Glossary

These are Jewish/Messianic terms that you might find useful....

"A-donai" - the Name for G-d used most frequently in Berachot and in reading the Torah aloud. It means "Master," as the Hebrew word for "master" is "adon." The connotation is "Master of the universe" and "Master of the individual human being."

"Amen" - (adverb); the response given upon hearing a blessing, meaning "so be it;" also interpreted as an abbreviation of "E-l Melech Ne'eman," "The Mighty and Faithful King," where we see the relationship between "Amen" and "Ne'eman," "Faithful"

"Chanukah" - the eight-day celebration of the victory of the Jewish People at about 165 B.C.E., led by the Chashmonaim, over the Greeks and their Hellenist allies.  It also involved the purification of the Temple, aided by the Miracle of the Oil, whereby an amount of oil sufficient for only one day miraculously lasted for eight days.

"Chumash" - (m., pl. "chumashim"); the "Five Books of Moses;" These Books were "dictated," as it were, by HaShem, to Moshe, during the forty years that the Jewish People, the Children of Israel, were in the desert. The term is based on the Hebrew word for the number "5," "chamesh." The Books are:

"Bereshit"/Genesis

"Shemot"/Exodus

"Vayikra"/Leviticus

"Bamidbar"/Numbers

"Devarim"/Deuteronomy

"Daven" - to pray. This is the term adopted widely to refer to the act of praying, as in "to daven Shacharit," to pray the Morning Prayer.

"E-l" - (m.) the Almighty, a reference to G-d; sometimes written, without a "dash," as "Kel". Compare HaShem.

"E-lohim" - Almighty G-d, the Name most closely associated with His "Midat HaDin," His Attribute of Justice; sometimes written, without the dash, as "Elokim."

"Gemara" - (Aramaic) Contains comprehensive discussions of the Mishnah; consists of sixty three "Masechtot", or volumes, such as "Berachot," Blessings, or "Sanhedrin," the Jewish Supreme Court.

Each Masechta contains, in addition to legal material, vast anecdotal material teaching moral or practical lessons of life.

"Haftarah" - (f.; pl. "Haftarot"); a section from the writings of the Prophets, who were human "conduits," or pipelines through which G-d addressed the Jewish People, related in some way to the Weekly Torah Reading, appended to the weekly Reading. Historically, the custom of reading the Haftorah was instituted when the ruling power forbade, usually on pain of death, the reading of the Torah. As in, "Kavod gadol likro et ha-Haftarah bevait Ha-knesset;" "It is a great honor to read the Section of the Prophets in the synagogue."

"Halachah" - (f., pl. "Halachot"); Actually, this word is used in two senses: one is as a singular, meaning a single Jewish Law; for example, that one has to recite a "berachah," a blessing, before one eats an apple. The second sense is as a collective noun, referring to "all of Jewish Law." For example, a Rabbi should be an expert in all of "Halachah." The word derives from the Hebrew "shoresh," or root, "lech," "to go." The reason is that it describes a "path to follow," or a "way on which to go," in life.

"HaShem" - (both and neither masculine nor feminine and absolutely no plural); the word means, literally, "The Name," and it is the way that Jews refer to G-d when not in a Prayer or Torah Reading or Torah citation context. The reason is that the Torah forbids us from pronouncing the four-letter Name of HaShem in other than ritual contexts, and even then using only certain Names (other than the four-letter one, known as the Tetragrammaton) that embody characteristics, such as A-donai, E-l, E-lohim.

"Kiddush" - Prayer recited at the beginning of a festive meal on the Shabbat or the Holidays. The prayer describes the specific symbolism of the holiday - e.g. Pesach is the "Time of our Freedom," Shavuot is the "Time of the Giving of the Torah," Shabbat is the "Day which was first to be called 'Holy,' commemorating both the Creation of the Universe and the Exodus from Egypt. The Kiddush contains, as well, information as to who is responsible for the conferring of the quality of "holiness" upon the day. In the case of Shabbat, on one hand, it was G-d Himself, Who made the Day holy, whereas it is the Jewish People that has been charged with the responsibility by the Torah and by its Author, to confer the holiness upon them, by means of establishing the calendar. 

