These are the Words (2nd Edition)

Arthur Green

Description

The basic vocabulary of Jewish spiritual life, explained with humor, insight and relevance to guide you on a historical and spiritual journey through Judaism.

Judaism itself is a language, a group's way of expressing beliefs, longings, aspirations and dreams. The vocabulary of Jewish life is the framework that Jews use to hand their past down to their children. It is also the vocabulary that people of other faiths need to know to understand Judaism and Jewish life.

In this revised, expanded, highly readable, enlightening and entertaining new edition of "the ultimate Jewish primer," one of the greatest spiritual teachers of our time takes readers—Jews and non-Jews alike—on a historical and spiritual journey through Judaism. Dr. Arthur Green explains the meaning, history and origin of over 150 core Hebrew words that are shared and understood throughout the Jewish world. With humor, insight and relevance, he lays out the basic vocabulary of Jewish communal and religious identity and shows why it is important for people to know and use these words in Hebrew.

Sujets

• Hebrew
• Philosophie et théologie
• Jewish identity
• Jewish history
• Jewish philosophy
• Judaism
• Hebrew language
• Religion
• Hébreu

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 01 mars 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781580236157
• Langue: English

Extrait

For my sister Paula-
Disciple of Aaron,
Pursuer of Peace.
Seek peace -in your own place
and pursue it -even to the ends of the earth
Table of Contents
TOPICAL
Alphabetical Table of Contents
Introduction
Language Notes
Section I
God and Worlds Above
1. Y-H-W-H
2. Adonai
3. Atah
4. Din
5. Elohim
6. Emet
7. Eyn Sof
8. Kavod
9. Kelipah
10. Mal akh
11. Melekh
12. Neshamah
13. Olam
14. Pardes
15. Ra h amim
16. Rua h Ha-Kodesh
17. Sefirot
18. Shaddai
19. Shekhinah
20. Tsimtsum
Section II
Torah: Text and Process
21. Aggadah
22. Haggadah
23. Halakhah
24. H umash
25. Kabbalah
26. Ma h zor
27. Midrash
28. Mishnah
29. Perush, Parshanut
30. Pirkey Avot
31. Piyyut
32. Sefer
33. Shir Ha-Shirim
34. Shul h an Arukh
35. Siddur
36. Talmud
37. Tanakh
38. Tehillim
39. Te h inot
40. Torah
Section III
Religious Practice
41. Amidah
42. Arvit, Ma ariv
43. Berakhah, Barukh
44. Daven, Davnen
45. Dukhan, Dukhnen
46. Haftarah
47. Hallel
48. Havdalah
49. Kabbalat Shabbat
50. Kaddish
51. Kiddush
52. Kol Nidre
53. Kosher, Kashrut
54. Minhag
55. Min h ah
56. Mitsvah
57. Mussaf
58. Sha h arit
59. Shema
60. Shiv ah
61. Ta anit
62. Taharah/Tum ah
63. Tefillah
64. Yizkor
Section IV
The Inner Life
65. Ahavah
66. Anavah
67. Avodah
68. Bita h on
69. Devekut
70. Emunah
71. Hitbodedut
72. Hitlahavut
73. Kadosh, Kedushah
74. Kavvanah
75. Neshamah Yeterah
76. Penimiyyut
77. Ru h aniyyut
78. Teshuvah
79. Yetser Ha-Tov / Yetser Ha-Ra
80. Yir ah
81. Yissurim
82. Yosher
83. Zekhut
Section V
Community, Life with Others
84. Avot
85. Derekh Erets
86. Ger, Giyyur
87. H asid
88. H avurah
89. Imahot
90. Kehillah
91. Kiddush Ha-Shem / H illul Ha-Shem
92. Mashia h
93. Minyan
94. Mussar
95. Navi
96. Rav
97. Rebbe
98. Shalom
99. Sim h ah
100. Talmid H akham
101. Tikkun Olam
102. Tsa ar Ba aley H ayyim
103. Tsaddik
104. Tsedakah
105. Tselem Elohim
106. Tseni ut
107. Yeshivah
108. Yisra el
Section VI
Holy Things
109. Aron Kodesh
110. Get
111. H uppah
112. Ketubah
113. Lulav/Etrog
114. Matzah
115. Megillah
116. Menorah
117. Mezuzah
118. Nerot Shabbat
119. Shofar
120. Sukkah
121. Tallit
122. Tefillin
Section VII
Holy Places
123. Beri ah
124. Bet Ha-Mikdash
125. Bet Kenesset
126. Erets Yisra el
127. Kotel Ma aravi
128. Mikveh
129. Mishkan
130. Mitsrayim
131. Olam Ha-Ba
132. Yerushalayim
Section VIII
Holy Times
133. Bar Mitsvah / Bat Mitsvah
134. Brit Milah
135. Hanukkah
136. Levayah
137. Ne ilah
138. Nisu in
139. Pesa h
140. Purim
141. Rosh Hashanah
142. Rosh H odesh
143. Sefirat Ha- Omer
144. Shabbat
145. Shavu ot
146. Shemini Atseret
147. Shemitah/Yovel
148. Sim h at Torah
149. Sukkot
150. Tish ah Be-Av
151. Yom Kippur
152. Yom Tov
153. Yortseit
Index of English Terms
About the Author
Also Available by Arthur Green
Copyright
About Jewish Lights
Table of Contents
ALPHABETICAL
Adonai
Aggadah
Ahavah
Amidah
Anavah
Aron Kodesh
Arvit
Atah
Avodah
Avot
Bar Mitsvah / Bat Mitsvah
Berakhah, Barukh
Beri ah
Bet Ha-Mikdash
Bet Kenesset
Bita h on
Brit Milah
Daven, Davnen
Derekh Erets
Devekut
Din
Dukhan, Dukhnen
Elohim
Emet
Emunah
Erets Yisra el
Eyn Sof
Ger, Giyyur
Get
Haftarah
Haggadah
Halakhah
Hallel
Hanukkah
H asid
Havdalah
H avurah
Hitbodedut
Hitlahavut
H umash
