JUDAISM

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does Judaism mean? 

• JUDAISM (noun)
  The noun JUDAISM has 2 senses:

1. Jews collectively who practice a religion based on the Torah and the Talmud

2. the monotheistic religion of the Jews having its spiritual and ethical principles embodied chiefly in the Torah and in the Talmud

  Familiarity information: JUDAISM used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• JUDAISM (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Jews collectively who practice a religion based on the Torah and the Talmud

Classified under:

Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects

Synonyms:

Hebraism; Jewish religion; Judaism

Hypernyms ("Judaism" is a kind of...):

faith; organized religion; religion (an institution to express belief in a divine power)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "Judaism"):

Jewish Orthodoxy; Orthodox Judaism (Jews who strictly observe the Mosaic law as interpreted in the Talmud)

Conservative Judaism (Jews who keep some of the requirements of the Mosaic law but allow for adaptation of other requirements (as some of the dietary laws) to fit modern circumstances)

Reform Judaism (the most liberal Jews; Jews who do not follow the Talmud strictly but try to adapt all of the historical forms of Judaism to the modern world)

Holonyms ("Judaism" is a part of...):

Jewry (Jews collectively)

Derivation:

Judaical (of or relating to or characteristic of the Jews or their culture or religion)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The monotheistic religion of the Jews having its spiritual and ethical principles embodied chiefly in the Torah and in the Talmud

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("Judaism" is a kind of...):

monotheism (belief in a single God)

Domain member category:

Jewish New Year; Rosh Hashana; Rosh Hashanah; Rosh Hashona; Rosh Hashonah ((Judaism) a solemn Jewish feast day celebrated on the 1st or 1st and 2nd of Tishri; noted for the blowing of the shofar)

Purim ((Judaism) a Jewish holy day commemorating their deliverance from massacre by Haman)

Feast of the Unleavened Bread; Passover; Pesach; Pesah ((Judaism) a Jewish festival (traditionally 8 days from Nissan 15) celebrating the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt)

Day of Atonement; Yom Kippur ((Judaism) a solemn and major fast day on the Jewish calendar; 10th of Tishri; its observance is one of the requirements of the Mosaic law)

Rosh Chodesh; Rosh Hodesh ((Judaism) the beginning of each month in the Jewish calendar; marked by a special liturgy)

kishke; stuffed derma ((Judaism) roasted fowl intestines with a seasoned filling of matzo meal and suet)

Hebrew calendar; Jewish calendar ((Judaism) the calendar used by the Jews; dates from 3761 BC (the assumed date of the Creation of the world); a lunar year of 354 days is adjusted to the solar year by periodic leap years)

Feast of Booths; Feast of Tabernacles; Succos; Succoth; Sukkoth; Tabernacles (a major Jewish festival beginning on the eve of the 15th of Tishri and commemorating the shelter of the Israelites during their 40 years in the wilderness)

Sabbatarian (one who observes Saturday as the Sabbath (as in Judaism))

golem ((Jewish folklore) an artificially created human being that is given life by supernatural means)

Cabalist; Kabbalist (a student of the Jewish Kabbalah)

dibbuk; dybbuk ((Jewish folklore) a demon that enters the body of a living person and controls that body's behavior)

aliyah ((Judaism) immigration of Jews to Israel)

Feast of Weeks; Pentecost; Shabuoth; Shavous; Shavuot; Shavuoth ((Judaism) Jewish holy day celebrated on the sixth of Sivan to celebrate Moses receiving the Ten Commandments)

Rejoicing in the Law; Rejoicing of the Law; Rejoicing over the Law; Shimchath Torah; Simchas Torah; Simchat Torah; Simhat Torah; Simhath Torah ((Judaism) a Jewish holy day celebrated on the 22nd or 23rd of Tishri to celebrate the completion of the annual cycle of readings of the Torah)

Fast of Ab; Fast of Av; Ninth of Ab; Ninth of Av; Tisha b'Ab; Tisha b'Av; Tishah b'Ab; Tishah b'Av ((Judaism) a major fast day on the Jewish calendar commemorating the destruction of the temples in Jerusalem)

Fast of Gedaliah ((Judaism) a minor fast day on Tishri 3 that commemorates the killing of the Jewish governor of Judah)

Fast of Tevet ((Judaism) a minor fast day on Tevet 10 commemorates the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem and has also been proclaimed a memorial day for the six million Jews who died in the Holocaust)

