merkabah -
(Heb., chariot) The chariot vision was an integral element of mysticism signifying a mystical vision of divinity.
messiah -
Lit "anointed one"; Greek christos Ancient priests and kings (and sometimes prophets) of Israel were anointed with oil. In early Judaism, the term came to mean a 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; the redeemer figure. The concept developed in many directions over the centuries. The messianic age was believed by some Jews to be a time of perfection of human institutions; others believed it to be a time of radical new beginnings, a new heaven and earth, after divine judgment and destruction.
mezuzah -
(pl. mezuzot; Heb., doorpost) A parchment scroll with selected Torah verses (Deuteronomy 6.4-9; 11.13-21) placed in a container and affixed to the exterior doorposts (at the right side of the entrance) of observant Jewish homes (see Deuteronomy 6.1-4), and sometimes also to interior doorposts of rooms. The word shaddai (almighty) usually is inscribed on the back of the container.
mezuzah -
(pl. mezuzot; Heb., "doorpost") A parchment scroll with selected Torah verses (Deuteronomy 6.4-9; 11.13-21) placed in a container and affixed to the exterior doorposts (at the right side of the entrance) of observant Jewish homes (see Deuteronomy 6.1-4), and sometimes also to interior doorposts of rooms. The word shaddai (almighty) usually is inscribed on the back of the container.
midrash -
(pl. midrashim) From Heb. darash, to inquire, whence it comes to mean exposition (of ******ure). Refers to the "commentary" literature developed in classical Judaism that attempts to interpret Jewish ******ures in a thorough manner. Literary Midrash may focus either on halaka, directing the Jew to specific patterns of religious practice, or on (h)aggada, dealing with theological ideas, ethical teachings, popular philosophy, imaginative exposition, legend, allegory, animal fables, etc. -- that is, whatever is not halaka.
mikveh or mikvah -
See miqvah
milhemet mitzvah -
From Heb, war of the covenant;
mincha(h) -
(from Heb. for afternoon sacrifice) Afternoon prayers in Jewish synagogue.
minyan -
A quorum of ten Jews (for Orthodox Jews, ten males) above age thirteen necessary for public services and certain other religious ceremonies to be considered valid.
miqvah or mikveh -
(Heb.) A Jewish communal, ritual bath (like baptism) for washing away ritual impurity by immersion.
Miracle in Heb “Nes” -
Miracle in Heb “Nes” A general term for special events that seem inexplicable by normal (rational) means.
Mishnah -
(Heb., teaching) The digest of the recommended Jewish oral halaka as it existed at the end of the 2nd century and was collated, edited, and revised by Rabbi Judah the Prince. The code is divided into six major units and sixty-three minor ones. The work is the authoritative legal tradition of the early *sages and is the basis of the legal discussions of t he Talmud. See also pilpul.
mitnaged -
(pl. mitnagaim; Heb., opposer(s)) Traditionalist and rationalistic Jewish opponents of eighteenth-century Jewish Hasidism.
mitzvah -
(pl. mitzvot; Heb., commandment, obligation) A ritual or ethical duty or act of obedience to God's will. See also commandments.
monolithic -
(Greek, composed of a single stone) Usually used with reference to rigid, fixed, unchanging systems -- often in negative statements, such as Judaism was by no means monolithic.
monotheism -
(Greek, one deity) The belief that there is only one real and ultimate deity.
morals -
(Latin, customs) See ethics
Moses -
The great biblical personality (c. thirteenth century BCE) who is credited with leading the people of Israel out of Egyptian bondage and teaching them the divine laws at Sinai. He is also described as first of the Jewish prophets. Throughout Jewish history he is the exalted man of faith and leadership without peer.
mystic, mysticism -
(adj. mystical; from Greek for initiant into religious mysteries) A vaguely used term to indicate certain types of behavior or perspective that goes beyond the rational in the quest of what is considered to be the ultimate in religious experience (often described as union or direct communion with deity). See also kabalah,
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N
nabi or navi -
(Heb., pl. nebiim; also Arabic) A prophet in ancient Israel; became a designation for a section of the Jewish ******ures; see TaNaK.
nasi -
(Heb., prince, leader) See Judah the Prince.
