You do not need Hebrew to feel at home in Jewish joy, but a handful of words help. Here are nine you will hear again and again, with how to say them and when.
Shalom (שלום)
"Peace," and also hello and goodbye. One word covers the whole doorway, coming or going. Say it to greet anyone, anytime.
Simcha (שמחה)
"Joy," and also the name for a happy occasion itself. A wedding, a bar mitzvah, a bris — each is "a simcha." Use it for the feeling and the party both.
Mazel tov (מזל טוב)
Literally "good fortune," used to mean "congratulations." Say it the moment someone shares good news. (Mazel on its own means luck.)
Todah (תודה)
"Thank you." Todah rabah (תודה רבה) is "thank you very much." The everyday one to keep in your pocket.
Chesed (חסד)
"Loving-kindness," given freely with no scoreboard. It is one of the qualities Judaism prizes most. You will hear it wherever people talk about doing good.
Mitzvah (מצווה)
A commandment, and also a good deed. "It's a mitzvah" means "it's the right thing to do." (There's a whole page on this one.)
Kvell (Yiddish)
To burst with pride and delight, usually over someone you love. Grandparents kvell. Say it when your heart is too full to sit still.
Nachas (נחת)
The warm pride you get from someone else's happiness, especially a child's. "She gives me such nachas." The reward for all the kvelling.
L'chaim (לחיים)
"To life," the classic toast. Glasses up, say it together, and drink.
Nine words, one warm welcome. Start with shalom and the rest will follow.
Every duck is a doorway like this one.
A little Jewish joy, hidden for a stranger to find. Start a flock, or read the weekly columns.