Fast of Esther ((Judaism) a minor fast day on Adar 13 commemorates three days that Esther fasted before approaching the Persian king on behalf of the Jewish people; the fast is connected with Purim)

Fast of the Firstborn ((Judaism) a minor fast day on Nissan 14 that is observed only by firstborn males; it is observed on the day before Passover)

Fast of Tammuz ((Judaism) a minor fast day on Tammuz 17 when the walls of Jerusalem were breached)

Channukah; Channukkah; Chanukah; Chanukkah; Feast of Dedication; Feast of Lights; Feast of the Dedication; Festival of Lights; Hannukah; Hanukah; Hanukkah ((Judaism) an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem in 165 BC)

Lag b'Omer ((Judaism) Jewish holy day; the 33rd day after the 2nd day of Passover; the 18th day of Iyar)

shibah; shiva; shivah ((Judaism) a period of seven days of mourning after the death of close relative)

cosher; kosher (conforming to dietary laws)

nonkosher; terefah; tref (not conforming to dietary laws)

challah; hallah ((Judaism) a loaf of white bread containing eggs and leavened with yeast; often formed into braided loaves and glazed with eggs before baking)

mitsvah; mitzvah ((Judaism) a good deed performed out of religious duty)

mikvah ((Hebrew) a ritual purification and cleansing bath that Orthodox Jews take on certain occasions (as before Sabbath or after menstruation))

Passover supper; Seder ((Judaism) the ceremonial dinner on the first night (or both nights) of Passover)

Ark; Ark of the Covenant ((Judaism) sacred chest where the ancient Hebrews kept the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments)

holy of holies; sanctum sanctorum ((Judaism) sanctuary comprised of the innermost chamber of the Tabernacle in the temple of Solomon where the Ark of the Covenant was kept)

menorah ((Judaism) a candelabrum with nine branches; used during the Hanukkah festival)

Menorah ((Judaism) a candelabrum with seven branches used in ceremonies to symbolize the seven days of Creation)

prayer shawl; tallis; tallith ((Judaism) a shawl with a ritually knotted fringe at each corner; worn by Jews at morning prayer)

synagogue; tabernacle; temple ((Judaism) the place of worship for a Jewish congregation)

Tabernacle ((Judaism) a portable sanctuary in which the Jews carried the Ark of the Covenant on their exodus)

Cabala; Cabbala; Cabbalah; Kabala; Kabbala; Kabbalah; Qabbala; Qabbalah (an esoteric theosophy of rabbinical origin based on the Hebrew scriptures and developed between the 7th and 18th centuries)

Cabalism; Kabbalism (the doctrines of the Kabbalah)

Megillah ((Judaism) the scroll of parchment that contains the biblical story of Esther; traditionally read in synagogues to celebrate Purim)

Jewish rye; Jewish rye bread ((Judaism) bread made with rye flour; usually contains caraway seeds)

blintz; blintze ((Judaism) thin pancake folded around a filling and fried or baked)

bas mitzvah; bat mitzvah; bath mitzvah ((Judaism) an initiation ceremony marking the 12th birthday of a Jewish girl and signifying the beginning of religious responsibility)

bar mitzvah ((Judaism) an initiation ceremony marking the 13th birthday of a Jewish boy and signifying the beginning of religious responsibility)

Hallel ((Judaism) a chant of praise (Psalms 113 through 118) used at Passover and Shabuoth and Sukkoth and Hanukkah and Rosh Hodesh)

phylactery; tefillin ((Judaism) either of two small leather cases containing texts from the Hebrew Scriptures (known collectively as tefillin); traditionally worn (on the forehead and the left arm) by Jewish men during morning prayer)

Midrash ((Judaism) an ancient commentary on part of the Hebrew scriptures that is based on Jewish methods of interpretation and attached to the biblical text)

aliyah ((Judaism) the honor of being called up to the reading desk in the synagogue to read from the Torah)

Talmudic literature ((Judaism) ancient rabbinical writings)

Torah ((Judaism) the scroll of parchment on which the first five books of the Hebrew Scripture is written; is used in a synagogue during services)

mitsvah; mitzvah ((Judaism) a precept or commandment of the Jewish law)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "Judaism"):

Orthodox Judaism (beliefs and practices of a Judaic sect that strictly observes Mosaic law)

Conservative Judaism (beliefs and practices of Conservative Jews)

Reform Judaism (beliefs and practices of Reform Jews)

Derivation:

Judaical (of or relating to or characteristic of the Jews or their culture or religion)