Glossary¶

A comprehensive glossary of Hebrew, English, and formal terms used in Mistaber.

Halachic Status Terms¶

Issur / Heter¶

Term	Hebrew	Transliteration	Formal	Definition
Assur	אסור	assur	`issur(A, S, L)`	Prohibited; forbidden to perform action A on subject S at level L
Mutar	מותר	mutar	`heter(A, S)`	Permitted; allowed to perform action A on subject S
Chiyuv	חיוב	chiyuv	`chiyuv(A, S)`	Obligatory; required to perform
Reshut	רשות	reshut	`reshut(A, S)`	Optional; neither required nor forbidden
Mitzvah	מצוה	mitzvah	`mitzvah(A, S)`	Meritorious; praiseworthy to perform
Sakanah	סכנה	sakanah	`sakana(S)`	Dangerous; poses health/safety risk

Normative Levels (Madrega)¶

Term	Hebrew	Transliteration	Formal	Definition
D'oraita	דאורייתא	d'oraita	`d_oraita`	Biblical law; from the Torah directly
D'rabanan	דרבנן	d'rabanan	`d_rabanan`	Rabbinic law; instituted by the Sages
Minhag	מנהג	minhag	`minhag`	Custom; accepted community practice
Chumra	חומרא	chumra	`chumra`	Stringency; beyond strict requirement

Application Levels¶

Term	Hebrew	Transliteration	Formal	Definition
Lechatchila	לכתחילה	lechatchila	`lechatchila`	Ab initio; the ideal way to proceed initially
Bediavad	בדיעבד	bediavad	`bediavad`	Post facto; acceptable after the fact

Food Categories¶

Primary Classifications¶

Term	Hebrew	Transliteration	Formal	Definition
Maakhal	מאכל	maakhal	`maakhal`	Generic food; any edible substance
Basar	בשר	basar	`basar`	Meat; flesh from land animals or birds
Chalav	חלב	chalav	`chalav`	Milk/dairy; products derived from milk
Parve	פרווה	parve	`parve`	Neutral; neither meat nor dairy

Meat Subcategories¶

Term	Hebrew	Transliteration	Formal	Definition
Beheima	בהמה	beheima	`beheima`	Domesticated kosher animal (cow, sheep, goat)
Chaya	חיה	chaya	`chaya`	Wild kosher animal (deer, gazelle)
Of	עוף	of	`of`	Poultry; birds (chicken, turkey, duck)
Dag	דג	dag	`dag`	Fish with fins and scales

Other Food Types¶

Term	Hebrew	Transliteration	Formal	Definition
Mashkeh	משקה	mashkeh	`mashkeh`	Liquid; beverage
Tavlin	תבלין	tavlin	`tavlin`	Spice; seasoning
Yayin	יין	yayin	`yayin`	Wine
Dagan	דגן	dagan	`dagan`	Grain (wheat, barley, etc.)
Yerek	ירק	yerek	`yerek`	Vegetable
Peri	פרי	peri	`peri`	Fruit

Actions (Peulot)¶

Term	Hebrew	Transliteration	Formal	Definition
Achiila	אכילה	achiila	`achiila`	Eating; consuming food orally
Bishul	בישול	bishul	`bishul`	Cooking; heating food with liquid
Hanaah	הנאה	hanaah	`hanaah`	Benefit; deriving any enjoyment or profit
Melicha	מליחה	melicha	`melicha`	Salting; treating meat with salt
Kavush	כבוש	kavush	`kavush`	Pickling; soaking in liquid for extended time
Netila	נטילה	netila	`netila`	Washing; ritual hand washing

Temperature & Vessel Terms¶

Temperature States¶

Term	Hebrew	Transliteration	Formal	Definition
Tzonen	צונן	tzonen	`tzonen`	Cold; room temperature or below
Cham	חם	cham	`cham`	Hot; yad soledet bo (~43C/110F)
Roteiach	רותח	roteiach	`roteiach`	Boiling; actively bubbling
Yad Soledet	יד סולדת	yad soledet	`yad_soledet`	"Hand recoils"; threshold of halachic heat

Vessel Status¶

Term	Hebrew	Transliteration	Formal	Definition
Kli	כלי	kli	`vessel`	Vessel; container for food
Kli Rishon	כלי ראשון	kli rishon	`kli_rishon`	Primary vessel; pot on fire
Kli Sheni	כלי שני	kli sheni	`kli_sheni`	Secondary vessel; food poured into it
Kli Shlishi	כלי שלישי	kli shlishi	`kli_shlishi`	Tertiary vessel; third transfer
Iruy	עירוי	iruy	`iruy`	Pouring stream; liquid being poured

