WORLD
RELIGIONS: Figures and Terms
|
Person or Term |
Identify |
Religious Importance |
|
Abraham |
-Abraham
is the patriarch of the covenant -according
to Hebrew scriptures, around 2000 BC Abraham received a vision from God that
told him to leave his home in the city of Ur and move to Haran
and later to Canaan -the
revelation he received didn’t come from one of the many gods of polytheistic -Abraham
was commanded to move to a special land to raise a nation, and he did just
that by settling in -Abraham
and his son Issac and his grandson Jacob sought to
keep the covenant with God and evolve a community to the Promised Land |
-Abraham
represents the first steps taken in the development of Hebrew religious
practice that would ultimately become Judaism -amid
a society characterized by polytheism, Abraham was chosen by God and God
promised to bless him and make of him a “great nation” |
|
Covenant |
-a
binding and solemn agreement between God and humanity -similar
to a contract |
-the
covenant between God and Abraham (and humanity) is the key to the Jewish
faith -it
established God as the creator and governor of all things -it recognized the “chosen people” as those who
would honour God’s covenant |
|
Moses |
-Moses
was born of Hebrew slaves of -he
was favoured by Pharaoh until he felt compassion
for his own people and killed an Egyptian who was harassing a Hebrew slave -fearing
the Egyptian laws against murder, Moses fled to Midian
where he then lived with a priest -it
was here where God spoke to him through a burning bush and said that the
cries of the Israelites had been heard and that through Moses they would be
set free -Moses
then set out on his mission to let his people free and according to Hebrew
scriptures, God brought ten plagues on the Egyptians in order to convince the
Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go -after
the tenth plague Pharaoh finally decided to let the Hebrews free and Moses
led the Hebrews out of Egypt across the Red Sea -on
Mount Sinai, God appeared to Moses again and this time He gave Moses the Ten
Commandments which instructed the laws that people were to abide by and
should still abide by |
-God
and the Hebrew people took on new significance amidst the time of Moses -the
Mosaic period saw God provide His people with the commandments that would
allow them to keep His covenant -the
Hebrews drew inspiration from the example of Moses and marvel at the wonder
of God who worked through Moses to perform miracles for them (through God
Moses was able to set his people free) |
|
Exodus |
-the
word exodus means “departure” or
“going out” -the
event where Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in |
-this
allowed the Israelites to find hope and liberty in the Promised Land |
|
Tanakh |
-the
Jewish Bible -consists
of the Prophets, the Torah (the Law of Moses), and the Writings |
-the
prophetic tradition, which is partly found in the Tanakh,
is one that Judaism shares with Islam and Christianity -this
involves the belief that God sometimes uses specific people to deliver His
holy message -the
prophetic writing’s ongoing refrain is, “Love God and keep the covenant with
Him” -the
Tanakh is all of Judaism’s main holy scriptures |
|
Mitzvah |
-a
commandment from God -the
act of performing a good deed for God -the
most famous mitzvoth are the Ten Commandments |
-it
gives people direction on how to live life morally while honouring/worshipping
God -for
Jews it’s absolutely essential that one endeavors to keep the covenant with
God, and the way to do this is by following God’s commandments (which are
mitzvoth) |
|
|
-the
wooden chest that held the tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments -the
temple in |
-the
Ark of Covenant contained the most well-known mitzvoth (the Ten Commandments) -today
the Holy Ark (a cabinet like structure) sits on a raised platform in the
synagogue and holds the Torah scrolls -during
the service, the Torah scroll is taken from the |
|
Kashruth |
-an
active expression of adherence to the commandments of keeping kosher (the
Jewish dietary laws) |
-they
establish the Jews as an identifiable group (kosher foods distinguishes the
distinctiveness of Jews compared to others) -kosher
food laws speak to the humanity and humility of the Jewish people -humanity
is revealed in the killing of animals in the most humane manner possible -humility
is revealed when one considers the level of gratitude the Jews give to God
for the food provided for them |
|
Shabbat |
-also
known as Sabbath -is
a time to put aside work, homework, shopping, housework, etc. -it’s
a period of rejuvenation -at
sunset on Friday, Jews go to the synagogue where they partake in a holy
service -afterwards
they return home and eat the Sabbath dinner which always beings with the kiddush (the prayer over wine) -Sabbath
morning is spent at the synagogue in prayer and worship -at
sunset the Sabbath ends with a short service (which is often held at home) |
-is
perhaps the most important Jewish ritual -is
