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Aggadah
the stories of the Tanak and the Talmud that communicate spiritual truths. TERM 2
Amoriam
DEFINITION 2 the generation of sages that created the Gemara (oral Torah). TERM 3
Bar/bat mitzvah
DEFINITION 3 the rite of passage for boys whereby they become full members of the religion of Judaism who are able to read and interpret Torah; in modern times, a parallel rite for girls has been established in some forms of Judaism. TERM 4
Circumcision
DEFINITION 4 the cutting of the foreskin of the penis as a sign of the covenant of Abraham. TERM 5
Covenant
DEFINITION 5 the agreement between God and the people Israel whereby they are chosen to be Gods people; God agrees to guide and protect them; the people agree to follow Gods commandments (halakhah).
Diaspora
the dispersion of religious people outside their geographic homeland, where they must live as a minority among others. TERM 7
Dual Torah
DEFINITION 7 the scriptures of Rabbinic Judaism, composed of the written Torah (Tanak) and the oral Torah (Talmud). TERM 8
Gemara
DEFINITION 8 commentary on the oral Torah (Mishnah). TERM 9
Gentile
DEFINITION 9 anyone not Jewish. TERM 10
Halakhah
DEFINITION 10 the commandments of God revealed in the Tanak and commented on in the Talmud; the word means to walk in the way of God by obeying his commands or laws.
Marranos
the Jews of Spain who were forced to convert to Christianity during the Inquisition but secretly continued to practice their Jewish faith. TERM 17
Mishnah
DEFINITION 17 recording of the written Torah. TERM 18
Mitzvot
DEFINITION 18 the commandments of God requiring deeds of loving kindness. TERM 19
Rabbinic
DEFINITION 19 form of Judaism in which a rabbi is a teacher; provided the normative framework for Jewish life; the name came to designate the Judaism of the dual Torah created by the Pharisees, which came to be normative in the premodern period. TERM 20
Sephardic Jews
DEFINITION 20 Jews whose traditions originated in Spain and Portugal.
Shema
the essential declaration of monotheistic faith as found in Judaism: Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. TERM 22
Synagogue
DEFINITION 22 a community centered on the study of Torah and prayer to God; the buildings used to house these activities also came to be known as synagogues. TERM 23
Talmud
DEFINITION 23 the oral Torah, recorded in the Mishnah, and the commentary on the Mishnah called the Gemara. There are two Talmuds: the Bavli (Talmud of Babylonia) and the Yerushalmi (the Jerusalem Talmud); the former is considered the more comprehensive and authoritative. TERM 24
Tanak
DEFINITION 24 the written Torah, or Hebrew Bible, made up of Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament from Genesis to Deuteronomy), Neviim (the prophets and historical writings such as Jeremiah and I and II Kings), and Ketuvim (the wisdom writings, such as Proverbs, Job, etc). TERM 25
Tannaim
DEFINITION 25 the generation of sages, beginning with Hillel and Shammai, that created the Mishnah.
