BCE, CE-This is the Jewish way of dating or reckoning the centuries. BCE = Before the Common Era (BC), and CE = Common Era (AD). By using these terms we are in no way attempting to diminish the centrality of Yeshua in our lives, or to deprive Him of His due honor. We are merely endeavoring to be sensitive to Jewish feelings.

Brit Chadasha-Literally, "New Covenant." For use in this book, it refers to the New Testament.

Chukim-Hebrew for "statutes."

Chumash-The first Five Books of the Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy. The term is derived from the Hebrew word for "five." Chuppah-A canopy in a Jewish wedding under which the wedding party stands during the service.

Church fathers-The Christian scholars and leaders who preached and wrote between approximately 100 to 450 CE.

Counting the Days-This is a period of time specified by Leviticus 23, falling between Pesach and Shavuot. We are merely told to "count the days."

First Jewish Revolt-The First Jewish Revolt was a Jewish rebellion against Roman rule occurring between the years 6673 CE. The results were a defeat for the Jews and the total destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Gemarah-"Completion." This is the second and longer of the two pieces of literature which comprise the Talmud. The Gemarah completes the Mishnah by functioning as its commentary

Haftarah-To complement the Torah portions, the Prophets and the Writings have also been divided into weekly readings and are read following the Torah portion.

Halacha-Derived from the Hebrew word meaning, "walk," this is the way one is to walk out or live one's life, based on the teachings of both written and oral Torah. In a sense, halachic Judaism is rabbinic or traditional Judaism. A halacha is also a specific legal decision in a given area of life which a person is to follow.

Ketubah-A written Jewish marriage contract.

Kosher-Kosher means, "fit to be eaten according to Jewish dietary laws." The noun derived from it is kashrut, the system of Jewish dietary laws.

Maimonides (Rambam)-One of the most respected sages in Judaism, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (his complete Hebrew name) lived in the 1100s. He was an authority on the Torah and Jewish law. Born in Spain, and a resident of Israel for a short time, Maimonides lived out his days as the court physician for the sultan in Egypt. He wrote several very important works, but is perhaps best known for his Mishneh Torah.

Megila, Megilot (plural)-- A scroll of one of the following Five Books of the Bible: Esther, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, and Ecclesiastes.

Mezuzah-Mezuzah literally means "doorpost." It refers to the small parchment of Scripture which the Torah commands to be placed on the doorpost of our houses.

Midrash-1) A method of interpreting the Tenach, stressing the allegorical method of interpretation. It also is a homiletic way of looking at a biblical text, as opposed to a scholarly or literal approach. 2) The name of certain specific collections of commentaries which have employed the midrashic method of interpretation. The best known is called the Midrash Rabbah, which is a commentary on the entire Torah plus the five megilot. Although compiled sometime between the fourth and fifth centuries CE, this Midrash includes some material from Yeshua's time and even before.

Mikvah-A ritual immersion pool.

Mishkan-The Tabernacle.

Mishnah-This is an authoritative collection of oral Torah. It was compiled by Rabbi Yehudah haNasi (Rabbi Judah the Prince) around the year 200 CE. The Mishnah also comprises the smaller of the two pieces of writing that make up the Talmud.

Mishpatim-Hebrew for "judgments." Mitzvah, mitzvot (plural) A commandment.

Mo'ed, mo'adim (plural)-Literally, "appointed time." A mo'ed is a Holy Day, either a feast or a fast. A list of the mo'adim is found in chapter 23 of Leviticus.

Moshe-Moses. "Moshe Rabbenu" means "Moses, our teacher "

Nazarenes-Not the church denomination of the same name! The Nazarenes were a group of Jewish believers in Yeshua of unspecified number, from the time of the original apostles to about the early 400s. They were characterized by their exaltation of Yeshua, their acknowledgment of the canonical letters of Sha'ul of Tarsus as Scripture, and their faithfulness to the Torah.

Niddah-The term used to refer to the period of separation between husband and wife during the menstrual period.

Parasha, parashiot (plural)-The weekly Torah portion. Presently, the Torah is divided into 54 portions which are read and studied each week for one year. In ancient times, the Torah-reading cycle lasted three years. A parasha (portion) is sometimes also called a sidra.

Passover, Pesach (Hebrew)-This is the biblically commanded festival in late March or early to mid-April which celebrates the Israelite exodus from slavery in Egypt.

