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“BEING JEWISH”
A QUICK GUIDE
ASHKENAZI JEWS (AHSH-KEN-AH-ZEE)
CHALLAH
Jews from Germany, France and Eastern
Europe, and their descendents. The majority
of Jews in England and the United States are
Ashkenazi
Special bread made for the celebration of the
Sabbath and other holidays. Sabbath challah
is usually plaited. For all major Jewish
festivals it is traditional to bake round challah.
BAR/BAT MITZVAH
CHANUKAH or HANNUKKAH
Bar
Mitzvah
(literally
“son
of
the
commandment”) refers to the coming-of-age
ceremony for thirteen-year old boys.
The ceremony is typically part of a regular
Saturday Sabbath service, during which the
Bar Mitvah reads from the Torah. It marks
the time when Jewish adolescents assume
more responsibility as adults in their
community.
Bat Mitvah (“daughter of the commandment”)
Is the equivalent ceremony for twelve-year
old girls.
Chanukah (Hebrew for “dedication”) is an
eight-day festival that usually falls in the
month of December. Also known as the
Festival of Lights, it commemorates the
military victory of the Jews over the Syrian
Greeks in 165 B.C.E. and the subsequent
rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.
The Chanukah lamp, or chanukkiah, has nine
lights, one lit for each day of the holiday and
a ninth used for kindling the other lights.
Each night an additional light is added, until
on the eighth night all are lit. This refers to
the story that at the time of the rededication
of the Temple there was only enough oil for
the Temple lamp to burn one day, but it
miraculously burned for eight days, enough
time to prepare a fresh supply of oil for the
lamp. During Chanukah it is traditional to eat
foods fried in oil.
The most familiar
Chanukah foods are the Ashkenazi
(European) latkes (potato pancakes) and
doughnuts.
CANDLE LIGHTING
Candles are lit with the recitation of a special
blessing at the start of most Jewish festivals
and the Sabbath. On the Sabbath at least
two candles are lit, representing the dual
commandments to remember and keep the
Sabbath. Traditionally, the woman of the
household lights the Sabbath candles.
CHABAD
An ultra-Orthodox Jewish movement, over
250 years old, which today runs thousands of
religious community centres around the
world. “Chabad” is a Hebrew acronym for
chachmah (wisdom), binah (understanding),
and da’at (knowledge).
CONSERVATIVE JUDASIM
(also referred to as MASORTI)
One of the major 20th-century movements in
Judaism, a reaction to the early Jewish
Reform movement. Conservative Judaism
attempts to retain clearer links to classical
Jewish law while at the same time adapting it
to modern situations and societal changes.
HAVDALAH
KOSHER
Hebrew for “separation” or “distinction”.
Havdalah marks the end of the Jewish
Sabbath and the re-entry into the work week.
It begins on Saturday night once three stars
can be seen in the sky. The ceremony
involves wine, a box full of sweet spices, and
a braided candle. Blessings are made over
the wine, the spices and the candle.
Havdalah is intended to require a person to
use all five senses—to taste the wine, smell
the spices, see the flame of the candle and
feel its heat, and hear the blessings.
“Kosher” describes which foods are allowed,
which are forbidden, and how food must be
prepared and eaten under Jewish law. It can
also be used to describe ritual objects that
are made in accordance with Jewish law and
are fit for ritual use.
JEWISH HOLIDAYS
The Jewish calendar is punctuated with
festivals and observances, marking the
changing of the seasons, commemorating
historic events, celebrating victories, and
remembering tragedies.
Jewish festivals
always begin at sunset the evening before
the calendar date of the holiday. The way in
which these holidays are observed varies
depending on religious tradition, family
custom, country of origin, and individual
choice. The Jewish calendar is lunar and
begins in September or October. Each year
Jewish holidays fall on different Gregorian
calendar dates. The year 5771 in the Jewish
calendar began on 9 September 2010.
KETUBAH (K’TOO-Buh)
Jewish marriage document. It s a special type
of Jewish prenuptial agreement. It is
considered an integral part of a traditional
Jewish marriage and outlines the rights and
responsibilities of the groom, in relation to the
bride. Traditionally the ketubah is not written
in Hebrew but in Aramaic, the language of
Jews at the time use of the ketubah became
standardized.
KIDDUSH (KID-ish)
Derived from the Hebrew for “sanctification”,
this ritual blessing of a cup of wine performed
on the Jewish Sabbath and other festivals
proclaims the holiness of the day.
LAG B’OMER
The Torah requires a counting of the days
between the spring holidays of Passover and
Shavuot. This is called the Counting of the
Omer. Lag B’Omer is the 33rd day of the
Omer, a break from what is traditionally a
time of partial mourning and is the only day in
this period when celebrations can be held.
LULAV and ETROG
The lulav is a ritual object associated with the
harvest festival of Sukkot. The lulav is made
by binding together a palm branch, two willow
branches, and three myrtle branches. It is a
commandment to “wave the lulav” on each of
the seven days of Sukkot.
