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Kavanah
Kavanah, kavvanah, or kavana (, plural ''kawwānot'') means "intention" or "sincere feeling, direction of the heart". It is a theological concept in Rabbinic Judaism about a worshiper's state of mind, heart, sincerity, devotion, and emotional absorption during prayers. It is the mindset often described as necessary for rituals and prayers. ' In Hasidic Judaism, a tradition emphasizing piety, kavana is the emotional devotion and self-effacing absorption during prayers rather than a liturgical, recitation-driven religiosity. In Kabbalah, esoteric Jewish mysticism, kavana refers to the practice where the devotee concentrates on the secret meanings of prayer letters and words, sometimes referring to the permutations of the Tetragrammaton. Some kavanot are particular to the tradition of Kabbalah during meditation. Kavana is a much-debated subject among scholars, with traditional sources accepting that ritual without at least minimal kavana is insufficient. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Berakhot (Talmud)
Berakhot (, lit. "Blessings") is the first tractate of '' Seder Zeraim'' ("Order of Seeds") of the Mishnah and of the Talmud. The tractate discusses the rules of prayers, particularly the Shema and the Amidah, and blessings for various circumstances. Since a large part of the tractate is concerned with the many ''berakhot'' (), all comprising the formal liturgical element beginning with the words "Blessed are you, Lord our God....", it is named for the initial word of these special form of prayer. ''Berakhot'' is the only tractate in ''Seder Zeraim'' to have Gemara – rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah – in the Babylonian Talmud. There is however Jerusalem Talmud on all the tractates in ''Seder Zeraim''. There is also a Tosefta for this tractate. The Jewish religious laws detailed in this tractate have shaped the liturgies of all the Jewish communities since the later Talmudic period and continue to be observed by traditional Jewish communities until ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hasidic Judaism
Hasidism () or Hasidic Judaism is a religious movement within Judaism that arose in the 18th century as a Spirituality, spiritual revival movement in contemporary Western Ukraine before spreading rapidly throughout Eastern Europe. Today, most of those affiliated with the movement, known as ''hassidim'', reside in Israel and in the United States (mostly Brooklyn and the Hudson Valley). Israel Ben Eliezer, the "Baal Shem Tov", is regarded as its founding father, and his disciples developed and disseminated it. Present-day Hasidism is a sub-group within Haredi Judaism and is noted for its religious conservatism and social seclusion. Its members aim to adhere closely both to Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish practice – with the movement's own unique emphases – and the prewar lifestyle of Eastern European Jews. Many elements of the latter, including various special styles of dress and the use of the Yiddish language, are nowadays associated almost exclusively with Hasidism. Has ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jewish Prayer
Jewish prayer (, ; plural ; , plural ; Yinglish: davening from Yiddish 'pray') is the prayer recitation that forms part of the observance of Rabbinic Judaism. These prayers, often with instructions and commentary, are found in the '' Siddur'', the traditional Jewish prayer book. Prayer, as a "service of the heart," is in principle a Torah-based commandment. It is mandatory for Jewish women and men. However, the rabbinic requirement to recite a specific prayer text does differentiate between men and women: Jewish men are obligated to recite three prayers each day within specific time ranges ('' zmanim''), while, according to many approaches, women are only required to pray once or twice a day, and may not be required to recite a specific text. Traditionally, three prayer services are recited daily: * Morning prayer: ''Shacharit'' or ''Shaharit'' (, "of the dawn") * Afternoon prayer: '' Mincha'' or ''Minha'' (), named for the flour offering that accompanied sacrific ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Siddur
