misc terms
Terms (definitions and explanations)
Here are some definitions and explanations of a few of the terms used throughout Kaluach." - quote marks, used in rashei teivot (phrase contractions)
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In Hebrew, phrase contractions are called rashei teivot, or "the first letters"
(of the words in a phrase). Years ago they were commonly used to cut down the
size of a book since printing was quite expensive and time consuming. Today,
when printing is much cheaper, rashei teivot still appear in places where the
context is clear, or in books that were printed using the original plates (or
photocopies).
Rashei teivot are also commonly used by the Israeli army in order to obfuscate even the most trivial matters. It is common to receive an order to report to army reserves with a line, stating the objective, similar to this:
מטרה: שחיו"מ טב"י א:כ שטויות
It might look like this in English
Objective: tcx"e pi"w z"a nonsens"e
Upon calling the army to clarify, the usual answer is something like: "I'm not sure what it means, but I think you'll be doing guard duty or driving a jeep."
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An ancient custom, where parents teach their children about stealing, cheating,
trickery, deceit, and extortion. No, this has nothing to do with elections, but
rather is a Pesach custom which is intended to attract the childrens' interest
in the proceedings of the Pesach seder. The dirt and filth of elections on the
other hand attracts the attention of a whole different set of children, who
have learned very well the lessons of deceit and extortion.
Kaluach has an afikoman hidden within the bits and bytes of the program. This is in place of the common "Easter egg" (l'havdil - see the "Easter egg" entry below for more information) which are found in many other programs. Kaluach's afikoman is the first ever software afikoman.
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The literal translation would be "person of the earth". This phrase is used to
describe a person with little or no knowledge of Torah or halacha.
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A message hidden within the bowels of many software programs, which is done
just for fun. See the "afikoman" entry above for the Kaluach equivalent.
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This is a sort of holding tank where those whose fates have yet to be decided
wait. Gehinnom physically resembles a dentist's office with Barry Manilow songs
piped in 24 hours a day. Israelis wait in a separate room that resembles an
Interior Ministry office with Tzvika Pik songs piped in. This is a place to be
avoided at all costs.
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Derived from the Hebrew word "path". Halacha is, to put it simply, the path
that the observant Jew follows. The body of halacha is comprised of many
rulings and responsa that are all based upon the written law (the Torah), the
oral law (mishna and gemarah), and the Tanach (the bible).
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A selection of readings from the Torah. It is an affirmation of the Jew's
belief in the oneness of God, the acceptance of his dominion over all that
exists, and the willingness to accept the yoke of the mitzvot (commandments).
It is a positive commandment to recite the shema twice a day - in the morning
(upon your rising up) and at night (upon your lying down).
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A contraction of: שלחיות ימים טובים ארוכים literally: "that he should live for
many good days" or better: "he should live long and prosper"
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A very learned person - A person well versed in both the written law (Torah),
oral law (mishnah and gemarah), and halacha.
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The word tefillah specifically refers to the amida or shmonah esrei. The
essence of tefillah is that of direct and personal communication with the
Almighty. Tefillah consists of praise, petitions, and thanks. There exists a
difference of opinion whether tefillah is a Torah ordained or rabbinically
ordained mitzvah.
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Tzaddikim are those individuals that devote their lives to the service of the
Almighty and to helping their fellow man. They also eat foods rich in fiber and
don't put sugar on their grapefruit.
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