"Kohen" (alt. "Cohen") - (pl. "Kohanim" or "Cohanim") - Priest; Judaism is not a classless society; rather, there are three "classes" within the structure of Jewish society: Kohen, Levi and Yisrael. The Kohen is a descendant of Aharon, the High Priest, the brother of Moshe. His task is to work in the Temple, be involved with the offering of sacrifices, and with Blessing the Congregation of Israel. The Priest holds the highest status in the People of Israel, thus he is called up to the Torah first, and has first rights in leading the "Zimun" before the Birchat HaMazon. Since he did not participate in the "Goral," or Lottery, which divided the Land of Israel, he is the recipient of certain parts of some of the sacrifices, and of various "Matnot Kehunah," "Obligatory Presents to the Priests,' such as Terumah. The Kohanim are a subset of the Tribe of Levi. Thus, every Kohen is a Levi, but not every Levi is a Kohen.

"Midrash" - (pl. Midrashim); containing extra-legal material of anecdotal or allegorical nature, designed either to clarify historical material, or to teach a moral point.

"Mikvah" - (f., pl. "Mikvaot"); a ritual pool of water, used for the purpose of attaining ritual purity. Immersion in a Mikvah is performed for the following main purposes:

It is used in connection with Repentance, to remove the impurity of sin.

It is also used in connection with Conversion, because the convert has taken upon himself or herself to adopt the lifestyle of the Jew, that is based on the recognition of G-d as King of the Universe and on the obligation to perform the commandments of the Torah.

"Mishnah" - (Plural Mishnayot); First "written" compilation of Oral Law of Judaism. Rabbi Akiva was first such compiler. "Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi," also known as "Rabbeinu HaKadosh," "Our Holy Rabbi;" was the final and authoritative compiler of the Mishnayot, in approximately 200 C.E. It is divided into six "Sedarim," or Orders. They are: "Zeraim," Seeds, Agriculture-Related Mitzvot, etc., "Moed," Shabbat and the Holidays, etc., "Nashim," Mitzvot relating to women, etc., "Nezikin," Laws regarding Damages, etc., "Kodshim," Holy matters, such as Mitzvot related to the Temple and Sacrifices, etc., and "Taharot," Matters of Purity, such as Family Purity, Impurity emanating from a corpse, etc.

"Mitzvah" - (pl. "Mitzvot"); a Command of G-d. There are several types, including the following:

 Seven Commands of the "Sons of "Noach"/Noah (refers to all of humanity because the entire human race descended, according to the Torah, from the survivors of the Great Flood, the "Mabul.") These commands are presumably "built into" the soul or conscience of the human being. The seven commands are:

a. Not to engage in the practice of idol-worship

b. Not to "Bless (euphemism for "curse") the Divine Name

c. Not to Murder

d. Not to engage in Sexual Transgressions

e. Not to engage in Theft

f. To Establish a System of Courts for the Administration of Justice

g. Not to eat a limb torn from a live animal (against cruelty to animals)

 Six hundred thirteen Commands of the Torah, binding upon the Jewish People, including:

a. Two hundred forty eight Positive Commands (for example: "You shall eat Matzot for seven days" - ("Shemot"/Exodus 12:15) and "Honor your father and your mother" (Ibid. 20:12)) and

b. Three hundred sixty five Negative Commands (for example: "You shall not murder" (Ibid. 20:13) and "You shall not curse a deaf person and You shall not put a stumbling block in the path of a blind person." ("Vayikra"/Leviticus 19:14))

"Observant" - The word describes individuals who follow a lifestyle dictated by observance of the "Mitzvot," the Commands of G-d, as recorded in the Torah. The word has essentially the same meaning as "Orthodox." The common denominator is that both believe strongly in the Principle of "Torah min HaShamayim;" namely, that the Torah was given by HaShem to the Israel, on Mt. Sinai and during their forty year sojourn through the desert, as recorded in the Bible. Ultimately, by their fulfillment of their role as "A light unto the nations," the People of Israel will communicate the principles of the Torah to all of humanity, as well.

