Judaism: The Story of Torah, Tradition/s, and the Truth about Messiah

Vocabulary flashcards covering the sacred story, historical periods, holy feasts, sectarian divisions, modern movements, and traditions of Judaism from Dr. Chris Gnanakan's lecture.

Abraham

The Founding Father of Judaism through whom God spoke the promise of land and tradition, establishing the covenant and the chosen nation.

Patriarchs

The foundational fathers of Israel, specifically Isaac ($Gen.\text{ }26:25$), Jacob (who became Israel, father of the 12 tribes), and Joseph (who became a slave in Egypt).

Moses

The redeemer figure associated with the Exodus from exile who received the written Torah and Law at Sinai prior to the conquest.

Torah

The Pentateuch containing the written Law and the 10 Commandments given at Mount Sinai.

TANAKH

The Hebrew Scriptures, preserved alongside an oral tradition that was codified into the Mishnah, Gemara, and Talmud.

Mishnah and Gemara

The oral components and rabbinic commentaries that together comprise the Talmud.

Solomon's Temple

The physical sanctuary established following King David that served as the center of Jewish life, identity, tradition, and the dwelling of the Shekinah.

Shekinah

The divine presence of God associated with the Temple as the central sanctuary of Israel.

Sabbath

The recurring holy day enacted as part of the sacred rhythm of time in Jewish tradition.

Pesach

The Passover feast enacted to remember sacred history and observe sacred time.

Sukkot

The Feast of Tabernacles/Booths, observed as one of the prescribed enactments of sacred time.

Hannukah

A sacred feast observed within Jewish tradition commemorating dedication and sacred time.

Rosh Hashanah

The Jewish New Year feast observed as part of the cycle of sacred times.

Yom Kippur

The Day of Atonement, centered on themes of sacrifice and salvation, particularly re-evaluated during the Rabbinic Diaspora.

Second Temple

The rebuilt sanctuary completed in $515\text{ BCE}$ after the Babylonian destruction ($541\text{ BCE}$) and exile, which stood until its destruction by Rome in $AD\text{ }70$.

Pharisees and Sadducees

Prominent religious and political factions in Second Temple Judaism during the era of Roman rule, Pontius Pilate, and Jesus.

Essenes and Zealots

Jewish groups during the Roman period; the Essenes were monastic/ascetic in focus, while the Zealots were an anti-Roman resistance movement.

Diaspora

The dispersion of the Jewish people outside their homeland, leading to Rabbinic Judaism, synagogue-centered worship, and adapted views on sacrifice and salvation.

The Holocaust

The twentieth-century genocide of European Jews that posed deep questions regarding Jewish identity, adversity, diversity, and true security.

Zionism

The movement formed in response to antisemitism advocating for a Jewish homeland, resulting in the Palestinian partition and geopolitical interactions with Arab nations.

Orthodox Judaism

A branch of Judaism upholding traditional roots, strict adherence to dietary laws, traditional dress, and daily rituals, exercising significant political impact despite a relatively small demographic size.

Reformed/Liberal Judaism

A modern movement emphasizing ethical principles over ritual compliance, modifying or rejecting traditional practices like circumcision, and focusing on integration into host countries such as the United States.

Conservative Judaism

A branch that seeks to retain traditional cultural identity and core kosher observance while modifying and adapting traditional practices to modern life.

Kabbalah

Jewish mystical tradition, often connected in modern times with New Age spirituality, focusing on esoteric interpretations of the chosen people, the messiah, and the restoration of sacred space.

Tawhid

The foundational Islamic doctrine affirming the absolute indivisible oneness and sovereignty of God, contrasted directly with shirk (associating partners with God).

Muhammad

The final prophet and messenger ('seal of the prophets') born in Mecca around $570\text{ CE}$, through whom God's revelations were delivered.

Khadija

The prominent Meccan merchant widow who became Muhammad's first wife and an early supporter of his prophetic mission.

Gabriel (Jibril)

The archangel through whom God's revelations were recited and communicated to Muhammad.

Hijrah

The migration of Muhammad and the early Muslim community from Mecca to Medina in $622\text{ CE}$, establishing an Islamic theocracy and marking Year $1$ of the Islamic calendar.

Koran (Qur'an)

The central sacred text of Islam, regarded by Muslims as the uncorrupted and complete verbatim revelation of God preserved in Arabic.

Hadith

The recorded oral traditions, sayings, and practices attributed to the Prophet Muhammad that provide foundational ethical and legal guidance alongside the holy text.

Sharia

Legal code created based off of Quran, how many new Islamic laws are made

Shahada

The first pillar of Islam, consisting of the verbal testimony that there is no god but God, and Muhammad is His messenger.

Salat

The second pillar of Islam, consisting of prescribed ritual prayers performed $5$ times daily in Arabic while facing toward the Kaaba in Mecca.

Zakat

The third pillar of Islam, which requires giving alms of approximately $2.5\%$ of one's accumulated wealth to assist the poor and purify one's possessions.

Sawm

The fourth pillar of Islam, requiring total abstinence from food and drink between sunrise and sunset during the holy month of Ramadan.

Hajj

The fifth pillar of Islam, which is the mandatory pilgrimage to Mecca for able Muslims, characterized by wearing simple white clothing to signify equality before God.

Jihad

The prescribed spiritual and practical struggle in Islam, encompassing internal spiritual striving against sin as well as outer defense of the faith and community.

Ummah

The collective global community of Muslim believers bound together by shared faith and religious principles rather than ethnic or national ties.

Sunni

The branch of Islam comprising approximately $85\%$ of Muslims, which accepts the first four caliphs as legitimate successors based on consensus and custom, beginning with Abu Bakr.

Shia (Shi'at Ali)

The branch of Islam comprising approximately $10\%$ of Muslims, which holds that legitimate leadership of the community belongs exclusively to Muhammad's familial line, starting with his son-in-law Ali.