Biblical and Historical Sites and Movements in Jewish History, Quizzes of World Religions

Download Biblical and Historical Sites and Movements in Jewish History and more Quizzes World Religions in PDF only on Docsity! TERM 1 Mount Sinai DEFINITION 1 The place where Exodus 20-31 says the children of Israel received the Ten Commandments and the subsequent Book of the Covenant. The mountain called Mount Sinai today may or may not be the same one. TERM 2 Jerusalem DEFINITION 2 A fortress of the Jebusites that was conquered by David around the year 1000 BCE (2 Samuel 5:5-10); also known as "The City of David" TERM 3 Samaria DEFINITION 3 Capital city of the Northern Kingdom TERM 4 Alexandria DEFINITION 4 A city in Egypt, founded by Alexander the Great, which became the home of an important Greek-speaking Jewish community. TERM 5 Masada DEFINITION 5 The mountain fortress where Jewish Zealots made their last stand against the Romans in 73 CE, three years after the destruction of the Temple in JerusalemThe fortress whose Jewish defenders are said to have committed suicide rather than surrender to Rome. TERM 6 Yavne DEFINITION 6 (also known as Jamnia) a small town west of Jerusalem, where the early rabbinic movement fled for safety during the revolt against Rome (70 CE) TERM 7 Okop, Podolia DEFINITION 7 A small village in the Polish Russian pale of settlement where the founder of the Hasidic movement, Israel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov, was born in 1698. TERM 8 Cincinnati, Ohio DEFINITION 8 The capital of the Reform movement in the US and the location of the principal Reform seminary TERM 9 New York City DEFINITION 9 The home of the largest Jewish population in the Americas and headquarters of the (Conservative) Jewish Theological Seminary. TERM 10 aggadah DEFINITION 10 anecdotal or narrative material in the Talmud TERM 21 gaon DEFINITION 21 Title of a senior rabbinical authority in Mesopotamia under Persian and Muslim rule. TERM 22 Gemarah DEFINITION 22 The body of Aramaic commentary attached to the Hebrew text of the Mishnah, which together with it makes up the Talmud (both the Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud) TERM 23 Haggadah DEFINITION 23 The liturgy for the ritual Passover supper TERM 24 halakha DEFINITION 24 Material in the Talmud of a legal nature TERM 25 Hasidim DEFINITION 25 "Pious ones"; applied to two unrelated groups of loyal or pious Jews; those who resisted Hellenism militarily in 2nd century BCE Palestine, and the mystically inclined followers of the Baal Shem Tov in 18th century Poland and their descendants today. TERM 26 hesed DEFINITION 26 Hebrew term for the loyal conduct, sometimes translated as "mercy" or "loving-kindness", incumbent on God and on humans as parties to the covenant relationship. TERM 27 Holocaust DEFINITION 27 "Burnt offering" or "burnt sacrifice"; one of the ancient sacrifices mandated in the Hebrew Bible. The term has more recently been applied to the persecution and murder of 6 million European Jews by the Nazis before and during the Second World War. TERM 28 Humash DEFINITION 28 The first five biblical books, the Pentateuch, when bound in book for for private study; in synagogue worship the same text is read from a scroll TERM 29 Kabbalah DEFINITION 29 The medieval Jewish mystical tradition; its central text is a commentary on scripture called the Zohar, compiled by Moses ben Shemtov of Leon, but attributed to Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai, a famous second century rabbinic mystic and wonder-worker. TERM 30 Karaites DEFINITION 30 "Scripturalists"; an 8th century anti-rabbinic movement that rejected the Talmud and post-biblical festivals such as Hanukkah, taking only the Bible as authoritative TERM 31 kippah DEFINITION 31 "dome" or "cap"; the Hebrew word for skullcap or yarmulke. TERM 32 kosher DEFINITION 32 term for food that is ritually acceptable, indicating that all rabbinic regulations regarding animal slaughter and the like have been observed in its preparation. TERM 33 logos DEFINITION 33 "Word"; a kind of divine intelligence