Judaism 101 for the Rest of Us

Including The World’s Fastest

Hebrew Crash Course

for Choral Conductors

Jonathan MillerChicago a cappella, Encore Illinois, and Musicnotes.com

This material copyright

© 2016 Jonathan M. Miller.

All rights reserved.

Top Ten Hebrew Words to Know

Hebrew English Related words

1. Baruch blessed B’racha (blessing), Bar’chu (imperative plural = “bless!”)

2. Adonai Lord Adon (Lord)

3. Eloheinu our God Elohim (God)

4. Melech king Malkeynu (our king), Malkah (queen), yimloch (will reign)

5. Olam world, universe L’olam va-ed (forever)

6. Kadosh holy Kaddish, Kiddush, K’dushah, kid’shanu, kadsheynu, etc.

7. Mitzvot commandments singular: Mitzvah; b’mitzvotav (with his commandments);

v’tzivanu (and has commanded us…)

8. Shabbat Sabbath Sheva (7), Shiva (mourning at one’s home)

9. Chayim life Chai (is alive), L’chayim! (to life!)

10. Bayit / Beyt house B’veit (in the house), B’veitecha (in your house), etc.

An Opening Prayer

Baruch Atah Adonai, Praised are You, Lord

Eloheinu Melech ha-olam, our God, King of the universe,

Shehecheyanu who has kept us in life

v’kiy’manu and sustained us

v’higianu laz’man ha-zeh. and enabled us to reach this season.

Who is a Jew?Rabbi Jacob Neusner:

“People who identify, to some degree,

with the narrative of the Jewish people”

Speed Outline of the Jewish narrative, part 1

• YHWH tells Abram to go to Canaan, where he is circumcised

• Abraham offers Isaac as a sacrifice; YHWH enters into covenant

• Exodus: Moses leads Israelites out of slavery in Egypt

• Moses receives the Torah on Mt. Sinai

Top Hebrew Words #11 to #20

Hebrew English Related words / phrases11. Rosh head

12. Shanah year Rosh Hashsanah = “head of the year”

13. Yom day Yamim (days); Yamim Noraim = days of awe

14. Kol all Kol Nidrei (all the vows)

15. Kol voice Koleynu (our voices);

16. Sh’ma hear! (imp.) Sh’ma Koleynu (Hear our voices) -– HHD prayer

17. Yisraeyl Israel Sh’ma Yisraeyl (Hear, O Israel …)

18. N’shamah breath/soul

19. Yah God another name for the Divine

20. Halleil praise Kol han’shama t’haleil Yah:

let every breathing thing praise the Lord!

Speed Outline of the Jewish narrative, part 2

• Israelites enter the Promised Land

• Kings: Saul and David; Solomon builds First Temple

• Babylonian exile (c. 586-516 BCE) and return

• C. 350 BCE: Building of Second Temple

Speed Outline of the Jewish narrative, part 3

• 32 B.C.E.: Era of Hillel and Shammai – Rabbinic Judaism creates

outlines of “classical Judaism”

• Second Temple destroyed (70 C.E.); Hebrews scattered (“diaspora”)

• c. 200 C.E.: Mishnah (oral commentaries on the Torah) written down

“Judaism’s just the Old Testament, right?”

No! Rabbinic Judaism shaped what Judaism is today:

• 32 BCE: Era of Hillel and Shammai – outlines of “classical Judaism”

• Romans destroy 2nd Temple in 70 CE; Jews are dispersed (“diaspora”)

• C. 200 CE: Mishnah (oral commentaries on Torah) written down

• c. 500 C.E: Babylonian Talmud written down—an “encyclopedia of

Jewish existence” and a basis for the diaspora’s worldview

What Do Jews Consider Holy Scripture?

• Torah (5 books of Moses) = Torah

• Prophets = N’vi’im

• Writings = K’tuvim

• Together – “Tanakh” = TaNaKh

• Talmud – Mishnah, Gemara (commentaries on the Torah), other rabbinic commentaries (Babylonian Talmud, etc.)

• Pirkei Avot (Sayings of the Fathers)

• Prayerbooks are essential to worship• These vary based on denomination/practice

Torah Study (“Talmud Torah”)

Focus on dialogue/disagreement

• Ultimately, it is the process of study,

with its emphasis on questions and

dialogue, which distinguishes Talmud

Torah from other forms of study. How

we discuss and argue is what

matters.

