Intro to Judaism Final Exam Flashcards
Great Tradition
Official culture, literary, taught in lessons, taught in scholarly settings, elite, static, universal, object of veneration, unifies diverse communities
Canonical works of Bible, Talmud, Midrash, etc
Often in Hebrew and Aramaic
Common heritage of Jewish people
Portable tradition
Moses; Rabbi Akiva; Maimonides; Sholom Aleichem; H.N. Bialik; Cynthia Ozick
Cultural treasures
Little Tradition
Little Tradition: folk culture, oral, taught by example, taught in informal settings, includes unlearned, constantly changing, local, object of affection, expresses diversity of regional communities
Jewish songs, food, words, sayings
Stuff Jews grow up with and know
Judaization
Jews incorporate feature of outside culture into their own culture ike Yiddish which is a Germanic language, Hora is a romanian dance, felafel is a middle eastern appetizer, Borscht is a Russian jew, hasidic melodies are sometimes Ukrainian shepherding songs
Modes of Judaization: Change meaning, form, function or circumstances
De-Judaization
jewish practices spread to non Jews; Jewish practice spreads to non-Jews
As a result
Practice is no longer identified specifically with jews, even though Jews may continue to practice it
Practice may become anathema to Jews who wish to differentiate themselves from non-Jews
(Reasons for diversity of Jewish practice)
1) oral quality of little tradition, 2) high degree of detail in little tradition, 3) prevailing conditions, 4) ambient non-Jewish culture
Jewish vernacular languages
Judeo-Arabic, Judeo-french, Judeo-italian, judeo-provencal, djudezmo (judeo-spanish), yiddish(judeo-german) Lowenstein says vernaculars have disappeared, Benor says they are alive and well
American Jewish English
Base language is english, hebrew syntax, influence of prior jewish vernacular: yiddish
Hebrew and aramaic loanwords, hebrew characters and calligraphy, secretive/humorous/derisive ways of talking about non-Jews and avoidance of words that seem too non-Jewish
Recognition of language as distinctly jewish
Patronymns
not originally hereditary; didn’t become fixed names, sometimes in hebrew; often in vernacular
Matronymns
more common in jewish culture than in many other cultures
Mother was only living parent, mother ran family business,
Mother was cooler
Matronymns used in prayer for the sick in synagogue
Jewish dietary laws
Prohibition against eating blood, sciatic nerve of an animals (hindquarters), against cooking a kid in his mother’s milk, eating an animal found mangled in the field, eating an animal that has died a natural death
The prohibition on “their laws” in Leviticus 18:3
Maimonides–Mishnah Torah– muvdal (Israel should be differentiated from Gentiles), yadua (identifiable), don’t wear something distinctive (ha-meyuhad)
Cappa garment (and relevant controversies from Jewish Renaissance Italy)
It was a cloak, an academic gown worn in Italian universities and a physician’s robe. Two rabbis reported complaints that the wearing of cappas by Jews violated the prohibition of “their laws” In Lev 18:3
The Maharik (Rabbi Joseph ben Solomon Colon Trabotto) and his responsum on the cappa
1st category, a thing whose reason is not clear; jew is doing it purely to imitate non-Jew
2nd, breaking through the fence of modesty and humility, Jew shouldn’t do it because it doesn’t befit jewish behavior
No prohibition on the cappa because it distinguishes a person’s achievements. And jewish people can’t wear clothing that is completely different from the nations in every way
kippah
Hebrew word for the skullcap, from cappa. Not in the Bible, not in palestinian Talmud, practice of men’s head covering appears in Babylonian Talmud
Custom of scholars: not before marriage, not all scholars, only on public occasions, sign of piety, form of turban
Jewish identity toolkit
Prohibition on shatnez
Obligation to wear fringes on the corners of the garment
Prohibition on “rounding the corner of your head”
Women’s modesty conventions and headcovering
Prohibition on cross-dressing
covenant
Berit (Ashkenazic pronunciation: bris)
The concept of covenant appears in all 5 books of the Torah to describe the relationship between God and Israel
Covenant with Abraham in Gen 15-God promises land and children
No commandments or punishments, more of a promise
Covenant with israel
