Judaism Key Words, Beliefs Flashcards
Evil
Evil is a cause of human suffering. There are two types of evil:
moral evil - the acts of humans which are considered to be morally wrong
natural evil - natural disasters, such as earthquakes or tsunamis
Suffering
Suffering is the bearing or undergoing of pain or distress. Suffering is often a result of evil.
Free Will
The idea that humans are free to make their own moral choices.
Sin
Act of rebellion or disobedience against the known will of God in Judaism, Christianity or Islam.
Adam and Eve
The first human beings according to Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions. Many Jews Adam and Eve are the origin of evil.
Serpent
A large snake that symbolises Satan in the Bible
Tree of Knowledge
A tree in the garden of Eden that Adam and Eve ate from despite being forbidden by God.
Satan
The name for the devil.
Omnipotent
All powerful.
Commandment
A law or instruction believed to have been given by God.
Job
A person in the Book of Job in the Tanakh (also in the Old Testament) who undergoes immense suffering.
Sovereignty
God’s complete authority over his creation.
Tanakh
The collected 24 books of the Jewish Bible. There are three sections: Torah, Nevi’im and Ketuvim (TeNaKh). May also be spelled Tanakh.
Shoah
The Hebrew word for the Holocaust.
Abraham/Ibrahim
Widely regarded as the father of Christians, Jews and Muslims. He was the first person to teach that there is only one God. His story is told in the biblical book of Genesis and also in the Qur’an, where he is named Ibrahim.
Ark
The cabinet in the synagogue where the Torah scroll is kept
Chuppah
A canopy used during a Jewish wedding. It is representative of the couple’s home.
Covenant
An agreement or promise.
David
The second king of the Israelite monarchy, usually dated to the 11th to 10th century BCE. He established Jerusalem as the capital city.
Ketubah
Jewish marriage contract stating the rights and obligations of both partners.
Liberal
These are believers who are willing to make changes to religious beliefs and practices to keep in line with changes in the world.
Mezuzah
A small capsule containing a scroll with quotes from the Torah, attached to the doorposts of Jewish homes.
Mitzvot
Commandments or laws in Judaism
Mohel
A person trained to perform Brit Milah.
Moses
The man chosen by God to save the Jews from slavery and take them to the promised land. In the Qur’an he is a messenger chosen by God to give the revelation of the Torah to the Israelites.
Noah
A Hebrew patriarch who saved humanity by building an ark when there was a great flood. The Qur’an lists him among the prophets of God.
Oneness
Completely single.
Orthodox Jews
Jews who live by the Torah and rabbinic law (halakhah) and who only accept changes that can be supported by the Torah.
Prayer
Communication with God. A means of developing a personal relationship with God.
Prejudice
Forming an unfavourable opinion or feeling about a person or a group of people, without a full examination of the situation.
Profane
That which is not sacred, secular.
Rabbi
An ordained Jewish religious leader who is trained in interpreting and applying the sacred scriptures to contemporary issues and circumstances.
Rabbinic
Relating to rabbis of the first to sixth centuries CE and their interpretation and expansion of biblical law.
Reform Jews
Jews who have adapted their laws and practices as modern life has changed.
Sabbath
The seventh day of the week and a day of rest for Jews (Shabbat is Friday sunset to Saturday sunset). Sunday is the day of rest for Christians.
Shema
Major Jewish prayer affirming belief in one God. The Shema is found in Exodus 20:2-14, Deuteronomy and Numbers.
Siddur
The literal meaning is order, ie the order of the synagogue service. The term is used for the daily prayer book used by Jews.
Synagogue
Building for Jewish public prayer, study and assembly.
Torah
Law; teaching. The word Torah can be used in a narrow sense to mean the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (The Five Books of Moses) and also in a wider sense to include the whole of the Hebrew Bible and the Talmud.
Yad
Hand-held pointer used in reading the Torah.
Buddha
The founder the awakened one
Enlightenment
The realisation of the truth about life.
Gan Eden
Jewish heaven
Gehenna
Hell
Halakah
A rabbinic law
immortality as a legacy
The belief that there is no actual life after death, and that we will only exist in the memories of family and friends.
immortality of the soul
The idea that the soul lives on after the death of the body.
Mashiach
The Anointed One who will be sent by the Almighty to bring in a new age. Also known as Messiah.
Messiah
The promised deliverer of the Hebrew nation at the end of times.
Nothing
The belief that after death there will be nothing. This is a view held by many atheists.
Rebirth
The belief that some part of a person (perhaps their energy) passes into a new life form after death.
Reincarnation
The religious belief that existence is a cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth, and that the soul survives physical death and is reborn in a new body.
Resurrection (Judaism)
A Jewish belief that people will rise from the dead when the Messiah (or Mashiach) comes.
Shabbat
The seventh day of the week; a day of spiritual renewal and rest commencing at sunset on Friday and terminating at nightfall on Saturday.
Talmud
A commentary on the Mishnah.
Big Bang
The scientific theory that describes the early development of the Universe
Conscience
An inner sense (or ‘voice’) which communicates what is right or wrong in one’s behaviour.
Faith
A firm belief or trust in something, often connected to religion.
Genesis
The first book of the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) describing the origins of humanity and humans’ relationship with God.
Innate
Possessed at birth; born with.
Laws of science
A scientific statement based on repeated experimental observations. The law of gravity is an example of a law of science.
Miracle
Something that breaks the laws of science and is assumed to be caused by God in theistic religion or by special powers in Buddhism.
Mount Sinai
A mountain in the Sinai desert, believed to be where Moses received the Ten Commandments.
Natural World
The world around us, our habitat.
Prophecy
A prediction of what will happen in the future.
Reason
The ability to think and to work things out.
Revelation
When something that was previously hidden becomes known. In religions such as Christianity, Islam and Judaism it may be the sending down of God’s word in the form of a teaching or a person.
Sanctity of life
The concept that life is sacred and therefore is to be respected and protected.
