Here’s a hopefully useful but incomplete list of acronyms that are standard to Avodah, but aren’t in common usage. I marked each either “A” for those specific to Avodah; “J” those that are used in Jewish internetting; and “I” denote those acronyms used throughout the internet culture.
A chaveir on the list is often referred to by his initials preceded by a leading “R” for Rav or Reb. (For example, I would be RMB, and R’ Bechhofer is RYGB.) This ambiguity allows you to avoid insulting someone by omitting a well-earned title while not requiring that people toot their own horns to let you know such titles exist. The female equivalent is R’n for Rebbetzin or R’t for Rabbanit.
| Acronym | Venue | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| AFAIK | I | as far as I know |
| A”H / AhS | A | Aruch haShulchan |
| AIUI | I | as I understand it |
| AYH | A | a reference to the question about an email: Does this detract from Ahavas or Yir’as Hashem? (see DNA) |
| AZ | A | avodah zarah |
| BHBS | A | Baruch Hu uBaruch Shemo |
| BhM | A | Birchas haMazon / Beis haMikdosh (see BM) |
| BM | A | Beis haMikdosh (see BhM) / Beis Medrash |
| b”n | A | beli neider |
| B”N | A | Ben Noach |
| BTW | I | By the way |
| CC | A | the Chafeitz Chaim (see MB) |
| CDRG | A | cheirem diRabbeinu Gershom |
| ChL | A | chutz la’aretz (also, ChuL) Chovos haLvavos |
| ChM | A | chol hamo’ed |
| ChuL | A | chutz la’aretz (also, ChL) |
| CI | A | Chazon Ish |
| C | J | Conservative |
| CKvS | A | Chag kasher vesamei’ach |
| CS | A | Chasam Sofer |
| c”v | A | chas vishalom |
| CYLOR | J | consult your local Orthodox rabbi (see LOR) |
| DL | A | Dati Le’umi (see RZ) |
| DNA | A | Darchei No’am alert — a warning email from Avodah’s moderator (see AYH) (sometimes: deoxyribonucleic acid) |
| EY | A | Eretz Yisrael |
| FOAF | I | friend of a friend — the source of all urban legends |
| FWIW | I | for what it’s worth |
| GG | A | Gud gezogt! (well said!; see ZGG) |
| H’ | J | Hashem |
| HKBH | A | HaKadosh Baruch Hu (also HQBH) |
| HP | A | hashgochah peratis |
| HQBH | A | HaQadosh Baruch Hu (also HKBH) |
| IIANM | I | if I am not mistaken |
| IIRC | I | if I recall correctly (a stronger form of ISTR) |
| IIUC | I | if I understand correctly |
| IM | A | Igeros Moshe (see RMF) |
| IMHO | I | in my humble opinion (see IMO, LAD) |
| IMO | I | in my opinion (see IMHO, LAD) |
| IOW | I | in other words |
| ISTR | I | I seem to recall (a weaker form of IIRC) |
| KT | A | Kol tuv! (a greeting) |
| L | J | Lubavitch |
| LAD | J | lifi aniyus da’ati (see IMHO, IMO) |
| LH | J | lashon hara |
| LR | J | Lubavitcher Rebbe (see also RMMS). On Avodah, we eschew community-specific titles like “the Rebbe” or “the Rav”, to remain a home across such boundaries. |
| LOR | J | local Orthodox rabbi (usually meaning: the rabbi you usually ask your halachic questions; see also CYLOR) |
| LW | A | left wing |
| MA | A | Magein Avraham |
| MB | A | Mishnah Berurah (see CC) |
| MmD | A | Mesukim MiDevash, an AishDas weekly on machshavah, mussar and tefillah. |
| MmE | A | Michtav meEliyahu (see REED) |
| MMG”H | A | a defunct AishDas learning program (mikra, mishna, gemara & halachah) |
| MOAG | A | “Making of a Gadol”, a book (rapidly pulled from the shelves) by RNKaminetzky |
| MO | J | Modern Orthodox |
| M”T | A | matan Torah |
| MvR | A | Maran veRabbanan |
| NIRC | A | Ner Israel Rabbinical College (Baltimore) |
| NK | A | Neturei Karta |
| OC | A | Orach Chaim (also, O”Ch) |
| O”Ch | A | Orach Chaim (also, OC) |
| OCR | J | Orthodox vs. Conservative vs. Reform |
| OhB | A | Olam haBa |
| O | J | Orthodox |
| OTOH | I | on the one/other hand |
| R | A | Rabbi; Rav; Reb; occasionally: Reform Jew / Judaism |
| RAS | A | Rav Aharon Soloveitchik |
| RBShO | A | Ribbono shel Olam |
| REED | A | Rav Eliyahu E. Dessler (see MmE) |
| REW | A | Rav Elchanan Wasserman, Hy”d |
| RH | A | Rosh HaShanah |
| RJBS | A | Rav Joseph Soloveitchik. (Also: RYBS, RYDS.) On Avodah, we eschew community-specific titles like “the Rebbe” or “the Rav”, to remain a home across such boundaries. |
| RMF | A | Rav Moshe Feinstein (Also: IM = Igeros Moshe) |
| RMMS | A | Rav Menachem Mendel Shneerson (the 7th Lubavitcher Rebbe; see LR). On Avodah, we eschew community-specific titles like “the Rebbe” or “the Rav”, to remain a home across such boundaries. |
| Rn | A | Rebbetzin (see R’; also, R’it) |
| ROY | A | Rav Ovadiah Yosef |
| RSRH | A | Rav Samson Rephael Hirsch |
| RSZA | A | Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach |
| Rt | A | Rabbanit (see R’; also, R’in) |
| RW | A | right wing |
| RY | A | Rosh Yeshiva |
| RYBS RYDS |
A | Rav Yoseph Ber/Dov Soloveitchik. (Also: RJBS.) On Avodah, we eschew community-specific titles like “the Rebbe” or “the Rav”, to remain a home across such boundaries. |
| RYS | A | Rav Yisrael (Lipkin) Salanter |
| RZ | A | Religious Zionist, -ism (see DL) |
| SA | J | Shulchan Aruch |
| SE | A | Seridei Eish |
| SOP | I | Standard Operating Procedure |
| SR | A | the Satmar Rav |
| TE | A | Tzitz Eliezer |
| TIA | I | thanks in advance |
| TIDE | A | Torah im Derech Eretz |
| TuM | A | Torah uMadda |
| URL | I | universal resource locator — a web address |
| VEKML | A | ve’ein kan makom leha’arich (this isn’t the time/space to explain at length) |
| VIDC | A | vus is der chiluk? (what is the [halachic] distinction?) |
| WADR | I | with all due respect (i.e. bimchilas kivodo) |
| WRT | I | with respect to |
| W-t | A | wissenschaft |
| YCT | A | Yeshivat Chovevei Torah |
| YK | A | Yom Kippur |
| YMMV | I | your mileage may vary (that was my experience, yours may vary) |
| YT | A | Yom Tov |
| YU | J | Yeshiva University |
| YY | A | Yalkut Yosef |
| ZGG | A | Zeiyer gud gezogt! (very well said!; see GG) |
