Jewish Final Review Guide PDF

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Jewish Final Review Guide Key Terms 

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Sephardic o Spain, Under Muslim rule o Poetry, philosophy and language—Golden Age of Spain o Pressure to convertconversos, marranos o Spanish inquisition, expulsion 1492 o Scholarship driven by ideas o Mixed with neighbors (adapt ways of gentiles) Ashkenaz o North France and West Germany, Under Christian rule o Jews independent of feudal systems o Money-lenders o Scholarship driven by texts o Targets of suspicion (blood libels) o Separate from neighbors (don’t adapt ways of gentiles) Pact of Umar o Restrictions on non-Muslims Dhimmi o Non-Muslim classes Gaon o Head of the rabbinic religious academy o Spiritual heads of Judaism o Wrote response literature Responsa o Commentaries on religious texts Saadia Gaon o Wrote Halakha o Liturgy—fixed prayers o Opposed Karaites—favored Rabbinic Judaism o Integrated Jewish theology with Greek philosophy o Emunot ve-Deot—rational basis for beliefs and principles in the Written and Oral Torah Rashi o Commentary on Bible and Talmud Maimonides (Rambam) o Halakha—commentary to Mishna and Mishneh Torah (guide for Jewish practice) o Philosophy—higher intellectual pursuit; glimpse to how God works  Moreh Nevukim—Guide of the Perplexed (reconcile philosophy with Judaism) Code of Jewish Law

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o Zohar o o o

Rambam—Mishneh Torah—guide for Jewish practice

Means radiance Mystical commentary on the 5 books of Moses; poetic; imaginative Reintroduces people to God in the natural world (God present in nature)  Sexuality given value Lurianic Kabbalah o Repairing the world—Tikkun Olan  Repair damage by acting ethically, doing good, and fulfilling commandments o How is their evil in the world10 vessels Shabbtai Tzvi o False prophet  Many followed because promise of redemption and hope to end suffering o Causes Rabbi’s to want to stay away from false prophets Ba’al Shem Tov o Repair the individual by reuniting with God o Every Jew can get close to God o Focus on spiritual rather than textual Devekut o Clinging to God o Individual is elevated by connecting to God in mind and spirit o All simple things become spiritual) o Joy and gladness open gates to heaven o Hasidism—piousness Tzaddik (in Hasidism) o Righteous man; religious leader; rebbe o Spiritual leader who maintains a state of devekut whose goal is to help relate people to God o Acts as a bridge between his followers and God Vilna Gaon o Learning to communicate with God o Wrote commentaries on everything Mitnagdim o Opponent of Hasidism o Thought Hasidism were not serous people acting crazy o Scared of another Shabbetai Zvi Emancipation o Being set free from legal, social, or political institutions o Are people are individuals and are free o

Jews become a part of the larger society (no longer separated)

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o Loyalty to the state or the Jewish people?! Haskalah o Jewish Enlightenment o Sought social and economic advancement for Jews o Modernize Jewish life—engage in culture outside of traditional Judaism o Achieve synthesis of Judaism and general culture (integrate Jews into the modern world) Moses Mendelssohn o Distinguished between faith and practice o Jews should be part of society, but don’t sacrifice yourself for it Reform Judaism o Embrace the enlightenment while maintaining a Jewish identity o Not a nationality, but a religious community o Universal aspects of Judaism as ethical monotheism (social justice) o Reject Halakha and Jewish laws Pittsburgh Platform o Stated the principles for Reform Judaism o Jewish beliefs and practices should be adapted to the needs of the people in every generation o Judaism is rational and modern o The bible reflects the ideas of its time and Judaism should adapt in every generation Orthodox Judaism o Keep traditions alive—stay the same o Torah is divine (outside history) o Jewish law is fixed and cannot be changed Samson Raphael Hirsch o Supporter of Orthodoxy Conservative Judaism o Maintain practice with learning of texts, but learn science and philosophy o Law is binding and evolving o Law reflects the needs of the people Zacharias Frankel o Founder of conservative Judaism Matrilineal/Patrillineal Descent o Who is a Jew? Shoah o Catastrophe o Holocaust Zionism o Jewish nationalism in the form of a sate for the Jews in Israel o One people united by a common identity

