Key Words in Judaism

by Ronald Geaves

Daily political events and the steady inevitability of globalism require that informed students and citizens learn something about religious traditions foreign to their own. Designed for both classroom and general use, these handy Key Words guidebooks are essential resources for those who want clear and concise explanations of common terms and unfamiliar concepts of major world religions.

Each pocket-sized volume contains definitions for over 400 terms from religious principles and significant periods to noteworthy figures.

A quick sampling of terms from this

Berit
Emunah
Haroset
Kaddish
Mezzuzah
Rosh Hashanah
Shabat
Yeshiva
Zionism

Sample

Emunah Lit. Faith. The foundation of the Jewish tradition, it essentially refers to trust in God and reliance on Him to guide the people perfectly. If a person trusts completely in God, everything else will fall into place.

Yeshiva/Yeshivah A college for the study of Torah and Talmud . Although Jewish males had always engaged in study of the Torah under the guidance of their Rabbis, in the nineteenth century, organized colleges appeared in eastern Europe which allowed progression through the various stages of study. Secular study was not permitted and some students spent a lifetime in study of Torah, Talmud and Halakhah (see Torah, Talmud, Halakhah ).

106 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2006

About the author

Ron Geaves is an Honorary Visiting Professor in the School of History, Archaeology, and Religion at Cardiff University. He held a Chair in Religious Studies at the University of Chester (2001-2007) and a Chair in the Comparative Study of Religion at Liverpool Hope University (2007-2013). He joined the Community Religions Project at the University of Leeds in 1988 where he began to work on the transmigration of South Asian religions to Britain, especially Islam. He completed his PhD thesis ‘Sectarian Influences within Islam in Britain’ which was published as a Community Religions Monograph. He has researched Islam in Britain since that time, publishing several books that explore British manifestations of Sufism.

He was Chair of the Muslims in Britain Research Network (2007-2010) and instrumental in the creation of BRAIS (British Association of Islamic Studies), remains a lifetime member of the committee. He has also been Secretary of AUDTRS, the scholarly body representing all departments of religion in the UK. His work remains focused on the application of religious knowledge to real life affairs and he is a passionate believer in advocacy. As a consequence he has involved in a number of projects bridging academia to government, law, architects and media.