Glossary of terms

Formal terms

Wishes and greetings

Expressions

Abridor

Person who opens the Heichal (has the mitzvah of Abrirà)

Acompanhador or Acompanhàn

Person who walks in front of the sefer Torah and leads the way. He holds the cloak (has the mitzvah of acompanhar)

Desenfaixarador

Boy who winds the Faixa (band) from the sefer before the reading and rewinds it afterwards.

Ets Haim

In a mi sheberach: referring to a nedavah (gift) to the seminary Ets Haim and its library.
In assigning the mitzvoth (honors): the boy who holds the upper side of the Torah when the Faixa is taken off or put back.

Faixa

Mappa, band. Long silk or linen sash used as a binding for the Sefer Torah

Hashcavah

Memorial prayer (“Yizkor”), pronounced Hascabah

Heichal

Aron Hakodesh (holy ark)

Jadrich

Room where deceased are washed

Jejum

Fast

Kapittel

Chapter, ngaliyah

Lavador(es)

Person(a) who washes (wash) the deceased.

Levantador

Man given the honour of raising the sefer Torah aloft prior to the reading from it. He is selected from a group of levantadores appointed to perform this misvah on a steady basis.

Levador

Man given the honour of carrying the Torah to and from the hehal.

Mashlim

Last person called for torah reading, usually the sevenths

Medianos

Chol hamoed (mid-days of Sukkoth and Pesach)

Mitzvah 

Depending on context. During service: the honors. Else: Funeral

Medianos

Chol hamoed (mid-days of Sukkoth and Pesach)

Padrinho

Friend under 13 years, accompanying the Bar Mitzvah boy

Parasha

Shabbat, weekly or Yom Tov portion of Torah reading

Parnaas

Member of the Board. In the context of the service, usually the Parnaas who is responsible for the good order of the Services. If a member who is not a Parnaas directs the service, he is referred as Presidente.

Ponteiro

Yad (pointer used for reading the Torah)

Presidente

See Parnaas

Rodeamentos

7 rounds made around coffin of a man at the cemetery before burial.

Rogativas

Special payers for very ill persons

Samuch

Person called to the Torah before the Mashlim, usually the sixths.

Sandal

Fabric covering the back of the Torah scroll, opened to the portion to be read..
It’s the duty of the Samaas (sexton) to see to it that it be always correctly positioned.

Subinte

Person called to the Torah

Taças

(three) silver plates used to collect tzedakah e.g. at Chuppa, Purim or fast service.

Tebah

Bima, the elevated platform at the rear center of the esnoga (snoge, synagogue) where the chazzan reads the service or from the Torah.

Terra Santa

“Holy Land”: In mi sheberach: referring to tzedakah (gift) for Eretz Yisrael.

Ume

One. Formerly the abbreviation of um florim (one guilder): at present  of um euro. Used as standard amount in mi sheberach after a Hashcavah. Money is given for ‘shemen le’maor’: oil for the Ner Tamid.

Hebrew wishes

	A wish before going to sleep בטוב תלין, answer תקץ ברחמים.
	A wish when sneezing חיים טבים, answer ברכה טבה (tabim and taba, Arameic).
	A wish at Saba conclusion “שבוע טוב” and answer “מזל טוב”.
	A wish during the Holidays: שנים רבות.
	Greetings during Medianos מועדים לשמחה, answerחגים וזמנים לששון .

Portuguese wishes

	Incoming Saba wish: Boas Enrtade de Sabbat (good Friday evening) or Bom Saba (good Saba). Boas Enrtade is also used separately at the beginning of Saba or Holiday.
	End of Saba- and Holiday: Boas Semana (good week).
	Eve Holiday: Boas Festas (a good Holiday), answer Melhorados Festas (best Holidays).
	On 9 Ab evening: Morir Havemos (we are mortal).

Dutch wishes

	At the start of a Fast: “gezonde vasten” (healthy fasting).
	At Yahrzeit: “vele jaren” (many years). For Yahrzeit we have no word, the Dutch “jaartijd” is used.

Terms

	We use the word “Shabbat” in Hebrew context, but “Saba” in Dutch context (see expressions below vs e.g. שבת חזון)
	We call the “Bircat hamazon” the “Bessam” or the “Benção”.
	We call the “יזכור” a ”השכבה”, pronounced as “Ascaba” (the ה is silent).
	We call Holiday midday’s “Medianos”, not “Chol hamoed”.
	We call a fast “Jejum” (pronunciated “Sheshum”), not “Ta’anit” or “Tsom”.
	We call “Jom Kippur” just “Kippur”, without “Jom”.
	We call the night of Kippur “Kal Nidré”, not Kol Nidré.
	We call the “Chanukia” a “Chanukilje”.
	We call Passover “Paas”, not “Pesach”.
	We call the three shabbatot between 17 Tamuz and 9 Ab respectively שבת דברי , שבת שמעו and שבת חזון.
	We call the month “Ab”, as of the 11th, “Menacheem”. See more on this elsewhere.
	We call announcements during the service “Pregãos”.
	We call the book at the Ouderkerk a/d Amstel cemetery where the burials are written down (name, date, row nr etc), the “Careira” (rows) book, see LAV page 1 & 5.
	We say “זמירות”, not “פסוקי דזמרה”.
	We say ”תחינות”, not “תחנון”.
	We say ”שירים (לשבת)”, not “זמירות (לשבת)”.
	We say”תענית בכורות”, not “תענית בכורים”.
	We say “ל”ג לעומר”, not “ל”ג בעומר”.
	We say “שבת תשובה”, not “שבת שובה”.
	We say ”נגינות”, not “טעמי המקרא”.
	We say “Nimendal” for “Parve”.
	We call reading the Parassa (Tora) by the Chazzan “stampen” (possibly because he needs “inspampen”, which means in Dutch to work very hard to prepare).

Saba Bereshit, het regent dat het giet –
  Saba Bereshit, it’s bucketing down (first Saba after תפילת גשם).

Saba Beshalach krijgen de bomen weer krach –
  Saba Beshalach the trees regain their strength (Saba after ט”ו בשבט).

Saba Nachanu, dan gaan de deuren toe –
  Saba Nachanu, shuts the doors closed (unknown origin, perhaps because on this Saba in 1675 the old Snoge was closed and the new one was put into use).