Judaism Flashcards
B’rit Milah
Covenant of circumcision, traditionally performed on the eighth day of a boy’s life.
Mohel
Highly skilled ritual circumciser.
Kvater/Kvaterin
Godfather/Godmother: those who carry the baby into the b’rit ceremony
Sandak
Person who holds the baby during the ceremony
Seudat Mitzvah
A festive meal which honors the observance of a mitzvah
Mi Sheberach
Literally: “May the One who blessed”. A prayer usually, but not solely, recited after a person has been honored with a Torah blessing. There are various forms of this prayer, one of which is used to name a child.
B’rit HaChayim
Literally: “covenant of life”. A home ceremony for the naming of baby girls.
Pidyon Haben/Habat
Literally: “redemption of the (first-born) son/daughter.”Home ceremony which takes place on the thirty-first day of a child’s life.
Kiddush Pe’ter Rechem
Modern ceremony celebrating the birth of the first child
Chanukah
Literally: dedication
Menorah
Seven- or eight-branched candelabra. Most commonly used to refer to the eight-branched Chanukah lamp
Gelt
Yiddish word for “money”; given as a Chanukah present, used for playing dreidel
Dreidel
Yiddish for “top”; used in Chanukah game. Known in Hebrew as “sevivon“
Latke
Yiddish word for “pancake”. Potato latkes are traditionally eaten on Chanukah
Nes Gadol Hayah Sham
Literally: “A great miracle happened there.”First letters of these four words are found on the dreidel
Sufganiyot
Jelly doughnuts served in Israel on Chanukah
Ger/Gioret
“One who is invited to join the Hebrew tribe.”The masculine and feminine forms of the Hebrew term for convert
Halachah
Jewish Law
Gerut
Conversion
Milah
Ritual circumcision
Tevilah
Immersion in a ritual bath (mikveh) or any natural body of water which can serve as a mikveh.
Gan Eden
Literally: Garden of Eden; paradise
Kevod HaMet
Honor due to the dead. One of the two principes that govern the Jewish approach to death and mourning.
Gehinom
Literally: Valley of Hinom; place of punishment
Taharah
Ritual purification
Chevrah Kadisha
Group of people entrusted with the mitzvah of preparing the body for burial
Mitzvah
Commandment; obligatory responses to our Jewish traditions
Yizkor
Memorial services held on Yom Kippur and on the last day of Pesach, Shavout, and Sukot
Kaddish
Prayer praising God. There are several Kaddish prayers recited during the service, one of which is recited in memory of the departed
Yahrzeit
Anniversary of the death
Shivah
Seven-day mourning period beginning with the burial
Sheloshim
Thirty-day mourning period
Keriah
Tearing of a garment or a ribbon as an expression of grief
Bar/Bat (Bas) Mitzvah
Ceremony marking youngster’s reaching the age of religious majority
Tzedakah
Literally: justice, righteousness; the Hebrew word we use for charity
Minyan
Quorum of ten people necessary for public prayer
Kiddushin
Marriage
Chatan
Groom
Kalah
Bride
Ketubah
Marriage contract
Kosher
Ritually fit
Get
Religious divorce
Haggadah (pl. Haggadot)
Literally: telling.It is our duty to tell the story of Passover, particularly to the children.
Purim
Literally: lots
ROSH HASHANAH
Rosh Hashanah – Literally: the “head of the year”; the New Year.
Shofar
Ram’s horn
Chet
Literally: “missing the mark”; a Hebrew term for sin
Teshuvah
Literally: “returning”; a Hebrew term for repentance
Shavuot
Literally: “weeks”. This festival occurs seven weeks after Pesach
Torah
Literally: “teaching.”In a narrow sense it is the Five Books of Moses, hand-written on a parchment scroll. In a broad sense, it is everything which flows from this (i.e. Judaism).
TaNaCH
Acronym for Torah, Nevi’im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings)- the three sections of the Hebrew Bible
Parashah
The weekly Torah portion
Galut
Exile
Zionism
The belief that there should be a Jewish homeland in Zion (Israel)
Pogrom
Organized attach on the Jewish community.
Yom HaAtzma-ut
Literally: “Day of Independence”; Israeli Independence Day
Yiddish
Judeo-German; the everyday language of the Jews of Eastern Europe
Yom HaShoah
Literally: “Holocaust Day.” A day set aside to remember the Holocaust and to honor the memory of those who perished.
Shtetl
A small Jewish village in Eastern Europe
Kol Nidrei
Literally: all vows. Opening prayer for Yom Kippur eve.
Yom Kippur
Day of Atonement
Matzah
The unleavened bread eaten in recollection of the hurried departure from Egypt. The eating of matzah is obligatory only at the seder. During the rest of Pesach, one may abstain from matzah as long as all chamets is avoided.
Chamets
Leavened bread and anything made with wheat, rye, barley, oats, and spelt unless supervised to ensure that it has not leavened.
Afikoman
A Greek word meaning “dessert.” We make the matzah the official dessert of the seder meal. To keep the children alert during the seder, the afikoman is hidden. The children find it and the leader of the seder must redeem it