thought to mediate between God and humanity and carry out God's intentions on earth. TERM 34 menorah DEFINITION 34 the seven-branched candlestick, a Jewish symbol since ancient times, well before the widespread adoption of the six-pointed star; the nine-branched menorah used at Hanukkah is sometimes called a hanukiah. TERM 35 midrash DEFINITION 35 Commentary on scripture TERM 46 responsa literature DEFINITION 46 from the Latin for "answers"; accumulated correspondence by medieval and recent rabbinical authorities, consisting of rulings on issues of legal interpretation; also known as Teshuvoth TERM 47 Rosh Hashanah DEFINITION 47 The new year festival, generally occuring in September. TERM 48 Sabbath DEFINITION 48 The seventh day of the week, observed by Jews since ancient times as a day of rest from ordinary activity. TERM 49 seder DEFINITION 49 "Order"; the term used for the ritual Passover supper celebrated in the home; the six divisions of the Mishnah are also called orders or seders. TERM 50 Sefer Torah DEFINITION 50 "Book of the Law"; a special copy of the first five books of Moses, hand-lettered on parchment for use in synagogue rituals TERM 51 Sephardim DEFINITION 51 The Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, made in Alexandria in Hellenistic times TERM 52 Septuagint DEFINITION 52 The Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, made in Alexandria in Hellenistic times TERM 53 Shekhinah DEFINITION 53 The divine presence of "dwelling", often described in visionary terms by ancient commentators on Ezekiel and by medieval mystics. TERM 54 Sukkoth DEFINITION 54 The festival of "Tabernacles", named for the temporary booths or shelters originally constructed by farmers in autymn to protect their ripening crops and given a historical interpretation recalling the migration experience of the Exodus. TERM 55 synagogue DEFINITION 55 the local place of assembly for congregational worship, which became central to the tradition after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. TERM 56 takkanah DEFINITION 56 "Remediation"; a principal (attributed to Hillel) that facilitated borrowing by allowing the court to take over farmers' debts in years when their fields were fallow. TERM 57 tallith DEFINITION 57 a shawl worn for prayer, usually white with blue stripes with fringes at the corners. TERM 58 Tanakh DEFINITION 58 The entire Hebrew Bible, consisting of Torah (or law), Nevi'im (or prophets), and Ketuvim (or sacred writings), and named as an acronym of these three terms. TERM 59 Tannaim DEFINITION 59 The rabbinic authorities whose opinions are recorded in the Mishnah, as distinguished from the rabbis (Amoraim) whose opinions appear in the Gemarah material of the Talmud. TERM 60 tefillin DEFINITION 60 small black leather boxes, also term phylacteries, containing words of scripture, tied to the forehead and forearm by leather thongs. TERM 71 Assyrians conquer northern kingdom and disperse its people DEFINITION 71 722 BCE TERM 72 Josiah centralizes worship at the Temple in Jerusalem in Deuteronomic reform DEFINITION 72 621 BCE TERM 73 Babylonians conquer Jerusalem and deport its leaders DEFINITION 73 586 BCE TERM 74 Persians conquer Babylon, permitting exiles to return DEFINITION 74 538 BCE TERM 75 Rededication of the Temple after Maccabean uprising DEFINITION 75 164 BCE TERM 76 Romans lay siege to Jerusalem and destroy the Temple DEFINITION 76 70 CE TERM 77 The Mishnah of Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi DEFINITION 77 220 CE TERM 78 The Babylonian Talmud DEFINITION 78 500 CE TERM 79 Birth of Saadia, Gaon in Babylonia DEFINITION 79 882 CE TERM 80 Birth of Rashi, commentator on Bible and Talmud DEFINITION 80 1040 TERM 81 Birth of Moses Maimonides, author of The Guide of the Perplexed DEFINITION 81 1135 TERM 82 Birth of Moses of Leon, author of the Zohar DEFINITION 82 1250 CE TERM 83 Jews expelled from Spain DEFINITION 83 1492 TERM 84 Sabbatai Zvi is promoted at the messiah DEFINITION 84 1666 TERM 85 Birth of Israel ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov, in Poland DEFINITION 85 1698