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An Honest Guide to Jewish Jargon: What Are They Saying

An Honest Guide to Jewish Jargon: What Are They Saying?

If you’ve recently started dating someone Jewish, or attended your first Shabbat dinner, you might feel like everyone switched to a secret language halfway through the meal. They did. It’s usually a mix of Hebrew, Yiddish, and English. Here is your cheat sheet so you can nod along with confidence.

The Essential List

1. Mazel Tov (MAH-zel Tov)

  • Literal Meaning: Good Constellation.
  • Real Meaning: Congratulations!
  • When to use it: A wedding, a bar mitzvah, a new job, or when someone drops a plate and it breaks (sarcastically).
  • Don’t use it: When someone is pregnant (we say “B’sha’ah tovah” – at a good hour – because we don’t count chickens before they hatch).

2. Kiddush (KID-ish)

  • The Gist: The blessing over wine.
  • The Context: Before Friday night dinner or holiday meals, everyone stands (or sits) while someone holds a cup of wine and sings/says a paragraph of Hebrew.
  • Pro Tip: Don’t drink your wine until the person leading has drunk theirs!

3. Challah (HA-lah)

  • The Gist: The braided egg bread eaten on Shabbat.
  • The “Ch” Sound: It’s a throat-clearing sound, like the “ch” in “Bach.” Do NOT pronounce it like “Choice.”

4. Mitzvah (MITS-vah)

  • Literal Meaning: Commandment.
  • Common Usage: A good deed.
  • Context: “It would be a mitzvah if you took out the trash.” (They are guilt-tripping you, but in a holy way).

5. Treyf (TRAYF)

  • The Gist: Not Kosher.
  • Context: Pork, shellfish, or mixing meat and milk.
  • Usage: “We can’t eat at that restaurant, it’s totally treyf.”

6. Goy / Gentile

  • The Gist: Someone who is not Jewish.
  • Note: “Gentile” is formal. “Goy” is Yiddish. Depending on the tone, “Goy” can be neutral or slightly derogatory. If your partner uses it, ask them about the context.