IB World Religions - Judaism Terms

Abraham

the patriarch, father of the lineage of faith by the Jewish

Aramic

language of the Talmud (when the Jewish pray it goes directly to God)

Ark

the Hold Ark (Aron ha-Kodesh), the holy chest where the Torah scrolls are kept in synagogue on the wall facing Jerusalem

Bat Mitzvah

“Daughter of the Commandment”, the right of passage of a young girl (age 12) to read from the Torah

Bar Mitzvah

“Son of the Commandment”, the right of passage of a young male (age 13) to read from the Torah

Beit Midrash

Jewish house of study and discussion

Beracha

blessing; a type of prayer in which God is blessed

B’rit Milah

circumcision; removal of the foreskin

Cantor

hazzan/chazzan; one who recites, chants, or sings prayers

Conservative Judaism

American Jewish movement, reacting to early Jewish Reform movements but still adapting to modern situations

Covenant/B’rit

a mutual promise/compact between two parties

Deuteronomy

5th book of Humash or Five Books of Moses; final speech of Moses’ life

Elijah

Hebrew prophet and visionary; taken to Heaven in a chariot of fire

Diaspora

“dispersion” of Jewish communities living in countries other than Israel

Exodus

“Names;'“ the 2nd books of the Five Books of Moses, or Humash; narrative of Moses leading the escape from slavery in Egypt

Book of Genesis

1st book of the Humash or 5 Books of Moses; details Jewish understanding of the creation of the universe

Ghetto

part of a city or town where Jews were forced to live

Hanukka/Chanukka

“dedication;” eight-day celebration of the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after it was reclaimed

Hasidic

“pious one;” those who developed extraordinary devotion to the spirituality of Jewish life

Havdalah

distinction or division; marking the end of Shabbat

Hebrew

ancient language of the Israelites

High Holy Days

Rosh Hashanah (New Year) to Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)

Holocaust

Nazi German campaign to exterminate the Jewish people with death camps and gas chambers

Isaiah

Hebrew prophet whose spiritual vision is recorded in the biblical book of Isaiah

Israel

“Wrestler with God;” name given to the Jewish patriarch Jacob and came to refer to the entire nation

Jeremiah

Hebrew prophet who foresaw the downfall of Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Judah at the hands of the Babylonians

Jerusalem

ancient capital of Israel from the time of King David

Joshua

the leader Moses appointed to succeed him after his death

Judaism

the worldview, the way of life, and the religious practice of the Jewish people, living in covenant with God and in response to the Torah

Halakhah

Jewish law

Kabbalah

the Jewish mystical tradition

Kedushah

holiness, or sanctification

King David

the King of Israel credited with uniting the many tribes of Israel into a centralized kingdom with Jerusalem as its capital

Kippah/Yarmulke

a head covering, a skull cap, worn by Jewish men for worship, religious study, meals, or at all times

Love

of God and neighbor

Kosher

“proper” or “correct” when in reference to food that is permissible to eat under Jewish dietary restrictions (Kashrut)

Book of Leviticus

“and he called;” the third book of the Humash or Five Books of Moses; details the priestly obligations and formed the spiritual heart of the fourty-year journey in the wilderness and basis of later service in the Temple of Jerusalem

Menorah

a candelabrum originally used in the ancient Temple

Mashiach/Messiah

“anointed one”

Mikveh

a ritual bath

Mishnah

“teaching;” written compilation of the oral Torah also believed to have been revealed at Sinai

Mitzvah

“commandment”

Moses/Musa

biblical prophet who is credited with leading the people of Israel out of Egyptian bondage and teaching them the divine laws at Mount Sinai

Musaf

additional sacrifice or prayer instituted on the Sabbath and other Jewish holidays

Noah

descendant of Adam whose story is told in the biblical narrative of Genesis; he built and ark and saved himself and his family from a flood

Book of Numbers

fourth book of the Humash or Five Books of Moses; “journey through the winderness”

Orthodox Judaism

sect of Judaism that affirms its commitment to the “unchanging” divine revelation of Torah

Passover/Pesah

“the festival of unleavened bread”; commemorate God’s deliverance of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, eating only unleavened bread or matzah

Purim

festival commemorating the legendary rescue of the Jewish people from the threat of extermination in Persia

Prophet

a spokesman for God

Rabbi

“my master”; authorized teacher of the classical Jewish tradition

Rabbinic Judaism

Judaism descended from the rabbis, the teachers, who compiles the Mishnah and the Talmud

Reform Judaism

one of the modern Jewish movements; emphasizes the legitimacy of change

Rosh Hashannah

Day of the Jewish New Year, falling on the first day of the autumn month of Tishri

Seder

traditional family service that marks the opening of the celebration of Passover

Shabbat/Sabbath

the day of rest, the seventh day

Shavuot

“weeks”; celebrating seven weeks after Passover

Shema

one of the basic Jewish prayers, recited twice a day, every morning and night, daily

Siddur

the common term used from the Jewish prayer book

Mount Sinai

holy mountain in which Moses is said to have received the Torah, and where the people of Israel once again entered into a covenant with God

Sukkot

harvest festival, also known as the festival of “booths”; booths recall the temporary shelters in which the people of Israel lived

Synagogue

“shul” in Yiddish, most widely used term for a Jewish house of worship

Talmud

compendium of many texts, a comprehensive legal code, including Rabbinic disputation and other material

Tanakh

Hebrew Bible

Tefillin

small black leather boxes containing verses of the Torah that Orthodox Jews bind to the forehead and non-dominant arm during morning prayer

Tikkum Olam

to heal or repair the world; the responsibility to take action to make the world a better place

Torah

teaching or instruction, referring to the first five books of the Bible

Tzedakah

“righteousness” or “justice”

Yetzer Hatov

“good impulse”; moral compass to follow God’s law

Yetzer Hara

“evil impulse”; selfish desire for satisfaction of personal needs

Yiddish

the language of Ashkenazi or Eastern European Jews, based primarily on German words taken from Hebrew and many Slavic languages

Yom ha-Shoah

Holocaust remembrance day

Yom Kippur

“Day of Atonement”; holiest day of the Jewish year

Shekinah

the divine presence of God

Teshuvah

repentance or returning to God

Kehillah

Jewish community

Zionism

Zion is a sacred hill in Jerusalem and refers to Jerusalem and the homeland of the Hebrew people

Pikuach Nnefesh

setting aside a law to save a life

Ketubah

marriage contract

Ma’ariv

evening prayerm

Minhah

afternoon prayer

Shaharit

morning prayer

Shechitah

ritual slaughter

Aggadah

traditions of the rabbis

Gemarah

“learning” of the rabbis

Halakhah

the legal part of the Jewish religion that was developed in rabbinic writings

Shema

a declaration of God’s unity

Kashrut

dietary restrictions