Judaism Flashcards
What is YHWH?
It is how Jewish people spell Yahweh. Yahweh is the name God first gave to the people. (also know as “I am who I am” or “To be”). They spell it YHWH, because it is spelled without any vowels, thus making it unpronounceable because they think that God is too great and powerful for you to call Him by name.
What is the significance of the synagogues?
After the Jewish people were exiled to Babylon, Jews were dispersed among other nations so they set up a bunch of synagogues so that they would not have to be dependent on the Temple (located in Jerusalem). After 70 CE when the Temple was destroyed, even more synagogues were built.
~Traditional Jews pray 3 times a day
What are the two purposes of the synagogues?
~they are places were Torah is taught (school or education)
~they are places of worship outside Jerusalem
Define: Ashkenazim
Central and Eastern European Jews and their descendants
What happens inside the synagogues involving the Torah?
It contains an ark, or cabinet, where the Torah scrolls are kept. The ark is usually on the eastern wall so that the congregation faces Jerusalem when they face the ark. The Torah is read from a raised platform, and the rabbi speaks from a pulpit to explain the Torah. A lamp is kept burning at all times to remind people that God is present.
Define: Covenant
An agreement of mutual faithfulness, like a contact or alliance between two parties; “I will be be our God and you shall be my people”; the agreement binds the parties together with mutual privileges and obligations
Define: Diaspora
The scattering of Jews outside of Israel in both ancient and modern times
Define: Halahah
“Laws” or “the path”; the oral tradition of Judaism
Define: Holocaust
The systemic killing of over six million Jews before and during World War II
Define: Messiah
A word meaning “the anointed one”; the word “Christ” comes from the Greek word meaning the same thing
Define: Prayer of Sanctification
A prayer to make something sacred
Define: Revelation
The act of showing or revealing something that was hidden
Define: Righteous
Describes one who is just, or who is in a right relationship with God
Define: Secular Jew
An ethnic Jew who is not religious
Define: Sephardim
Primarily Spanish, Portuguese, and North African Jews and their descendents
Define: Shabbat
Hebrew word meaning “Sabbath”
Define: Shiva
A seven-day period of mourning
Define: Shoah
From the Hebrew word for “catastrophe”, “calamity”, or, as it is used translated, “holocaust”; it refers to Nazi Germany’s deliberate attempt to exterminate the Jewish race between 1933 and 1945
Define: Talmud
The compilation of written interpretation of the oral Torah (the Halakhah); after the second defeat of the Jews by the Romans in 135 CE, the rabbis began to write down and interpret this oral Torah
Define:Tanakh
Hebrew word for the sacred writings of Judaism; the word is formed from the first Hebrew letter of the tree parts of the Jewish scriptures (what Christians call the Old Testament): Torah, Neviim, Ketuvim
Define: Zionism
A movement that began in the nineteenth century for the purpose of creating a Jewish state in what is now modern Israel; today, “Zionism” refers to strong support for the State of Israel
What are the statistics related to Judaism?
- Judaism is the 6th most popular religion in the world
- In Canada, it is the 3rd most popular religion.
- Canada has the 4th largest Jewish population globally.
- 330 000 Canadian Jews who originated from Russia and Eastern Europe emigrated to escape persecution during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries
- Others are associated with the 40 000 Holocaust survivors who came to Canada In 1945 after World War II
- Another wave of Jewish immigrants came from French colonies in North Africa in the 1950s. Most settled in large cities such as Montreal and Toronto
What is Orthodox Judaism?
It is the most strict out of all the Judaism branches.
What are the characteristics of the Orthodox branch?
~Orthodox Jews continue to observe all the ancient rules and practices
~They want to avoid “watering down” the Jewish faith
~They believe God gave the whole Torah –spoken and written– to Moses at Mount Sinai
~Being Orthodox means following the commandments of the Torah, strictly observing the Sabbath and other Jewish Holy days, using Hebrew in the synagogue, dressing modestly, and following dietary laws
~men and women sit separately in the synagogues
~Judaism can only be passed down to children by the mother
What is Reform Judaism?
It is the least strict out of all the Judaism branches. It attracted Jews who had mixed more frequently with the rest of the population. They wanted to enjoy freedom like everyone else, participate in intellectual life and work with non-Jews.
What are the characteristics of the Reform Judaism branch?
