With apologies to Jane Austen, “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that…”
Many people I encounter here in Victoria have no familiarity at all with basic Jewish vocabulary, so I thought I would use this opportunity as a very basic primer.
Rabbi: A rabbi primarily functions as advisor and teacher. The word Rabbi in its most literal, means ‘my teacher’. These days we may also lead services, read from Torah, provide pastoral care, teach classes, provide funeral services, and officiate at various other life cycle events. And yes, women can be rabbis.
Torah: Torah as the Written Torah references the Five Books of Moses; Torah can also reference the entire Jewish canon, though that is often called TaNakh – Torah, Nevi’im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (other included texts, Psalms, Book of Esther, Ruth, Song of Songs, etc.) Jews do not recognize the New Testament as part of our canon, and we do not speak of Torah as “Old” Testament.
Talmud: Oral Torah – usually the Babylonian Talmud today, or the Bavli. Talmud includes many volumes of texts, (mine has 42) created in the 4th – 6th centuries CE in Babylon, after Jews returned to Babylon post destruction of the Temple by Rome in 68-70 CE.
L’chaim: A toast, if you will, “to life” that is made when having a kosher libation. Please note the “ch” in transliteration sounds like the last two letters of Bach, not cheese.
Kosher: Literally ‘fit’ for purpose, though today the word kosher usually references food and drink. The laws of Kashrut – what is kosher and what is not – are complicated, but basically dairy foods, dishes, utensils etc. are kept entirely separate from all meat foods, dishes, etc., certain animals are never eaten (pork, shellfish), and then only certain parts of meat are eaten. There is strict supervision of all processed foods to ensure adherence to standards of kashrut. Kosher does not mean “blessed by a rabbi.”
Hechsher: a printed symbol on processed foods indicating the food is kosher. Foods in their original state – fruits, vegetables, whole grains, etc. are kosher.
Mezuzah: Comes in various shapes and sizes, these usually 4-5” cases are placed slanting inwards of most doorways in an observant Jewish home. Inside the case are small parchment scrolls with handwritten verses from Torah
Shul: The affectionate Yiddish term for synagogue which is a Greek word.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah: A Bar (son of) Mitzvah is held for boys at their 13th birthday, and a Bat (daughter) Mitzvah for girls can be held at 12 or 13. Young men and women reach their spiritual age of maturity and can now assume adult ritual responsibilities and obligations.
Mitzvah: literally a command that may often coincide with doing a good deed. Judaism adheres to a religious legal structure through which we serve God and each other.
Shabbat: Another primary commandment within Judaism is to observe Shabbat which begins Friday evening just at sundown and ends Saturday evening. A day of joy that brings us together with prayer and food, rest and renewal.
Chanukah/Hannukah: Finally, this holiday that we just celebrated, is not Jewish Christmas. Chanukah memorializes the miracle of a small group of Maccabees defeating the Greek Assyrian invading armies, and is commonly recognized by lighting a hannukiah, a particular menorah with 8 candles. We add one candle each day, to increase light in the world.
There is a vast vocabulary pertinent to our traditions of course, but these few phrases may increase our capacity to understand each other.
Rabbi Lynn Greenhough is rabbi with Victoria’s Jewish Reform community – Kolot Mayim Reform Temple.
You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking at /blogs/spiritually-speaking
*This article was published in the print edition of the sa国际传媒 on Saturday, January 11th 2025