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O
observance, observant -
Refers primarily to religious rules and practices, and to those who are rigorous about keeping them; see calendar, cult, liturgy, commandments, halaka, law, torah, tradition (etc.).
Old Testament -
(= OT) The name traditionally given by Christians to the Jewish biblical writings that together with the New Testament constitute the Christian Bible. For most Protestant Christians, OT is identical to the classical Jewish Bible, while for classical (Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox, etc.) Christianity, OT also includes "the Apocrypha."
omer -
(Heb., sheaf) In Judaism, the sheaf of grain offering brought to the temple during Passover, on Nisan 16; thus also the name of the seven-week period between Passover/Pesah and Shabuot also known as the Sephirah. See also calendar.
oral law -
In traditional Jewish pharisaic/rabbinic thought, God reveals instructions for living through both the written ******ures and through a parallel process of orally transmitted traditions. Critics of this approach within Judaism include Sadducees and Karaites.
orthodox -
From the Greek for "correct opinion/outlook," as opposed to heterodox or heretical. The judgment that a position is "orthodox" depends on what are accepted as the operative "rules" or authorities at the time. Over the course of history, the term "orthodox" has come to denote the dominant surviving forms that have proved themselves to be "traditional" or "classical" or "mainstream" (e.g. rabbinic Judaism; the Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox Christian churches; sunni Islam), although new, relative "orthodoxies" constantly emerge (and often disappear). See also neo-orthodoxy, orthopraxy.
orthopraxy -
(Greek, correct action/activity) In contrast to orthodoxy (right belief), the emphasis in this term concerns conduct, both ethical and liturgical. Historically, Judaism and Islam have tended to emphasize orthopraxy relatively more than orthodoxy, while classical Christianity tended to shift the balance in the other direction.
OT -
= Old Testament
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P
Palestine -
(Greek form representing Philistines, for the seacoast population encountered by early geographers) An ancient designation for the area between Syria (to the north) and Egypt (to the south), between the Mediterranean Sea and the River Jordan; roughly, modern Israel.
paradise -
(Greek, park, garden; possibly derived from Heb. pardes) Term used to describe the location of the creation of humankind (see garden of Eden) as well as the destination where those favored by God will ultimately arrive (especially in Islam). Also used in apocalyptic ****s for one of the heavens or levels above the inhabited earth, near God.
parasha -
(h) (Heb., section) Prescribed weekly section of biblical Torah (Pentateuch) read in Jewish synagogue liturgy (ordinarily on an annual cycle). See haftarah.
pareve, or parve -
(Yiddish) A Yiddish word identifying food that is neither milk nor meat. According to Jewish halakhah, foods that are pareve may be eaten with either dairy or meat. It now has the added connotation of bland or neutral.
Passover -
(Hebrew pesah) The major Jewish spring holiday (with agricultural aspects) also known as hag hamatzot (festival of unleavened bread, commemorating the Exodus or deliverance of the Hebrew people from Egypt (see Exodus 12-13). The festival lasts eight days, during which Jews refrain from eating all leavened foods and products. A special ritual meal (called the Seder) is prepared, and a traditional narrative (called the Haggadah), supplemented by hymns and songs, marks the event. See calendar, liturgy;
Pentateuch -
(from Greek for five scrolls) The five books attributed to Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; known in Jewish tradition as Torat Mosheh (the teaching of Moses), or simply the Torah.
Pentecost -
(Greek for "50th [day]") See Shabuot/Shavuot, calendar.
Perushim -
See Pharisees.
Pesach -
See Passover, calendar.
Pharisees -
(Hebrew perushim, lit. separatists (?); adj. pharisaic) The name given to a group or movement in early Judaism, the origin and nature of which is unclear. Many scholars identify them with the later sages and rabbis who taught the oral and written law; Sigal and some others see them as a complex of pietistic and zealous separatists, distinct from the proto-rabbis. According to Josephus (see also NT), the Pharisees believed in the immortality of souls and resurrection of the dead, in a balance between predestination and free will, in angels as active divine agents, and in authoritative oral law. In the early Christian materials, Pharisees are often depicted as leading opponents of Jesus/Joshua and his followers, and are often linked with scribes but distinguished from the Sadducees.
