World Religions - Judaism

Covenant

serious binding agreement like a contract between god and his people

seder

means order, ritual meal eaten as part of the celebration of passover

Pentateuch

five books of moses contained in the torah scroll

GELND

Pogrom

Organized, officially encouraged attack on jews

exodus

journey by large group - escape hostile environment

moses leading hebrews out of slavery in egypt

synagogue

western wall

holy place - revered by jews - only remaining portion of second temple

Cantor

Person - leads jewish congregation in prayer

has pleasing singing voice

jewish religious service is sung

Bimah

raised platform where torah is publically read in synagogue 

where sermon is delivered

Yarmulke

traditional head covering - jewish men aka kippah

Mezuzah

religious texts from Deuteronomy inscribed on parchment and rolled up in a case

attached to doorframes in jewish households

rabbi

hebrew for teacher

religious teacher

patriarchs

abraham, isaac, jacob

ancestors of jewish people

Shema

Jewish prayer - three passages from torah - affirming jewish belief in one god

kashrut

set of jewish dietary laws

get

divorce document

jewish law - presented by husband to wife to effect divorce

tallit

prayer shawl

has 613 threads cause of the 613 commandments

worn by jews in morning prayer

kosher

food that fulfills kashrut

diaspora

dispersion of jews outside of israel - from destruction of temple in jerusalem when they were exiled to babylonia 

shoah

hebrew word meaning catastrophe

catastrophic destruction of european jews during ww2

minyan

minimum number of 10 adults jews required for communal religious service

gestapo

secret police of nazi party in ww2

gerut

conversion to judaism

wishes to be recognized as full member of jewish community 

hasidic

branch of orthodox judaism

seperate lifestyle 

strict interpretation of jewish law

genocide

systematic killing of racial or cultural group

hellenization

spread of greek culture and language

mitzvah

precept or commandment of jewish law

circumcision

jewish rite

male infants

sign of inclusion in covenant between god and abraham

zionism

jewish national liberation movement

jewish people constitute a nation and are entitled to their homeland (canaan)

Abraham

begun judaism lived 4000 years ago

father of jews

recieved vision from god - instructed him to leave his home in mesopotamian city of ur - move to haran and later canaan

he recieved vision of one god - monotheistic faith of judaism begun

gods covenant with abraham

god promised Abraham he would be father of great nation - in return of being faithful to God and being fruitful and multiplying

led to jews representing gods chosen people

abrahams sacrifice

god wanted to tests abrahams loyalty

said to sacrifice isaac his only legitimate son

til he was about to, god made a sheep show up and he sacrificed the sheep instead

slavery

famine struck the promised land

moved to egypt - plenty of food

egyptians made hebrews slaves - waited for someone to free them

moses

born from hebrew parents - adopted by pharaohs daughter

raised in imperial court and favored by pharaoh till moses killed an egyptian for harrassing a jewish slave

moses fled to midian, married one of jethros seven daughters, became shepherd

Burning bush

moses encountered god in the form of a burning bush on mount horeb

god said ehyeh asher ehyeh - i will be who i will be

god instructed moses to deliver his people from slavery and bring them back to the promised land

10 plagues

hebrews were told to put lambs blood on their door posts to protect them from angel of death

angel will “passover” 

known as the exodus - exit or depart

10 commandments

passover, ten commandments, and exodus all renewed covenant between god and his people 

god appeared to moses on mount sinai and gave him the 10 commandments

in book of exodus

the babylonian exile

in 586 bc babylonians captured judah  - destroyed solomons temple in jerusalem

synagogues were created, private areas where hebrews could worship in private since they werent allowed to be openly jewish

the romans

led to a renewed amphasis of the coming messiah

someone annointed by god to lead jews out of oppression

western wall

symbol of indestructability of jews

place of prayer and pilgrimage, mentioned in daily prayer, permanent reminder of gods presence

its the remaining wal of the second temple of jerusalem

belief in god

dont write god because his name is holy

messiah

annointed one

jesus isnt messiah 

theyre waiting for messiah

Torah

penteteuch, 613 laws for conduct, behavior, diet, justice, and worship

mitzvah

commandment from god - gives people direction - how to live ethically

dietary laws

kosher - food that fullfills kashrut rules

a way to follow the commandments 

kosher laws

humanity - animals are killed in humane ways(shechita)

Humility - jews show everlasting gratitude to god for their food 

cant combine meat and dairy, cant eat pork or shellfish, fish that have fins and scales no lobster or clams or octopus, wine is made under jewish supervision