A siddur ( ''sīddūr'', ; plural siddurim ) is a Jewish prayer book containing a set order of daily prayers. The word comes from the Hebrew root , meaning 'order.' Other terms for prayer books are ''tefillot'' () among Sephardi Jews, ''tefillah'' among German Jews, and ''tiklāl'' () among Yemenite Jews. History The earliest parts of Jewish prayer books are the '' Shema Yisrael'' ("Hear O Israel") (Deuteronomy 6:4 ''et seq'') and the Priestly Blessing ( Numbers 6:24-26), which are in the Torah. A set of eighteen (currently nineteen) blessings called the ''Shemoneh Esreh'' or the ''Amidah'' (Hebrew, "standing rayer), is traditionally ascribed to the Great Assembly in the time of Ezra, at the end of the biblical period. The name ''Shemoneh Esreh'', literally "eighteen", is a historical anachronism, since it now contains nineteen blessings. It was only near the end of the Second Temple period that the eighteen prayers of the weekday Amidah became standardized. Even at ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ashkenazi Hebrew
Ashkenazi Hebrew (, ) is the pronunciation system for Biblical and Mishnaic Hebrew favored for Jewish liturgical use and Torah study by Ashkenazi Jewish practice. Features As it is used parallel with Modern Hebrew, its phonological differences are clearly recognized: * ''aleph'' and '' ayin'' are completely silent at all times in most forms of Ashkenazi Hebrew. In other dialects of Hebrew, they can be pronounced as a glottal stop. Compare ''Yisroeil'' (Lithuanian) or ''Yisruayl'' (Polish-Galician) vs. ''Yisra'el'' (Israeli). An earlier pronunciation of ''ayin'' as a velar nasal () is attested most prominently in Dutch Hebrew (and historically also the Hebrew of Frankfurt am Main). Vestiges of this earlier pronunciation are still found throughout the Yiddish-speaking world in names like ''Yankev'' (יעקבֿ) and words like ''manse'' (מעשׂה, more commonly pronounced ''mayse''), but are otherwise marginal. * ungeminated '' '' is pronounced in Ashkenazi Hebrew. It is always ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lulav
''Lulav'' (; ) is a closed frond of the date palm tree. It is one of the Four Species used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot. The other Species are the '' hadass'' ( myrtle), ''aravah'' (willow), and ''etrog'' (citron). When bound together, the ''lulav'', ''hadass'', and ''aravah'' are commonly referred to as "the lulav". Codification in the Torah The Torah mentions the commandments to obtain a ''lulav'' for the ''Sukkot'' holiday once in Leviticus: ''Leviticus 23:40'' : :"And ye shall take you on the first day the fruit of goodly trees, branches of palm-trees, and boughs of thick trees, and willows of the brook, and ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God seven days." In the Oral Torah, the ''Mishnah'' comments that the biblical commandment to take the ''lulav'', along with the other three species, is for all seven days of ''Sukkot'' only in and around the Temple Mount when the Holy Temple in Jerusalem is extant, as indicated by the verse as "in the presence of Hash ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bar Mitzvah
A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Halakha, Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age, they are said to "become" ''b'nai mitzvah'', at which point they begin to be held accountable for their own actions. Traditionally, the father of a ''bar'' or ''bat mitzvah'' offers thanks to God that he is no longer punished for his child's Jewish views on sin, sins. In Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox communities, boys become ''bar mitzvah'' at 13 and girls become ''bat mitzvah'' at 12. In most Reform Judaism, Reform, Reconstructionist Judaism, Reconstructionist, and Conservative Judaism, Conservative communities, the milestone is 13 regardless of gender. After this point, children are also held responsible for knowing Jewish law, Jewish ritual law, Jewish tradition, tradition, and Jewish ethics, ethics, and are able to participate in all ar ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chovot HaLevavot
''Chovot HaLevavot'' or ''The Duties of the Hearts'' (; ), is the primary work of the Jewish scholar Bahya ibn Paquda, a rabbi believed to have lived in the Taifa of Zaragoza in al-Andalus in the eleventh century. It was written in Judeo-Arabic in the Hebrew alphabet circa 1080 under the title ''Book of Direction to the Duties of the Heart'' (), sometimes titled ''Guide to the Duties of the Heart'', and translated into Hebrew by Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon during 1161–80 under the title ''Torat Chovot HaLevavot''. There was another contemporary translation by Joseph Kimhi, but its complete text did not endure time. In 1973, Yosef Qafih published his Hebrew translation from the original Arabic, the latter appearing aside his Hebrew translation. Organization and influences The ''Duties of the Heart'' is divided into ten sections termed "gates" () corresponding to the ten fundamental principles which, according to Bahya's view, constitute human spiritual life. This treatise on the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bahya Ibn Paquda
