Beliefs

Praise of God involves expressing gratitude and admiration directly to Him in diverse situations and contexts. While the book of Psalms contains numerous instances of such praise, similar expressions can also be found in other books of the Bible and subsequent religious texts.

“The Four Expressions of Redemption” refers to four expressions from God’s speech to Moses in Exodus 6:6–7, in which God promises to redeem the Israelites from their enslavement in Egypt. God uses four phrases to describe the process: “I will take you out,” “I will save you,” I will redeem you,” and “I will take you.” Some consider a phrase in the following verse, “I will bring you,” to be a fifth expression of redemption.

Written as part of Rambam's Commentary on the Mishnah to the tenth chapter of tractate Sanhedrin, Rambam's 13 Principles of Faith articulate the fundamental tenets of Jewish faith. Rambam wanted to help people avoid errors of faith. The 13 Principles are first found as declarative statements of faith ("I believe with perfect faith that...") in the Venice Hagaddah of 1566 CE and most popularly known from the poem, Yigdal, from around 1300 CE.

A thorny topic in Jewish thought, and beyond, the following can be said about the “chosenness” of the Jewish people. In Genesis 12, God singles out Abraham to make a covenant and later quietly expresses what the role of his nation of descendants will be. Later Jewish thinkers, across textual genres, emphasize the eternal, unconditional, and unbreakable nature of God’s election of and covenant with the Jewish people, perhaps in response to other religions’ claims to the contrary.

The prohibition against worshipping other gods is the second of the Ten Commandments, and one of the seven Noahide Laws, the laws the rabbis understood to be incumbent upon all non-Jews as well. That is, ideally, all the world recognizes God as the Creator and Master of the Universe. Nevertheless, worship of other gods is central to the dramatic relationship between God and Israel throughout the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). Defining idolatry and ensuring that one does not inadvertently worship an idol or other god is the core of the mishnaic and talmudic tractates of Avodah Zarah.

Mashiach (the Messiah) — literally "anointed one" — generally refers to a savior or liberator figure believed to be a future redeemer of Jews, who ushers in the messianic era. Generations of Jewish texts debate what the messianic era entails, as well as the role that belief in the Messiah should play in Jewish practice. In the Bible, the word mashiach is used to refer to kings or high priests, selected by God and anointed with oil.

Midrash is a form of literature that interprets and elaborates upon biblical texts, mostly compiled from the 5th century CE through the medieval period. Books in this category generally share common methods of interpretation, like filling in gaps in biblical stories. Sections of midrash appear frequently throughout the Talmud.

Miracles feature throughout the Jewish textual tradition. Supernatural events appear throughout the Bible, including the ten plagues, the splitting of the sea, and when the walls of Jericho fell, among others. Miracles feature in later rabbinic texts as well, and ancient through contemporary works analyze the nature and significance of miracles.

In Judaism, priests are believed to be the descendants of Aaron. In the Bible, they are charged with doing the ritual work in the Mishkan and later the Temples, under the leadership of a high priest. In Temple times, priests were also entitled to certain gifts and portions of sacrifices. Today, some people of priestly descent recite a special blessing in the synagogue and are careful to avoid contact with corpses, among other responsibilities and restrictions. The Hebrew word for priest is kohen.

Prophecy features throughout in Jewish literature, most prominently with prophets who appear throughout the Bible. The Talmud counts 55 people recorded in the Bible who prophesied on behalf of Israel, and notes that there were many additional prophets whose prophecies may not have been recorded.

Sitra Achra (literally "other side") is a kabbalistic term refering to the realm of evil or impure forces, in opposition to the Sitra D’Kedushah, the side of holiness.

Neshama

The Hebrew letters ‘yud,’ ‘hey,’ ‘vav,’ and ‘hey’ (in English, YHVH) form what is known as the Tetragrammaton, or God’s four-letter name. Given the longstanding Jewish prohibition against speaking God’s name aloud, the word’s original pronunciation is unclear, and it is traditionally not pronounced as written. Instead, a variety of substitutes are used - like “Adonai” (“My Lord”) and “Hashem” (“The Name”) - depending on the context.