Hasidic JudaismHasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות Ḥăsīdus, χasiˈdus; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contemporary Western Ukraine during the 18th century, and spread rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most affiliates reside in Israel and the United States. Israel Ben Eliezer, the "Baal Shem Tov", is regarded as its founding father, and his disciples developed and disseminated it.
Jewish holidaysJewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or Yamim Tovim (, or singular יום טוב Yom Tov, in transliterated Hebrew [ˈjɔːm_ˈtɔːv,_joʊm_ˈtoʊv]), are holidays observed in Judaism and by Jews throughout the Hebrew calendar. They include religious, cultural and national elements, derived from three sources: biblical mitzvot ("commandments"), rabbinic mandates, and the history of Judaism and the State of Israel. Jewish holidays occur on the same dates every year in the Hebrew calendar, but the dates vary in the Gregorian.
Neturei KartaNeturei Karta (Jewish Babylonian Aramaic: נָטוֹרֵי קַרְתָּא, nāṭōrēy qartāʾ, Guardians of the City) is a religious group of Haredi Jews, formally created in Jerusalem, then in Mandatory Palestine, in 1938, splitting off from Agudas Yisrael. Neturei Karta opposes Zionism and calls for a "peaceful dismantling" of the State of Israel, in the belief that Jews are forbidden to have their own state until the coming of the Jewish Messiah and that the state of Israel is a rebellion against God.
MinyanIn Judaism, a minyan (מניין \ מִנְיָן mīnyān minˈjan, lit. (noun) count, number; pl. mīnyānīm minjaˈnim) is the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain religious obligations. In more traditional streams of Judaism, only men 13 and older may constitute a minyan; in more liberal (non-Orthodox) streams women are also counted. The minimum of 10 Jews needed for a meeting has its origin in Abraham's prayer to God in Genesis 18:20. In that prayer, Abraham asks the Almighty not to destroy Sodom if there are 50 believers and keeps asking Him until 10.
TzadikTzadik (צַדִּיק ṣaddīq tsaˈdik, "righteous [one]"; also zadik or sadiq; pl. tzadikim tsadiˈkim ṣadīqīm) is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ṣadiq, is ṣ-d-q ( tsedek), which means "justice" or "righteousness". When applied to a righteous woman, the term is inflected as tzadika/tzaddikot. Tzadik is also the root of the word tzedakah ('charity', literally 'righteousness').
Western WallThe Western Wall (HaKotel HaMa'aravi, often shortened to the Kotel or Kosel), known in the West as the Wailing Wall, and in Islam as the Buraq Wall (Arabic: حَائِط ٱلْبُرَاق, Ḥā'iṭ al-Burāq 'ħaːʔɪtʕ albʊ'raːq), is a portion of ancient limestone wall in the Old City of Jerusalem that forms part of the larger retaining wall of the hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount. Just over half the wall's total height, including its 17 courses located below street level, dates from the end of the Second Temple period, and is believed to have been begun by Herod the Great.
ImmanenceThe doctrine or theory of immanence holds that the divine encompasses or is manifested in the material world. It is held by some philosophical and metaphysical theories of divine presence. Immanence is usually applied in monotheistic, pantheistic, pandeistic, or panentheistic faiths to suggest that the spiritual world permeates the mundane. It is often contrasted with theories of transcendence, in which the divine is seen to be outside the material world.
SefirotSefirot (sfɪˈroʊt,_ˈsfɪroʊt; סְפִירוֹת, Tiberian: ), meaning emanations, are the 10 attributes/emanations in Kabbalah, through which Ein Sof (The Infinite) reveals itself and continuously creates both the physical realm and the chain of higher metaphysical realms (Seder hishtalshelus). The term is alternatively transliterated into English as sephirot/sephiroth, singular sefirah/sephirah, etc. Alternative configurations of the sefirot are interpreted by various schools in the historical evolution of Kabbalah, with each articulating differing spiritual aspects.
Jewish educationJewish education (חינוך, Chinuch) is the transmission of the tenets, principles, and religious laws of Judaism. Known as the "people of the book", Jews value education, and the value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish culture. Judaism places a heavy emphasis on Torah study, from the early days of studying the Tanakh. Jewish education has been valued since the birth of Judaism. In the Hebrew Bible Abraham is lauded for instructing his offspring in God's ways.
DevekutDevekut, debekuth, deveikuth or deveikus (Heb. דבקות; Mod. Heb. "dedication", traditionally "clinging on" to God) is a Jewish concept referring to closeness to God. It may refer to a deep, trance-like meditative state attained during Jewish prayer, Torah study, or when performing the 613 mitzvot (the "commandments"). It is particularly associated with the Jewish mystical tradition. דבק, or deveq, the modern Hebrew word for glue, literally means 'to cling'. It is sometimes referred to as devequt, "dvequt" or devequs.