Philo Judeus -
(= the Jew) of Alexandria Greek speaking (and writing) prolific Jewish author in the 1st century CE. Provides extensive evidence for Jewish thought in the Greco-Roman (hellenistic) world outside of Palestine.
pilpul -
Dialectical rational method of studying Jewish oral law as codified in the Talmud(s).
Pittsburg Platform -
Early statement of American Reform Jewish principles.
piyyutim -
Medieval Jewish synagogue hymns and poems added to standard prayers of the talmudic liturgy.
pogrom -
From the Russian word for devastation; an unprovoked attack or series of attacks upon a Jewish community.
prayer -
A general term used for addressing petitions (or praise) to the deity. See amida, , kaddish, , maariv, mincha, shemoneh esreh. See also hymn, liturgy, siddur.
predestination -
The idea that one's eternal destiny is determined beforehand, from the beginning of time, by the will and plan of the deity.
priest -
(see also kohen) prophet (from Greek, to speak for or speak forth) Name given to accepted spokespersons of God (or their opposites, false prophets). Became a designation for a section of the Jewish ******ures; see nabi, TaNaK.
proto-rabbis -
Pre-70 CE sages who set the foundations of post-70 CE rabbinic Judaism before the ordination of rabbis became formalized in its classical sense.
pseudepigrapha -
(adj. pseudepigraphical), from Greek pseudos, deceit, untruth, and epigraphe, writing, in******ion A name given to a number of intertestamental apocryphal writings that are implausibly attributed to an ancient worthy such as Adam/Eve, Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Ezra, etc.
Purim -
A Jewish festival commemorating the deliverance of Jews in Persia as described in the biblical book of Esther. Held in late winter (between Hannukah and Passover), on the 14th of Adar. See calendar. megillah
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Q
qabbala -
(Heb.) See kabala.
Qumran or Khirbet Qumran -
The site near the northwest corner of the Dead Sea in modern Israel (west bank) where the main bulk of the Jewish Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered abound 1946. The Qumran community that apparently produced the scrolls seems to have flourished from the 3rd century BCE to the 1st century CE, and is usually identified with the Jewish Essenes, or a group like them.
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R
rabbi -
(adj. rabbinic) Hebrew, my master, an authorized teacher of the classical Jewish tradition (see oral law) after the fall of the second Temple in 70 CE. The role of the rabbi has changed considerably throughout the centuries. Traditionally, rabbis serve as the legal and spiritual guides of their congregations and communities. The title is conferred after considerable study of traditional Jewish sources. This conferral and its responsibilities is central to the chain of tradition in Judaism.
RaSHI -
Acronym for Rabbi Solomon (= Sholomo) ben Isaac (1040-1105), a great medieval sage of Troyes, France. He is the author of fundamental commentaries on the Talmud, and one of the most beloved and influential commentaries on the Bible. Characterized by great lucidity and pedagogy, his comments emphasized the plain, straightforward sense of a ****.
rebbe -
The title of the spiritual leader of the Hasidim; see zaddik.
Rechabites -
A dissenting movement in ancient Israel generally devoted to certain ascetic practices and a simple lifestyle (see Jeremiah 35.1-19).
Reconstructionist Judaism -
Founded by Mordecai M. Kaplan (1881-1982), this represents a recent development in American Judaism, and attempts to focus on Judaism as a civilization and culture constantly adapting to insure survival in a natural social process. The central academic institution is the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in the Philadelphia suburbs. See also Reform and Conservative Judaism.
redactor -
An editor, especially with reference to ancient books such as the Jewish and Christian ******ures
Reform Judaism -
Modern movement originating in 18th century Europe that attempts to see Judaism as a rational religion adaptable to modern needs and sensitivities. The ancient traditions and laws are historical relics that need have no binding power over modern Jews. See Pittsburg Platform, Geiger. The central academic institution of American Reform Judaism is the Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati, and it is represented also by the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Compare Conservative and Reconstructionist Judaism.
relativism -
The modern position that affirms that everything (except this statement!) is relative to the particularities of the given situation.
religion -
A general term for a system of beliefs and/or practices thought to enhance human contact with realities otherwise inaccessible or unperceived.
responsa -
Also called teshubot, from sheelot uteshubot (questions and answers); answers to questions on halaka and observances, given by Jewish scholars on topics addressed to them. They originated during the geonic period, and are still used as a means of modern updating and revision of halaka..
