Aliyah (in synagogue)
Lit. 'ascending'. A term describing a person who is 'called up' to recite the blessing before the reading of the torah.
Amen
Literally translated as “it is true,” “so be it” or “may it become true.” This word is used as a formula to endorse a blessing said privately or heard as part of a synagogue service. It is found thirty times in the Bible as an interjection of communal confirmation. Reciting amen after a blessing is…
Amidah
The core element of each of the daily services. The Amidah was originally referred to as the Shemoneh-Esreh because of the eighteen benedictions which it originally comprised, and also as ha’tfillah, or the prayer, because of its centrality to the service. Literally translated, Amida means “…
An'im zemirot
A synagogue hymn recited at the end of the Musaf service on Shabbat. This hymn is also known as Shir ha-kavod. The poem consists of 31 acrostic lines, with an internal structure of two rhyming half-lines. In most synagogues this hymn is sung antiphonally, and it is the custom in some communities to…
Andalusian Nuba
In this article we will review the development of the Nuba, which is considered the pinnacle of Andalusian music, from its origins in 9th century Spain, its arrival in North African countries in the fifteenth century, and through its coalescing into three main styles that continue through the…
Ange (LKT)
This entry is part of the Lexicon of Klezmer Terminology (LKT). The LKT compiles a wide array of source materials that shed light on the historical and contemporary state of knowledge about klezmer music. Each entry includes a number of citations from primary and secondary sources that…
Anim Zemirot
The Piyyut 'Anim Zemirot,' also known as 'Shir HaKavod' (Song of Glory), appears in the Ashkenazi Siddur at the end of the morning prayers, after the Mussaf service. In some Israeli synagogues the prayer was moved to an earlier part of the service, the end of the Shaharit service before the Torah…
Arabish (LKT)
This entry is part of the Lexicon of Klezmer Terminology (LKT). The LKT compiles a wide array of source materials that shed light on the historical and contemporary state of knowledge about klezmer music. Each entry includes a number of citations from primary and secondary sources that…
Arvit
Arvit is the last of the three daily services of the Jewish liturgy, along with Shaharit and Minha which are conducted in the morning and in the afternoon, respectively. The Arvit service is held after nightfall, and is often conducted immediately after a late-afternoon Minha service.
The…
Avinu Malkenu
Literally translated, “our Father, our King,” Avinu Malkenu is a litany recited during the ten day period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and in some communities on fast days. Each verse opens with the words Avinu Malkenu, but the number and order of the verses and the timing of the litany in…
Avodah
Literally translated as ‘service,’ Avodah is the name for the sacrificial ritual in the Temple on the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. After the destruction of the second Temple, the poetic description of this service became the core of the Musaf liturgy for Yom Kippur. The liturgical substitute…
Ba'al Keri'ah
Also called 'Ba'al Koray.' Officiant who reads the Torah from the scroll in the synagogue with proper accentuation and cantillation.