B'ezrat Hashem (B'ezras) -- lit.: with the help of God
b'sha'ah tova -- lit.: in a good hour; used to express good wishes for a happy occasion that has not yet occurred (e.g. an expectant mother or an engaged couple)
b'tzelem Elohim (Elokim) -- lit.: “in the image of God;” in a spiritual sense, humans are created in the image of God.
ba'al tefillah -- prayer leader
ba'al teshuva -- lit.: master of return; a Jew who returns to a traditional observant Jewish lifestyle; also known by the acronym BT (contrast to FFB – Frum From Birth)
Bach -- acronym for “Bayit Chadash,” a classic book of Jewish law, authored by Rabbi Yoel Sirkes (Poland 1561-1640)
bachur -- a young, unmarried man
bachurim -- young, unmarried men
Bamidbar -- lit.: in the desert; Numbers, the fourth book of the Torah
bar mitzvah -- celebration marking a boy’s 13th birthday -- the day on which he becomes obligated in the Torah’s commands
Baruch Dayan Ha'Emet (Ha'Emes) -- lit.: blessed is the True Judge; words said upon hearing of someone's death
basar bichalav -- forbidden mixture of meat and dairy
basar vidam -- lit.: flesh and blood; idiomatically, a mortal being, as compared to the eternal God
bat mitzvah -- celebration marking a girl’s 12th birthday -- the day on which she becomes obligated in the Torah’s commands
BCE -- Before the Common Era; used instead of B.C. in referring to dates on the secular calendar; CE (common era) is used instead of A.D.
bechirah chofshit (chofshis) -- free will to make moral choices
beged ish -- prohibition against dressing as the opposite gender
beged ishah -- prohibition against dressing as the opposite gender
beit din (beis din) -- court of Jewish law
beit ha'knesset (beis knesses) -- lit.: house of gathering; a synagogue
Beit HaMikdash (Beis) -- lit.: holy house; the Temple in Jerusalem
beit midrash (beis) -- lit.: house of study; yeshiva study hall
Ben Drusai -- food that is partially cooked, yet edible
Ben Noach -- lit.: son of Noah; reference to any non-Jew; colloquially, refers to a non-Jew who observes the Seven Universal Laws given to Noah and all his descendents
bentch -- Yiddish for “bless”; typically refers to the Grace After Meals
bentcher -- Yiddish word for the small prayer book that contains Grace After Meals
Bereishit (Bereishis) -- lit.: in the beginning; Genesis, the first book of the Torah
Bereshit Rabbah (Bereshis) -- Midrash on the Book of Genesis
bidieved -- after the fact, post facto; refers to the halachic guideline for a less-than-ideal situation that has already occurred
bikur cholim -- the mitzvah to visit the sick
bima -- lit.: stage; the raised platform in a synagogue from where the Torah is read
Birkat Hamazon (Birkas) -- Grace After Meals (also: bentching)
Birkat Kohanim (Birkas) -- Blessing recited by the Kohanim, as per Numbers 6:22-27
Biur Halacha -- in-depth explanation of some laws in the Mishnah Berurah, by Rabbi Yisrael Meir HaKohen (Poland 1838-1933)
blessing of the new month -- prayer recited on Shabbat morning prior to the start of a new Jewish month, asking God to provide us with an illustrious month ahead
bli neder -- lit.: without a vow; used when undertaking to perform a good deed, so as to prevent it from legally having the status of an obligatory vow
blilah aveh -- a thick (pasty) mixture
blilah rakah -- a thin (runny) mixture
boneh -- building or creating an object
Borchu -- lit.: bless; the 'call to prayer', said at the morning and evening services; also introduces the blessings during Torah readings
Borei Nefashot (Nefashos) -- after-bracha that covers drinks, vegetables, meat etc.
borer -- selecting from a mixture
bracha achrona -- it.: last blessing, a blessing said after eating or drinking
bracha rishona -- lit.: first blessing, a blessing said before eating or drinking