Focus on fixed belief/dogma

• Emphasis on “getting it right”

Old joke:

“Why does a Jew always answer a question with another question?”…

14 Million Judaisms

• There are 14 million Jews in the world

• Focus is less on belief and more on practice

• The practices that a Jew observes constitute the core of his/her Jewish life

• Core saying: “All that the Lord has said, we will do and we will understand”

• Implication: one cannot fully understand something until it becomes part of one’s regular

practice

What The Jews Did

From Thomas Cahill, The Gifts of the Jews:

• Created the concept of linear time

• Created the idea of human agency in our own lives

• Moved from cultic practice to moral practice

(“rend your hearts and not your garments”)

Top Hebrew Words #21 to #30

Hebrew English Related words21. Chesed mercy Chas-de-cha (your mercy), Chasid

22. Echad one

23. B’rit covenant Bris (Yiddish for “circumcision”)

24. Tov good Tovah (goodness), Tovu (goodly)

25. Avraham Abraham

26. Yitzchak Isaac

27. Ya’akov Jacob

28. Moshe Moses

29. David David matriarchs: Sa-rah, Riv-ka, Ra-chel, Le-ah

30. Chanukah Chanukah Chanukiah (Chanukah candelabra / menorah)

The Jewish Life Cycle

• Baby naming / circumcision (bris)

• Coming of age: Bar / Bat Mitzvah / confirmation

• Wedding• Songs of Songs; 7 traditional wedding blessings

• Divorce

• Death and Mourning

The Jewish Year

The Sabbath

Cycles and Festivals

The Rhythms of Jewish Ritual

The Week

• Sunday-Thursday: the week

• Friday evening: Shabbat Eve

• Saturday: Shabbat

• Saturday evening: Havdalah (separation of sacred time from regular time)

Traditional Daily Prayer

• Three times a day

• Shacharit: morning

• Mincha: afternoon

• Ma’ariv: sunset

• The Jewish day starts at sunset.“And there was evening, and there was morning, the first day.”

The Sabbath: the Center of Jewish Observance

“As Israel has kept the Sabbath,

So has the Sabbath kept Israel.”

—Abba Eban

The Sabbath: the Center of Jewish Observance

Shabbat Evening• Can be celebrated at home or at

synagogue

• Shalom Aleychem (welcoming angels)

• Blessing over bread

• Kiddush (blessing over wine)

• Blessing of wife

• Blessing of children/family

Shabbat morning

• Torah is read• For Bar/Bat Mitzvah, weekly portion

Havdalah (separation)

• 4 short blessings• Wine

• Spices

• Fire (candle with 3 braids)

• “Separation” blessing

• Musical setting: Debbie Friedman

The Major Holidays and Festivals (mentioned in the Torah)

High Holidays

• Rosh Hashanah: the New Year (“head of the year”)• Blow the shofar in the new moon!

• Yom Kippur: the Day of Atonement• YK eve = Kol Nidre

• Yizkor = remembrance

• N’ilah = closing service

• Three Festivals• Pesach (Passover): early spring

• Shavuot (First Fruits): late spring

• Sukkot (Harvest): mid-autumn

Hallel is said on these festivals

(Psalms 113-118)—all include the word “Hal’luyah”

Other Holidays and Festivals (not mentioned in the Torah)

Purim (book of Esther)

Chanukah (Maccabees 1 & 2)• Ironically, these texts were only preserved in Greek sources

Tisha B’Av (Lamentations is chanted)

Tu Bishevat (traditionally, trees are planted)

Yom Ha’atzmaut (Israel Independence Day)

Yom HaShoah (Day of commemorating the Holocaust)

Top Hebrew Words #31 to #40

Hebrew English Related words31. Yisraeyl Israel

32. Aleynu for us, to us Aleichem (to you [plural])

33. Tziyon Zion

34. T’filah prayer T’filateynu (our prayer)

35. Eretz land, earth Ha-aretz (the land)

36. Erev evening

37. Boker morning

38. Eyn not, none, no

39. Adam man, humankind

40. Yad hand Yadayim (hands)

The Most Important Prayers

Sh’ma Yisrael

• “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

V’ahav’ta:• “Thou shalt love the Lord thy

God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might…”

Ten Jews must be present in order to say

Kaddish. This is called a minyan.

