Judaism Key Terms Flashcards
Covenant
An agreement of mutual faithfulness, like a contract or alliance, between two parties; “I will be your God and you shall be my people”; the agreement binds the parties together with mutual privileges and obligations
Messiah
A word meaning “the anointed one”
Diaspora
The scattering of Jews outside of Israel in both ancient and modern times
Ashkenazim
Central and Eastern European Jews and their descendants
Sephardim
Primarily Spanish, Portuguese, and North African Jews and their descendants
Hasidism
Jews who observe a form of strict Orthodox Judaism. One of the main Jewish Mystical teachings are Hasidism (eighteenth century). The founder of Hasidism was Israel Ben Eliezer (1698-1759), also known as Ba’al Shem Tov. He taught that communion with God happened through prayer, good deeds, humility and joy. He’s best known for his humorous stories in which people encounter God as they do the simplest chores.
Shoah
From the Hebrew word for “catastrophe,” “calamity,” or, “holocaust”; if refers to Nazi Germany’s deliberate attempt to exterminate the Jewish race between 1933 and 1945
Tikkun Olam
Reform Jews also stress Tikkun Olam (repairing the world through social action)
Secular Jews
An ethnic Jew who is not religious
Holocaust
the systematic killing of over 6 million Jews before and during WWII
Zionism
movement that began in the 19th 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; today it refers to strong support for the state of Israel
Shabbat
Hebrew word meaning “Sabbath”
Rosh Hashanah
means “Head of the Year.”
Yom Kippur
day of atonement; holiest day. During the time period from Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur, called the “Days of Awe”, jews turn inward and remember that God will be their judge at the end of time. The 10 days of celebration end with Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. On Yom Kippur, a solemn day of fasting, Jews seek reconciliation with God. Anyone who has sinned against another person must atone for it by reconciling with that person and with God.
Shofar
A rabbi blows the shofar. The ram’s horn is blown many times during the Rosh Hashanah synagogue service as a celebration of God’s creation and a heralding of the Messiah and the beginning of the new year
Seder Meal
When a family is celebrating Passover with a special meal called the Seder. The Seder commemorates the escape of the children of Israel from captivity in Egypt. Elements of the feast include the central Seder plate with its symbolic foods, cups of wine, and pillows. Ritual meal were participants recall how their ancestors were freed by God from slavery in Egypt; Jews celebrate freedom and never ending bond with God
Passover
Important holy days of the Jewish year is Pesach, or the passover and is basic to Jewish identity. It celebrates the freedom won by Jewish slaves when they escaped from the Egyptian Pharaoh.
Kaddish
When a parent dies, a son (and, in some communities, a daughter) recites the Kaddish, a special prayer of sanctification (a prayer to make something sacred) in the synagogue each morning and each evening for 11 months after the death.
Shiva
A seven-day period of mourning
Star of David
The Star of David is a six-pointed star that is formed from two overlapping triangles. It has seven spaces. The number seven is important in Judaism, for example, the six days of creation plus the seventh day of rest. Jewish identity
Menorah
The Menorah is a seven branched candelabra, created in the wilderness. The seven branches of the menorah symbolize the seven days of creation. As the shape suggests a tree, it’s sometimes referred to as a “tree of life”.
Torah Scroll
Is the most sacred object in Judaism. Torah means teachings. It is very carefully written by hand, in Hebrew, using sheets of parchment made from the specially prepared skin of a kosher animal with a goose quill and special ink. It takes six months to write a Torah scroll and is the center of Jewish life (The five books of Moses). Because it contains God’s words, a Torah scroll that has become too worn for further use is ceremonially buried in a service similar to the ceremony for human burial
Mezuzah
container with parchment with a scripture from the Torah hung on the right doorpost
Synagogue
Jewish place of worship. House where Torah is taught to jews