Exam 3 Worship and Ritual Judaism Flashcards
How did the term synagogue evolve?
Communal gathering -> Jewish community itself ->meeting place for Jews -> place of Jewish worship
What did the synagogue replace and how?
The temple; sacrifice replaced by prayer
What is divine service?
Avodah
What was quorum?
An example of male predominance, 10 males required to conduct service.
What was the women’s courtyard?
A separate area in the synagogue for women during worship
What is the order of ritual prayer?
shahariff -> minhah (only amidah) -> maariv
What are the two elements of the obligatory prayers?
1) amidah (eighteen) - standing prayer recited alone quietly then aloud by leader, said to emulate angels
2) (shema) moment of study - recitation of deuteronomy and numbers to demonstrate god’s history of redemptive deeds, performed twice a day
What are jewish holidays scheduled according to?
lunar month and year cycles
What is Sabbath?
Once a week (Friday - Saturday evening) , a commemoration of god’s rest after creation. Therefore, labour is forbidden.
What are the four forbidden groups during Sabbath?
Making bread, clothing, book parchments, or tools
Food is prepared beforehand
What are pilgrimage festivals?
Originally sacrificial but replaced by other acts. Adopted from canaanites.
What is Pesah and what does is commemorate + how?
Pilgrimage. Spring Passover April - March (7 days). Commemorates exodus with eight days unleavened bread (matzah) elaborate meal following.
What is Shavot?
Pilgrimage festival. Weeks in the summer May-June (2 days long). Commemorates the revelation of the torah through reenactment of the Torah’s reception through vigil study, dairy feast.
What is Sukkot?
Pilgrimage festival. Tabernacles in Autumn Sept-Oct (8 days). Commemorates 40 years of wondering before entrance into the promised land through construction of small thatch huts.
The New Year Cycle.
1) Rosh Hashannah - New Years Day significance is the anniversary of creation that innagurates ten days of penitential prayer.
2) Yom Kippur - Day of Absolution significance is the day when God formally wipes away the past year of sins and renews perfect relationship to Israel.
What are the two commemorative celebrations?
1) Chanukkah - commemorates Maccabean liberation of Judea from Syria in 165 BCE, oil burns miracurously to stay for 8 days. Rituals: lighting of menorah candles on each festival night, gifts for children, gambling for small stakes, eating food cooked in oil.
2) Purim - Raffles - commemorates Esther’s bravery and that of her adoptive father Mordecai in reversing plot to destroy Persian Jewry. Rituals: reading the book of Esther to the accompaniment of raucous celebration. A commandment of the day is to become drunk enough to not be able to distinguish between Mordecai and Haman.
Describe the Maccabean liberation?
Maccabees rededicated the temple after Syrian domination
What are the three Commemorative Fasts?
1) fast of 10 Tevet (Dec-Jan)
2) Fast of 17 Tammuz (July)
3) Fast of 9 AV (July-Aug)
significance is that each fast commemorates historical catastrophes but mainly function to recall the stages of the Babylonian and Roman sieges that destroyed both temples on 9 Av. Rituals: 10 Tevet and 17 Tammuz are daylight fasts, 9 Av is a 25 hour fast including all Yom Kipur prohibitions except that it is a workday. On 9 Av, the book of lamentation is read.
What are the Rites of Passage?
1) Circumcision
2) Bar/Batmitzvah
3) Confirmation
What are the biblical grounds for circumcision and when/by who is it performed?
It is the first divine command in the torah. Performed by the father or a specialist after morning prayer in the synagogue.
What does Elijah’s presence signify?
That he is present in the room during circumcision, often a chair is left out.
What does the Bar Mitzvah signify and what are the new privileges?
Legal responsibility and religious maturity at the age Can wear phylacteries during weekday morning prayers and be counted during quorum.
What does Confirmation signify?
Supplementary to the Barmitzvah.
What is the most transformative approach in modern Judaism?
Reform Judaism, a new conception of religion.
Process of Reform Judaism.
moral relationship with god -> minimization of law -> reshaping jewish public expression
How did reform judaism reform rituals?
-organ music in the sabbath service
-family worship
-revision/creation of prayer texts
-reforms in circumcision
-increased roles for women
