RE - judaism

• shekinah is a term meaning ‘God’s manifested Glory‘ and it refers to God’s presence on earth and the place where His presence can be felt
• shabbat is the weekly Jewish holy day of spiritual renewal and rest. it begins at sunset of friday and closes at nightfall on saturday
• kosher means ‘fit’ or ‘proper’ and refers to foods that are permitted to be eaten according to Leviticus chapter 11. it can also refer to the purity of objects that Jews use for worship ( such as the Torah scrolls)
• covenant is a promise or agreement between two parties. covenants were made between God with Noah, Abraham and Moses.
• messiah is the ‘anointed one’ who Jews believe will bring in a new era or age for mankind. this will include rebuilding the temple and bringing in a new age of universal peace
• torah is a Hebrew word meaning ‘instruction’ or ‘teaching’. the torah is the five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deutronomy)
• mitzvot comes from the Hebrew word ‘mitzvah’ meaning ‘commandment‘. it is most often used in reference to the 613 commandments in the torah, but can mean any duties a Jew should complete
• synagogue is a Hebrew term meaning ’house of assembly’. synagogues are buildings for Jewish prayer, study and assembly
• the tanakh is the complete body of jewish scriptures. it has 24 books split into 3 main parts - Torah, Nevi’im and Ketuvim
• the Nevi’im is the 8 books of jewish history
• the Ketuvim is the 11 books of poetry, stories, advice and more
• the talmud is a combination of oral traditions written in the Mishnah in 200CE and the altered ideas of rabbis in the Gemara in 500CE
• for an observant jew, prayer is a part of everyday life - 3 times a day, every weekday and at shabbat and other festivals
• the siddur contains examples of prayers for praising God, requests of God and thanksgiving
• orthodox jews recite prayers in hebrew as it is the holy language
• reform jews recite prayers in their own language as they think it is more important to understand what is being said
• the shema is the affirmation of the most fundamental belief - worshipping one God. it is taught to children, written on scrolls and placed around their homes
• all jews must believe in the coming of the Mashiach and the Messianic age
• the opposite of kosher is treyfah, and it refers to foods and actions that are forbidden
• forbidden animals are predatory birds, fish without scales, shellfish and animals that dont chew the cud or have split hooves. they are considered unclean
• the head of the household recites the Kiddish blessing while holding the Kiddish cup
• the 2 loaves of challah bread represent the 2 portions of manna eaten by the Israelites in the desert in exodus
• the laws concerning food are called kashrut
• to end Shabbat, the Havdalah candle is lit and the sweet smelling spice box is passed around in hopes for a sweet week ahead
• Shabbat ends at nightfall on Saturday evening