Judaism Vocab Flashcards
Judaism
Judaism’s ancient confession of monotheistic faith. It literally translates as “hear”.
Shema
The Greek name for Torah, this literally means “five books”.
Pentateuch
He is revered as the first Great Patriarch (or father) of Judaism, and almost sacrificed his son to God.
Abraham
He was the great Jewish king who build a massive temple for worship. He was sometimes known as the
wisest man ever.
Solomon
An agreement established between God and ancient Israelites that designated the Jews as
covenant
People, with special rights and responsibilities.
God’s Chosen
The form of Jewish mysticism that emerged in the 13th century.
Kabbalah
The place where the 10 commandments were delivered
Mount Sinai
The massive collection of Jewish religious traditions and theology that were originally in oral form; It
is sometimes called the oral Torah and literally means “knowledge”.
Talmud
This is a weekly ritual held from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday and is used to “remember” that
God rested on the seventh day after making Creation.
Sabbath
The Hebrew Scriptures that contain the Torah, the Prophets (Hebrew “neviim”), and the Writings
(Hebrew “ketuviim”). It is the “Old” Testament of the Christian Scriptures, although it is anything but
“Old” to the Jew—it is part of their daily life.
Tanakh
This is Judaism’s most important holy day literally translates as “day of atonement”. It is spent in
fasting and prayer for the forgiveness of sins, both individual and collective.
Yom Kippur
Literally means “according to ritual” or “proper”; Jewish dietary laws
kosher
The Jewish movement that arose as a result of the Holocaust; it emphasizes the return of Jews to
Jerusalem and says that Jews should have their own homeland.
Zionism
The religious ceremony of a 13 year old Jewish boy who is declared to be a man and is now eligible to
take part in public worship.
bar mitzvah
The group responsible for the first diaspora and the first destruction of Solomon’s Temple.
Babylonians
The military group that arose to resist the Romans’ influence on Israel.
Zealots
The elite group of Israelites that were known as the priestly class during the classical period.
Sadducees
This is the Hebrew name given to the saviour and deliverer of the Jewish nation, and who was
prophesied about in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Yeshua
Jewish scholars or teachers who study and teach Jewish law; they are appointed as religious leaders.
rabbis
Hostility towards Jews and Judaism, which ranges from attitudes of disfavour to active persecution.
anti-semitism
The 8-day festival that commemorates (or “to celebrate and remember”) the Exodus of the Jews from
bondage in Egypt into the Promised Land of Canaan.
Passover
Literally means “burning”. When the word is capitalized, it refers to the persecution of Jews by Nazi
Germany from 1938-1944. Millions died.
Holocaust
The situation of Jews living away from their homeland from classical times on.
Diaspora
A building for Jewish worship. It is not a temple. It literally means “assembly” in Greek.
Synagogue
Known as the “law giver”, he received the law (10 Commandments) in stone from Yahweh on Mount
Sinai.
Moses
A part of a city, especially a slum area, that is given to minority groups to isolate them.
ghetto
The group responsible for the second diaspora and the second destruction of Solomon’s temple.
Romans
Someone who is inspired to speak the will of God. They are chosen by God to speak to the people on
his behalf.
prophet
Written down in about 200 AD, it is part of the Talmud. This “oral book” actually originated as
commentary on Jewish law after the second diaspora during the time of the Romans.
Mishnah
The mystical Jewish movement that arose in the 18th century in Eastern Europe. Jews of this persuasion are noted for their longish, curly hair, for wearing a kind of top hat, and for living in seclusion from the rest of society.
Hasidism