Bahyā ibn Pāqudā (Bahya ben Joseph ibn Pakuda, Pekudah, Bakuda; , ), c. 1050–1120, was a Jewish philosopher and rabbi who lived in the Taifa of Zaragoza in al-Andalus (now Spain). He was one of two people now known as Rabbeinu Behaye, the other being the Bible commentator Bahya ben Asher. Life and works He was the author of the first Jewish system of ethics, ''Chovot HaLevavot, Guidance to the Duties of the Heart,'' written around 1080''.'' It was translated into Hebrew by Judah ben Saul ibn Tibbon in the years 1161-80 under the title . Little is known of his life except that he bore the title of dayan (rabbinic judge), dayan "judge" at the beth din. Bahya was thoroughly familiar with Jewish rabbinic literature and philosophical and scientific Arabic, Greek, and Roman literature, frequently quoting from the works of non-Jewish moral philosophers in his work. In the introduction to ''Duties of the Heart'', Bahya says that he wished to fill a great need in Jewish literature; ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sukkah
A or succah (; ; plural, ' or ' or ', often translated as "booth") is a temporary hut constructed for use during the week-long Jewish festival of Sukkot. It is topped with branches and often well decorated with autumnal, harvest or Judaic themes. The book of Vayikra (Leviticus) describes it as a symbolic wilderness shelter, commemorating the time God provided for the Israelites in the wilderness they inhabited after they were freed from slavery in Egypt. It is common for Jews to eat, sleep and otherwise spend time in the ''sukkah''. In Judaism, Sukkot is considered a joyous occasion and is referred to in Hebrew as ' (the time of our rejoicing), and the sukkah itself symbolizes the fragility and transience of life and one's dependence on God. Associated activities The halakha requires eating and traditionally sleeping in the sukkah. However, Jews are not expected to remain in the sukkah if they would be very uncomfortable there. For this reason, Jews living at northern l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mezuzah
A ''mezuzah'' ( "doorpost"; plural: ''mezuzot'') is a piece of parchment inscribed with specific Hebrew language, Hebrew verses from the Torah, which Jews affix in a small case to the doorposts of their homes. These verses are the Biblical passages in which the use of a mezuzah is commanded ( and ); they also form part of the Shema Yisrael, Shema prayer. According to Halakha, traditional Jewish law, a ''mezuzah'' must be placed on every Post and lintel, post-and-lintel entrance to a residence, courtyard, or city. Since the time of Meir of Rothenburg (), religious Jews have increasingly also placed ''mezuzot'' on the entrances to non-residential buildings such as synagogues and offices, and on each internal doorway of the home or building, with the exception of bathrooms (where the Names of God, name of God is forbidden) and small closets. The ''klaf'' is prepared by a qualified scribe ("''sofer stam'') who has undergone training, both in studying the relevant religious laws, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tzitzit
''Tzitzit'' ( ''ṣīṣīṯ'', ; plural ''ṣīṣiyyōṯ'', Ashkenazi Hebrew, Ashkenazi: '; and Samaritan Hebrew, Samaritan: ') are specially knotted ritual Fringe (trim), fringes, or tassels, worn in antiquity by Israelites and today by observant Jews and Samaritans. are usually attached to the four corners of the ''tallit gadol'' (prayer shawl), usually referred to simply as a or ; and ''tallit katan'' (everyday undershirt). Through synecdoche, a may be referred to as . Etymology The word may derive from the semitic root, Hebrew root [n-ts-h]. shares this root with the Hebrew for 'lock of hair'. For example, in the Book of Ezekiel an angel grabs the prophet "by the of [his] head;" he could be said to be "dragged by his hair." A popular etymological interpretation of derives from another word which shares this root. ( 'budding flower') may once have referred to floral ornamentation on clothing. One can hear distinct similarities with contemporaneous Akkadian lan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