Halachic Authorities (Poskim)¶

Tier 1: Shulchan Aruch Authors¶

Term	Hebrew	Full Name	Formal	World
Mechaber	מחבר	R' Yosef Karo	`mechaber`	`mechaber`
Rema	רמ"א	R' Moshe Isserles	`rema`	`rema`

Tier 2: Primary Commentators¶

Term	Hebrew	Full Name	Formal	Role
GRA	גר"א	Vilna Gaon	`gra`	World `gra`
Shach	ש"ך	R' Shabsai HaKohen	`shach`	Commentator
Taz	ט"ז	R' David HaLevi Segal	`taz`	Commentator

Tier 3: Later Authorities¶

Term	Hebrew	Full Name	Formal	World
Mishnah Berurah	משנה ברורה	R' Yisrael Meir Kagan	`mishnah_berurah`	`ashk_mb`
Aruch Hashulchan	ערוך השולחן	R' Yechiel Michel Epstein	`aruch_hashulchan`	`ashk_ah`
Yalkut Yosef	ילקוט יוסף	R' Ovadia Yosef	`yalkut_yosef`	`sefardi_yo`
Pri Megadim	פרי מגדים	R' Yosef Teomim	`pri_megadim`	Commentator
Pri Chadash	פרי חדש	R' Chizkiyah da Silva	`pri_chadash`	Commentator

Uncertainty Terms (Safek)¶

Term	Hebrew	Transliteration	Formal	Definition
Safek	ספק	safek	`safek/5`	Doubt; uncertain status
Safek D'oraita	ספק דאורייתא	safek d'oraita	`safek_d_oraita`	Biblical-level doubt
Safek D'rabanan	ספק דרבנן	safek d'rabanan	`safek_d_rabanan`	Rabbinic-level doubt
Sfek Sfeika	ספק ספיקא	sfek sfeika	`sfek_sfeika/4`	Double doubt; compound uncertainty
L'chumra	לחומרא	l'chumra	`l_chumra`	Toward stringency
L'kula	לקולא	l'kula	`l_kula`	Toward leniency

Safek Principles¶

Principle	Hebrew	Meaning
Safek d'oraita l'chumra	ספק דאורייתא לחומרא	Biblical doubt - be stringent
Safek d'rabanan l'kula	ספק דרבנן לקולא	Rabbinic doubt - be lenient

Mixture & Nullification Terms¶

Term	Hebrew	Transliteration	Formal	Definition
Taarovet	תערובת	taarovet	`mixture`	Mixture; combined foods
Bitul	ביטול	bitul	`bitul`	Nullification; issur cancelled by ratio
Shishim	שישים	shishim	`shishim`	Sixty; 60:1 nullification ratio
Noten Taam	נותן טעם	noten taam	`noten_taam`	Taste-imparting; detectable flavor
Noten Taam Lifgam	נותן טעם לפגם	noten taam lifgam	`lifgam`	Imparts bad taste (nullified)
Rov	רוב	rov	`rov`	Majority
Miyut	מיעוט	miyut	`miyut`	Minority

Measurement Terms (Shiurim)¶

Term	Hebrew	Transliteration	Formal	Definition
Shiur	שיעור	shiur	`shiur`	Measurement; halachic quantity
K'zayit	כזית	k'zayit	`k_zayit`	Olive volume (~30ml)
K'beitza	כביצה	k'beitza	`k_beitza`	Egg volume (~55ml)
Mashehu	משהו	mashehu	`mashehu`	Any amount; smallest detectable

Context Terms¶

Term	Hebrew	Transliteration	Formal	Definition
Hefsed Merubeh	הפסד מרובה	hefsed merubeh	`ctx_hefsed`	Significant financial loss
Shaat Hadchak	שעת הדחק	shaat hadchak	`ctx_shaat_hadchak`	Emergency; pressing circumstances
Choleh	חולה	choleh	`ctx_choleh`	Sick person
Pikuach Nefesh	פיקוח נפש	pikuach nefesh	`ctx_pikuach_nefesh`	Life-threatening situation