Rosh Hashanah -
(Heb., beginning of the year) Jewish New Year celebration in the fall of the year, the month of Tishri. See also calendar.
Rosh Hodesh -
(Heb., beginning of a lunar month) The New Moon Festival. See also calendar.
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S
Sabbath -
The seventh day of the week (Heb., shabbat), recalling the completion of the creation and the Exodus from Egypt. It is a day symbolic of new beginnings and one dedicated to God, a most holy day of rest. The commandment of rest is found in the Bible and has been elaborated by the rabbis. It is a special duty to study Torah on the Sabbath and to be joyful. Sabbaths near major festivals (see calendar) are known by special names.
Sabbatianism -
A messianic movement begun in the 17th century by Sabbatai Zvi/Zebi (1626-1676), who ultimately converted to Islam.
sacrifice -
(Latin, perform a sacred act) A general term for the giving up of things of value for religious purposes, such as (1) liturgical sacrifices of animal life or of other valuables (grain, wine, etc.), and (2) personal sacrifices of time or money or talents or potential
Sadducees -
An early Jewish sub-group whose origins and ideas are uncertain. It probably arose early in the 2nd century BCE and ceased to exist when the Temple was destroyed in 70 CE. Sadducees supported priestly authority and rejected traditions not directly grounded in the Pentateuch, such as the concept of personal, individual life after death. They are often depicted as in conflict with the Pharisees.
sage -
For Judaism, see hakam.
Samaritans -
Another of the numerous sub-groups in early Judaism (see also Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes) and residents of the district of Samaria north of Jerusalem and Judah in what is now Israel. They are said to have recognized only the Pentateuch as ******ure and Mt. Gerizim as the sacred center rather than Jerusalem. There was ongoing hostility between Samaritans and Judahites. Samaritan communities exist to the present.
Sanhedrin -
(from Greek for assembly [of persons seated together]; see also synagogue, church) A legislative and judicial body from the period of early Judaism and into rabbinic times. Traditionally composed of 71 members.
Satan -
(Hebrew, "accuser/adversary") The opponent of God (or of God's supporters) in Hebrew tradition (and thence into Christianity and Islam) who is often depicted as a fallen angel (also called "the Devil"; in Arabic Iblis) amd is considered to be in charge of evil and its influences (with "demons" as his aides), and to rule over Hell until the final judgment (see yawm al-din).
scholasticism -
A general term for highly organized and highly rationalistic scholarly developments and discussions according to well developed conventions. In Christianity, the rise of universities in 12th-13th century Europe was a high-point for scholasticism (e.g. Thomas Aquinas). Judaism and Islam experienced similar scholastic flourishing in that general period in the west (and earlier in the east, especially for Islam).
scholasticism -
A general term for highly organized and highly rationalistic scholarly developments and discussions according to well developed conventions. In Christianity, the rise of universities in 12th-13th century Europe was a high-point for scholasticism (e.g. Thomas Aquinas). Judaism and Islam experienced similar scholastic flourishing in that general period in the west (and earlier in the east, especially for Islam).
******ures -
General designation for canonical or biblical writings.
sect -
A general designation for a definable sub-group, often with negative overtones. See also cult.
secular -
(Latin, of this world) A general term for non-religious, or the opposite of religious.
seder -
(Heb., for order; pl. sedarim) The traditional Jewish evening service and opening of the celebration of Passover, which includes special food symbols and narratives. The order of the service is highly regulated, and the traditional narrative is known as the Passover Haggadah. Also one of the six divisions of the Mishna; or one of the 154 sections into which Torah/Pentateuch is divided for a three year cycle of liturgical readings in synagogue. See also siddur.
semikah -
(Heb.) Rabbinic ordination., the process of investing a person with ministerial or rabbinic priestly office and authority.
