Judaism (09/03)

Tanak

The Jewish name for the Hebrew Bible. It is an acronym for its three parts: Torah (teaching), Nevi'im (prophets), and Ketuvim (writings).

Torah

The most sacred of the three parts of the Tanak. It narrates the history of the Jewish people up to about 1500 BCE.

Three Forefathers

Abraham, his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob, who are the subjects of lengthy narratives in the Torah.

Israel

The other name given to Jacob, meaning "he who wrestles with God". His descendants are called the Israelites.

The Covenant with Abraham

God's promise to Abraham that he and his descendants would be God's chosen people and live in a chosen land (Canaan).

Commandments

God gave Moses 10 commandments at Mount Sinai. According to Jewish tradition, there are 613 total commandments in the Torah.

First Temple Period

The period around 1000 BCE when the Israelites were ruled by kings (like David and Solomon), and Solomon built a magnificent temple for sacrifices

Exile to Babylonia

Occurred in 586 BCE when the Babylonians destroyed the southern kingdom of Judah and exiled the Judeans.

Second Temple Period

Began in 539 BCE when the Persian Empire conquered Babylonia and sent the Judeans back to the land of Israel to rebuild their state and the Temple.

Documentary Hypothesis

The theory that the Torah evolved from different traditions or four documents that were ultimately edited together.

Fiction vs. History

According to modern academic scholars, the history from the creation of the world until the establishment of the Israelite kingdom (1000 BCE) is mostly fiction; after 1000 BCE, the biblical and historical records are more in sync.

Jew/Judaism

Scholars claim these terms can be used around 500 BCE, as most people were descended from the tribe of Judah (Judeans), and the religion was now based on the Torah in its final form.

Revolutionary Ideas

The Hebrew Bible introduced a revolutionary view of one supreme God who is separate from nature, and that human beings are exalted creatures made in God's image (unlike ancient Near Eastern texts where humans were slaves to the gods).

Hasmonean/Maccabean Revolt

A civil war starting in 175 BCE against the Greek king who wanted to impose Greek culture and polytheistic religion. The Jews won, regaining independence for about 100 years.

Hanukkah

A popular Jewish holiday that celebrates the Hasmoneans' victory over the Greeks and the regaining of Jewish independence.

Destruction of the Second Temple

The Romans crushed a Jewish rebellion in the year 70 CE and destroyed the Second Temple. It was never rebuilt.

Key Component of Judaism (Pre-70 CE)

The sacrifices performed daily in the Temple in Jerusalem, which was a very active ritual center requiring a specially trained priesthood.

Second Exile

The period after the destruction of the Second Temple, during which Jews still lived in the land of Israel but did not have sovereignty.

Rabbis

A new group of religious leaders and scholars who emerged around the year 100 CE and took over the leadership of the Jewish community. They were experts on the Bible and its interpretation.

Oral Torah

An entire second Torah of oral traditions that the rabbis believed was given to Moses on Mount Sinai alongside the Written Torah. Its purpose was to clarify and supplement the meaning of the Written Torah.

Transformation after 70 CE

Rabbis shifted Judaism from sacrifices to prayer services and from a Temple in Jerusalem to prayer in a synagogue

Synagogue

A new institution created by the rabbis as a place for Jews to conduct their prayers as a replacement for the sacrifices.

Tefillin

Black boxes containing passages from the Torah, made of hardened leather, which are worn on the arm and head during weekday morning prayers.

Tallit

A white garment worn during prayer that has fringes (tassels) at its corners, based on a Torah passage commanding Israelites to tie fringes to their garments to remember God.

Rosh Hashanah/Yom Kippur

Holidays that mark the beginning of the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and are primarily for asking for forgiveness from God for sins committed in the last year.

Messiah (Mashiach)

A special king, predicted by the prophets (especially in the Nevi'im), who would descend from King David, defeat the enemies of the Jews, lead them back from exile, rebuild the Temple, and usher in a utopian world. The word means "anointed one".

Halakha

The word for law in rabbinic Judaism, meaning "the path" or "the way." Most of the Talmud is concerned with Halakha (how Jews are supposed to live).

Aggadah

The material in the Talmud that is not Halakha, encompassing interpretations of biblical stories, theology, philosophy, and stories about rabbis. About a third of the Babylonian Talmud is Aggadah.

Core of Rabbinic Judaism

The observance of the law (Halakha). The rabbis were less concerned with belief and more concerned with what a Jew did. Observance of the law was viewed as a spiritual experience to relate to God constantly in everyday life

Limud Torah/Talmud Torah

The study of the written and oral Torah (found in the Talmud), which the rabbis viewed as a spiritual experience in its own right—a way of getting close to God. This led to Judaism becoming a highly intellectual religion.

Noahide Code

A series of seven commandments that the rabbis, through oral tradition, believed God gave to all of humanity at the beginning of creation (either to Adam or Noah). If non-Jews kept these laws, they would be rewarded.

Mishnah

A six-volume work edited in the land of Israel around 200 CE that collects the discussions and debates of the rabbis about the laws of Judaism. The word means "to repeat"

Gemara

A work that collects the discussions that interpret the Mishnah. The word means "to learn".

Jerusalem Talmud

The combination of the Mishnah and the Gemara edited in the land of Israel around 425 CE.

Babylonian Talmud

The major, multi-volume work of the rabbis, produced by combining the Mishnah with the Gemara composed by the Babylonian rabbis. It is regarded as the superior and most important Talmud.