ ַ‫ע‬‫ָבוּ‬‫שׁ‬ Shavua Tov “Good Week”
Festival Greetings
ַ‫ח‬ֵ‫מ‬ָ‫שׂ‬ ‫ַג‬‫ח‬ Chag Sameach “Joyful Festival”
‫ָה‬‫ב‬‫טוֹ‬ ‫ָה‬‫נ‬ָ‫שׁ‬ְ‫ל‬ L’shanah tovah “To a good Year”
‫ַל‬‫ק‬ ‫צוֹם‬ Tsom kal “Easy fast” (A wish for the Yom Kippur fast)

14. General
‫ָלוֹם‬‫שׁ‬ Shalom “Hello/Goodbye/Peace”
‫ֶם‬‫כ‬‫ֵי‬‫ל‬ֲ‫ע‬ ‫ָלוֹם‬‫שׁ‬ shalom aleykum “Hello/Goodbye/Peace be upon you”
‫טוֹב‬ ‫ָל‬‫זּ‬ַ‫מ‬ Mazel tov “Congratulations!” (literally, “good luck”, i.e., “something good has happened”)
‫ִים‬‫יּ‬ַ‫ח‬ְ‫ל‬ L’chayim “Cheers!” (literally, “to life!”)

15. Words pertaining to the food laws
‫רוּת‬ְ‫שׁ‬ַ‫כּ‬
-­‐
kashrut
that
which
is
kosher
‫ָה‬‫פ‬ ֵ‫ְר‬‫ט‬
–
t’refah
(literally,
“torn”)
–
used
for
animals
that
have
bee
injured
or
died
of
their
injuries
–
such
animals
are/become
non-­‐kosher
‫ֶב‬‫ל‬ֵ‫ח‬
-­‐
chelev
–
animal
fat
‫ר‬‫
בש‬
basar
meat
‫ב‬‫
הל‬
halav
milk
‫ה‬‫
שחיט‬
shechitah
-­‐
the
method
of
slaughter
for
kosher
animals
‫
שוחט‬
shochet
-­‐
a
person
trained
and
licensed
to
perform
shechitah

16. The
Holocaust
‫השואה‬ HaShoah The Catastrophe/The Holocaust*
(in Yiddish, ‫חורבן‬ Churban The Destruction)
‫השואה‬ ‫יום‬ Yom HaShoah Holocaust Remembrance Day
*Do not use this term for other genocides. Use ‫עם‬ ‫רצח‬ retzach am, the modern Hebrew term for
“genocide” instead.

17. Yiddish
Yiddish is written using the Hebrew alphabet. Here are some words you might know!
‫בײגל‬ beygl bagel
‫חוצפּה‬ chutzpah daring, bare-faced cheek
‫גליטש‬ glitsh glitch (possibly from the Middle German verb “to slide”)
‫קאַשע‬ kasha porridge (from a Middle Polish word meaning grain – you will see this word on many
packs of grain in Polish grocery shops)
‫מענטש‬ mentsh a decent person (from the German for “person”)
‫וויי‬ ‫אוי‬ oy veh! Alas! Woe! Oy Vey! (From the German for “Oh, pain!”)
‫זאַפֿטיק‬ zaftig pleasantly plump woman