Judaism

kippah

A kippah is a headcovering, a skull cap, worn by Jewish men for worship, religious study, meals, or at all times.

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... Read more about Shabbat

covenant

A covenant (or brit) is a mutual promise or compact between two parties. In the Jewish and Christian traditions, covenant is of deep significance in describing the mutual relationship of God and the people of faith. The major covenants in Jewish scriptures are God’s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15) and the Sinai/Moses covenant (Exodus 19-24) between God and Israel. For Jews, the covenant is an eternal bond between God and the people of Israel grounded in God’s gracious and steadfast concern, and calling for obedience to the divine commandments (mitzvot) and instruction (... Read more about covenant

Joshua

Joshua was the leader Moses appointed to succeed him after his death, laying his hands upon Joshua and committing to him the leadership of the people of Israel. According to biblical history, Joshua led the Israelites, who had been tested for forty years in the desert, across the River Jordan and into the promised land of Israel.

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.

Yiddish

Yiddish is the language of Ashkenazi or Eastern European Jews, based primarily on German with words taken from Hebrew and many Slavic languages, and written in the Hebrew alphabet.

cantor

In Judaism, a cantor or hazzan/chazzan is one who recites, chants, or sings prayers or liturgical passages in the synagogue.

Isaiah

Isaiah was an 8th century BCE Hebrew prophet whose spiritual vision is recorded in the biblical book of Isaiah, although part of the book (usually said to be ch. 40-55) is commonly held to have been written by a second author of the 6th century BCE, referred to as Deutero-Isaiah.

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.

Torah

Torah, meaning teaching or instruction, refers in its most specific sense to the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch or books of Moses, and to the scrolls on which these teachings are written. More broadly, Torah refers to the whole of the Hebrew Bible and the whole body of Jewish law and tradition.

bar mitzvah

Bar mitzvah means, literally, “son of the commandment”: a Jewish boy who has achieved the age of 13 and is consequently obligated to observe the commandments. It is also the ceremony in which the boy marks this important rite of passage by reading from the Torah in the synagogue for the first time. The practice was first instituted in the 20th century.

Hebrew

Hebrew is the ancient language of the Israelites in which the Bible and most of Jewish liturgy is written.

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.

Anti-Defamation League

The Anti-Defamation League is a Jewish organization founded in 1913 to fight anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry. Its mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people, to secure justice and fair treatment to all citizens alike.”

tallit

A tallit is a large, four-cornered shawl with fringes and special knots at the extremities, worn during Jewish morning prayers. The fringes, according to the Bible (Numbers 15.38-39), remind the worshiper of God’s commandments. In many communities today, both men and women, upon the occasion of their bar/bat mitzvah, will begin wearing a tallit during services. In Orthodox communities, the tallit is only worn by men. It is traditional for a man to be buried in his tallit, but without its fringes.

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