Judaism Glossary Terms

matzah

Matzah is the unleavened bread that must be eaten during the eight days of Passover, recalling the bread made in haste as the people of Israel fled from slavery in Egypt.

menorah

A menorah is a candelabrum originally used in the ancient Temple. The seven-branched candelabrum is used in Jewish synagogues as a symbol of the state of Israel. The nine-branched candelabrum used during the eight-day festival of Hanukkah, often referred to as a menorah, is more accurately termed a “Hanukiah.”

Messiah

Messiah means, literally, the “anointed one.” In Biblical tradition, the term came to mean a redeemer and royal descendant of the dynasty of David who would restore the united kingdom of Israel and Judah and usher in an age of peace, justice and plenty, sometimes called the Messianic age. Judaism, throughout its history, has lived through many false messianic claims. While the most famous one, from a Jewish perspective, is Jesus of Nazareth, the notion of proclaiming oneself, or one’s spiritual mentor, to be the messiah, was common in Medieval Judaism as well. Shabbetai Tzvi (1626-1676) gathered a large following to himself, and the Chabad school of hasidim are of the belief that their last rebbe (spiritual leader), Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994) was the messiah. In the Christian tradition, Jesus of Nazareth was ascribed the title of Messiah by his followers. In Greek, the Hebrew term Messiah was translated as Christos, and the followers of Jesus came to be called Christians. The idea of an expected redeemer who will usher in a new age is also found in Islam, where Shi’ite Muslims use the term Mahdi.

mikveh

A mikveh is a ritual bath, used for purposes of purification and conversion in the Jewish tradition.

minyan

A minyan (plural: minyanim) is the quorum of Jews, traditionally ten adult men, necessary to recite certain prayers.

Mishnah

The Mishnah, meaning “teaching” is the written compilation of the oral Torah, also believed to have been revealed at Sinai. It includes laws and observances having to do with agriculture, holy seasons, women, family, civil law, temple rituals, and laws of purity. The Mishnah was compiled in the 2nd century CE by Rabbi Judah HaNasi (literally “Judah the Prince”) and became the basis of the monumental code of law, the Talmud.

mitzvah

Mitzvah means “commandment” and refers to the 613 commandments that Jews are obligated to observe. It can also refer to any Jewish religious obligation, or colloquially, to any good deed.

Moses; Musa

Moses is a Biblical prophet who is credited with leading the people of Israel out of Egyptian bondage and teaching them the divine laws at Mount Sinai. The story of Moses is told in the book of Exodus in the Bible and is also told in the Qur’an, where this prophet is called Musa.

musaf

The additional sacrifice or prayer instituted on the Sabbath and other Jewish holidays.

niggunim (pl.)

The central musical manifestation of Hasidic life. Often, niggunim are sung using syllables such as “Ah,” “Oy,” “Hey,” “Bam,” instead of words.

Noah

Noah was the descendant of Adam whose story is told in the biblical narrative of Genesis 6-9. He built an ark and saved himself and his family from a flood, taking with him pairs of animals of all kinds. After the earth was devastated by flood, God made a covenant with Noah, sealed by the rainbow, never again to destroy the earth. Noah is also cited as a prophet in the Qur’an.

Numbers, Book of

The fourth book of the Humash or Five Books of Moses, Numbers (or Bamidbar, meaning ‘In the Wilderness’) details the Israelites’ journey through the wilderness, including the formative events of the twelve spies journeying into Canaan, the rebellion of Korach, the wars against the nations of Moab and Edom, and the deaths of Moses’ siblings, Aaron and Miriam.

ordination

Ordination means consecration to a priestly or monastic life. The term is used in the Buddhist tradition for the rites of becoming a monk (bhikkhu) or nun (bhikkhuni); in the Jewish tradition for the rites of becoming a rabbi; and in the Christian tradition for the rites of becoming a priest or minister.

Orthodox Judaism

Orthodox Judaism affirms its commitment to the unchanging divine revelation of Torah, with the theological views and scrupulous ritual observances that accompany this understanding of the divine law.

