Glossary

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T'fillin: The Bible commands us to bind God's words "as a sign on your hand and let them serve as a symbol on your forehead." This is accomplished through the mitzvah of tefillin – two black boxes containing the words of the Shema, Judaism's most central prayer, which are bound to one's head and arms with leather straps.
T'shuva: The process of repentance through which one returns to oneself and to God. The season of tshuva begins at the start of the month of Elul and culuminates 40 days later on Yom Kippur.
T'vilah: Immersion in the mikveh.
Ta'anit Bekhorim: Ta'anit Bekhorim or the Fast of the Firstborn falls on the 14th day of Nissan. This private fast day is traditionally observed only by firstborn males and commemorates that they were saved from the tenth plague in Egypt, the death of the firstborn. In many Sephardic communities, firstborn women also participated in this fast day.
Ta'anit Esther: Ta'anit Esther or the Fast of Esther falls on the thirteenth day of Adar. This public fast commemorates Esther's bravery and communal leadership in approaching King Ahashveros. This heroic act saved the Jewish people from Haman's plot to kill all the Jews of Shushan. If Ta'anit Esther falls on a Friday or Saturday, the fast is moved to the preceding Thursday.
Tabernacle/ Mishkan: The portable sanctuary which the Jews carried with them for 40 years as they wandered in the desert on the way to the Promised Land; the predecessor of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem.
Tahara: Lit., purity. Married women bathe in the mikveh following menstruation to return to a state of purity. A corpse is also purified with water in a process called tahara before burial.
Tallit: A four-cornered garment to which ritual fringes (tzitzit/tzitzi'ot) are affixed. The knots in the fringes represent the name of God and remind us of God's commandments. The tallit can also be drawn about oneself or around the bride and groom to symbolize divine protection.
Talmud: The rabbinic compendium of lore and legend composed between 200 and 500 CE. Study of the Talmud is the sine qua non of rabbinic scholarship. Although women traditionally were barred from study of the Talmud, today,increasing numbers of women and girls learn Talmud, even at the highest levels.
Tashlich: Casting bread upon the water. On Rosh Hashana, Jews traditionally walk to a natural body of water into which they throw breadcrumbs, symbolic of their sins.
Techineh: (Yiddish) Prayer, particularly the prayers of women written in Yiddish throughout the ages.
Tefilla: Prayer.
Tikkun (Tikkun Leil Shavuot): An all-night study session held on Shavuot to recall the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai.
Tikkun Olam: Lit., repairing the world. According to Jewish mysticism, the world is in a broken state. Our job is to join God, as God's partners, in its repair, through acts of goodness.
Tisch: (Yiddish) Lit., table. At a traditional wedding, a groom’s tisch is held at which the groom attempts to teach words of Torah while his friends interrupt with songs and jokes. Today, some brides hold a tische as well, and some couples hold one together.
Tisha B’Av: The holiday on which the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem is commemorated through fasting and prayers.
Torah: The Five Books of Moses, the foundation of all of Jewish life and lore. The Torah is the heart and soul of the Jewish people, and study of the Torah is a mitzvah, sine qua non. The Torah itself is hand lettered on parchment, elaborately dressed and decorated, and stored in a decorative ark. It is read Mondays, Thursdays, and Shabbat, according to a yearly cycle.
Trayf: (Yiddish) That which is not kosher.
Tsom Gedaliah: Tsom Gedaliah or the Fast of Gedaliah falls on the third day of Tishrei. This public fast commemorates the killing of Gedaliah ben Ahikam, the Jewish governor of Judah. This event is remembered as the beginning of the end of Jewish sovereignty in the land of Israel, which would eventually be lost to the Babylonians.
Tu B’Av: A little-known holiday, Tu B'Av combines a midsummer- night's eve and Sadie Hawkins day. Young, unmarried Jewish women are said to have gone out into the fields dressed in white, where they selected young men as partners. Contemporary Jews, especially in Israel, have begun to recreate this holiday.
Tu B’Shevat: The new year of the trees, celebrated with a mystical seder at which 4 cups of wine are drunk and different kinds of fruit are eaten. In the State of Israel, Tu B'Shvat is Arbor Day, marked with the planting of trees. Tu B’Shvat also has become a modern holiday of the environment, with new seders and haggadot written to reflect this interest. Synonyms: Tu B’Shvat
Tzedakah: Charity. In Hebrew, the word tzedakah derives from the word for justice. Tzedakah is not seen as emanating from the kindness of one’s heart but, rather, as an obligation for righting the unfairness inherent in the unequal distribution of wealth.
Tzitzit: A set of fringes tied and knotted on each of the four corners of a tallit, symbolizing and reminding the user of God's commandments.