halal a term similar to kosher in Judaism, meaning food has been judged fit to eat by Islamic dietary law; for example, an animal about to be slaughtered must be facing the direction of Mecca, and its blood must be completely drained before butchering.
imam the leader of prayer in a mosque.
infidel one who belongs to any faith other than Islam.
Jahannam Islamic term for hell.
jihad spreading the faith and fighting against the enemies of Islam. Also, a holy war.
Kaaba the stone sanctuary in Mecca that contains the Black Stone.
Koran the sacred text that contains the revelations of Allah as made to Muhammad. Also spelled Qur'an.
Lailat-ul-Bara'h the Night of Forgiveness, a Muslim festival devoted to forgiveness.
Lailat-ul-Qadar the Night of Power, a Muslim festival celebrating the giving of the Koran to Muhammad.
Mecca in Saudi Arabia, the most sacred city of Islam, where Muhammad, the prophet of God, was born.
minaret the mosque tower from which the faithful are called to prayer.
Moslem see Muslim.
mosque a building for Muslim worship.
muezzin the one who calls the faithful to prayer from the minaret of a mosque.
Muhammad the prophet of God or Allah; he received revelations from God and is the founder of Islam.
mullah a Muslim scholar who interprets Islamic law.
Muslim an adherent of the Islamic religion. Also spelled Moslem.
prayer mat a mat or carpet laid to face Mecca and kneeled on to conduct prayers. Also known as seg- gadeh.
purdah a term referring to the Koran teaching that women must keep their bodies covered and let only their faces and hands show in public to protect their virtue.
Qur'an see Koran.
Ramadan a month of daily fasting between sunrise and sunset accompanied by religious study. It is the ninth month of the lunar calendar.
Salam Alaikum "Peace be upon you," a common Muslim greeting.
Salat the prayers that must be recited five times per day to satisfy one of the five pillars of Islam.
Shiites Muslims belonging to the minority Shia sect.
shirk the most severe Muslim sin—putting anything on a par with Allah.
Siyam the Muslim requirement to fast during Ramadan.
Sunnis members of the largest Islamic religious group who adhere only to the teachings of Muhammad.
zakat the giving of alms, one of the five pillars of Islam.
Judaism
Adonai the name of the Lord, pronounced this way whenever the letters YHWH occur in the Torah.
amidah "standing"; the prayer recited at all Jewish services.
anti-Semitism discrimination against Jews.
Bar Mitzvah the initiation rite of a 13-year-old boy, who reads aloud from the Torah and becomes accepted as an adult and as a member of the religious community.
Bas Mitzvah the equivalent of a Bar Mitzvah for 13-year-girls. Also known as Bat Mitzvah.
cantor the chief singer or prayer leader in a synagogue.
Chanukah see Hanukkah.
dietary laws in Orthodox Judaism, traditional laws pertaining to the consumption and preparation of foods; for example, pork, shellfish, and birds of prey cannot be eaten. Foods fit to be eaten are called kosher.
Elohim Hebrew name of God used in the Torah. Ezrat Nashim the women's section of a synagogue. Gehenna Greek name for hell; in Hebrew, Hinnom. Gentile anyone not a Jew.
Halakah the body of laws in the Torah and the Talmud.
Hanukkah a festival commemorating the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians in 165 b.c. and the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem. The festival is noted for its ritual of Jewish families lighting a candle every night for eight nights and placing each candle into a menorah (candelabra). Also known as the Festival of Lights. Also spelled Chanukah.
Hasidim strict Orthodox Jews, known for their black, widebrim hats, long black coats, and earlocks. Also spelled Chasidim.
Hebrew Bible the Old Testament of the Christian Bible; it contains the five books of the Law known collectively as the Torah.
Jehovah name of God.
Jew a believer in Judaism or a person descended from the Hebrew people. By Jewish law, must be a child of a Jewish mother.
kaddish a prayer recited when mourning the loss of a relative to help reaffirm faith.
kaftan the long, black coat worn by Hasidic Jews.
kashrut the code stating which foods are kosher.
kosher of food, fit to eat and unrestricted under Jewish dietary law.
matzoh the unleavened bread eaten for eight days by Jewish families over Passover to commemorate the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.
menorah a seven- or nine-branched candelabra.
Messiah the representative of God who will come to earth at the end of the age to established the Kingdom of God on earth.
mezuzah a scroll with passages from the Hebrew Bible, kept in a box on every doorpost of a Jewish home.
Mishnah Jewish oral law, passed down through the ages.
mitzvah a commandment or duty; a good deed or charitable act.
mohel a Jew who performs circumcisions.
ner tamid in a synagogue, the everburning oil lamp in front of the ark.
Orthodox Judaism traditional Judaism, known for its strict adherence to the Law, or Torah; for example, no Orthodox Jew shall marry a gentile, no nonkosher foods shall be eaten under any circumstance.
Passover the eight-day festival commemorating the flight of the Jews from slavery in Egypt and their exodus to the Promised Land. Also known as Pesach or the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
rabbi a Jewish minister.
Rosh Hashanah the Jewish New Year, celebrated in late September or early October.
Sabbath Saturday, the seventh day of the week; a day of rest to honor God.
seder the Passover meal commemorating the Israelites' escape from Egypt. Features of the meal include unleavened bread, four glasses of wine each, a bone of lamb, and green vegetables.
sheitel a wig worn by Orthodox Jewish women in accordance to the rabbinical rule that holds that a woman must keep her hair covered in the presence of any man other than her husband.
Shema a prayer said in the morning and in the evening in Jewish homes. It begins, "Hear O Israel, the Lord Our God, the Lord is one. . . ."
siddur a Jewish prayer book.
synagogue a Jewish house of worship.
tallith a prayer shawl worn by Jewish men during morning prayers.
Talmud a collection of rabbinical writings forming, along with the Torah, the basis of authority for Judaism. It includes scriptural interpretations, dietary rules, advice for daily living, and sermons, among other writings.
tefillin two small leather boxes containing scrolls from the Torah and strapped to the forehead and left arm of Jewish men during weekday morning services.
Torah the Hebrew Bible; the five books of the Old Testament attributed to Moses.