Hebrew & Aramaic Glossary

The non-legal portions of the Talmud and Midrash, including stories, parables, ethical teachings, and theological discussions. While halakha prescribes behavior, aggadah illuminates values, meaning, and …

Literally 'going up.' In a liturgical context, an aliyah is the honor of being called up to recite a blessing over the Torah reading. Each …

The component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah. Written in Aramaic, it records centuries of scholarly debate among the …

A system of assigning numerical values to Hebrew letters and words, used as a method of textual interpretation. Each Hebrew letter has a numeric value, …

A reading from the Prophets (Nevi'im) recited after the weekly Torah portion in synagogue. Each haftarah is thematically linked to the parashah. Special haftarot are …

Jewish religious law derived from the Written Torah, the Oral Torah (Talmud), and rabbinic legislation and custom. Literally meaning 'the way to walk,' halakha governs …

Jewish mystical tradition that seeks to explain the relationship between the infinite God and the finite world. Key texts include the Zohar (13th century) and …

A method of interpreting biblical stories and laws, as well as the collections of such interpretations. Midrash Halakha derives legal rulings; Midrash Aggadah explores narrative, …

The first major written collection of Jewish oral traditions (Oral Torah), compiled by Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi around 200 CE. Organized into 6 orders (sedarim) and …

A weekly Torah portion read in synagogue on Shabbat. The Torah is divided into 54 parashot (portions) to complete the entire text in one year. …

The divine presence of God dwelling in the world. In rabbinic literature, the Shekhinah represents God's immanent presence, particularly in the Temple and among the …

The central text of Rabbinic Judaism, comprising the Mishnah (oral law codified c. 200 CE) and the Gemara (rabbinic analysis and commentary). The Babylonian Talmud …

An acronym for the Hebrew Bible, composed of three parts: Torah (Teaching/Law), Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). The Tanakh contains 24 books and is the …

Repentance or return — the process of acknowledging sin, feeling genuine remorse, and resolving not to repeat the wrongdoing. Teshuvah is a central concept especially …

The Torah (literally 'teaching' or 'instruction') refers to the Five Books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy), also called the Chumash or Pentateuch. In …