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o Solution isn’t to integrate into their lands, but to get their own land Theodor Herzl o Political Zionism—solution to anti-Semitism in Europe Dreyfus Affair o Captain Dreyfus convicted of treason because he was Jewish Balfour Declaration o Declared British support of establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine Aliyah o Ascent to land o People moved, most from Eastern Europe, for both ideological and preservation reasons o From 1880-1939 o Move and live with people there and work the land Aliyah Bet o During the Holocaust o Illegal immigration Mitzvah (Mitzvot) o Commandments o Covenant obligates us—“we will do and we will hear”—giving of the laws o Halakha is understanding the Mitzvot Talit o Prayer shawl Tefillin o Phylacteries Kashrut o Jewish Dietary Laws o Means fit, suitable o Specific animals, ritual slaughter, meat and milk Acts of Loving Kindness o Kindness and love towards humanity Tzedakah o Charity o All people are equal, therefore restoring justice in the world Tikkun Olam o Repairing the world through good deeds o Social justice Tefillah o Jewish prayer, 3 times a day o Praise, thanksgiving, request o Instead of sacrifice Minyan

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o Assembly of 10 men Shema o Love of God o Hear o Israel, the lord our god is one Amidah o Silent standing prayer, 18 blessings Parasha o Weekly Torah reading Haftara o Selection from Neviim that relate to the weekly Torah portion Sanctification of Time o Making something holy by separating it from others o Setting it aside to make it different o Set aside time to remember events of the historical past Shabbat o Recalls the creation of the world o No creative work o Synagogue, Torah portion, 3 meals Pilgrimage Festivals o Shalosh Regalim o Make pilgrimage and bring offering Passover o Spring festival—7 days o Commemorate exodus from Egypt o Feast of unleavened bread; seder Shavuot o Summer; wheat harvest o First grain crop brought to the temple o Receiving Torah at Mt. Sinai Sukkot o Fall; fruit harvest o End of harvest period o Live in temporary huts—wandering of Jews in desert o Build a sukkah, 4 species, rejoice o Shemini Atzeret—extra day to be with God o Simchat Torah Days of Awe o High Holy Days o Period of introspection and reflection (on the past year) Rosh Hashanah

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o Jewish New Year o God sits in judgment while people ask for forgiveness o Celebrates creation of the world o Teshuva Yom Kippur o Day of Atonement o Release individual from their vows o Self denial—to reach a higher spiritual place Tisha B’av o Destruction of the temples o Culminates 3 week period of mourning Purim o Festival of lots o Recount story of attempt to kill Jews, but they are saved o Megillah, presents to the poor, seder, and food gifts to one-another Hannukkah o Small band of priests band together to revolt against the Greeks o Means dedication o Commemorates military victory and miracle of oil o Light the candle Yom Ha’atzmaut o Israeli Independence Day Brit Milah o Bringing child into the covenant o Ritual circumcision o Naming of the child Bar/Bat Mitzvah o Child reaches age of adulthood o Ability to make decisions and fulfill the commandments Ketubah o Marriage contract Chuppah o Wedding canopy o 4 poles, open on all sides (couple in their own home but also in the community) Kiddushim/Nisu’in o Kiddushin—make something holy by setting it apart o Nisu’in—couple joined together in marriage with a simple ring Get o Divorce granted by man and accepted by woman Kaddish

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o Recited by the mourners o Discusses the greatness of God—things beyond our control Shiva o Sit for 7 days o Retreat from the world; refrain from joyous things Shloshim o Until 30 days after death o Slowly return to the world Olam Haba o The World to Come o Something that a person gets based on merit o Not only for Jews Gehenom o A transient space—go to for a fixed time and then come out o People go to atone for sins after death o Not an infinite hell

Essays / Broader Concepts How did the lives of Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews differ in the medieval period and how did this impact the way in which they interacted with the larger culture? What were the main causes of these different experiences? 

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Sepharad o Little religious persecution o Open to ideas of the Muslim world o Synthesis between religious and secular thought o Live among Muslim neighbors freely o Wider society engage in philosophy, finds its way into the Jewish community o Writing in Arabic o Integrated into society o Shared in common interest of society o Works on Talmud, but also on philosophy, poetry, grammar Ashkenaz o Not integrated; isolated within Christian communities o Text based tradition (because turned inwards)—Talmud

How is Jewish literature of the medieval period reflective of the different experiences of Sephadic and Ashkenazi Jews? 