Philosophical & Methodological Terms¶

Epistemological¶

Term	Definition
Elu V'Elu	"These and those are the words of the Living God" (Eruvin 13b). The Talmudic principle that multiple conflicting halachic opinions can simultaneously possess legal validity. Formalized in Mistaber via Kripke multi-world semantics.
Reproducibility	Given the same encoded knowledge base and the same query, the system produces the same answer every time. A property of the computational system, not a claim that halacha itself is deterministic.
Verification Substrate	The role formal methods play in Mistaber: providing deterministic derivation, provenance chains, and formal properties that support — rather than replace — human halachic reasoning.
Encoding as Jurisprudence	The recognition that encoding halachic rules into formal logic is an interpretive act, not a mechanical translation. Encoding decisions (which features matter, how to classify events, which readings to adopt) are scholarly contributions subject to review.
Formalized vs. Living Halacha	Mistaber formalizes the product of halachic reasoning (determinate positions of authorities on encoded questions) but not the process (how authorities encounter novel events and produce new rulings).
Metastability	From Simondon's theory of individuation: halachic categories are temporarily stable configurations that can undergo reorganization when novel events supply sufficient pressure to redraw boundaries.
Major Jurisprudence	Applying existing rules within established categories — what the formal engine excels at (derivation, inheritance, conflict detection).
Minor Jurisprudence	Creating new legal concepts through encounter with novel cases — which remains irreducibly human work (deciding what new events mean for existing categories).

Technical Terms (Formal Logic)¶

World Semantics¶

Term	Definition	Formal
World	A possible world representing a halachic tradition	`world(W)`
Accessible	Inheritance relation between worlds	`accessible(W1, W2)`
Asserts	A world's direct assertion	`asserts(W, Prop)`
Holds	Truth of a proposition in a world	`holds(Prop, W)`
Override	Child world's explicit disagreement	`override(W, Prop, Reason)`
Overridden	Proposition blocked from inheritance	`overridden(Prop, W)`

Rule Metadata¶

Term	Definition	Formal
Rule	A named halachic rule	`rule(R)`
Makor	Source citation for a rule	`makor(R, Source)`
Madrega	Normative level of a rule	`madrega(R, Level)`
Scope	World where rule applies	`scope(R, W)`

Interpretation Layer¶

Term	Definition	Formal
Commentator	An interpretive authority	`commentator(C)`
Interprets	Commentator interprets authority	`interprets(C, Auth)`
Adds Condition	Interpretation adds requirement	`adds_condition(C, R, Cond)`
Removes Condition	Interpretation relaxes requirement	`removes_condition(C, R, Cond)`
Expands Scope	Interpretation broadens application	`expands_scope(C, R, Scope)`
Restricts Scope	Interpretation narrows application	`restricts_scope(C, R, Scope)`

Safek Handling¶

Term	Definition	Formal
Unknown	Explicitly unknown predicate value	`unknown(Pred, Entity)`
Safek	Doubt about normative status	`safek(Status, W, Act, F, Ctx)`
Safek Resolved	Doubt has been resolved	`safek_resolved(W, Act, F, Ctx)`
Safek Policy	World's policy for doubt resolution	`safek_policy(W, Level, Direction)`

Source Citation Formats¶

Prefix	Source Type	Example	Meaning
`sa`	Shulchan Aruch	`sa("yd:87:1")`	Yoreh Deah, Siman 87, Seif 1
`rema`	Rema's gloss	`rema("yd:87:3")`	Rema on YD 87:3
`taz`	Turei Zahav	`taz("yd:87:3")`	Taz on YD 87:3
`shach`	Siftei Kohen	`shach("yd:87:5")`	Shach on YD 87, S"K 5
`biur_hagra`	Vilna Gaon	`biur_hagra("yd:87:1")`	GRA on YD 87:1
`mishnah_berurah`	Mishnah Berurah	`mishnah_berurah("oc:494")`	MB on OC 494
`beit_yosef`	Beit Yosef	`beit_yosef("yd:87")`	BY on Tur YD 87

Abbreviations¶

Abbreviation	Full Form	Meaning
YD	Yoreh Deah	Section of Shulchan Aruch on issurim
OC	Orach Chaim	Section on daily life and holidays
EH	Even HaEzer	Section on family law
CM	Choshen Mishpat	Section on civil/monetary law
SA	Shulchan Aruch	The Code of Jewish Law
MB	Mishnah Berurah	Commentary on OC
AH	Aruch Hashulchan	Comprehensive halachic work
YO	Yalkut Yosef	Sefardi halachic compilation
BB	Basar Bechalav	Meat and milk laws
ASP	Answer Set Programming	Logic programming paradigm
OWA	Open World Assumption	Unknown is not false
CWA	Closed World Assumption	Unknown is false

