Saadiah Gaon - approximately 1000 C.E.; One of the last of the Geonim in Babylonia; famous for philosophical work, "Emunot V'Deot," "Beliefs and Ideas."

Sabbath - see "Shabbat"

Sabbatical Year - see "Shemitah"

Sadducees - See "Tzedukim"

"Sanhedrin" - See here

"Sarah" - "First Lady" of the "Imahot," "Founding Mothers" of the Jewish People; the wife and "teaching partner" of Avraham. Like all the Imahot, could not bear children initially. This was because Hashem wanted to "hear" their reaction to this frustration. She bore Yitzchak miraculously at the age of ninety, when her youthful characteristics returned to her. When Yishmael, the son of Hagar, her hand-maiden mocked Yitzchak, she ordered Avraham to drive him and his mother away, saying "the son of this hand-maiden will not inherit together with my son, with Yitzchak." (Bereshit 21:10) And when Avraham objected to this harsh treatment of his son, Hashem confirmed Sarah's orders when He said, "…Everything that Sarah has told you, do not fail to do…" (Bereshit 21:12) After Sarah dies, the Midrash testifies that Sarah was as free of sin at the age of one hundred as she was at twenty and as beautiful at twenty as she had been at seven." (Bereshit Rabbah)

Saturday - "Yom HaShabbat", the seventh day of the week, the Day of Rest, which for the Jewish People, has a very special quality described, briefly, in that it is called "the First of the Days that are called Holy."

"Sechach" - the Covering, and main element in the construction of the Sukkah. In addition to not being rainproof, the Sechach must satisfy the following requirements, among others:

• It must be made from a product of the earth, which is now detached from the earth. For example, bamboo poles and pine tree branches are commonly used as "Sechach."

• It must be between a minimum of approximately one yard or meter and a maximum of approximately ten yards or meters off the ground.
• It must block a majority of the sunlight; in other words, it must "admit" more shade than light.

• It may be placed (on top of a Sukkah) built on the top of a sky-scraper, or a mountain.

• It must provide the shade; therefore, it may not be placed on the top of a Sukkah built in a valley which is totally in the shade of a mountain.

"Seder" - (Plural Sedarim); Literally, Order; having a well-defined structure; thus, the following two meanings: 1) the Festive Meal eaten on the night of Pesach, which has this name because what is eaten and the ceremonies performed at this meal follow a precise order; 2) one of the Six Orders of the Mishnah, into which the Mishnah was divided by Rabbi Judah the Prince

"Sefer" - (m.;pl. "Sefarim"); a book; as in "Sefer" Torah, a Book of the Torah

"Sefardim" - Jews whose "recent" (within the last "thousand-or-so" years) ancestors were from Southern Italy, Spain, Portugal, North Africa or the Arabian countries, as opposed to "Ashkenazim." There are some limited variations in Jewish custom between the "Sefardic" communities (who generally follow the "Mechaber" in disputes with the RAMA) and the "Ashkenazic" communities (who follow the RAMA)

"Sefirat HaOmer" - the positive commandment of counting the days beginning with the Second Day of Pesach and ending with Erev Shavuot. One of the significant aspects of this Command is that it connects The Holiday of Pesach, which celebrates Physical Redemption from the Bondage of Egypt, with its purpose, "Spiritual Redemption," celebrated on the Holiday of Shavuot; namely, the acceptance by the Jewish People of the Torah at Mount Sinai.

"Semachot" - (pl.); euphemism, meaning "happy occasions" for tragic occurrences

"Selichah" - (f.; pl. "selichot"); forgiveness; especially forgiveness by G-d; that which we pray for every day and especially on Rosh HaShannah and Yom Kippur. This goal can be accomplished, in most cases, by sincere and wholehearted "Teshuvah," or Repentance.

"Selichot" - (f.); special prayers for forgiveness recited, according to most customs, during the Ten Days of Repentance, between and including Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.

Seven Commands of the Sons of Noah - see "Mitzvah"

"Shaatnez" - (m., pl. generally not used); mixture of wool and linen, a combination prohibited by the Torah.  This is one of the Laws of the Torah known as “Chukim,” “Decrees,” for which there is no obvious rational explanation, but which are obeyed nevertheless, simply because they are the “decrees of the King;” namely, HaShem, G-d Himself. 