Strings attached- obedience for blessing
mitzvah
Obligation or commandment
Requirements God imposes on Israel as the terms of God’s covenant with them
Each mitzvah can have numerous halakhot associated with it
Example: it is a mitzvah to dwell in a sukkah, and there are many halakhot governing the architecture of the sukkah
halakhah
entirety of Jewish law, or a particular Jewish law
ha Tikvah
national anthem of the state of Israel, claim to our land, underdog mentality, european perspective, claim of continuity
priestly vs. deutronomistic maps of the promised land
Priestly:
Reflect how the province was refined under Egyptian domination
Land seen as reparation for slavery in Egypt
Jordan river serves as boundary that neatly divides up territory
Prefer limited homeland that can be kept pure and separate
Deuteronomistic:
Reflect an empire meant to rival the Babylonian empire in power at the time
Promote more inclusive territory
More imperial model
Encompass more peoples and more territories
Center in Jerusalem holds in all together
political and practical zionism
Political: goal is safe haven for jews, tactic was international diplomacy, addresses anti-semitism, israel is refuge from persecution in diaspora, Herzl was a major figure
Practical: goal is safe haven for jews, tactic was bring jews to israel and create facts on the ground, addresses anti-semitism, israel is refuge from persecution in diaspora, Pinsker was major figure
Cultural Zionism
Goal is Jewish cultural center that would regenerate diaspora, tactics were build hebrew language, literature, schools; Hebrew university, addressed fragmentation of jewish culture, Israel is font from which jewish culture radiates outward, leader was abad ha-am
Religious Zionism
Goal is Messianic redemption, tactics were to work with secular Zionists to establish the state, addresses existence in state of exile, Israel brings redemption to the world, led by Rav Kook
Post Zionism
Challenged “myths” of Zionism, tactics were historical research and academic work, addressed various kinds of inequality (religious, ethnic, gender) w/in the state of Israel, major figs were benny morris, baruch kimmerling, tom segev, ilan pappe; Jews have their “truth” and Palestinians have theirs
The sexual prohibitions in Leviticus 18:22 and Leviticus 20:13
The Prohibition: Leviticus 18:22 “And with male you shall lie the lyings of a woman; it is an abomination (to’evah)”
Greenberg’s translation
And a male ve-et zakhar you shall not bed lo tishkav sexually penetrate mishkeve ishah (engulfing one’s penis) as in the lyings of a woman it is abhorrent toevah hi.
What it explicitly prohibits:
Anal intercourse between men with focus on an active partner
Doesn’t mention
Women’s same sex intercourse
Male same-sex sexual intimacy that is not intercourse
Male same-sex desire
So a conclusion is that leviticus doesn’t explicitly prohibit “homosexuality”
The 4 major explanations for the sexual prohibition in Leviticus 18:22/20:13 and Rabbi Steve Greenberg’s responses
1.Reproduction
Many acts of “unreproductive” sexual intercourse are permitted by Jewish law, and reproduction is often juggled with other priorities
2.Social disruption
Heterosex marriages where someone is attracted to same sex often end in depression, self-blame, and divorce. Conclusion: social disruption is caused by the forcing of homosexual women and men into marriage
3.Category confusion
people used to be disgusted by interracial marriage, sometimes we need to overcome our disgust and other times disgust in justified like when a child is victimized.
Someone born with a difference, according to the rabbis, evokes wonder rather than sadness or horror
4.Humiliation and violence
Explanation seems to endorse and legislate hatred of women, says that what is really prohibited is a sexual relationship is where one person’s intention is to humiliate or do violence to the other
The prohibition on cross-dressing in Deuteronomy 22:5: Steve Greenberg’s and Joy Ladin’s readings
Ladin says that Moses is attached to binary thinking. He turned gender surveillance into religious obligation
Greenberg says Someone born with a difference, according to the rabbis, evokes wonder rather than sadness or horror
LBGQT+ inclusion in the Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox Jewish movements in the U.S.