The etrog is an oval-shaped, strongly scented
yellow citrus fruit grown mainly in Israel. It is
used with the lulav on Sukkot.
MEZUZAH (M’ZOO’ZUH)
The mezuzah (Hebrew for “doorpost”) is a
small case attached to the doorposts of
houses, containing a parchment scroll with a
handwritten biblical verse on it. This practice
derives from the commandment for Jews to
keep G-d’s words constantly in their minds
and hearts by, among other things, writing
them on their doorposts. When passing
through a door with a mezuzah on it, one is
supposed to touch the mezuzah and then
kiss the fingers that touched it as an
expression of love and respect for G-d and
G-d’s commandments.
ORTHODOX JUDAISM
The major movement of Judaism in England,
believing that Jewish law comes from G-d
and as such should be strictly observed
without change.
PASSOVER OR
PESACH (PAY-SACH)
Spring festival that commemorates a key
event in Jewish history: the redemption of the
Jewish people from bondage and their
exodus from Egypt. The Seder (Hebrew for
“order”) is the ceremony that marks the
beginning of Passover. During the Seder,
family and friends gather for a festive meal of
symbolic foods and a communal telling of the
story of the Jews’ exodus from slavery in
Egypt. One of the foods eaten at the Seder
is the unleavened bread called “matzoh”,
which is to remind Jews that when they fled
Egypt they didn’t have time for their bread to
rise. The Seder plate holds the foods that
symbolise the key elements of the Passover
story and celebration.
(traditionally baked bread) are eaten to
symbolise the cycle of life. These foods are
dipped in honey in the hope of a sweet new
year. Another popular practice is tashlikh,
literally “casting off’. This ritual is performed
at a body of running water, such as the sea,
or a river or stream. Participants throw
breadcrumbs into the water, symbolically
casting off their sins from the previous year.
SEDER
See, PASSOVER
SEMITE
A member of a group of people from southwestern Asia, including Jews and Arabs and
their descendents. The term “anti’-Semitism”
refers specifically to hostility towards Jews.
PURIM (POOR-im)
One of the most festive holidays on the
Jewish calendar. Purim celebrates the
story, told in the biblical Book of Esther, in
which the brave Queen Esther and her
uncle Mordechai save the Persian Jews
from extermination at the hands of the
villain Haman. Purim celebrations include
a dramatic telling of the story and
dressing in costume.
A common
Ashkenazi (European) Purim treat is
hamentaschen, a triangular fruit filled
pastry.
REFORM JUDAISM
Originating in 19th century Germany with the
aim of reinterpreting and modernising
Judaism in light of Western thought, values,
and culture without conflicting with Judaism’s
basic principles.
SEPHARDIC JEWS (S’FAHR-dic)
Jews from Spain, Portugal, North Africa and
the Middle East and their descendants.
SHABBAT
(shah-BAHT)
Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath, is both the
holiest and most common event on the
Jewish calendar.
Shabbat begins every
Friday at sunset and ends with havdalah on
Saturday evening. On Friday night, candles
are lit and a blessing is recited, followed by a
festive family meal that begins with a blessing
over the wine and the challah (the traditional
plaited bread). Shabbat is a day of rest and
spiritual enrichment when Jews are supposed
to refrain from all work in emulation and
commemoration of the seventh day of
creation, G-d’s day of rest. It is the only
Jewish ritual observance originating with the
Ten Commandments.
ROSH HASHANAH
Rosh Hashanah, literally “head of the year”,
is commonly known as the Jewish New Year.
It is a time for reflection, to consider one’s
actions over the previous year and repent
before Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
No work is permitted on Rosh Hashanah, and
observant Jews spend much of the two-day
holiday in Synagogue. On Rosh Hashanah,
round items like apples and round challah
SHAVUOT (sha-VOO-ot)
A festival commemorating the giving of the
Torah on Mount Sinai and the harvest of the
first fruits. Shavuot customs include staying
up all night studying Torah and eating a dairy
meal.
SHEMINI Atzeret
Literally “the assembly on the eight day”,
signifying the conclusion of the seven days of
Sukkot.
meals there. Another part of the Sukkot
observance involves the lulav and etrog.
With the etrog in one hand and the lulav in
the other, one recites a blessing and waves
them in six directions (east, west, north,
south, up, and down) to symbolise that G-d is
everywhere.
SHOFAR (sho-FAHR)
A shofar is a ram’s horn, blown like a trumpet
during the observance of Rosh Hashanah
(Jewish New Year) and at the end of Yom
Kippur (Day of Atonement). Hearing the
sound of the shofar in synagogue is one of
the most important observances of the New
Year. A total of 100 blasts, in prescribed
patterns, are sounded on each day of the
two-days of Rosh Hashanah. The shofar was
used in ancient Israel to announce the New
Moon and call people together. On Rosh
Hashanah it signifies the need to wake up to
the call to repentance.