"Oral Law" - Principles of Jewish Law transmitted originally to Moshe (Moses) by G-d at Mt. Sinai, during the forty days and forty nights that Moshe was at the top of the mountain, to be transmitted from parents to children or from teachers to students. Contains explanations of the Written Law, where it is necessary, e.g. physical definition of Tefilin, and explanation of Jewish concept of an "eye for an eye," which would otherwise be completely misunderstood. Originally, the "Oral Law" was not meant to be written down, but when the difficulties of Jewish History threatened to cause its forgetting, Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi compiled the Mishnah, and Ravina and Rav Ashi compiled the Gemara.

"Pesach" - Hebrew for "Passover". The Festival of Redemption, in which the Jewish People, who had been captives and slaves in Egypt for more than two hundred years, were freed from the "House of Bondage." This Redemption was proof of many of the fundamental beliefs of Judaism. It was proof of the Existence of G-d, that G-d was concerned about the world, that He would and could intervene in human history in order to establish His moral order in the World. Passover represented Physical Redemption. The real goal was Spiritual Redemption, which was represented by the Holiday of Shavuot. Passover and Shavuot were connected by Sefirat HaOmer, the Counting of the Days from the Second Day of Passover till Shavuot, a period of time over which the Jewish People were expected to grow sufficiently to take the first step of spiritual growth, Accepting the Torah.

Passover also has major implications as a foreshadow of Yeshua's Death and Sacrifice.

"Parshah" - (pl. parshiyot); section - as in a section of the Torah read on each Shabbat

"Rosh HaShanah" - Start of the Year; The "Day of Judgment" for all individuals and for all nations. One of the Mitzvot, or Commandments associated with this holiday is the blowing of the Shofar, the Ram's Horn, which portrays our sighing and wailing before the Master of the Universe on this Awesome Day. Yet, we eat sweet foods and other symbolic foods to show our optimism for a good outcome of our heavenly trial. In the Rosh HaShanah Prayers, we recite three special prayers, in which we accept the Kingliness of Hashem, attest to his complete knowledge of our deeds, and even our thoughts, and recall the great goodness which He did for us when He gave us the Torah.

"Ruach" - (m. and f., pl. "Ruchot"); wind, air, breath, soul, mind, spirit, direction; as in "Mashiv HaRuach U-Morid HaGeshem," "Who makes the wind blow and the rain fall" (From the daily Shemoneh Esray Prayer); "VeHaRuach tashuv el HaElokim…," "And the soul will return to G-d…" (Kohelet 12:7)

"Ruach HaKodesh" - (f.); the Divine Spirit; as in "Sefer Tehilim nichtav beRuach HaKodesh," "The Book of Psalms was written with the inspiration of the Divine Spirit"

"Seder" - (Plural Sedarim); Literally, Order; having a well-defined structure; thus, the following two meanings: 1) the Festive Meal eaten on the night of Pesach, which has this name because what is eaten and the ceremonies performed at this meal follow a precise order; 2) one of the Six Orders of the Mishnah, into which the Mishnah was divided by Rabbi Judah the Prince

"Shabbat" - The Sabbath; the "Day of Rest" of Hashem, so to speak, the Day on which He completed the Creation of the Universe and all that is in it (Bereishit 2:1 - 3). He conferred Holiness and Majesty upon this Day, and commanded that the Jewish People observe it as a Day of Rest. He commanded in the two versions of the Ten Commandments that "melachah", defined simply, but inaccurately, as work, not be done on that Day and further, that the Day be experienced as a Day of "Oneg," or Delight. Observance of this Day has protected the Jewish People from assimilation throughout the ages.

"Shad-dai" - a Name of G-d, based on concept of "the One who said to His universe, 'Enough!' " based on the Hebrew word, "Dai," meaning "enough," (as when He defined the natural laws that stop the sea from advancing onto the land, and the natural laws that keep the celestial bodies fixed in their proper orbits). Basically, the Creator of Natural Law; sometimes written and pronounced as "Shakkai." Compare HaShem.

"Shalom" - (m.; pl. "shelomim"); peace, hello, goodbye, a "Name" of Hashem; peace (which is a positive quality, not just the absence of war) - therefore, a most appropriate greeting representing "hello" or "goodbye;" as in the Friday Night greeting sung to the two Angels who accompany each person home after Services in shul, "Shalom Aleichem, Malachei HaShalom!" "Greetings to you, Angels of Peace!".