Small but growing number of US orthodox rabbis officiating same-sex weddings, Conservative: Rabbinic assembly passes resolution advocating for queer civil rights, inclusion of queers in congregation, seminaries can amit queer students, Reform: Central Conference of American Rabbis CCAR and URJ support rights for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals
Leo Frank
Jewish factory manager in Atlanta accused of raping and murdering a white girl
Captured anti-semitic energies in the South, he was a scapegoat for hard times in the south
Frank was killed by a lynch mob
“Faith-Jew” vs. “Race-Jew”
Self-descriptions by American Jewish leaders, religious jew vs ethnic jew
US Supreme Court Opinion, May 18, 1987, Shaare Tefila Congregation v. Cobb
Maryland synagogue was painted with anti-semitic slogans and symbols so the congregation pressed charges, and SC decided that Jews can state a claim of racial discrimination since they were considered to be among distinct races when the statue was passed.
Jew vs. Hebrew vs. Israelite
Israelite means descendant of ancient Hebrews (claim that black people are actually Israelites)–”the notion of an Israelite allows you to not have to dispense with your African American cultural heritage and identity”, there’s a narrative that Jews are white
Black jewish racial project
Goals
Articulation of race has aim of better outcomes and visibility for their communities
…race grounds the community in history, in sacred sources, in cohesiveness
…race challenges dominant narrative about jews and whiteness; rabbinic hegemony; challenge
who is the chosen people
black jewish reading of psalm 68:32
“Let notables come from Egypt; Ethiopia will raise its hands to God”
“Peshat” : international praise for God and tribute from all the kings of the world, where Mt. Zion is the religious center of the world
“Derash” : prophecy of exaltation of African peoples
Young Ham Fish
Went to Harvard and was a legacy student
Annie Nathan Meyer
Helped found Barnard; Judaism was a religion to her, and was not too occupied by Jewish acceptance in America
The bayit
Communal housing run by jewish students near Columbia’s main campus. All of the students living there used to be Israel supporters, but now it’s not assumed that everyone supports Israel.
ZBT
Jewish fraternity inspired by a Columbia professor who was also a leader in the early American Zionist movement; ZBT (Zeta Beta Tau) stood for “zion shall in judgement be redeemed”; eventually adopted the features of a regular american college fraternity
What are some of the reasons for the diversity of Jewish cultural practices?
1) oral quality of little tradition, 2) high degree of detail in little tradition, 3) prevailing conditions, 4) ambient non-Jewish culture
Discuss the process by which a Jewish vernacular language is born.
Originally learned from non-Jews → picked up informally, often written in Hebrew characters → Mixes hebrew and aramaic words into it → mixes previous jewish vernaculars into it → distinctively jewish version of the ambient language develops, though still resembling that ambient language → carried elsewhere, where totally unfamiliar to non-Jews
What role has Hebrew played within Jewish linguistic culture?
Hebrew loanwords, characters, calligraphy, secretive/humorous/derisive ways of talking about non-Jews and avoidance of words that seem too non-Jewish
Describe the features of “American Jewish English” according to Sarah Bunin Benor.
Base language is english, hebrew syntax, influence of prior jewish vernacular: yiddish. Recognition of language as distinctly jewish
what were the forces affecting Jewish last name choices in modernity?
1)Bureaucratic pressures 2) cultural Pressures 3) Word Sound 4) Ideology
What are some of the paths by which Jews have chosen first names?
Biblical names, hebrew names (non-biblical), vernacular names with certain patterns (avoid Mary and Muhammad), differed by gender
What are some of the Pentateuch’s laws related to food consumption?
Prohibition against eating blood, sciatic nerve of an animal (hindquarters), against cooking a kid in his mother’s milk, eating an animal found mangled in the field, eating an animal that has died a natural death. Animals must have split hooves and chew the cud; fish must have fins and scales; certain wild birds and winged insects are prohibited
What are some modern theories explaining why the Rabbis prohibited the cooking, consumption, and serving together of milk and meat?
Jews not the only people to observe this prohibition
Separation of male/female and life/death
Separation of temple/non-temple
Separation of rabbi/non-rabbi
Roman rejection of the barbarian
What are some of the later rabbinic innovations to the Hebrew Bible’s food laws?
From cooking to eating and even serving
From goat to all animals
From animal in his own mother’s milk to any animal in any milk