Kaddish (in Aramaic)

• A prayer of praise to God• Half Kaddish: a “marker” to divide parts

of the service

• Kaddish Shaleym: a (usually) fast, joyous prayer at the end of the morning service

• Mourner’s Kaddish (never sung, only said)

• Kaddish D’Rabbanan (after Torah study)Amidah (silent prayer)

• 18 blessings (b’rachot)

For Your Younger Colleagues

• Just in case…

Levels of Observance

Kashrut (“keeping kosher”)

Shomeyr Shabbos (strict observance of Sabbath prohibitions)

Separation of women and men in worship (and elsewhere)Mechitzah (curtain)

Men’s-only choirs

Not okay to have unmarried man and woman together in a room with nobody else present

What You Wear To Pray, and When

Kipah (yarmulke)Orthodox: all the time

Conservative: when in shul (some wear all day long)

Reform: mostly in shul, some not at all

Tallit (prayer shawl)Orthodox: all day long

Conservative: when at morning prayer

Reform: sometimes not at all

Tefillin (phylacteries)Orthodox: men only, on weekday mornings

Conservative: men (sometimes women), same times

Reform: virtually never

Types of Religious Practice

Orthodox (and Chasidic, Lubvaitcher, etc.)

Conservative

Reform

Reconstructionist (Judaism as a civilization)

“Pediatric"

Secular/cultural (“non-observant / non-religious”)

Ju-Bu

Conversion (“Jew by choice”)

Chanukah Songs

Alternative texts:

Biy’mey Mattityahu (Janowski, others)

Haneirot Halalu (Applebaum, J. Miller, others)

Chanukah candle blessings

Ocho Kandelikas (Ladino)

Food: M. Zuckerman: Fayer, fayer! (Yiddish)

B. Applebaum: Latkes (brand new piece, English)

Songs for Passover: melodies to enjoy/share

• The Four Questions

• Chad Gadya

• Echad Mi Yodea

• Dayenu

Top Hebrew Words #41 to #50

Hebrew English Related words41. Ahava[t] love (n.) Ahav’ta (you have loved), Oheyv (he loves)

42. D’var word, thing Dibeyr (he says)

43. Asher that, which

44. Oseh he does/makes La’asot (to do/make), Asah (he did)

45. Dor generation L’dor vador (from generation to generation)

46. Gadol big Godlecha (your goodness), G’dolot (great things)

47. Zachor “remember!” Zeycher (remembrance), Yizkor (may he [God] recall)

48. Mah what, how/such as in Mah Tovu (“how goodly”)

49. Ben / Bar son, son of B’nai (sons of…), Bar Mitzvah (lit., “son of the covenant”)

50. Bat daughter Bat Mitzvah, Bat Yiftach (Jephtha’s daughter)

Hebrew for Beginners

Reading and Writing• Hebrew reads from right to left

לום ש

Shalom = m-o-l- sh

(a)

Speaking and Hearing

• Accent is on the final syllable unless indicated otherwise

• Sha-lom• (hello, good-bye, peace)

• Ba-ruch• (blessed)

• Ka-dosh• (holy, sacred)

How to Sound Like A Hebrew Pro

1. Know the difference between [E] and [e]/[ei]

2. Put your accents in the right place!

3. Forward, relatively aggressive consonantsExample: “Vhy did you do it?”

The Sound that English Does Not Have(unless you’re a musician)

“ch” or “kh”, as in J.S. Bach

• back-of-the-throat guttural, [x] in IPA

Hebrew words featuring this sound:1. Ba-ruch (blessed)

2. Me-lech (king)

3. Che-sed (lovingkindness)

4. Chai (is alive) and Cha-yim (life – as in “L’chayim!” – “to life!”)

5. Cha-mo-cha (like you – as in “Mi chamocha?” – “Who is like unto you?”)

Three – count ‘em, three – Hebrew letters make this sound!

“that elusive Hebrew vowel”: the Sheva (:)

Two different pronunciations,

based on context:

1. Voiced: between [E]and [I]

שמעSh’ma

מצוה

2. Silent

Mitz-vah

How Hebrew Words Work

Beginning, Middle, and End

Three Parts to Some Hebrew Words

Beginning

Preposition – direction

Connectors

Metaphor/Simile

Middle

Meat of the word:

Noun or verb, usually

End

Possessive (my, your, his, her, etc.)