"Shofar" - (pl. Shofarot); the ram's horn; blown on Rosh HaShanah, accounting for the name of that Holiday, "Yom Teruah," the Day of Blowing the ram's Horn. The Shofar arouses thoughts of "Teshuvah", or Repentance, in the human being, and also commemorates two fundamental events in Jewish History. The first was "Akeidat Yitzchak," the Binding of Isaac, where Avraham, at the command of G-d, displayed willingness to sacrifice his son, Yitzchak, but was prevented from doing so by an Angel of the L-rd, and a ram was substituted for the son. (Bereshit 22: 1-19) The second was the Giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai, where Hashem revealed Himself to the Jewish People, amid thunder and lightning and the Call of the Shofar. (Shemot 19: 16-19)

"Siddur" - (pl. Siddurim); Jewish Prayer Book used on Shabbat and weekdays throughout the year. It contains the prayers created by the Jewish People over the ages beginning with the Avot (Avraham instituted "Shacharis," the Morning Prayer, Yitzchak taught the idea of "Minchah," the Afternoon Prayer, and Yaakov began the practice of reciting "Maariv," the Evening Prayer).

The "Anshei K'nesset HaGedolah," "Men of the Great Assembly," formulated the main prayers, including the classic prayer, the "Shemoneh Esray," the set of "eighteen" (the literal meaning of the Prayer's name) blessings which the Jew uses to pray to G-d.

"Sukkot" - The Biblical Holiday which commemorates Hashem's provision of His Clouds of Glory to escort the Jewish People through the desert. According to another opinion which does not disagree that Hashem provided Clouds of Glory, but maintains that the Holiday focuses on a different aspect of G-d's protection; namely, the psychological, that Hashem enabled the Jews to find comfort in the temporary huts which we call "Sukkot," even in the harsh conditions of the desert. Both opinions agree that the theme of the holiday is G-d's protection. "Mitzvot," or Commandments of this Holiday include dwelling in a Sukkah, and waving in all directions a set of four species: the "lulav," or palm branch, the "etrog," or citron, a group of three "hadasim," or myrtle branches, and a set of two "aravot," or willow branches, to show that Hashem rules over nature

"Talmud" - Repository of "Oral Law" of Judaism; consists of Mishnah and Gemara. There exist two versions: the Babylonian, or "Bavli" (this is the most frequently used version) and the Jerusalem, or "Yerushalmi." It is similar to an encyclopaedia, but with by no means as strict a structure. It consists of sixty three "Masechtot," or volumes, such as "Berachot," or "Blessings and Prayers," and "Sanhedrin," or "The Jewish Supreme Court," etc. It was written/compiled by Rav Ashi and his colleagues ca. 500 C.E., preserving generations of analysis and discussion by "Amoraim" of the more concise Mishnah, which contains the discussions of the "Tannaim". It also contains extra-legal and anecdotal material relating to all aspects of life. It is similar, in breadth and organization and random-access type memory organization, to the Internet and world-wide web, but is far deeper and qualitatively not comparable. It is referred to as the "Sea of the Talmud."

 "Talmud Bavli" - the Babylonian Talmud, as opposed to the "Talmud Yerushalmi", the Jerusalem Talmud; it is the version that is used more. This version of the Talmud was compiled in Babylonia; see Talmud

 "Talmud Yerushalmi" - the Jerusalem Talmud, as opposed to the "Talmud Bavli," the Babylonian Talmud. It is the version less used. This version of the Talmud was compiled in "Eretz Yisrael," the Land of Israel; see Talmud.

"Tefilin" - (f.); an untranslatable term, translated as "phylacteries," a "ritual object" that is a combination of two components: "Tefilin shel Yad", Tefilin worn on the Arm, or Hand and Tefilin shel Rosh, Tefilin worn on the Head.

"Teshuvah" - Repentance, or return to G-d or the G-dly way of life; modifying one's behavior by the following four steps: stopping the sinful behavior, confession before G-d, regret over past actions, and commitment to changed behavior in the future.