This is not to say that there is no reason for the decree; merely, that the explanation is not obvious, as opposed to the Law that says, for example, that “one who steals an object from another, is obligated to return it.”  Although, on a deeper level, it may be true that all of the Laws of the Torah are decrees, that must be obeyed, whether we understand them or not.  It is just that some appeal to our logic and some are above it.

"Shabbat" - The Sabbath; the "Day of Rest" of Hashem, so to speak, the Day on which He completed the Creation of the Universe and all that is in it (Bereishit 2:1 - 3). He conferred Holiness and Majesty upon this Day, and commanded that the Jewish People observe it as a Day of Rest. He commanded in the two versions of the Ten Commandments that "melachah", defined simply, but inaccurately, as work, not be done on that Day and further, that the Day be experienced as a Day of "Oneg," or Delight. Observance of this Day has protected the Jewish People from assimilation throughout the ages.

"SHACH" - See "Siftei Kohen"

"Shad-dai" - a Name of G-d, based on concept of "the One who said to His universe, 'Enough!' " based on the Hebrew word, "Dai," meaning "enough," (as when He defined the natural laws that stop the sea from advancing onto the land, and the natural laws that keep the celestial bodies fixed in their proper orbits). Basically, the Creator of Natural Law; sometimes written and pronounced as "Shakkai." Compare HaShem. 

"Shalom" - (m.; pl. "shelomim"); peace, hello, goodbye, a "Name" of Hashem; peace (which is a positive quality, not just the absence of war) - therefore, a most appropriate greeting representing "hello" or "goodbye;" as in the Friday Night greeting sung to the two Angels who accompany each person home after Services in shul, "Shalom Aleichem, Malachei HaShalom!" "Greetings to you, Angels of Peace!" Or as in "Aharon HaKohen haya 'Ish HaShalom,' " "Aaron the Priest was the 'Man of Peace'," for he would reconcile conflicts between husbands and wives, between estranged brothers and between feuding friends, and was therefore even more beloved to the People than was his brother, Moshe.

"Shalom Bayit" - (m., pl. generally not used); domestic tranquility; peace in the home; the highest ideal of Jewish marriage.  One is even permitted to tell a falsehood for the purpose of restoring “Shalom Bayit,” as Aharon HaKohen, Aharon the Priest, the first marriage counselor, albeit unlicensed, would do in cases where a marriage had developed problems.  He would go to, say, the wife first, and tell her that her husband was sorry and wanted to mend the relationship; then he would go to the husband and say the same concerning his wife.  They would come together, each thinking that the other had taken the initiative; but no matter; the result would be a restored atmosphere of peach in the home.

"Shammai" - see here.

"Shaul" - see here.

"Shavuot" - Feast of Weeks; the Time of the Giving of the Torah. This represented the Spiritual Redemption of the Jewish People, the culmination of Sefirat HaOmer, which was the link from Passover, which represented Physical Redemption.

"Shechinah" - (f.); the Divine Presence; as in "Beit HaMikdash hu mekom hashraat HaShechinah," "The Holy Temple is the "place" of residence on earth of the Divine Presence."

"Sheker" - (m.; pl. "shekarim"); falsehood, untruth, a lie; as in "Ed Sheker HaEd!" "The witness is false!;" or as in " Sheker ayn lo raglayim!," "Falsehood has no legs to stand on."

"Shekiah" - (f., pl. "shekiot"); sunset; see "Shekiat HaChamah"

"Shekiat HaChamah" - (f., pl. "Shekiot HaChamah"); sunset; the astronomical event that occurs when the disc of the sun disappears over the western horizon. According to Rabbeinu Tam, one of the greatest of the Baalei Tosafot, there are actually two "Shekiot;" the first, as described above, the second occurring when the residual light that remains in the west after "first-sunset" also disappears.

"Shemesh" - (m. and f., "shemashot"); the "Maor HaGadol," the Great Light," the sun; the heavenly body about which the earth revolves once each year. It is positioned at just the right distance from the earth to provide light and warmth for the creatures living on the planet; created by HaShem on the fourth "Day of Creation" (Bereshit 1:14) to control the seasons, an important element in the Hebrew Calendar.