Rabbi Yehudah haNasi-One of the greatest rabbis of all time, credited with compiling the traditional oral teachings into the writing called the Mishnah, circa 200 CE. In the Talmud he is simply referred to as "the Rabbi."

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai-This important sage was one of the pharisaic survivors of the First Jewish Revolt against Rome. He led his disciples from Jerusalem to Yavne (near present day Tel Aviv), where they set out to establish a Judaism that had to exist without a temple. He is often credited with firmly establishing rabbinic Judaism.

Rashi-Generally considered the greatest of Jewish commentators, Rashi lived in France during the 1000s. He authored many works, including a highly regarded commentary on the Torah. His real name was Rabbi Solomon ben Isaac.

Rav Sha'ul-This is a Jewish way of referring to Paul. His Hebrew name was Sha'ul (Saul), and because of his position as a teacher and his training in rabbinic thinking, we have given him the honorary title of "Rav "

Second Jewish Revolt-- This was another revolt against the Roman occupation of Israel, taking place between 132--135 CE. This rebellion, led by Simon bar Kochba, also failed. The result was that Jews were no longer permitted anywhere near Jerusalem, whose name was changed by the Romans to Aelia Capitolina. This is technically the Third Jewish Revolt, but it was the second that took place in what the Romans called Palestine.

Sefer Torah-The Torah scroll.

Septuagint-The translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek around the year 250 BCE. This was the first known translation of the Tenach. It is often abbreviated to LXX.

Shabbat-The seventh day of the week. In English it is often called the Sabbath, or just Saturday.

Shadchan-A matchmaker, one who helps to arrange Jewish weddings.

Shavuot, Pentecost-The fiftieth day after the Pesach Shabbat. In Judaism, Shavuot is the time when we remember the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai. It is also a Firstfruits holiday. It was on Shavuot that the Spirit of God came upon the early Jewish followers of Yeshua, as they were worshiping in the Temple.

Shofar-A ram's horn blown on Yom Teruah and other special times.

Shulchan Aruch-The literal meaning of this Hebrew term means "set table." It is the title for a sixteenth-century compendium of halacha, or Jewish law, edited by Joseph Caro. Succot The Feast of Tabernacles. This is the biblically commanded festival in late September or early to mid-October when Jewish people live in temporary booths for one week and celebrate the provisions of God.

Tahor-Being in a state of ritual purity. This is a very difficult concept to render into English. The person who is tahor has been removed from a declared state of ritual impurity and declared by God to be free of the vestiges of his or her contact with the realm of sin and/or death. The means of changing the outward state from "tamei" to "tahor" usually involved offering the prescribed sacrifice and purification through water.

Talmid, talmidim (plural) A "learner," or student. A talmid was really a student who was also a disciple: he did not just learn facts, he also learned life from his teacher

Talmud-The two-part authoritative compendium of oral law. The main but shorter part is the Mishnah. After each Mishnah is quoted, it is followed by the second, longer part called the Gemarah (a commentary on the Mishnah). There are actually two Talmuds. The more authoritative work is called the Babylonian Talmud, because it was compiled by sages living in or near Babylon sometime around 500 CE. The second, known as the Jerusalem or Palestinian Talmud, was compiled by sages living in what was then called "Palestine" by the Romans not in Jerusalem. The date is also uncertain, but many' believe it was finished slightly earlier than the Babylonian Talmud. The English edition by Soncino Press takes up over two feet on a bookshelf!

Tarnei-Being in a state of ritual impurity. Like tahor, this is a difficult concept to render into English. The person who is tamei has come into contact with the realm of sin and/or death. However, it does not always mean that the person has sinned.

Tenach- An acronym for the Old Testament. T = Torah; N = Neviim (Prophets); Ch = Ketuvim (Writings), the threefold division of the Tenach.

Tzitziot-The "fringes" on a four-cornered garment worn by observant Jewish men.

Ya'acov-The Hebrew for both Jacob and James.

Yeshua-The Hebrew name for Jesus.

Yom Kippur-Day of Atonement.

Yom Teruah-In traditional Judaism, this Holy Day (mo'ed) is known as Yom Teruah. Biblically, it is the day set aside for a special blowing of the shofar.

ON TO THE FOOTNOTES