SIMCHAT TORAH
This festival falls a few weeks after Rosh
Hoshanah (Jewish New Year) and marks
the completion of the annual cycle of
Torah readings. Every year the entire
Torah is read aloud in Synagogue, a
different portion each week. On Simchat
Torah the last portion is read,
immediately followed by the first
paragraph of Genesis, thus starting the
cycle again and showing that the Torah
never ends.
“Simchat Torah’ means
“rejoicing in the Torah”, and the festival is
celebrated with singing, dancing and
processions around the synagogue
carrying Torah scrolls.
SUKKOT
Sukkot comes just five days after the most
solemn day in the Jewish calendar, Yom
Kippur (Day of Atonement).
Sukkot
commemorates the forty years during which
the Israelites wandered the desert, living in
temporary shelters. It also celebrates the
final harvest. Sukkot, literally “booths”, refers
to the temporary dwellings Jews are
commanded to live in during this seven-day
holiday. To celebrate the holiday, many Jews
build their own temporary shelter, referred to
as a sukkah. The commandment to dwell in
the sukkah can be fulfilled by eating one’s
SYNAGOGUE
The word “synagogue” derives from a Greek
root meaning “assembly”. It is the most
widely accepted term for a Jewish house of
worship, the Jewish equivalent of a church,
mosque, or temple.
TIKKUN OLAM
Hebrew for “repairing the world”.
This
concept has come to mean social action and
the pursuit of social justice; the human
responsibility for fixing what is wrong with the
world.
TISHA B’AV (TISH-uh-B-AHV)
A day of fasting to commemorate the
destruction of the first and second Temples in
Jerusalem. Both were destroyed on this
Jewish calendar date, the ninth of the
Hebrew month of Av, the first by the
Babylonians in 586 B.C.E., and the second
by the Romans in 70 C.E.
TORAH
The word “Torah’ derives from the Hebrew “to
teach” and means “teaching” or “instruction”
(not “law” as is commonly thought). Torah
can mean several things, including the Five
Books of Moses, or the Bible as a whole
including the Five Books, the Prophets, and
the Writings. Torah or Sefer Torah also
refers to the scroll containing the Five Books
of Moses written on parchment according to
strict rules and used mainly for reading at
public worship.
Each week, a different
portion of the Torah and the Prophets is read
in synagogue. The first portion covers the
beginning of Genesis to the story of Noah.
The last portion is read a few weeks after
Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) on
Simchat Torah).
TU B’SHEVAT
This festival is known as the New Year for the
Trees. Originally a day for counting the age
of trees for the purpose of tithing,
TZEDAKAH (TSE-DOH-kah)
Literally “righteousness” or “justice”, tzedakah
is the Jewish commandment to provide for
the less fortunate. Although similar to the
concept of charity, tzedakah is not
considered an act of generosity, but an
obligation and a sharing of G-d’s work of
“repairing the world” or tkkun olam. Jewish
law requires giving one tenth of one’s income
to the poor, but the obligation to perform
tzedakah can be fulfilled by giving to any
social cause deemed worthy by the
individual.
A tzedakah box is a small
container kept in the home in which
charitable donations are collected.
YARMULKE
Also known by the Hebrew word KIPPAH or
as a Jewish skullcap. A yarmulke is a head
covering worn at all times by Orthodox
Jewish men, and by all men attending
Synagogue.
YOM KIPPUR (YOM ki-POOR)
The Day of Atonement. This is a day set
aside for fasting, depriving oneself of
pleasures, and repenting for the sins of the
previous year.
Yom Kippur and Rosh
Hashanah (Jewish New Year) are considered
to be the most important holidays of the
Jewish year.
Yom Kippur marks the
conclusion of the Days of Awe, the ten-day
period that begins with Rosh Hashanah.
Jewish tradition states that during this time Gd records in one of several books who will
live and who will die, and who will have a
good or bad life in the next year. The books
are inscribed on Rosh Hashanah but can be
altered by actions during the Days of Awe.
They are then sealed on Yom Kippur. This
gives rise to a common greeting during the
time, “may you be inscribed and sealed for a
good year”. Yom Kippur observance includes
the complete refraining from work and a
twenty-five hour fast, beginning before sunset
the night before and ending after sunset on
the day of Yom Kippur.
CALENDAR OF JEWISH HOLIDAYS
2010 -2011
Rosh Hashanah
9 Sept 2010
Yom Kippur
18 Sept 2010
Sukkot
23 Sept 2010
Shemini Atzeret
30 Sept 2010
Simchat Torah
1 Oct 2010
Chanukah
2 Dec 2010
Tu B’shevat
20 Jan 2011
Purim
20 Mar 2011
Pesach
19 April 2011
Lag B’Omer
22 May 2011
Shavuot
8 June 2011
Tisha B’Av
9 Aug
Rosh Hashanah
29 Sept 2011
2011