"Shemitah" - (pl. "Shemitot'); the seven-year cycle affecting the agricultural and the business world of the Jew. It is based on the Biblical verse "But the Seventh Year shall be a Complete Rest for the Land, a Shabbat for Hashem; your field you shall not sow and your vineyard you shall not prune." ("VaYikra"/Leviticus 25:4)

It is analogous to the observance of the Shabbat, in that it is considered a "Year of Rest" for the Land and for Society. In the seventh year, the Shemitah Year, no plowing, planting or harvesting may be done. It is the Sabbatical Year. In business, all debts are cancelled.

It is also a test of faith for the Jewish farmer, who has to rely on the produce of the Sixth Year to tide him and his family over through the Sixth, throughout the entire Seventh and till at least Nisan of the Eighth Year, when the Winter Wheat will have grown.

Spiritually, the nature of the test is to show recognition of the fact that "the Earth is the L-rd's and the fullness thereof," and, even if I "own" a huge property according to the Real Estate records, I know Who the real Owner is.

"Shemoneh Esray" - the "Eighteen" (actually the prayer evolved to a set of nineteen) blessings; also known as the Amidah, the prayer recited while standing. It is the classic prayer which is recited morning, afternoon and evening every day in the life of the Jew. Its structure follows the general principles of courtesy; namely, it begins with blessings whose theme is the praise of G-d, only afterwards does it continue with blessings in which universal needs of individuals are expressed, and it concludes with blessings which express gratitude to the Master of the Universe.

On Shabbat and the Holidays, a modified "Shemoneh Esray" is recited, where the number eighteen shrinks to considerably less due to the removal of the Section relating to Needs, and its replacement by a different Section called "Kiddush HaYom," Holiness of the Day," in which the unique quality of the particular Shabbat or Festival is described.

"Shemot" - (English: Exodus); the second Book of the "Chumash," or Five Books of Moses. It deals with the enslavement of the Jews by Pharaoh and the Egyptians, the birth and rise of "Moshe" (Moses), and the miraculous deliverance of the Jewish People by G-d through the agency of Moses.

Physical Redemption is accomplished by the administration of the "Eser Makot," or Ten Plagues, as well as by "Kriat Yam Suf," the Splitting of the Sea of Reeds. This miracle allowed the Jewish People to cross over on dry land. But Nature was then allowed by the Almighty to take its course, and the Sea came crashing down upon the Egyptian Army, destroying it, when Pharaoh commanded it to pursue the People of Israel.

Spiritual Redemption, the purpose of Physical Redemption, is accomplished by the Jewish People's Acceptance of the Torah, in the form of the "Aseret HaDibrot," or Ten Commandments, at Mt. Sinai. But they almost immediately betray G-d and worship the "Egel HaZahav," the Golden Calf, at the foot of the mountain. G-d threatens to destroy them, but Moshe intercedes with his prayers and prevents their destruction.

The Jewish People construct the Mishkan by donating gold and silver, other precious materials and their time and effort, atone for the Golden Calf and return again to the level of holiness of the Avot.

"Sheva Brachot" - (f., s. "Brachah"); the Seven Blessings that are recited under the Chupah, the Bridal Canopy, and at special celebrations in honor of the "Chatan," the bridegroom, and the "Kallah," the Bride, who are considered as King and Queen during the "Shivat Yemai HaMishteh," the "Seven Days of Celebration" that follow their "Chatunah," or "Wedding."

"Shiur" - (m., pl. “Shiurim”); a lesson, generally used for a lesson in “limudei kodesh,” study of holy material; that is, Bible or Mishnah or Talmud

"Shivah" - Two clearly related meanings:

1) the number seven; this is a number of special significance in Judaism, as a unit of time. Examples are the seven days of the week, with the seventh day of the week, the Shabbat, being the Holy Day. Some other examples are the seven Shemittah cycles of seven years each, followed by the "Yovel," or Jubilee Year. Contracting in time again, there are the seven weeks of Sefirat HaOmer, followed by the fiftieth day, the Holiday of Shavuot.

2) as in to "sit shivah." Here also, the number seven is significant. It is the number of days, decreed by the Creator of Man, to be appropriate for a person to devote 100% of his or her time and energy and concentration, or as much as possible, to mourning for a loved one.

"Shivah Asar B'Tammuz" - the seventeenth of the Month of Tammuz; the next-to-saddest day on the Hebrew Calendar, marked by several tragedies, including Moshe's breaking of the first tablets of the "Aseret HaDibrot."