Plural indicator

Combinations of these

Three Parts to Some Hebrew Words

Beginning

L’ = to

V’ = and

Middle

am =

people

End

i = my

[e]cha = your

Combined

L’ami = to my people

V’ami = and my people

L’amecha = to your people

V’amecha = and your people

Beginnings (just nouns for today)

What can start a word?

• Prepositions:• To / From

• With

• By

• In

• Toward

• Connectors:• And

• How / Like / As

• That / Which / Who

• Direct Object Indicator

Examples:

• She-hecheyanu (who has kept us in life)

• V’ahavta (and thou shalt love…)

• V’chol (and all)

• Mi-Mitzrayim (from Egypt)

• Li-Yerushalayim (to Jerusalem)

• K’Moshe (like Moses / as Moses)

• Et-Ami (my people [direct object])

• B’-veyt (in the house)

Endings

What can end a word?

• Possessives:• Mine

• Yours

• Ours

• His/Hers

• Theirs

• Number/Case:• Singular

• Plural

• Object of Verb

Examples (underline = ending, not accent):

• Elohei-nu (our God), Elohe-cha (your God)

• Kid’sha-nu (has sanctified us)

• Et-chem (you, direct object)

• Sh’mo (His name), Sh’mecha (your name)

• Torate-cha (your Torah)

• Y’ladim (boys) singular = Yeled

• Mitzvot (commandments) singular = Mitzvah

• B’mitzvotav (with his commandments)

Top Hebrew Words #51 to #60

Hebrew English Related words51. Derekh road, way D’rakheyha (her ways)

52. -i my, mine Dodi (my beloved), Li (for me / to me), Sheli (mine)

53. -o his, its (m.) Sh’mo (his name), K’vodo (his glory). Malchuto (his kingdom)

54. -a, -ah hers, its (f.) D’rakheyha (her ways)

55. -[a]nu, [ey]nu us, our Kid’shanu (has sanctified us), Avinu (our father), Malkeynu

(our king)

56. -[a]chem yours (pl.) Aleychem (to y’all), Eloheichem (your God)

57. Adon Master Adonai (Lord), Adoneynu (our Lord)

58. Tzedek righteousness Tz’dakah (charity)

59. Chesed lovingkindness Chasdecha (your lovingkindness)

60. Rachamana mercy Yiddish: rachmoness

Great Hebrew Texts You Might Not Know

Prayer Arrangements

• Shalom Rav Steinberg; Klepper/Freelander/Jacobson

• Mah Tovu Lewandowski; Janowski; Sargon

• Sim Shalom Janowski (2 versions); Steinberg

• L’chu N’ran’nah Carlebach/Jacobson; S. Richards; J. Miller; Janowski

• Oseh Shalom Hirsch arr. Broad Ginsberg (TMP); Applebaum; others

• Shehecheyanu J. Miller; Collins (CME); Corrsin (TMP/ACC)

• Psalm texts! Ps. 23 (G. Cohen); Ps. 150 (Lewandowski); many others

Great Chanukah Texts You Might Not Know

Prayer Arrangements

• Shehecheyanu J. Miller; Collins (CME); Corrsin (TMP/ACC)

• Haneirot Halalu Applebaum (ECS); J. Miller; Becki Slagle Mayo (Heritage)

• Al Ha-nissim Levine; Barnett; Schoenfield (SATB w/piano)

• Aleih Neiri Chaim Parchi, arr. Jacobson

Composers/Arrangers You Might Not Know

Herbert Fromm Joshua Fishbein Oshy Tugendhaft (SA)

Isidore Freed Bob Applebaum Meir Finkelstein

Samuel Adler Klepper/Freelander Paul Schoenfield

Max Janowski Debbie Friedman Bonia Shur

Joshua Jacobson Jonathan Miller Israel Goldfarb

Ben Steinberg Zalmen Mlotek Elaine Broad Ginsberg

Matthew Lazar Stephen Glass Sergio Barer

Daniel Tunkel Benjie Ellen Schiller Yehezkel Braun

Tsippi Fleisher

And Don’t Forget…

This material copyright © 2016 Jonathan M. Miller. All rights reserved.