Judaism Flashcards
Jews consider themselves descended from the __________
Patriarchs
God’s covenant
- God’s forms a covenant with Abraham & his descendants, rough which Abraham is to become the father of a great nation bossed by God
- the covenant is God’s agreement with humankind
- if Abraham remains faithful to God, then God will reward
The __________ is an important event in Judaism, delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and bringing them to the promised land
Exodus
Passover
- the angel of death passed over all the Jewish households that had smeared lamb’s blood on their doorposts
- during the Passover celebration, the whole family is assembled and passages from Haggadah are read to retell the story of Exodus and the purpose of the Passover
- Seder Feast
Jewish law = mostly dedicated to the discussion of what is ________, or ritually clean and acceptable
Kosher
Ezekiel and Isaiah
- influential during the Israelites exile from Jerusalem
* reminded them that their mission was to spread his message
Nehemiah and Ezra
• prominent in reviving and completing the restoration of Jerusalem and its spiritual life after the Babylonian captivity
–> Nehemiah
• repaired wall of Jerusalem
–> Ezra
• priest
• read scripture to them and helped them reform their lives
Diaspora
Dispersion of the Jews when they were exiled to Babylonia
The _________ is the 10 adult Jews that are required for certain prayers
Minyan
Synagogue
Can exist anywhere that there is a copy of the Scripture and 10 adult males
Mishnah
All the legal commentary that had been collected since the days of Ezra
Gemara
Additional rabbinic teachings on every aspect of Jewish life
Talmud
- An encyclopedic collection of Jewish commentaries
- considered the literary source of post biblical Judaism
–> Mishnah + Gemara = Talmud
• divided into 2 categories
1) Aggadah
• parables, sayings, sermons, stories
• ethical, inspirational, or explanatory in nature
2) Halaka
• commentary, discussin, and decisions related to Jewish law and practice
The __________ _____________ taught that God could be found only through simple, straightforward faith — not scholarly learning
Hasidic movement
The ___________ _______________ deals with elements of the occult and other esoteric subjects not covered in mainstream Judaism. Many groups involved in this movement attempt to predict when the Messiah will come.
Kabbalah movement
• discussion of magic, charms, numerology, Angels, demons, witches, etc. all come under the term Kabbalah
The most comprehensive collection of Kabbalah writings is called the _________
Zohar
Shabbat
Jewish sabbath — every week from sundown on Friday to nightfall of Saturday
Kiddush
- Following the Shabbat service, Jews have a meal that begins with the Kiddush blessing over a glass of wine
- includes recitation Genesis 2:1-3
Zionism
- began as a general plea for land to create a Jewish state
- soon they wanted to reclaim Palestine
–> Theodore Herzl
• Australian journalist
• book “Jewish Statein”
• gave the Zionist movement international notice
• believed they would never be treated fairly unless they had a land of their own
Nuremberg Laws of 1935
- took away several right from Jews:
- the right to vote, hold office, marry non-Jews, and to work in most professions
• many Jews tried to leave Germany, but couldn’t go anywhere because of immigration laws in other countries
Holocaust
–> 6 million Jews killed!!!
• wiped out 1/3 of the Jews in the world
• substantial effect on Jewish theology
• Richard Rubenstein said that “God had died in the Holocaust”
• before the Nazi years, God had answered the Jews cries in persecution, but he didn’t during the Holocaust
Orthodox Judaism
- largest group within Judaism
- strives to preserve traditional Jewish culture and to raisin the secularizing effects of modernity
- language = Hebrew
- -> further divided into 2 more sects
1) Modern Orthodox
2) Hasidic
• mystical
• founded by Israel Ben Eliezer who became known as Baal Shem Tov
Reform Judaism
- most modern and liberal branch of Judaism
- largest denomination of Jews in the U.S.
- not as strict as the more conservative traditions … does not enforce all of the kosher food laws and Talmudic restrictions
- DOES NOT accept the Talmud as authoritative, but simply as a historical document
- Reform Judaism is distinguished by a liberal attitude toward Jewish law and REJECTS virtually all ceremonial & dietary restrictions
Conservative Judaism
- branch of Judaism that lies between the strictness of a Orthodox Judaism and Reform Judaism’s excess
- founder = Rabbi Zecharias Frankel
• attempt to conserve Jewish traditions rather than reform or abandon then
Reconstructionist Judaism
–> Mordecai Kaplan
• founder
• book: “Judaism as a Civilization”
• call for a “reconstruction” of Jewish life
• Judaism = not a religion, but a civilization characterized by beliefs and practices…
Sephardic Jew
- follows the customs and traditions of Jess who lived in the I drain Peninsula before their expulsion in the late 15th century
- Sephardim = the descendants of Jews from the Iberian peninsula
Crypto-Judaism
- The secret adherence to Judaism while publicly professing to be of another faith (usually Catholicism)
- Spanish Inquisition
1996, 2/3’s of Israel’s Jews described themselves as ________
Secular
1996 80% of American Jews identified themselves as __________ or ______________
Reform
Conservative
Karaites
- sect within Judaism which DENIES the authority of the Talmud
- desires to live EXCLUSIVELY by the 5 books of the Torah
• the Karaite movement = many sub sects because it stresses the individual interpretation of scripture
Jewish new year
–> Rosh Hashanah
• begins a period of penitence that culminates with the next Jewish holiday (next card)
Yom Kippur — Day of Atonement
- Holiest of all the Jewish holidays
- abstaining from work, food, and drink
- spend the day at the synagogue
- offering prayers for forgiveness of sins and reconciliation
Hanukkah
–> Festival of Lights
• celebrated for eight days in December
• commemorates the rededication of the Temple by Judas Maccabaeus in 165 B.C.
Bar Mitzvah
Festive ceremony recognizing when a boy becomes a man on his 13th b’day
Bat Mitzvah
Ceremony for girls (like the Bar Mitzvah)
Rites of passage
Rituals that mark that passage from one phase of life to another (birth, puberty, marriage, death, etc.)
Historical Development
–> Abraham
• under Abraham’s leadership, the Hebrews settled in Mesopotamia
• eventually moved to Egypt where they were enslaved
–> Moses
• led them out of Egypt
• settled in Canaan
–> kingdom in “Promised Land” (Canaan) for 300 yrs
• kings like David, Saul, & Solomon
• split into 2: Israel and Judah
–> over the next centuries, foreign people invaded and conquered them…
• Babylonian Captivity
• Israel = disappeared
–> Babylonians destroyed and kingdom of Judah returns
• rebuilds temple
--> Diaspora • Romans conquered the area • Jews dispersion • many moved to Western Europe • over time they became known as the SEPHARDIM • settled in Spain
–> persecuted during the Spanish Inquisition
• fled to Portugual, Netherlands, N. Africa, Americas, …
• German Jews = Ashkenazi (persecuted there in Germany)
• moved into Eastern Europe…
–> Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews = different languages, rituals, and traditions
4 main divisions
1) Orthodox
2) Conservative
3) Reform
4) Reconstruction
