Jewish literature

Shulchan Aruch

Shulchan Aruch

What Is Shulchan Aruch? The Shulchan Aruch (שֻׁלְחָן עָרוּך “Set Table”), sometimes dubbed in English as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Judaism. It was authored in Safed (today in Israel) by Joseph Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later. Together with iRabbi Moshe Isserlests commentaries, it is the most...

The Holy Book

Religious Observances In The Torah And The Quran

Religious Observances In The Torah And The Quran Religious Observances In The Torah And The Quran Are Compatible. Religious Observances such as Giving Alms, Zakat, Ablution, Wudu, Fasting, Daily Prayer, and Salat. Religious Observance includes all overt kinds of religious behavior. Research in this area shows the extent and patterning...

Picture of “Shorshei Yishay” from Rabbi Shlomo HaLevi Elkabetz, compiler of the piyyut ...

Piyyut

What Is Piyyut? piyyut or piyut (plural piyyutim or piyutim, “poet”) is a Jewish liturgical poem, usually designated to be sung, chanted, or recited during religious services. Piyyutim have been written since Temple times. Most piyyutim are in Hebrew or Aramaic, and most follow some poetic scheme, such as an acrostic following the order of the Hebrew alphabet or spelling out the name of the author. Many piyyutim are familiar...

The Torah Scroll

Faith And The Torah

Faith And The Torah This article covers the relationship between Faith And The Torah. Faith is confidence or trust in a person, thing, or concept. In the context of religion, one can define faith as confidence or trust in a particular system of religious belief. Religious people often think of faith as confidence based on a perceived degree...

Modern Musar: Contested Virtues in Jewish Thought

Musar Literature

What Is Musar Literature? Musar literature is didactic Jewish ethical literature which describes virtues and vices and the path towards perfection in a methodical way. Musar literature can be distinguished from other forms of Jewish ethical literature such as aggadic narrative and halakhic literature. Definition of Musar literature Musar literature is often described as “ethical...

A page of the Babylonian Talmud; the Mishnah text is in the center

Mishnah

What Is Mishnah? The Mishnah or Mishna (מִשְׁנָה, “study by repetition”, from the verb shanah שנה, or “to study and review”, also “secondary”) is the first major written collection of the Jewish oral traditions known as the “Oral Torah“. It is also the first major work of Rabbinic literature. The Mishnah was redacted by Judah the Prince at...

The Aleppo Codex from a facsimile edition. This file contains Ketuvim from the manuscript, including Chronicles, Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ruth, and the beginning of the Song of Songs. The manuscript is missing the end of Ketuvim, including the rest of the Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations and Esther.

Ketuvim

What Is Ketuvim? Ketuvim (כְּתוּבִים‎ Kəṯûḇîm, “writings”) is the third and final section of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible), after Torah (instruction) and Nevi’im (prophets). In English translations of the Hebrew Bible, this section is usually titled “Writings”. Another name used for this section is Hagiographa. The Ketuvim are believed to have been written...

Judaism Masada Israel Religion Father And Son

Jewish Liturgy

Jewish Liturgy Jewish liturgy refers specifically to following the Torah in all of its rites and ceremonies, whether in the home or in the Synagogue. The main purposes of following the carefully laid out observances is to maintain uniformity, and to avoid improper and unacceptable practices at variance with those...

Members of Kvutzat Rodges studying the gemara (June 1, 1935)

Gemara

What Is Gemara? The Gemara (Gemora, Gemarah, or Gemorra; from Hebrew גמרא‎, from the Aramaic verb gamar, study) is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah. After the Mishnah was published by Judah the Prince (c. 200 CE), the work was studied exhaustively by generation after generation of rabbis in Babylonia and...