Writings and Languages

Writings

Torah

The Torah scroll contains the first five books of Moses and is revered as a sacred object.

The word Torah can be used to mean several different things. First, and perhaps most notably is the distinction of Torah being the five books of Moses (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy). However, Torah can also be the whole of the Tanakh, what Christians consider the Old Testament. The word Tanakh is an acrostic for the three sections, Torah (Law, the five books of Moses), Nevi’im (Prophets), and Kethuvim (Writings). In an even broader sense, Torah can also refer to the entire body of Jewish law and teachings.

Talmud

Photo: Yankel Nortman studies a religious text with his sons, Ben and Morris: Circa 1935, USHMM courtesy of Harry Nortman.

Mishna - In addition to the written word of Torah, there is also another collection of writings that are considered the Oral Torah. This oral Torah is a commentary that expounds upon the written Torah explaining what it means, how to interpret it, and how to apply the laws. This tradition of oral Torah continued and was finally compiled into a written work called the Mishnah in 2nd century C.E. The Mishnah is arranged into six sections called sederim (meaning order). These six sections deal with agricultural laws, Shabbat and festivals, marriage/divorce and contracts, tort and financial laws, sacrifices in the Temple, and laws of ritual purity and impurity.

Gemara - In the following centuries, even more commentary was compiled and written down on the teachings of the Mishnah, called the Gemara. Collectively, the Mishnah and Gemara are referred to as the Talmud. To further distinguish this, there are two Talmuds, the Babylonian and Jerusalem. The Babylonian version is more comprehensive and is generally what people refer to when they talk about the Talmud.

Other Writings

Kaballah

Kaballah refers broadly to Jewish mysticism. During the middle ages, some of the teachings were compiled into works such as the Zohar. All of mysticism is open to interpretation but is considered sensitive. Many Jews do not learn about Kabbalah until middle age if ever. Unfortunately, Kaballah has been distorted over time and many people do not fully understand what Kaballah is. One of the more interesting parts of Kaballah is Gematria, which is loosely defined as numerology.

Languages

Aramaic

Aramaic was the spoken language of the ancient world with Hebrew reserved only for sacred use.  Avove the Aramaic alphabet is pictured.

Aramaic is one of the Semitic languages of the Middle East. ‘Semitic’ is actually not a racial term but a linguistic term that refers to a specific set of language groups, namely Aramaic, Hebrew, Arabic, Ethiopian, and Akkadian. Aramaic is one of the more ancient of the Semitic languages used in many scripts and more specifically within the Torah. Aramaic was the spoken language of the time used in the everyday life from worship to scholarship. Although slowly dying, Aramaic continues to be spoken in small communities in Syria, Iraq, Turkey, and Iran.

Hebrew

Alef, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

The Hebrew language is considered by many to be a sacred language. Most religious texts and prayer books are written in Hebrew, although many are accompanied by transliterations or translations. The Hebrew script is different from the traditional Roman script (like English) in writing and reading. Hebrew has 24 consonants and no vowels. However, as knowledge of Hebrew dwindled nikkud, a series of lines and dots under the consonants, were added to facilitate reading. In addition to a different set of letters, Hebrew also has a different series of numbers, unlike the Arabic numerals (1,2, etc.) or Roman numerals (I, V, X, etc.). Hebrew is also read from right to left instead of left to right. Transliteration is the process of putting Hebrew words into Roman script and is why there seem to be different spellings for the same word. (For example, Chanukah, Hanukkah, Chanukkah, etc.) There is also a special kind of script referred to as STA”M (a kind of calligraphy that involves adding crowns or tails to the letters) which is used for holy writings. This acronym refers to the usage of this script for Torah, Tefillin, and Mezuzah.

To see and hear the Hebrew alphabet, please follow this link: http://www.njop.org/jsAlephbet/sound_main.html.

Yiddish and Ladino

The two languages Yiddish and Ladino are linguistically fascinating modes of communication. Both are, in essence, hybrids of at least two other languages. Yiddish began around 1100 C.E. and is basically German spoken with a heavy accent. However, Yiddish is not based solely around German, it also borrows from Hebrew, Slavic languages, Romance languages, and even some English. Yiddish actually translates into Jewish and was a common everyday language among the Jewish people. Even more interestingly, although based around German, Yiddish is written in the Hebrew alphabet. Just as Yiddish is considered the common language of Ashkenazim Jewry, Ladino is considered the common language of Sephardic Jews with a Spanish instead of German base borrowing words again from Hebrew and Arabic among other languages also written in the Hebrew alphabet.

Consider the following:
1. Explain why written histories and texts such as those listed above are important to Judaism.
2. Discuss why written histories and texts promote unity and solidarity.
3. Tell the difference between the common and sacred languages and explain why each is important.

Next: Distinctions

Back: Judaism Overview

Related:

	Writings and Languages
	Distinctions
	Calendar and Holidays
	Halakhah
	Synagogue and Sacred Objects
	Life Cycle Events

Webmaster at the Florida Holocaust Museum


Send education questions to:

© Copyright Florida Holocaust Museum, 2003;  All rights reserved.