Judaism Flashcards
What does shekhinah mean
The place where God’s presence rests and can be felt
What does Messiah mean
The anointed one who Jews believe will bring in a new era or age for humankind.
This will include rebuilding the Temple and bringing an age of universal peace
What does Mitzvot mean
The term has a mix of meanings. It is often used to refer to duties (such as the 613 in the Torah ) and good deeds
What is a covenant
A promise or agreement between two parties. Covenants were made between God and Moses, Abraham and Noah
What is a synagogue
House of assembly; building for Jewish public prayer , study and assembly
What is kosher
(‘Fit’ or ‘proper’) Foods that are permitted to be eaten according to Leviticus chapter 11.
It is also used to refer to the purity of ritual objects such as Torah scrolls
What is the Torah
The five Books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy).
Regarded as the holiest books of the Tenakh
What is Shabbat
Day of spiritual renewal and rest.
Beginning at sunset on Friday and closing at nightfall on Saturday
What is Bat/Bar Mitzvah
Bat mitzvah- a girl officially becoming a Jewish adult this happens when she is about 12 years old
Bar mitzvah- a boy officially becoming a Jewish adult
Passover
Celebration if when Moses freed the Jews from slavery in Egypt
What do Jews eat at the Passover
The Seder meal which is the first meal of Passover to remind them of life for the slaves
They only eat unleavened bread (not risen bread) as the time of the Exodus they left so fast their bread didn’t rise
What do Jews do on Shabbat
They don’t do any work what so ever and always clean the house up the day before
How is Jerusalem important for Jews
Jerusalem is the holiest place for Jews as they believe this is where he Ten Commandments were kept
What does monotheistic mean
This is a religion that believes that there is only one God for examples Jewish people are monotheistic as they only believe in one God
What is shema
This is a Jewish prayer affirming belief in one God, it is found in the Torah
Jewish beliefs about God
-They say his existence is accepted without question
-they do not need proof for how God exists
-the Torah begins with stating
“In the beginning God created …”
-it does not tell us who God is or how he was created
More Jewish beliefs about God
- beliefs about the Torah
- Some Jews prefer not to write the word God for a sign of respect. Rather they write G_d
- any name containing the Hebrew name of God is treated with respect and is never destroyed or thrown away
- when the Torah is too old to be used it is kept in a special place in the synagogue before being properly buried in a Jewish cemetery
When is the prayer Shema said
It is said every morning and evening
What does the Shema state and what does it state about God
It states the basic belief of Jews which is this there is only one G-d (monotheism)
What do Jews believe that God had done to the universe
They believe that G_d his the creator and designer of the universe
Why would Jews use the word ‘Hashem’ and what does it mean
When speaking about God, Jews often use the word ‘Hashem’ which means ‘the name,’ because when speaking of THE ONE we should not use his name unnecessarily
Jews believe that G-d is holy which means special, sacred and to be respected
G-d’s rules are to be followed and obeyed
Explain the belief that G-d is one
There is only one God in Judaism.
This is stated in the Shema: ‘Lord is one’
Explain the belief that God is the creator
- In Genesis 1 it says G-d created the world in 7 stages. (‘And God said, “let there be light”)
- Genesis also tells us about the creation of humanity, (“so God created mankind in his own image”)
- it shows us how God gave humans dominion (control) over the earth (“They may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky”)
Explain the belief that God is law-giver and Judge
In Exodus 20, God gave the Jews the 10 commandments , stating with “you shall have no other gods before me.”
what is another name for the Messiah
Mashiach
what will the arrival of the Messiah signal
his arrival will signal the end of the world
who will the Messiah be descended from
King David
when the Messiah comes, what will fill the world
knowledge of G_d will will fill the world
what will the Messiah re-build
the Temple
what will change about life, once the Messiah comes
the world is only temporary and will change one day. It will become a spiritual world that is full of peace
what do Reform Jews reject the idea of
they reject the idea of a personal Messiah at whose coming all the righteous dead would arise and live in bliss
what does the Torah say about the Messiah?
quotes to use….
“the messiah would come.”
“the messiah would be greater than David.”
How jews believe that they can spot the messiah
- he will save the jews
- he would be a saviour
- enemies of the jews will be defeated
- he will be a descendant of king David
why is the shekhinah important
because it keeps the presence of God with the jews as they travelled and maintained their connection
what does the word shekhinah come from
what does it mean
comes from the word ‘shakan.’
means God’s dwelling on earth
what do ORTHODOX jews believe about the nature of god
-believe that the 7 days of creation story is 100% factual and reject scientific theories like the theory of evolution
why do ORTHDOX jews believe that everything in the torah is factual and correct
- because god gave them life on earth and so they are loyal to him
- because god has direct power and influence over what happens in the world
what do REFORM jews beleive about the nature of god
- believe that god created the universe and everything in it
- however, they do accept some scientific theories as it may be correct in some ways
why do REFORM jews believe in scientific theories
- because god was the being that made the process of evolution
- because god may have not actually took 7 days to create the world
what is the idea of the big bang theory
the idea that there was on single atom that exploded and created the earth