"Torah" - (f.; pl. "Torot"); literally, the "Teaching;" the "Constitution" of Judaism and the Jewish People, given to them by G-d at Mt. Sinai, some thirty three hundred years ago. This belief, that the Ten Commandments, the "Aseret HaDibrot," which are the bare outline, as well as the entire text of the "Five Books of Moses" and their explanation, are of Divine Origin, is known as "Torah min HaShamayim;" literally, the Torah comes from Heaven. It is one of the Fundamental Beliefs of Judaism.

The Torah is a "web" of History and Law, the History beginning at the Beginning of Time, and the Law, "preceding" the Beginning of Time, and continuing to the Present and into the Future.

It traces the ancestors of humanity - Adam, "Chava" (Eve), Noach - and the "Avot, the "fathers of the Jewish People," together with the "Imahot," the "mothers of the Jewish People." It shows us an unaltered picture of the interactions of their descendants through Biblical Times, some thirty eight hundred years, beginning with the beginning of recorded history in the Garden of Eden, and ending with the Rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem and the End of Prophecy, some two thousand years ago.

The Torah consists of two components: the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. The Written Torah consists of two hundred forty eight Laws of Positive Action ("Mitzvot Aseh") - the "Do's" - and three hundred sixty five Prohibited Activities ("Mitzvot Lo Taaseh") - the "Don'ts". The root word "Aseh" means "to Do."

When did Israel receive the "Oral Torah?" They received it at Sinai, along with the Written Torah. What else do you think Moshe Rabbeinu, Moses our Teacher, was doing up there for forty days and forty nights, neither "eating bread nor drinking water" according to the testimony of the Bible. If not studying the "Oral" Part of the Torah from the Master Teacher, G-d Himself? The Oral Torah is required because without it, its counterpart, the Written Torah, would be incomprehensible.

How would it be incomprehensible? Two examples: one obvious, the second more subtle. First, the Written Torah says in "Devarim" /Deuteronomy 5:8, "Bind them as a 'sign' on your hand, and as a 'totafot' between your eyes." What should be written? What kind of sign? What part of your hand (or is the hand not meant at all)? What in the world is a 'totafot?' Does the Torah mean literally 'between your eyes'? The Oral Torah explains that we have here references to the "Tefilin," the Phylacteries (that's a pretty non-helpful translation); anyway, black "boxes" made of hardened skin, containing parchments upon which are written verses, including the "Kriat Shema" Prayer, "Hear O Israel, the L-rd our G-d; the L-rd is One" ("Devarim"/Deuteronomy 6:4), worn on the biceps (opposite the heart ) and on the forehead (opposite the brain), to unite heart and mind in the Service of G-d.

A second example: The concept of an "eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot" as punishment for a physical injury is mentioned in the Written Torah in "Shemot"/Exodus 21:24. This verse has been the basis for criticism of the Torah as a harsh and inhumane document for thousands of years, all based on a misunderstanding of its meaning.

The Oral Law explains that what is meant is a sophisticated five-part monetary form of compensation, consisting of payment for "Damages, Pain, Medical Expenses, Incapacitation, and Mental Anguish" - which underlie many modern "advanced" legal codes? And the expression, "An eye for an eye, etc." means that that is what the perpetrator deserves, if not for the mercy of the Torah and its Author. Ah, you ask, how do you know the Torah means that, and is not to be taken literally? Because the Torah says, "Do not take a ransom for the life of a Murderer, who is wicked to the extent that he must die"; for the murderer, there is no monetary amount that is sufficient to grant him atonement in the eyes of G-d! Only payment with his life will secure that atonement! But for other forms of injury, we will take millions of dollars from the criminal, as a ransom for his eye, hand, or foot; and as atonement, hopefully rendering him a poor man, for his terrible crime!

 In the Torah, G-d commands His People, "Be holy, for I, the L-rd your G-d, am Holy." ("VaYikra"/Leviticus 19:2) And teach the rest of humanity that lesson, though they will at first resist to the point of killing you, that the purpose of the Creator in creating the human being was for his highest creature to live his or her life according to true human nature, which is to realize the potential of the "image of G-d" which lies within every human being.