| A | B |
|---|
| Midrash | Hebrew: "to search or study." Rabbinic stories over centuries on the meaning of Scripture by telling more than the Scriptures. |
| Anti-Semitism | Hostility toward Jews and Judaism; ranges from attitudes of disfavor to active persecution. |
| Bar mitzvah, Bat mitzvah | Hebrew: "son of the commandment," "daughter of the commandment." The ritual celebration marking the coming of age of a Jewish child, at which time the person takes on the religious responsibilities of an adult. |
| Covenant | The agreement established between God and the ancient Israelites, first through Abraham and later through Moses, that designates the Jews as God's Chosen People, with special rights and responsibilities. |
| Diaspora | Greek: "dispersion." The situation of Jews living away from their ancestral homeland, a circumstance that has been true for most Jews since the classical period. |
| Hasidim | From Hebrew "hasid" "pious." A form of Judaism that arose in eastern Europe in the 18th century and that emphasizes mysticism, a personal relationship with God, a close-knit community, and the leadership of the zaddik, a charismatic holy man. |
| Holocaust | The persecution of Jews by German Nazis from 1933 to 1945, resulting in the murder of some 6 million; commonly referred to by Jews as Shoah, the Hebrew for "mass destruction." |
| Kabbalah | Jewish mysticism, which teaches that God can best be known through the heart; developed mainly in the medieval period with such texts as the Zohar. |
| Mishnah | Written down in about AD 200; contains collected teachings of the rabbis of the preceding 4 centuries; along with the Talmud, is the most important text of the oral Torah. |
| Passover | The eight-day festival celebrated in early spring that commemorates the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. |
| Rabbi | Hebrew: "my teacher." A teacher of Torah and leader of Jewish worship. |
| Rosh Hashanah | Hebrew: "the beginning of the year." The festival occurring in early fall in commemoration of the new year. |
| Sabbath | Hebrew "Shabbat." The day from sunset on Friday until sunset on Saturday that is set aside for rest and religious celebration, as decreed by one of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8). |
| Shema | Hebrew: "Hear." From Deuteronomy 6:4, Judaism's basic statement of monotheism: "Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone." |
| Talmud | Hebrew: "study, knowledge." The vast depository of the oral Torah, based on the Mishnah with extensive rabbinic commentary on each chapter; there are two versions, the Palestinian (completed about AD 45) and the Babylonian (completed about AD 600). |
| Tanakh | A common way of referring to the Hebrew Bible, derived from the first letters of the Hebrew names of its three sections: Torah, Prophets, Writings. |
| Torah | Hebrew: "instruction." Generally, the revelation of God's will to the people; more specifically, the divine Law, especially as contained in the first five books of the Bible, which together are considered this. |
| Yom Kippur | Hebrew: "day of atonement." Judaism's most important holy day, occurring in the fall on the tenth day of the new year; spent primarily at synagogue services in prayer for forgiveness of sins and marked by abstention from food and drink (fasting). |
| Zionism | Originally the movement arising in the late 19th century that sought to re-establish a Jewish homeland; since 1948, the general support of the State of Israel. |
