Commonly-Used Terms Throughout This Course

Longer definitions of most of these terms can be found in the YIVO Encyclopedia. Visit www.yivoencyclopedia.org for more information.

Arenda: a type of leasing agreement between Jews and Polish nobles.

"bemokem she-eyn ish," is one half of a well-known Yiddish proverb. The second half of the expression is: "iz a hering oykh a fish." The first half of the expression is Hebrew, meaning, "Where there is no man." This is a reference to a line from the Mishna (Pirkei Avos 2:6), "Bamakom she'ein anashim hishtadel li'hiyos ish", meaning, "in a place where there is no man, try to be a man," . The second half of the expression is Yiddish, meaning, "a herring is also a fish." The proverb means that, if you lack what you need, you must make do with what you have.

Cantonist: underage conscripts into the Russian army who were educated from the age of 12 in special “canton schools” for future military service.

Daf Yomi: a daily regimen undertaken to study the Babylonian Talmud one folio (each side of the page) per day. Introduced by Rabbi Meir Shapiro in Poland in 1923.

“Dina de-malkhuta dina”: Hebrew phrase meaning, "the law of the state is the law." A principle that indicates that, absent a conflict between Jewish and secular law, secular law is binding on Jews as though it were Jewish ritual law.

Hachnosas Orchim: the mitzvah of hosting guests.

Ha-medina ba-derekh: "the state-in-the-making."

Kahal: An executive board that was chosen to run an autonomous Jewish community. A kahal served as a Jewish community council, or as a decision-making committee of a kehilah, or community.

Khaper: “child-catchers” hired by the kahal to fulfill conscription quotas during the reign of Nicholas I.

Kest: a Jewish practice whereby the bride’s parents hosted and supported the bride and groom for several years while the groom pursued Torah study. Most often employed by prosperous families and in the context of early marriages.

Maskil: an adherent of the Jewish Enlightenment, or Haskalah.

Miasteczko: The Polish word for “shtetl”.

Misnagid/Misnagdim: Orthodox opponent of Hasidism.

Moserim: Jewish Informers who denounced Jews to non-Jewish rulers, from Hebrew meaning to hand over.

Musar: Educational movement and ethical program within the Lithuanian yeshivas.

Nachtasyl: Term coined by Max Nordau to characterize Herzl's conception of the Uganda plan - a temporary but secure shelter.

ONR (Obóz Narodowo Radykalny): “National-Radical Camp," a far-right Polish political party, formed in 1934.

Pilpul: A form of Talmudic dialectical reasoning that emerged in 15th century Bavaria and became a form of Talmudic instruction in the yeshiva.

Propinacja: the estate owner’s monopoly on the production and sale of alcohol.

Rzeczpospolita: the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Seykhl [שׂכל]: Yiddish word meaning wisdom, commmon sense, prudence

"Sha, Shtil": Yiddish phrase meaning "be quiet," referring to the politics of accomodation practiced by Agudas Yisroel, the Orthodox Jewish political party in interwar Poland.

Shulchan Aruch: A summary and codification of halakhah in brief and authoritative form, completed in Safed in 1563 by the Sephardic rabbi, Yosef Karo (known as the "Mechaber", or compiler); it is almost always printed with the glosses of Ashkenazi rabbi Moses Isserles (known as the Rema, from his initials), who noted where Ashkenazi practice diverged from the positions of the Mechaber.

Shtadlan: an intercessor on behalf of the Jewish community.

Tsene-rene: the so-called “women’s bible,” a popular adaptation of biblical texts into Yiddish for a lesser-educated audience.

Tekhines (or Tkhines): private devotions and paraliturgical prayers usually in Yiddish, primarily for women, published beginning in the early modern period.

Va'ad Arba Aratzot: The Council of Four Lands.