~They begin to interpret scripture with more modern methods
~They become less concerned with traditional purity laws, kosher laws, and the desire to return to the homeland
~use a combination of Hebrew and English for religious services
~Men and women sit together in the synagogue
~Women are ordained as rabbis
~Many, but not all, believe if one parent is Jewish the children are Jewish
~Individualism is encouraged, each person must decide what beliefs and practices are key to his or her personal life
~They often accept secular moral values (the values of society in general) but live by traditional values as well
~They stress tikkun olam–repairing the world through social action
What is Conservative Judaism?
It is in between the Orthodox and Reform Judaism. It arose as a reaction to Reform Judaism, meaning it was the last branch to be established.
What are the characteristics of Conservative Judaism?
~it follows many, but not all, of the 613 commandments of the Torah, and old traditions such as the order of prayers, the use of Hebrew, and some dietary laws
~It is open to modern historical methods of study, but considers Reform Judaism too loose in its interpretation of the scripture
~the needs of the community and its Jewish identity always comes before the individuals wants and needs
~Active participation in synagogue is very important
~Like Reform Jews, conservatives
~Men and women sit together in the synagogue
~Women are sometimes ordained as rabbis
~It is the largest branch of the Judaism in Canada
Explain: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
~it is the Jewish New Year, but it falls in late September/ Early October
~It begins a ten-day period of repentance, ending with the festival of Yom Kippur (Days of Awe)
~The two days Rosh Hashanah and the eight days that follow concentrate on an assessment of conducts and behaviour in the previous years
~Jews request forgiveness from God and from other human beings
~on Saturday evening, before Rosh Hashanah, a forgiveness service is held at the synagogue
~An important ritual at this service is the sounding of the Shofar, which is a ram’s horn
~Also known as the day of atonement, Yom Kippur is the most solemn religious day of the Jewish year, marked by a 25 hours fast and prayer of repentance
~Regular activities are avoided on this day, as repentance is so important
~Signs of comfort and luxury are not allowed
~No food or drink is allowed to demonstrate that this day is better spent on prayer
Explain: Hanukah
~Festival of the dedication or the festival of lights
~Eight-day period, usually falls in December, celebrates the events of Macccabean Revolt
~In Jerusalem, a small army reclaimed the temple, then the ceremonies were dedicating the temple to place over eight days
~When people try to rekindle the sacred lamp in the temple, there was only enough oil to last one day
~According to legend however, the oil continued to burn in the temple for eight days
~As part of the celebration, the candle is lit for each of the eight days in a special candle or labrum or menorah
~menorahs have 9 branches each branch is for one of the 8 nights of Hanukkah and the 9th candle, known as the shammus (servant), which is often placed in the center and used to light the other candles
~Families gather to light the candles and recite special blessings every night
Explain: Pesach (Passover)
~The feast of Passover is held in April over 7 or 8 days
~Important holiday because it commemorates the freeing of the Hebrews from slavery–the exodus
~This holiday, more then any other, celebrates the Jewish peoples identity as a people of God
~During the entire week of pesach, Jews do not eat anything chametz, or leavened, in order to commemorate the haste in which the Hebrews had to flee from their oppressor
~On the eve of this festival, a ceremonial search for chametz takes place
~This is the last chance to find anything that might have been missed in preparations
~Adults often hide chametz somewhere in the home then the children search for it. A blessing is said when it’s found
~Another custom is for all first born Jewish males to fast on the first day of the festival
~This helps them to remember the first born Egyptian males who were killed, so Hebrews could be freed
~The seder, a ritual service and ceremonial dinner is held at home, on the first night of Pesach
~Events of exodus are told, reenacted and explained
~It describes the rituals, symbols, objects, and food that are used during seder
~Have a seder meal on the first day (resembles what Moses would have ate in the desert)
What is a mohel?
A person who is trained according to Jewish law that preforms the circumcision
Explain: Naming a Baby and Circumcision
~Takes place eight days after birth
~Babies are given a conventional name and a traditional Hebrew name, which is sometimes in remembrance to deceased relatives. It signifies the importance of Jewish faith
~The formal name is usually only used in religious rituals, such as reading the Torah
~Jewish boys are circumcised 8 days after birth
~The circumcision is performed by a mohel
~If a mohel is not present, then a trained rabbi or doctor may preform the surgery
~A boy is usually given his name during the circumcision ceremony
~Girls are given their names in the synagogue on a Sabbath shortly after their birth (Simchat Bat)
What is the Jewish name for circumcision and naming a baby?
Circumcision: Brit Milah
Naming of a baby: Bris
What is a Bat Mitzvah?
It is a coming of age ceremony that a girl celebrates at age 12. She is a “daughter of the commandments”
What is a Bar Mitzvah?
It is a coming of age ceremony that a girl celebrates at age 13. He is a “son of the commandments”
