Lit Final

Front 1

Angel Dumah

Back 1

apopular figure in Jewish folklore, often seen as the Angel of Silence (orDeath)

Front 2

Ark of the Covenant

Back 2

thecabinet where the Torah scrolls arekept, the Ark of the Covenant usually has a candle or lamp (an “eternal flame”)nearby that symbolizes the biblical commandment to keep a light burning outsidethe curtain surrounding the Ark.

Front 3

Asmodeus

Back 3

a demonfrom Jewish folklore

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Beadle

Back 4

caretakerof the synagogue

Front 5

Chai

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“living”;the letters of the word also add up to the numeral “18,” which signifies aspiritual number in Hebrew

Front 6

Cheder

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elementary school teachings of Judaism and the Hebrew language

Front 7

Dybbuk

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demon from Jewish folklore

Front 8

TheFinal Solution

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Germany’s genocidal plan to exterminate allEuropean Jews

Front 9

G.P.U.

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Soviet state police

Front 10

Gehenna (Yiddish) (Gehinnom) (Hebrew)

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a place of spiritual punishmentand/or purification for a period of up to 12 months after death

Front 11

Gemara

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commentaries on the Mishnah

Front 12

Golem

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a commonfigure from Jewish folklore, made of inorganic matter; sometimes signifying afool

Front 13

Haggadah

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religioustext that sets out the order of Seder(see below), and tells the story of Pesach(Passover)

Front 14

Halakha

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thecomplete body of rules and practices that Jews are bound to follow, includingbiblical commandments, commandments instituted by the rabbis, and bindingcustoms

Front 15

Kaddish (Aramaic:holy)

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central prayer of Jewishprayer service, commonly associated with mourning the dead

Front 16

Kol Nidre

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theevening service of Yom Kippur, orthe prayer that begins that service

Front 17

Kreplach

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dumplings,often served on Rosh Hashana

Front 18

Kristallnacht(in English: The Night of Broken Glass)

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1938 pogrom against German and Austrian Jews; oftenunderstood as the beginning of the Holocaust.

Front 19

Landsleit

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natives, compatriots

Front 20

Lilith (Yiddish)

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amythological female demon in Jewish (rabbinical) folklore, appearing usually inthe night, who seduces men and threatens women and babies

Front 21

Maimonides

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medievalJewish philosopher; greatest Torah scholar in history; believed that it isimpossible for the human intellect to contradict G_d

Front 22

Mezuzah

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rolledparchment inscribed with Hebrew prayer verses from the Torah, placed in a caseand affixed to an exterior door

Front 23

Mezuzah

Back 23

rolledparchment inscribed with Hebrew prayer verses from the Torah, placed in a caseand affixed to an exterior door

Front 24

Mikvah (Ritualbath)

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bath of spiritualpurification (usually refers to bath taken by women following menstruation, sothat they can purify themselves for sexual intercourse)

Front 25

Mishnah

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the“oral Torah” in written form; most important work in Rabbinic Judaism, from theTalmudic era (200 CE)

Front 26

Nu

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a Yiddish term that Spiegelman’s father uses a lot; meanssomething roughly equivalent to “So?” or“Well?”—usually in response to something that doesn’t make sense or is obvious.

Front 27

Onkelos:

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a famousconvert to Judaism

Front 28

Pogrom

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anorganized massacre or slaughter of a targeted ethnic group; term originatedwith the nineteenth-century slaughter of Russian Jews.

Front 29

Purim

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holiday that commemorates the Jewish people’s escape from extermination inancient Persia; the story of Purim is told in the biblical book of“Esther.” Esther was a member of theharem of Ahasuerus, the King of Persia. The king fell in love with her, not knowing that she was Jewish. Haman, an advisor to the king, advised thatthe Jewish people, who were “different,” should not be tolerated; Ahasuerusgave Haman leave to do with the Jews as he wished. Haman’s plan was to exterminate them. Estherapproached the king in court to expose Haman’s plot and speak on behalf of theJewish people. Ahasuerus spared the Jewsand had Haman and his ten sons hanged on the gallows that had been prepared forMordecai, Esther’s brother. The Book ofEsther is the only book of the Bible that does not mention the name of G_d.

Front 30

Rabbi

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areligious teacher authorized to make decisions on issues of Jewish law;performs many of the same functions as a Protestant minister

Front 31

Rosh Hashanah

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holidayof the Jewish New Year

Front 32

Seder

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ritualfeast to celebrate holiday of Passover; participantsrecite the story of the liberation (and Exodus) of the Israelites from Egyptianslavery, in obeyance to Biblical command: “You shall tell your child on thatday, saying, ‘It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out ofEgypt’” (Exodus 13:8)

Front 33

Shnorrer(Yiddish)

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beggar; freeloader

Front 34

Shoah

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anotherterm for the “Holocaust,” during which 6 million Jews and 5 million Gentiles(non-Jews), throughout Germany and German-owned territories, were murdered bythe Nazis. (Interesting side-note, in view of both Singer’s interest in animalsand Spiegelman’s use of animals: “holocaust” derives from the ancient Greekword holokauston, which refers to ananimal sacrifice consumed by fire. Itwas also used, biblically, in 1 Samuel 7:9, to mean “a burnt offering to God.” The implications, in connection with thetexts of both authors, are compelling.

Front 35

Shofar (Ram’s horn)

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musicalinstrument used for religious purposes, most commonly for the High Holy Days ofRosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur

Front 36

Song of Songs (Songof Solomon)

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an allegory God and Israel as husband and wife

Front 37

Sukkoth (Sukkot)

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afestival commemorating the forty-year period during which the Children ofIsrael were wandering in the desert, as well as the final harvest; also knownas the “Feast of Tabernacles” or the “Festival of Ingathering”; begins the 5thday after Yom Kippur, but is ajoyous rather than somber holiday and is sometimes referred to as “the Seasonof our Rejoicing,” as well

Front 38

Talmud (Mishnah +Gemara)

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the central text inJudaism, pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history

Front 39

Tishri

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theseventh month of the Jewish Year, during which many important holidays occur

Front 40

Torah

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holiestJewish legal and ethical teachings; strictly speaking, the first five books of the Old Testament: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,Numbers, and Deuteronomy (sometimes called “The Pentateuch”); in a broadersense, “Torah” refers to the entire body of Jewish teachings

Front 41

Yeshiva

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a learning session for the study ofJewish theology

Front 42

Yom Kippur

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mostimportant holiday of the Jewish year; “Yom Kippur” means “Day of Atonement,” inwhich one atones for the sins committed against God (not for the sins committedagainst another person)