Encoding Workflow Terms¶

Term	Definition	Related
Corpus Preparation	First phase of encoding: fetching and organizing source texts	`corpus-prep` skill
HLL Encoding	Transforming source text into Halachic Logic Language rules	`hll-encode` skill
Validation	Compiling and testing encoded rules	`validate` skill
Review Package	Collection of artifacts for human review	`review` skill
Checkpoint	Human approval point in encoding workflow	All phases
Session State	Persistent encoding session tracking	`.mistaber-session.yaml`
Corpus Report	Generated summary of source texts	corpus-prep output
Encoding Report	Generated summary of rules created	hll-encode output
Test Scenario	YAML definition of test cases	validation input
Derivation Chain	Complete source tracing from rule to origin	makor chain
Seif Granularity	Encoding at single seif level	Best practice
Phase Gate	Hook preventing out-of-sequence actions	phase-gate hook
Approval State	Checkpoint approval tracking	session state

Plugin Architecture Terms¶

Term	Definition	Example
Skill	Self-contained capability with workflow instructions	corpus-prep, hll-encode
Hook	Event-triggered code that intercepts tool calls	phase-gate, encoding-guard
Agent	Autonomous workflow coordinator	encoding-orchestrator
SKILL.md	Skill definition file with metadata and instructions	skills/*/SKILL.md
hooks.json	Hook configuration file	hooks/hooks.json
plugin.json	Plugin manifest file	.claude-plugin/plugin.json
PreToolUse	Hook event before tool execution	Hook event type
PostToolUse	Hook event after tool execution	Hook event type
SessionStart	Hook event at session initialization	Hook event type
Stop	Hook event when Claude stops processing	Hook event type
MCP Server	Model Context Protocol server for external data	Sefaria MCP
CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT	Environment variable for plugin path	${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}

Sefaria Integration Terms¶

Term	Definition	API
get_text	Retrieves text content by reference	mcp__sefaria-texts__get_text
text_search	Searches for passages by keyword	mcp__sefaria-texts__text_search
get_links	Retrieves cross-references	mcp__sefaria-texts__get_links_between_texts
Sefaria Reference	Standard text citation format	"Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De'ah 87:3"
Sefaria Logger	Hook that logs all Sefaria API calls	sefaria-logger hook
Commentary Depth	Number of commentary tiers to fetch	Configuration option
Linked Texts	Cross-referenced sources	Links API
English Semantic Search	AI-powered meaning search	mcp__sefaria-texts__english_semantic_search

Testing Terms¶

Term	Definition	Example
Positive Test	Test expecting a specific positive result	`assert issur(achiila, mix)`
Negative Test	Test expecting absence of result	`assert not issur(bishul, item)`
Edge Case Test	Test for boundary conditions	Empty mixture, single item
Multi-World Test	Same query across multiple worlds	Compare mechaber vs rema
Machloket Test	Verifies both positions in dispute	Test both override paths
Test Scenario File	YAML file defining test cases	tests/yd_87/scenarios.yaml
conftest.py	Pytest fixture configuration	Shared test setup
Test Coverage	Minimum: 5 positive, 3 negative, 2 edge	Quality standard
Behavioral Test	Tests rule derivation behavior	Query-based testing
Semantic Test	Tests meaning preservation	Makor chain validation

File Organization Terms¶

Path Convention

Paths like corpus/, worlds/, and schema/ are relative to the ontology root (mistaber/ontology/). The full path from project root is mistaber/ontology/corpus/yd_XX/base.lp.

Term	Definition	Path Pattern
Ontology Root	Core Mistaber definitions	`mistaber/ontology/`
Corpus Directory	Seif-specific rule files	`mistaber/ontology/corpus/yd_XX/`
Worlds Directory	World-specific overrides	`mistaber/ontology/worlds/*.lp`
Base Rules	Shared definitions for a seif	`mistaber/ontology/corpus/yd_XX/base.lp`
World Override File	World-specific rule modifications	`mistaber/ontology/worlds/mechaber.lp`
Test Directory	Test files for a seif	`tests/yd_XX/`
Plugin Root	mistaber-skills plugin directory	`mistaber-skills/`
Session File	Encoding session state	`.mistaber-session.yaml`