Talmud

two parts

mishnah

gemara

mishnah

used to be prohibited - writing oral torah

in third century there was concern the oral tradition would be corrupt or lost so it was written down

gemara

rabbis commentary on mishnah

star of david

shape of davids shield

holocost - jews forced to wear it 

• emblem of rememberance

menorah

candelabra with 7 branches

specific to revalation of moses

six days of creation and day of sabbath

shabbat candles

jewish ritual

mother lights on friday evening sets mood for spiritual rest and reflection

before lighting a blessing is recited thanking god 

dreidel

hanukkah game

dreidel means to turn

nun gimel hay shin means a great miracle happened there

havdalah candle and holder

seperation or division

as shabbat ends

braided candle is lit to represent lights of fire

put out using tray holding kiddush cup filled to overflowing

kiddush cup and tray

prayer of consecration said over cup of wine

engraved with star of david

during havdalah service

filled to overflowing 

kippah

aka yarmulke

skull cap worn by men and women at different times depending if youre orthodox, conservative, or reform

seder tray

six depressions holding symbolic food

marror - bitter herbs

bitterness of slavery

karpas

green leafy vegetable - spring and rebirth

hazaret

bitter vegetable

“they shall eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs” numbers 9.11

haroset

apple, cinnamon, nut, wine mixture

mortar the hebrews were forced to make for the egyptians

z’roah

leg bone of neck of chicken

represents passover lamb offered in jerusalem temple

baytza

unpeeled hard boiled egg

symbol of regular sacrifice brought to temple

just as the egg became stronger and harder under the pressure of cooking so have the jewish people under oppression

spice box

smell aromatic spices during havdalah 

cinnamon, cloves, sage, rosemary, mint

extra soul enters the body

final breath of shabbat should be sweet

tallit

prayer shawl, reminds 613 commandments

fringes have five double knots of eight threads adding up to 13

zitzit means 600 so 613

tallit katan

small robe

worn under street clothes of ortho jew

torah replica

scroll containing gelnd

no page numbers

ortho judaism

strict interpretation of laws and ethics of talmudic text

torah and laws are divine and were transmitted by god to moses theyre eternal and unalterable

oral law in judaism

observe all 613

only kosher, sabbath is observed

hasidic judaism

ben eliezer advised followers to pay less attention to formal details and concentrate on humility good deeds and prayer

believes in devekus communion between god and man

reform judaism

written and spoken torah - human creation

god allows successive generations to interpret differently

humans are created in image of god

inclusion not exclusion

conservative judaism

middle ground between ortho and reform

recognize human element in revalation that god revealed through prophets

altered older trad to fit modern lifestyle

females are allowed to particilate in bat mitzvah position ortho jews heavily oppose

milestones

naming a child, marriage, coming of age,

naming a child

given a hebrew name during circumcision

jewish boys are circumsized eighth day after birth

girls are given a name in synagogue shortly after birth

marriage

not required to marry in faith

in synagogue conducted by rabbi

stand under chuppah - symbol of home they will share

they drink blessed wine

at end of service - groom crushes glass with foot

• symbolizes good and bad of marriage

• also reminder of destruction of temple in jerusalem

divorce

husband should give wife certificate of divorce called get

if get is unissued, marriage isnt dissolved

once get is issued they can remarry in the jewish religion

death

funerals take place within 24 horus after death

simple service

not cremated - destroys what god made

shiva - 7 day period of mourning after funeral

shiva candle is lit representing soul of deceased

mourners eat small meal - meal of consolation

passover pesach

angel that passed over

7 day in april

eat unlevened bread cuz hebrews left egypt quickly

seder meal

spring

shavuot

jews decorate their synagogues with flowers

remember when god gave moses 10 commandments and escape from slavery

7 weeks after passover

sukkot

decorate huts they build with autumn fruits

5 days after yom kippur

when moses and jews lived in tents in desert

hannahkuh

8 days in december

celebrates rededication of second temple in jerusalem after maccabees won victory against greeks

maccabees found small ammount of oil but the candle lasted eight days

children play with a dreidel

rosh hashanah

new year

september or october

10 days of repentance

ending with yom kippur

jews request for forgiveness

yom kippur

solemn

25 hour fast and prayers of repentance

regular activities are avoided no comfort or luxury

antisemitism

jewish hate

blamed jews for economic downfall

genocide

systematic extermination of ethnic group

concentration camps

auschwitz - largest concentration camp

forced labor, died from starvation and brutal treatment

heads were shaved

possessions were taken

arms were tattooed with a number

unsanitary

guinea pigs for medical experiments