What Is Siddur? A siddur (סדור, plural siddurim סדורים) is a Jewish prayer book, containing a set order of daily prayers. The word siddur comes from the Hebrew root ס־ד־ר meaning “order”. History The earliest parts of Jewish prayer book 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....
Similar Passages From The Quran And The Torah There are many similarities between The Torah and The Quran, Similar passages point out that they are from the same Divine source. Everything Is Written in a Book Torah: My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the...
What is Shema Yisrael? Shema Yisrael (or Sh’ma Yisrael; שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל; “Hear, [O] Israel”) is a prayer. It is also the first two words of a section of the Torah, and is the title (better known as The Shema) of a prayer that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and...
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...
What Is Rabbinic Literature? Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, can mean the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. However, the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writing, and thus corresponds with the Hebrew term Sifrut Hazal...
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...
The Torah And The Prophet Muhammad This article covers The Torah And The Prophet Muhammad‘s Sunnah. Practices In The Torah Compatible With The Sunnah of The Prophet Muhammad Through their superior virtues all the prophets sent ever since the time of the Prophet Adam (pbuh) have lived in a way...
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...
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...
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...
What Is Mishneh Torah? The Mishneh Torah (מִשְׁנֵה תּוֹרָה, “Repetition of the Torah”), subtitled Sefer Yad ha-Hazaka (ספר יד החזקה “Book of the Strong Hand”), is a code of Jewish religious law (Halakha) authored by Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, also known as RaMBaM or “Rambam”). The Mishneh Torah was compiled between 1170 and 1180 CE (4930 and 4940 AM), while Maimonides was...
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...
What Is Midrash? Midrash (מִדְרָשׁ; מִדְרָשִׁים midrashim) is biblical exegesis by ancient Judaic authorities, using a mode of interpretation prominent in the Talmud. Midrash and rabbinic readings “discern value in texts, words, and letters, as potential revelatory spaces,” writes the Reverend and Hebrew scholar Wilda C. Gafney. “They reimagine dominant narratival readings while...
Love Of God According To The Torah This article gives some sample verses of Love Of God According To The Torah. Love is a crucial attribute of God in Christianity, even if in the New Testament the expression “God is love” explicitly occurs only twice and in two not too distant verses: 1...
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...
What Is Jewish Philosophy? Jewish philosophy (פילוסופיה יהודית) or Jewish theology includes all philosophy carried out by Jews, or in relation to the religion of Judaism. Until modern Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment) and Jewish emancipation, Jewish philosophy was preoccupied with attempts to reconcile coherent new ideas into the tradition of Rabbinic Judaism, thus organizing...
What Is Halakha? Halakha (הֲלָכָה, also transliterated as halacha, halakhah, halachah, or halocho) is the collective body of Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandments (mitzvot), subsequent Talmudic and rabbinic law, and the customs and traditions compiled in the many books...
Jewish Ethics Jewish ethics is the moral philosophy particular to one or both of the Jewish religion and peoples. Serving as a convergence of Judaism and the Western philosophical tradition of ethics, the diverse literature of Jewish ethics‘s broad range of moral concern classifies it as a type of normative ethics. For...
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...
Fear Of God According To The Torah This article covers Fear Of God According To The Torah. The Torah is Judaism’s most important text. It is composed of the Five Books of Moses and also contains the 613 commandments (mitzvot) and the Ten Commandments. The word “Torah” means “to teach.” The Fear of God refers to fear or...