H uppah
Imahot
Kabbalah
Kabbalat Shabbat
Kaddish
Kadosh
Kashrut
Kavod
Kavvanah
Kedushah
Kehillah
Kelipah
Ketubah
Kiddush
Kiddush Ha-Shem H illul Ha-Shem
Kol Nidre
Kosher
Kotel Ma aravi
Levayah
Lulav/Etrog
Ma ariv
Ma h zor
Mal akh
Mashia h
Matzah
Megillah
Melekh
Menorah
Mezuzah
Midrash
Mikveh
Minhag
Min h ah
Minyan
Mishkan
Mishnah
Mitsrayim
Mitsvah
Mussaf
Mussar
Navi
Ne ilah
Nerot Shabbat
Neshamah
Neshamah Yeterah
Nisu in
Olam
Olam Ha-Ba
Pardes
Penimiyyut
Perush, Parshanut
Pesa h
Pirkey Avot
Piyyut
Purim
Ra h amim
Rav
Rebbe
Rosh Hashanah
Rosh H odesh
Rua h Ha-Kodesh
Ru h aniyyut
Sefer
Sefirat Ha- Omer
Sefirot
Shabbat
Shaddai
Sha h arit
Shalom
Shavu ot
Shekhinah
Shema
Shemini Atseret
Shemitah/Yovel
Shir Ha-Shirim
Shiv ah
Shofar
Shul h an Arukh
Siddur
Sim h ah
Sim h at Torah
Sukkah
Sukkot
Ta anit
Taharah/Tum ah
Tallit
Talmid H akham
Talmud
Tanakh
Tefillah
Tefillin
Tehillim
Te h inot
Teshuvah
Tikkun Olam
Tish ah Be-Av
Torah
Tsa ar Ba aley H ayyim
Tsaddik
Tsedakah
Tselem Elohim
Tseni ut
Tsimtsum
Yerushalayim
Yeshivah
Yetser Ha-Tov /Yetser Ha-Ra
Y-H-W-H
Yir ah
Yisra el
Yissurim
Yizkor
Yom Kippur
Yom Tov
Yortseit
Yosher
Zekhut
Introduction
Who Should Read This Book
These Are the Words is a vocabulary list for people who seek a deep and spiritually rich understanding of Jewish life, even as they start out on their Jewish journey. It is written for both beginners and already practicing Jews, and there are several groups of such individuals I had in mind while writing it.
I have dedicated These Are the Words to my sister Paula. While I was given the opportunity of a Jewish education so that there be a bar mitsvah * (to please my grandparents), my sister was not. In those ancient times, there was no parallel to bar mitsvah for girls, so many of them were deprived of the opportunity to learn. If you are one of those many women, you are especially welcome here.
But you may also be one of their many male counterparts: a son or grandson of those Jewish families where the link to tradition was simply lost in the rush of immigrant families to make it in America, leaving the baggage of tradition behind. See this book as the lost luggage depot where you have come to collect your ancestral bags. Enjoy opening them. You have great and unknown treasures to find.
You may also be opening this book because you are studying Judaism with an interest in joining our tribe. Perhaps life has linked you to a person or family among us, or perhaps a spiritual journey has brought you here (often it is both , always in a uniquely intertwined way). To be part of an ancient people, you need to learn to speak its language. This is your guidebook-though be warned that it may lead you to a more profound and serious Judaism than that of your in-laws!
Perhaps you are a precocious and mature post- bar or bat mitsvah , for whom someone has decided that this would be a good gift to guide you on the path toward adult Judaism. Consider yourself a lucky kid to have such thoughtful friends!
Finally, you may be an already practicing and well-educated Jew, but one who has decided to add this book to your reference library as a way of deepening or challenging your usual way of thinking about Jewish life. I have tried to write this book in such a way that there is something here for you as well.
In addition to my sister, I have also had our grandparents-our mother s parents-in mind while writing this book. Max and Bessie Notkin came from der alter heym , the old country of Eastern Europe as it was before the first World War, when shtetl (small-town) Jewish culture was still alive and well. They gave me a deep sense of rootedness in their world that has served me well over the years. Every one of the 153 terms in this book (with just a few stretches) is one they would have recognized, most of them Hebrew words that were alive within daily Yiddish speech. This book is my attempt to help make these words live again in the mouths of the very different Jewish people of our day. I welcome you to join me in that process.
The Power of Words
In compiling this book, I have asked myself, What are the most essential terms that an educated Jewish seeker needs to know? What is the basic vocabulary of a Jewish spiritual life? For each term I have offered a definition, some history, and often a bit of etymology. I have tried to ask what is significant, interesting, or untranslatable about this Hebrew-occasionally Yiddish-term. Why is it important, in other words, for you to know and use this particular word, and not an English equivalent, in your Jewish vocabulary?
Truth be told