Judaism Terms

Habiru

the tribe of Moses; servants, slaves, laborers; means “outsiders”; related to “Hebrew”

Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Spain, Egyptians

countries that surrounded and invaded the Jewish people

Torah

A term meaning “law” or “instruction”; the first five books (and the first of the three sections) of the Hebrew bible. It also refers to the parchment scroll of these writings used in Jewish rituals. It can also refer to the body of Jewish Sacred Scripture.

Mishnah

“study by repetition”; first major written collection of Jewish oral traditions; aka the Oral Torah

Talmud

Two long collections of Jewish religious literature that include and have commentaries on the Mishnah, the Hebrew code of laws that emerged about 200 CE.

Hasidism

an Orthodox Jewish sect founded by the Baal Shem Tov in Poland in the eighteenth century that emphasizes religious experience

Shoah

The Hebrew word for “calamity”; the mass murder if Jews by the Nazis during ww2.

Dead Sea Scrolls

a series of mostly partial manuscripts containing both biblical and nonobiblical material discovered in 1947

Diaspora

Greek word meaning “dispersion”: originally referring to the large community of Jews living outside of Palestine, today, the term refers to Jews who live outside of Israel

Septuagint

The earliest Greek version of the Hebrew Bible, completed around the second century BCE.

Rabbi

A Hebrew word for “my master” or “my teacher”; someone who is authorized to teach and judge in matters of Jewish law.

Holy of Holies

the sanctuary inside the tabernacle in the Temple of Jerusalem where the Ark of the Covenant was kept

Progroms

organized massacres of communities, particularly of Jewish people; riots directed against Jews

Inquisition

a bureau or commission that had branches in most of the larger dioceses of Spain that was empowered to call on civil authorities to help weed out heretics; once the heretics were discovered, the Church authorities conducted a trial with those accused presumed guilty and required to prove their innocence

Thirteen Fundamental Principles of Moses Maimonides

 the existence of God, the absolute unity of God, the incorporeality of God, the eternity of God, that God alone is to be worshipped, that God communicates to prophets, that Moses is the greatest prophet, that the Torah was given by God, that the Torah is immutable, that there is divine providence, that there is divine punishment and reward, that there will be a Messiah, and that the dead will be resurrected.

Zionism

From Zion, the name for the historical land of Isreal; the movement with origins in the nineteenth century that sought to restore a Jewish homeland in Palestine in response to anti-Semitism

Tanakh

an acronym for the three sections of the Hebrew Bible aka the Old Testament for Christians

Midrash

a type of scriptural interpretation found in rabbinic literature, especially the Talmuds; assumes that the Scriptures provide answers for every situation and every question in life

Rosh Hashanah

“beginning of the year”; marks the new year and celebrates the creation of Adam and Eve

Yom Kippur

the Day of Atonement; the holiest day of the Jewish year; a time for Jewish people to ask for forgiveness from God and one another; 25 hour long abstinence is practiced

Sukkot

Hebrew for “booths”; aka the Feast of Tabernacles or Feast of Booths; festival during the Tishri cycle; celebrates the fall harvest; commemorates the 40 years spent in the desert

Teshuvah

A Hebrew term meaning “return”; the act of repentance in Judaism.

Shofar

a ram’s horn used as a musical instrument in Jewish religious rituals, especially Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

Pesach

aka Passover; retells the story of the Exodus of the Hebrew people from Egypt and the freedom from slavery; first major feast of the spring Nisan cycle

Shavuot

Hebrew for “weeks”; celebrated seven weeks after the first day of Pesach; associated with the giving of the Torah by God to Moses on Mount Sinai

Hanukkah

celebrates one of the great military victories in Jewish history over the Seleucid Greeks; eight day celebration; lighting of the menorah every night

Purim

Hebrew for “lots”; commemorates the victory of Jews living in Persia in the fifth century BCE over Haman; gifts are exchanged and items are donated to the poor; a celebratory meal called se’udat is held

Shabbat

The seventh day of the week; Jewish sabbath; celebrated from sunset Friday until sunset Sunday

Bar Mitzvah

coming of age ceremony for Jewish boys at age thirteen; “Son of the Commandment”; recognizes that a boy is now an adult and is responsible for his own religious and moral training

Bat Mitzvah

coming of age ceremony for Jewish girls at age twelve; recognizes that a girl is now an adult and is responsible for her own religious and moral training

4 Questions asked at the Passover Seder

Why matzah is eaten, why maror is eaten, why meat that is eaten is exclusively roasted, and why food is dipped twice

Synagogue

the place where Jewish people worship God communally; multidimensional; House of Prayer, House of Study, and House of Assembly

Mezuzah

A Hebrew word meaning “doorpost”;a small parchment containing Hebrew Scripture, usually the Sh’ma, that is placed in a case on or near the right doorframe at the home of an observant Jew. The fullfills the commandment in Deuteronomy 6:9 to “inscribe [God’s instructions] on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Jerusalem

a holy city for Islam, Judaism, and Christianity; the holiest city in Judaism; Mount Moriah is located there

Western Wall

the only remaining piece of the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans in 70 CE; a place of pilgrimage for Jewish people

The Star of David

a symbol of the nation and identity of the Jewish people; two triangles represent the overlapping relationship between God and man

Arizona & Alaska

the two states of the US that don’t use daylight savings time