Sephardim -
(adj. Sephardic; Heb., Sephardi) The designation Sepharad in biblical times refers to a colony of exiles from Jerusalem (Obadiah 20), possibly in or near Sardis{??}; in the medieval period, Sephardi(c) Jews are those descended from those who lived in Spain and Portugal (the Iberian peninsula) before the expulsion of 1492. As a cultural designation, the term refers to the complex associated with Jews of this region and its related diaspora in the Balkans and Middle East (especially in Islamic countries). The term is used in contradistinction to Ashkenazi, but it does not refer, thereby, to all Jews of non-Ashkenazi origin.
sephira -
(h) or sefira (Heb., "counting, number"; pl. sefirot) See also omer. In Jewish kabala, the sefirot are the primary emanations or manifistations of deity that together make up the fulness (pleroma) of the godhead.
Septuagint -
Strictly speaking, refers to the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Pentateuch, probably made during the reign of Ptolemy II, Greek ruler of Egypt around 250 BCE. Subsequently, Greek translations of other portions of the Jewish ******ures came to be added to the corpus, and the term Septuagint was applied to the entire collection. Such collections served as the "******ures" for Greek speaking Jews and Christians.
shabbat -
Shabbatai Zvi -
See Sabbatianism.
Shammai -
See Hillel.
Shavuot/Shabuot -
(Pentecost; Heb., weeks) Observed 50 days from the day the first sheaf of grain was offered to the priest; also known as Festival of First Fruits. See calendar.
Shekinah -
Jewish term for the divine presence; the Holy Spirit. In Kabalism it sometimes took on the aspect of the feminine element in deity.
Shema -
(Heb., hear) Title of the fundamental, monotheistic statement of Judaism, found in Deut. 6:4 ("Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is One"; shema Yisrael YHWH elohenu YHWH ehad). This statement avers the unity of God, and is recited daily in the liturgy (along with Deut. 6:5-9, 11.13-21; Num. 15.37-41 and other passages), and customarily before sleep at night. This proclamation also climaxes special liturgies (like Yom Kippur), and is central to the confession before death and the ritual of martyrdom. The Shema is inscribed on the mezuzah and the tefillin. In public services, it is recited in unison.
Shemini Atzeret -
(the Eighth Day of Assembly) An eight-day festival that immediately follows the seven-day festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles). See also calendar.
shemoneh esreh -
(Heb., "eighteen") The main section of Jewish prayers recited in a standing position (see amida) and containing 19 (yes!) "benedictions": praise to (1) God of the fathers/patriarchs, (2) God's power and (3) holiness; prayers for (4) knowledge, (5) repentance, (6) forgiveness, (7) redemption, (8) healing sick persons, (9) agricultural prosperity, (10) ingathering the diaspora, (11) righteous judgment, (12) punishment of wicked and heretics (birkat haminim, (13) reward of pious, (14) rebuilding Jerusalem, (15) restoration of royal house of David, (16) acceptance of prayers, (17) thanks to God, (18) restoration of Temple worship, and (19) peace.
sheol -
(Heb.) Place of departed dead in (some) ancient Israel thought, without reference to punishments and rewards. See also hell, heaven.
shiva -
(Heb., seven) Seven days of mourning after the burial of a close relative (as in, "to sit shiva"). See also abelut, shloshim.
shloshim -
(Heb., thirty) An intermediate stage of 30 days of less severe mourning, including shiva.
shofar -
In Jewish worship, Ram's horn sounded at Rosh Hashanah morning worship and at the conclusion of Yom Kippur, as well as other times in that period during the fall.
Shulhan Aruch -
(Heb., prepared table) A code of Jewish law attributed to Joseph Karo in 1565 CE, which became authoritative for classical Judaism.
siddur -
(from Heb., to order) Jewish prayer book used for all days except special holidays (see seder). See also liturgy.
