Judaism

Question 1

Baal Shem Tov

Answer 1

Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, known as the Baal Shem Tov or as the Besht, was a Jewish mystic and healer from Poland who is regarded as the founder of Hasidic Judaism.

Question 2

Hasidism

Answer 2

Hasidic thought draws heavily on Lurianic Kabbalah, and, to an extent, is a popularization of it. Teachings emphasize God’s immanence in the universe, the need to cleave and be one with him at all times, the devotional aspect of religious practice, and the spiritual dimension of corporeality and mundane acts.

Question 3

Halacha

Answer 3

(Jewish law) teaches us that the paramount holiness of human life extends to the human body.

Question 4

Pikuach Nefesh (preservation of life)

Answer 4

Although Pikuach Nefesh states that the mitzvot can be broken to save a life, there are four exceptions. Murder, idolatry , incest and adultery are forbidden under any circumstances.

Question 5

Torah

Answer 5

The Torah is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the same as Pentateuch or the Five Books of Moses .

Question 6

Ketuvim

Answer 6

Ketuvim is the third and final section of the Tanakh, after Torah and Nevi’im. In English translations of the Hebrew Bible, this section is usually titled “Writings” or “Hagiographa”.

Question 7

Tanakh

Answer 7

Tanakh, an acronym derived from the names of the three divisions of the Hebrew Bible: Torah (Instruction, or Law, also called the Pentateuch), Neviʾim (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings).

Question 8

Nevi’im

Answer 8

Neviʾim, (Hebrew), English The Prophets, the second division of the Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament, the other two being the Torah (the Law) and the Ketuvim (the Writings, or the Hagiographa).

Question 9

Mishnah

Answer 9

The Mishnah or the Mishnah is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions which is known as the Oral Torah. It is also the first major work of rabbinic literature.

Question 10

Gemara

Answer 10

The Gemara is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah.

Question 11

Talmud

Answer 11

The Talmud is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law and Jewish theology.

Question 12

Mitzvah

Answer 12

In its primary meaning, the Hebrew word mitzvah refers to a commandment commanded by God to be performed as a religious duty. Jewish law in large part consists of discussion of these commandments. Traditionally, it is held that there are 613 such commandments.

Question 13

Hannaka

Answer 13

Hanukkah is a Jewish festival commemorating the recovery of Jerusalem and subsequent rededication of the Second Temple at the beginning of the Maccabean revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE. It is also known as the Festival of Lights.

Question 14

Kashrut

Answer 14

Jewish dietary laws

Question 15

Mishnah

Answer 15

The first and more important recording of the Oral Torah which was finalized in written form around 200 CE. The Mishnah contained expositions and interpretations of legal sections of the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

Question 16

Brit Milah

Answer 16

Circumcision ceremony

Question 17

Ketubah

Answer 17

A marriage contract between husband and wife that is signed before the wedding.

Question 18

mezuzah

Answer 18

A box mounted on the doorpost containing the words of the Shema and the words of a companion passage (Deuteronomy 11:13-21).

Question 19

Midrash

Answer 19

Rabbinic commentary on the scriptures, often in the form of a story.

Question 20

Mitzvot

Answer 20

The 613 laws contained in the Torah.

Question 21

Tikkun Olam

Answer 21

The principle of ‘healing the world’.