Kabbalah—response to Maimo o We can’t talk about God, but we can describe God as an experience

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What parts of the text do they focus on o Text centered vs. idea centered Involvement in the wider society

In what way did Hasidism differ from the traditional Judaism of Eastern Europe in the 18 th century? 

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Traditional—study test as a path to God o Division between elite scholars and the masses o Denying self and withholding physical pleasures Differs o Open to everyone o God is in all parts of the world—don’t deny things o Feelings, singing and dancing

What were the effects of emancipation and the Enlightenment on the Jews? What issues or questions did they prompt for the Jews of Europe?   

New question of how to relate the Jewish world to the secular world As the enlightenment sweeps across Europe, Effects of enlightenment and emancipation o Jews migrate to urban center in Europe o Weakened Jewish institutions and religious authority o Jewish identity is a private matter rather than a legal status Allows access to education  Rational and scientific study of Judaism Issues prompted o What does it mean to be a Jew o Integrate or remain segregated o Loyalty to the state vs. loyalty to the Jewish people o Universalism of Enlightenment vs. particularism of Judaism  All people are equal vs. Jews are special and different o

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What were the core ideals and values of the Haskalah? How did it pave the way for the development of denominational movements in Judaism? 

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Sought social and economic advancement for Jews o Engage in culture outside of traditional Judaism o Change in Jewish education to include philosophy, ethics, language Achieve synthesis of Judaism and general culturenot abandon Judaism, but integrate Jews into the modern world Through modernization of practice Keep Jewish identity, but modernize external aspects that distinguish us from wider society

How do the denominational movements of Judaism differ in their approaches to Halakha and how are their approaches reflective of their understanding of Judaism and the way in which it developed over time?   

Reform—not binding; informed choice o Reject ritual laws Conservative—binding and evolving o Judaism has evolved over time Orthodox—fixed

What is the difference between the questions of “how” versus the questions of “why” regarding the Holocaust? What are some of the questions and responses prompted by the Holocaust?    

Asking “why” means there is a just answer. We cannot justify what happened Where was God? Where was humanity? Was God watching this?

What prompted the development of Zionism? In what ways is Zionism a reversal of the Haskalah?      

The enlightenment and the Haskalah Political—unify Jews in a homeland as a response to anti-antisemitism Labor—maintain Jewish identity in secular world through Kibbutz Religious—Mitzvha to live in the land Cultural—Jewish culture to unite all Jews Haskalha—stay Jewish but integrate into larger society because they accept us o Dreyfus affaireven when they accept us, they still don’t

What is the origin and significance of the Sabbath? What does Heschel mean when he calls the Sabbath a “palace in time”? 

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Origin and significance o God blessed the day and made it holy o Recalls creation of the world o Make the day different (synagogue, 3 meals, Torah portion) A palace in time o A palace is fortified, and separate from the world around you, safe, and permanent o It encircles the individual in time o Time has no limit (outside of space and limits)

Be able to discuss the meaning and significance of the Jewish holidays, including their connection to the agricultural cycle (where applicable) and the history of the Jewish people.

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Deliverance  revelation  exile and destruction  then promise of redemption if repent  rejoice and celebrate victories against all odds

What is the purpose/function of the commandments?   

Obligated to fulfill commandments because of the covenant There is a “larger” place in the world and you are accountable for your actions Gods relationship to the Jewish people

How is Jewish prayer reflective of how Jews understand their relationship to God? What is the inherent problem of fixed and repetitive prayer? 

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Every individual has a relationship with God o We talk and God listens o Praise God, thank God, and ask for requests Problem o Loses its meaning—we do it, but do we think about it o Holiness lost in the details of the laws

Be able to discuss the various rituals and customs associated with each of the lifecycle events and their significance. How are these rituals reflective of some of the core beliefs of Judaism?  

Reflects the Jewish value of life and reflects the relationship to the family and community Passage of time through rituals

Be able to discuss the major turning points in Jewish History from the biblical to modern period and their significance and impact on Judaism. 

The Exodus, Covenant at Sinai, Exiles, Destruction of the temple, Hellenism, Hasidism, Enlightenment, Holocaust, Zionism...