Simhat Torah -
(Heb., rejoicing with the Torah) A festival which celebrates the conclusion of the annual reading cycle of the Torah. See calendar.
sopher or sofer -
(pl. sopherim; Heb., scribe) Used as a general designation for scholars and copyists in both talmudic and later literature; a "scholastic," a learned researcher whose vocation was the study and teaching of the tradition. In early times the sopher was the scholar. By the 1st century he was no longer a real scholar but a functionary and teacher of children.
Sukkot -
(Tabernacles) (Heb., booths, tabernacles) Seven-day Jewish fall festival beginning on Tishri 15 commemorating the sukkot where Israel lived in the wilderness after the Exodus; also known as hag haasiph, the Festival of Ingathering (of the harvest). See also calendar.
synagogue -
(Greek for gathering) The central insitution of Jewish communal worship and study since antiquity (see also bet midrash), and by extension, a term used for the place of gathering. The structure of such buildings has changed, though in all cases the ark containing the Torah scrolls faces the ancient Temple site in Jerusalem.
syncretism -
(Greek for "draw together, combine") Synthesis of variegated religious beliefs derived from more than one religion or cultural/religious tradition. See also eclectic, assimilation.
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T
tallit -
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. It is traditional for the male to be buried in his tallit, but without its fringes.
Talmud -
(Heb., study or learning) Rabbinic Judaism produced two Talmuds: the one known as "Babylonian" is the most famous in the western world, and was completed around the fifth centuty CE; the other, known as the "Palestinian" or "Jerusalem" Talmud, was edited perhaps in the early fourth century CE. Both have as their common core the Mishnah collection of the tannaim, to which are added commentary and discussion (gemara) by the amoraim (teachers) of the respective locales. Gemara thus has also become a colloquial, generic term for the Talmud and its study.
TaNaK -
(Tanakh) A relatively modern acronym for the Jewish Bible, made up of the names of the three parts Torah (Pentateuch or Law), Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings) -- thus TNK pronounced TaNaK.
tanna -
(Heb., repeater, reciter; adj. tannaitic, pl. tannaim) A Jewish sage from the period of Hillel (around the turn of the era) to the compilation of the Mishnah (200 CE), distinguished from later amoraim. Tannaim were primarily scholars and teachers. The Mishnah, Tosefta, and halakic Midrashim were among their literary achievements.
Targum -
(Heb., translation, interpretation) Generally used to designate Aramaic translations of the Jewish ******ures. See also Septuagint (in a sense, Greek Targums).
tefillin -
Usually translated as phylacteries. Box-like appurtenances that accompany prayer, worn by Jewish adult males at the weekday morning services. The boxes have leather thongs attached and contain ******ural excerpts. One box (with four sections) is placed on the head, the other (with one section) is placed (customarily) on the left arm, near the heart. The biblical passages emphasize the unity of God and the duty to love God and be mindful of him with "all one's heart and mind" (e.g. Exod. 13.1-10, 11-16; Deut. 6.4-9; 11.13-21). See also Shema.
temple -
In the ancient world, temples were the centers of outward religious life, places at which public religious observances were normally conducted by the priestly professionals. In traditional Judaism, the only legitimate Temple was the one in Jerusalem, built first by king Solomon around 950 BCE, destroyed by Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar around 587/6 BCE, and rebuilt about 70 years later. It was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE. The site of the ancient Jewish Temple is now occupied, in part, by the golden domed "Dome of the Rock" Mosque. In recent times, "temple" has come to be used synonymously with synagogue in some Jewish usage.
testament -
Term for an agreement between two (or more) parties, such as a "last will and testament." In Jewish tradition, the covenant concept played an important role, and was translated as "testament," especially in Christian references to the ******ures of the "old covenant" (OT) and the "new" (NT).
theology -
From Greek, study of deity; a general term for discussions and investigations of things pertaining to God(s), and by extension, to religious matters. One who engages formally in theological studies is called a "theologian."
thirteen principles -
Statement of classical Jewish outlook (see belief) by Maimonides.
tithe -
Literally, a tenth part, usually with reference to prescribed or voluntary contributions to one's religious community. "Tithing" is often used to refer in general to systematic giving, without specific reference to the exact percentage..