Passover

Passover, or Pesah in Hebrew, is a major Jewish holiday, also called “the festival of unleavened bread.” During the eight days of the festival, Jews commemorate God’s deliverance of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt, eating only unleavened bread or matzah, as did those who fled from Egypt. At the special ritual meal called the seder, the traditional narrative of Passover, as contained in the Passover Haggadah, is told.

pogrom

Pogrom, from the Russian word for “devastation,” refers to the attacks, riots and rampages against Jewish communities, especially in Eastern Europe and Russia.

Purim

Purim is the Jewish festival commemorating the legendary rescue of the Jewish people from the threat of extermination in Persia. The festival celebration, with its costumes and revelry, always includes the reading of the book of Esther which tells the tale of the survival of the Jews.

rabbi

Rabbi means “my master,” an authorized teacher or master of the Torah and the classical Jewish tradition. After the fall of the second Temple in 70 CE and the scattering of the Jewish people in exile, the role of the rabbi became very important in gathering the people, teaching the tradition, and passing the lamp of learning from generation to generation.

rabbinic

Rabbinic Judaism is the Judaism descended from the rabbis, the teachers, who compiled the Mishnah and the Talmud between the 2nd and 5th centuries CE, and all the tradition and learning of Judaism that has issued from them.

Rashi

Rashi is the acronym of the most distinguished commentator on the Bible and the Babylonian Talmud, the French scholar Rabbi Schlomo Yitzchaki (1040-1105).

Rebbe

Rebbe is the title of the spiritual leader of the Hasidim, the pietist Jewish movement which began in 18th century Poland and continues today, with its honoring of holy teachers and its emphasis on prayer and devotion.

Reconstructionist

The Reconstructionist movement is a recent development in American Judaism, beginning with Mordecai M. Kaplan (1881 - 1982) who understood Judaism to be a civilization and culture, kept vibrant by constantly changing and adapting to new situations. The central academic institution of Reconstructionism is the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) founded in 1968 in the Philadelphia suburbs.

Reform Judaism

Reform Judaism is one of the major modern Jewish movements, originating in 19th century Europe and coming to flower in the United States. It emphasizes the legitimacy of change, the commanding importance of ethical monotheism, and the liberal Jewish commitment to ethical teachings above ritual observances. The central academic institution of American Reform Judaism is the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, and it is institutionally represented by the Central Conference of American Rabbis.

Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah is the day of the Jewish New Year, falling on the first day of the autumn month of Tishri.

secular Judaism

Especially in the Jewish tradition, there are those who describe themselves as secular Jews, meaning identified with the Jewish community and heritage, but not religiously observant.

seder

The seder, literally “order” in Hebrew (with the same etymological root as siddur), is the traditional family service, held around the dinner table, that marks the opening of the celebration of Passover. The meal includes special foods, symbols, and narratives. The order of the service is found in the traditional narrative called the Passover Haggadah.

Sephardic

Sephardic is an adjective used to refer to the Jewish culture which developed in Spain and the Mediterranean, in contradistinction to Ashkenazi Jewry, which has its distinctive roots in Germany and Eastern Europe. The culture and practices of Sephardic Judaism first came to the United States with Sephardic Jews who had settled in Latin America before coming to North America.

Shabbat

(also: shabbes; shabbas) Shabbat or sabbath is the day of rest, the seventh day, recalling the Biblical creation narrative in which God rested from the labors of creation on the seventh day. In the Jewish tradition, the Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday and runs through sundown on Saturday. For observant Jews it is a day of family and communal worship, study, and rest from labor, following the commandment found in Exodus (Shmot) 20:8-10. “Six days you shall labor, and do all your work; but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; on it you shall not do any work.” Christians observe the sabbath or the “Lord’s Day” on Sunday.

Shavuot

Shavuot means “weeks” and is the Jewish festival celebrated seven weeks after Passover. It celebrates the first fruits of the grain harvest and commemorates the revelation of the Torah on Mt. Sinai.

shechina

Shechina is the Jewish term for the divine presence. In the Kabbalistic tradition, the shechina is understood to be the feminine presence of God.