"Shlomo HaMelech" - see here.

"Shmini Atzeret" - The "eighth day" of Sukkot, in which the Mitzvot of Sukkot are withdrawn, and the seventy sacrifices corresponding to the "Seventy Nations" have already been brought. Only one sacrifice remains to be brought. And there is only one Mitzvah left, namely, to rejoice together with Hashem. In Israel, Simchat Torah is combined with Shmini Atzeret.

"Shmoozing" - (Yiddish-English); Chatting; engaging in conversation about matters which may or may not be, depending on the context, relatively unimportant and sometimes, inappropriate.

"Shmuel" - see here.

"Shofar" - (pl. Shofarot); the ram's horn; blown on Rosh HaShanah, accounting for the name of that Holiday, "Yom Teruah," the Day of Blowing the ram's Horn. The Shofar arouses thoughts of "Teshuvah", or Repentance, in the human being, and also commemorates two fundamental events in Jewish History. The first was "Akeidat Yitzchak," the Binding of Isaac, where Avraham, at the command of G-d, displayed willingness to sacrifice his son, Yitzchak, but was prevented from doing so by an Angel of the L-rd, and a ram was substituted for the son. (Bereshit 22: 1-19) The second was the Giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, where Hashem revealed Himself to the Jewish People, amid thunder and lightning and the Call of the Shofar. (Shemot 19: 16-19)

"Shul" - Yiddish slang for "Synagogue"

"Shulchan Aruch" - The "Set Table," a repository of Jewish Law, written originally by Rabbi Yosef Karo, and containing the opinions only of the great Sephardic "Rishonim;" later supplemented by the "Mapah," the "Table-Cover" by Rabbi Moses Isserles, (the "RAMA"), and including as well the opinions of the great Ashkenazic "Rishonim." The work then truly became a work for all of Israel.

"Shushan" - the Capital City of Persia, setting of the Purim story.

"Siddur" - (pl. Siddurim); Jewish Prayer Book used on Shabbat and weekdays throughout the year. It contains the prayers created by the Jewish People over the ages beginning with the Avot (Avraham instituted "Shacharis," the Morning Prayer, Yitzchak taught the idea of "Minchah," the Afternoon Prayer, and Yaakov began the practice of reciting "Maariv," the Evening Prayer).

The "Anshei K'nesset HaGedolah," "Men of the Great Assembly," formulated the main prayers, including the classic prayer, the "Shemoneh Esray," the set of "eighteen" (the literal meaning of the Prayer's name) blessings which the Jew uses to pray to G-d.

"Siftei Kohen" - see here

"Simchat Torah" - Holiday of rejoicing with the Torah. The sequence of reading the parshiyot, or sections, of the Torah on each Shabbat is set up such that the reading concludes and re-commences on Simchat Torah. Joyous dancing with the Torah accompanies the seven circuits ("hakafot") around the synagogue.  In the Diaspora, i.e., outside of Israel, Simchat Torah is celebrated the day after Shmini Atzeret.

"Simchot" - (pl.) happy occasions, plural of "Simchah"

"Sinah" - (f.; pl. "sena'ot"); hate; as in "Sinah mekalkelet et ha-shurah," "Hate removes one from the bounds of common sense."

"Six Days of Creation" - see "Sheshet Yemai Bereshit"

State of Israel - see "Medinat Yisrael"

"Sukkah" - see here.

"Sukkot" - The Biblical Holiday which commemorates Hashem's provision of His Clouds of Glory to escort the Jewish People through the desert. According to another opinion which does not disagree that Hashem provided Clouds of Glory, but maintains that the Holiday focuses on a different aspect of G-d's protection; namely, the psychological, that Hashem enabled the Jews to find comfort in the temporary huts which we call "Sukkot," even in the harsh conditions of the desert. Both opinions agree that the theme of the holiday is G-d's protection. "Mitzvot," or Commandments of this Holiday include dwelling in a Sukkah, and waving in all directions a set of four species: the "lulav," or palm branch, the "etrog," or citron, a group of three "hadasim," or myrtle branches, and a set of two "aravot," or willow branches, to show that Hashem rules over nature everywhere.

Sunday - see Yom Rishon; the first day of the week