Kabbalah Glossary: J to R

J/K.

Jaffa: Yafo: Ancient Israeli city, now part of Tel Aviv.
Jerusalem: Yerushalayim ; Capital of ancient and modern Israel.
Kabbalah: Receiving or Tradition. The basis of studies known as the Kabbalah.
Kaf Zayin: The Hebrew alphabet.
Karka: Ground.
Kav: Line or separation between earth and Heavenly realms.
Kedusha: Holiness. Also an important daily prayer.
Keter: Crown. Also encircling the "Partzuf" or face of learning.
Kli: Vessel or receptacle for inner or surrounding light (from Heaven).
Kotel: Wall, as of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Lev: Heart or very center (of a concept, etc).
Levush: Garment. In Kabbalah teachings, “Levush” also refers to three primary powers of the soul: thought, speech, and actions.
Lulav: Palm branch. This is one of this main items used in prayer during the festival of Sukkot. It is combined with two other branches, Hadass (myrtle) and Aravah (willow) and shaken in four directions to bless the Four Seasons.

Makom: Place, or receiving earthly being.
Malchut: Kingdom. Special verses found in High Holy Day prayer. Also refers to the Creation, i.e. The Kingdom of G-d.
Masach: Screen. That barrier which restricts entry of Devine Light.
Mashiach: The Anointed One or Messiah. The One who is to judge over Israel and the world at the End of Days. Also known as The Redeemer.
Mazal: Luck or Fortune. The "Mazal" of the Jewish People, whether good or bad, comes from Devine intervention.
Merkavah: Devine Chariot that Ezekiel saw in his vision. Also the geometrical shape used in the Sephirot or Tree of life. Important part of Kabbalah teaching.
Midrash: Seeking. Also, the 2nd major oral work after the Torah. Much of the classical explanations of the Torah are found here, and these are important in the study of the Kabbalah.
Mishnah: Vice or Secondary. One of the most important parts of the Talmud.
Mitzvah: Commandment given by G-d to observe all aspects of Jewish Law (Kashrut, Shabbat, etc.). Also refers to doing good deeds.

Nefesh: Living being, Soul. The lowest physical level in the Kabbalah.
Nehi: Abbreviation for Netzach, Hod, Yesod (Victory, Splendor, Foundation). It is the third of the 10 noted points of the Sephirot or Tree of Life.
Netzach: Victory. It is the 7th point of the Sephirot.
Nigleh: Revealed. Addresses Man's relationship to G-d, which is the same for all people, whether laborers of kings.

Ofanim: Spiritual angels or wheels of the Merkavah, the Devine Chariot that Carried the Prophet Elijah into Heaven and the one that the Prophet Ezekiel saw in his vision.
Olam and Olam Haba: The World and the World to Come. While Olam refers to the present, physical world, Olam Haba refers to the World to Come of the afterlife.
Omer: A measuring of time, particularly in the period beginning with the start of the Passover holiday and ending with the festival of Shavout. This marks the period when the Children of Israel left Israel and until they received the Torah at Mt. Sinai.
Or: Light. Has many references in the Kabbalah. “Or Chozer” refers to the returning light form Heaven, and “Or L'Goyim” is Light unto the nations. “Or Pnimi” is the "inner light" or consciousness of the soul.

Parashah: Section or paragraph, particularly in the Torah. The Torah, or Five Books of Moses, is divided into 54 sections, with a different one read every week.
Partzuf: Person or profile. It is the final part of the Sephirot and is often shown as a human-like figure that is endowed with special powers such as insight and wisdom.
Pardes: Orchard. In religious and Kabbalah terminology, Pardes is an acronym for interpreting the Torah. P stands for Parasha, R for Remez or interpretation, D for Derush, the implication of the text, and S for Sod, the text's symbolic meaning.
Periah: To peel. The act of “Brit Milah”, or male circumcision, when the foreskin is peeled back.
Pesach: Passover. The important festival commemorating the redemption of the Jewish People from Egypt.
Pirke Avot: Ethics of the Fathers. Contains the ethical wisdom of the Talmudic sages.
Pleasure: Heb. Ta'anug. Referred to as a ritualistic feeling or spiritual state, and associated with the Head of the Keter in the Sephirot.

Rachamim: Pity or Mercy. Also a high spiritual state.
Rambam: Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, also called Maimomedes. A great interpreter of Jewish thought, who lived in Spain and Egypt, as well as in the Holy Land during the 15th Century.
Ratzon: Will. Associated with the Keter of the Sephirot.
Reishi d'ytiyada: Highest of the three "heads" of the Keter, or a supernatural belief in G-d.
Rosh: Head. In Kabbalistic terms, it refers to the upper part of the being in regards to the Shoresh (root of the being).
Ruach: Spirit. One of the five levels of the soul.