Flashcards Mr Sanders Jewish Quiz

Bar Mitzvah

When a young Jewish boy is initiated as a spiritual equal with all other Jews by reciting a Torah passage in Hebrew and commenting on it.

Torah

The first five books of the Bible, but can also mean the totality of the TANAKH and the Talmud.

Talmud

A commentary on the Torah formed in two stages; viewed as the Oral Torah and an extension of scripture.

Mishnah

The first phase of the Talmud, formed around 200 AD.

Gemara

The second phase of the Talmud, formed around 500 AD.

Mitzvah/mitzvot

A commandment to do good things; refers to the 613 commandments in the Torah.

Shekinah

The part of God closest to humanity; brought into the world by observing the mitzvot.

Divine sparks

Shards of divine light scattered throughout creation in Lurianic thought, restored by following the mitzvot.

Covenant

A Biblical concept describing the eternal bond and relationship between God and the Jewish people.

Messiah

In Jewish understanding, a possibly supernatural figure who will come to judge and transform the world.

Sefirot

The 10 emanations of God in Kabbalistic thought.

Kabbalah

Jewish mysticism focusing on the emanative power of God and the sephirot.

Zohar (Loria)

A kabbalistic midrash based on the biblical book of Genesis.

Tikkun olam

To repair the world; achieved through obeying the mitzvot.

Ein Sof

The limitless or infinite aspect of God, beyond human description, contrasted with the comprehensible sefirot.

Diaspora

The Jewish communities living outside of Israel.

TANAKH

The Hebrew Bible / Old Testament; an acronym for Torah, Neviim, and Khetuvim (Torah, Prophets, and Writings).

Halakhah

Also spelled halacha; authoritative commands used to bring the Shekinah into daily life.

Ashkenazim/Sephardim

Ashkenazim developed in Central/Eastern Europe (speaking Yiddish); Sephardim lived in Spain, Portugal, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean.

Maimonides

Medieval Jewish philosopher and rabbinic scholar whose codification set the standard for Jewish belief and practice.

Sabbatai Zevi

A 1600s figure who claimed to be the Messiah, later converted to Islam under Ottoman pressure, causing his movement to collapse.

Baal Shem Tov

A charismatic Jewish rabbi who founded Hasidism.

Hasidism

An 1700s Jewish movement stressing spiritual restoration, personal piety, and physical separation from the wider world.

Tzaddik

A Jewish mystic rabbi believed to be able to work Jewish magic.

Zionism

A modern political movement asserting that the Jewish homeland is in Israel and supporting a return to national life there.

Jerusalem

The Jews' holy city and site of the temples and wailing wall; also known to Muslims as Al-Quds.

Haredi

Ultra-Orthodox Jews who strictly adhere to traditional Jewish law and isolate themselves from modern secular culture.

Theodor Herzl

The founder of modern political Zionism.

Rosh Hashanah

The Jewish New Year.

Yom Kippur

The Jewish day of atonement and holiest day in Judaism.

Days of Awe

The ten days of repentance spanning from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur.

Shofar

A ram's horn trumpet blown during the High Holy Days.

Pesach

Spring harvest festival (Passover) celebrating the liberation of the Jews from Egypt.

Hanukkah

The Jewish festival of lights commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple.

Shabbas

The Jewish Sabbath, observed weekly from Friday evening to Saturday night.

Bris

The traditional ritual circumcision of a Jewish infant boy, usually on his eighth day of life.

Mohel

A Jewish male medically trained to perform ritual circumcisions.

Kashrut

The body of Jewish religious dietary laws regarding permissible food.

Tallith

A traditional Jewish prayer shawl worn during morning services.

Tefillin

Small leather boxes containing Torah verses, strapped to the arm and forehead during weekday morning prayers.

Kaddish

A traditional Jewish prayer praising God, frequently recited as a mourner's prayer.

Shiva

The traditional seven-day mourning period observed by immediate family members after the death of a relative.