an opportunity to set aside time for the important things in life, such as
prayer, family, and friends -the
Sabbath has played an immense role in the Jewish religion because it has
always sustained them (the Jews) as a people |
|
Star
of David |
-a
figure consisting of two interlaced equilateral triangles -is
a symbolic Jewish symbol -is
thought to be the shape of King David’s shield -most
experts believe the Star was not accepted to be used in Judaism until the 19th
Century |
-the
best-known symbol of Judaism -Jews
see the Star of David as a symbol of will to survive -it’s
a source of pride in Jewish identity -is
featured on the Israeli flag |
|
Menorah |
-is
a very ancient source of light -a
candelabrum with seven branches -a
ritual object |
-is
used at home and in the synagogue on the Sabbath and holy holidays -the
seven branches represents each of the six days of creation (God’s creation of
the world) and one for the Sabbath (the day God rested) -is
used as the logo of the modern State of Israel |
|
Rosh
Hashanah |
-the
festival celebrating the Jewish New Year -falls
in September or early October |
-the
two days of Rosh Hashanah and the eight days following it concentrate on the
evaluation of conduct and behaviour for the previous year -Jews
ask for forgiveness from God and from other human beings for their mistakes |
|
Yom Kippur |
-also known as the Day of Atonement -marked by a twenty-five-hour fast and
prayers of repentance -regular activities are avoided on this day,
such as eating, drinking, women wearing make-up, signs of comfort and luxury,
sexual relations between husbands and wives, etc. |
-is the most solemn religious day of the
Jewish year |
|
Pesach |
-the Passover festival held in the spring -during the entire week of Pesach, Jews don’t
eat anything chametz (leavened) in order to commemorate the panicked-ridden
escape, in which the Jews had to flee from the Pharoah and the Egyptian
regime -on the eve of Pesach, a ceremonial serach of
chametz occurs (this is the last chance to find anything chamatz) -another tradition is for all first-born
Jewish males to fast on the first day of the festival in remembrance of the
first-born Egyptian males who were killed so that the Hebrews could be
freed |
-this holiday is extremely important to Jews
because it commemorates the freeing of the Hebrews from slavery -more than an other Jewish holiday, this
holiday celebrates the Jewish people’s identity as a people of God |
|
Hanukkah |
-the
festival of dedication -the
eight-day festival of lights that’s usually held in December -as
part of the festival of Hanukkah, a candle is lit for each of the eight days
in a special menorah -this
menorah has nine branches (one for each of the eight nights of Hanukkah and a
ninth for the candle known as the shammus or
servant) -each
night families gather to light the candles and chant special blessings -in
North America Jews exchange gifts during Hanukkah |
-is
perhaps the best-known of the Jewish holidays -it
commemorates the rededication of the temple in |
|
Shiva |
-a
seven-day period of mourning for the dead that begins immediately after the
funeral -after
the funeral a shiva candle is lit to symbolize the
soul of the deceased -mourners
then eat a small meal of consolation, which symbolizes the healing process -while
sitting shiva, mourners do not leave their house so
friends and relatives can come and visit -the
mourners recite Kaddish (the mourner’s prayer) |
-this
is a time where mourners are protected from everyday problems and responsibilities |
|
Torah |
-refers
to the Law of Moses -the
word Torah is translated as meaning “law”, but a more precise translation is
“teaching” or “instruction” -refers
to the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures |
-the
Torah ties together the entire belief system of the Jewish faith -the
written Torah is a description of the growth of God’s relationship with His
“chosen people” |
|
Western
Wall |
-the
remaining part of the wall of Herod’s temple in -the
site of the temple is believed to be built near the location where Abraham
built an altar on which to sacrifice his son Isaac |
-it’s
where Jews traditionally pray and lament on Fridays -this
site carries the most significance for Jews out of all holy sites -during
the almost 2000 years of Jewish exile, the wall has stood as a representation
of the indestructibility of the Jewish people -the
wall also symbolizes heroism -the
temple, which was inside the wall, was considered to be the spiritual centre
of the world for Jewish people -today
the site still remains a holy place for pilgrimage -several
Jewish festivals are based on the existence of the temple (for example
Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of the temple) |
|
Chosen
People |
-the
idea that God chose the Jewish people to be the keepers of His covenant on
earth |
-the
theory of the “chosen people” was mutual because it resembled God choosing
humanity and humanity choosing God |