Torah, torah -
(Heb., teaching, instruction) In general, torah refers to study of the whole gamut of Jewish tradition or to some aspect thereof. In its special sense, "the Torah" refers to the "five books of Moses" in the Hebrew ******ures (see Pentateuch). In the Quran, "Torah" is the main term by which Jewish ******ure is identified.
Tosefta -
(pl. Tosafot) (Heb., supplement) Tannaitic supplements to the Mishnah in the Talmud.
tradition(al) -
Something perceived to have been handed down (or passed along) from the past, often considered authoritative. See also mainstream, classical, orthodox.
truth -
That which conforms to reality. For classical Judaism, Christianity and Islam, ultimate truth is defined and determined in relation to the ultimate reality, God. "The Truth" is attested as a way of referring to the deity in Islam (the execution of Hallaj is a memorable example), and to Jesus in Christianity (Gospel of John).
tzaddik -
A general term for a righteous person in Jewish tradition. More specifically, the spiritual leader of the modern Hasidim, popularly known as rebbe. See also saint.
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U
usury -
Old term for the principle of monetary interest, which is prohibited or limited under certain conditions in the ******ures of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
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veneration -
A general term for religious devotion to a particular object or person. See zaddik,.
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Y
yarmulke -
See kiphah.
yeshivah -
(pl. yeshivot) A Jewish rabbinic academy of higher learning. See also beit midrash.
yetzer -
A technical Heb. term for human "inclination" to do good (yetzer ha-tov) or to do evil (yetzer ha-ra).
YHWH -
(Yahweh) The sacred name of God in Jewish ******ures and tradition; also known as the tetragrammaton. Since Hebrew was written without vowels in ancient times, the four consonants YHWH contain no clue to their original pronunciation. They are generally rendered "Yahweh" in contemporary scholarship. In traditional Judaism, the name is not pronounced, but Adonai ("Lord") or something similar is substituted. In most English versions of the Bible the tetragrammaton is represented by "LORD" (or less frequently, "Jehovah").
Yiddish -
(from German Juedisch or Jewish) The vernacular of Ashkenazic Jews; it is a combination of several languages, especially Hebrew and German, written in Hebrew ******.
yigdol/yigdal -
(from Heb., to be great; thence Great is he) A hymn/chant/poem from 11th century or earlier, frequently found at the beginning or end of the Jewish prayer book (siddur). Also found as an adopted Christian hymn.
Yom Kippur -
(Heb., Day of Atonement) Annual day of fasting and atonement, occurring in the fall on Tishri 10 (just after Rosh Hashanah); the most solemn and important occasion of the Jewish religious year. See also calendar.
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Z
zaddik -
(Heb., "righteous one") A general term for a righteous person in Jewish tradition. More specifically, the spiritual leader of the modern Hasidim, popularly known as rebbe.
Zdaka -
Charity (voluntary alms), going beyond the obligatory tax; righteous acts.
zealot -
(from Greek, to be enthusiastic) A general term for one who exhibits great enthusiasm and dedication to a cause. Specifically, a member of an early Jewish group or perspective that advocated Jewish independance (see theocracy) from Rome. See also assassins.
zedakah -
(Heb., "righteousness"; see tzedakah) Term in Judaism usually applied to deeds of charity and philanthropy
Zion, Zionism -
(Mount) Zion is an ancient Hebrew designation for Jerusalem, but already in biblical times it began to symbolize the national homeland (see e.g. Psalm 137.1-6). In this latter sense it served as a focus for Jewish national-religious hopes of renewal over the centuries. Ancient hopes and attachments to Zion gave rise to Zionist longings and movements since antiquity, culminating in the modern national liberation movement of that name. The Zionist cause helped the Jews return to Palestine in this century and found the state of Israel in 1948. The goal of Zionism is the political and spititual renewal of the Jewish people in its ancestral homeland. See also Herzl.
zizit -
(Heb., fringes) See tallit.
Zohar -
Book of Splendor; the chief literary work of the kabalists. The author of the main part of the Zohar was Moses de Leon (12th century) in Spain, but it is pseudepigraphically ascribed to the Palestinian tanna Simeon bar Yohai (2nd century CE), sometimes called RaShBaY (Rabbi Shimeon bar Yohai
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