ELEMENTS ANOINTING—Humans and objects intended for sacred purposes are consecrated by anointment with oil. BA’AL TEKI’AH—The person who sounds the shofar—ram’s horn—in synagogue  on  Rosh  ha-Shanah  and  at  the  conclusion  of  the  Day  of Atonement. BENEDICTION—Various    blessings    that    are    to    be    recited    on prescribed occasions. BET MIDRASH—Center for religious learning. CANTOR—The  cantor  leads  the  synagogue  prayer  service;  this  may be  a  paid  position.  The  cantor  is  trained  for  his   function  in  music, voice, and liturgy. CIRCUMCISION—Berit  milah,  the    removal  of  part  or all    of   the foreskin that covers the glans of the penis. In Judaism circumcision is performed on the eighth day of the male child’s life according to God’s command   and   as   a   sign   of   the   covenant   between   God   and    the descendants  of  Abraham.  The  laws  detailing  the  various  aspects  of ritual circumcision are drawn directly from biblical sources. Today, the basic  ritual  is  complemented  by  many  customs  that  have  developed with  time.  The  circumcision  itself  takes  only  a  few  second  and   is performed by a circumciser, mohel. The infant is handed to the person who  will  hold  him  during  the   naming ceremony.  Finally,  a  special blessing is said over a cup of  wine  and  the  child receives  his  Jewish name. Female  circumcision  has  never  been  supported.  Circumcision  is  an essential  part  of  conversion  to  Judaism  for  males;  however,  if  the convert is already circumcised, a ritual drawing of a drop of blood from the site of the circumcision is performed. The instrument that the mohel uses are the knife, izmael, sharpened on  both  sides;  the  shield,  magen,  a  thin  metal  instrument  through which  the  foreskin  is  passed  before  it  is  removed  serving  both  to protect  the  glans  penis  and  guide  the  knife  along  a  safe  and  proper path. A silver probe is often used before the circumcision to loosen up the foreskin which often adheres to the glans penis. The ceremony is followed by a festive meal, se’udat mitsuvah. CONFIRMATION—A public ceremony in which teenagers affirm their commitment to Judaism and the  Jewish community. Found primarily in nonorthodox  congregations.  The  phrase  ben  or  bat  Torah;  that  is, son or daughter of the Torah, refers to the confirmants. COVERING    THE    HEAD—When    praying,    attending    synagogue, engaging  in  Torah  study,  and  reciting  benedictions  before  and  after meals,  the  Jewish  male  covers  his  head. The  wearing  of  a  skullcap, yarmulke,  throughout  all  working  hours  became  prevalent  from  the early 18th century and is a sign of Jewish piety. FASTING   AND   FAST   DAYS—Fasting   is   a   religious   discipline involving the abstention from food, drink, and physical pleasures, for the purpose of intensifying spiritual experience in atonement for sin, in  commemoration  of  national  tragedies,  or  as  part  of  a  personal petition in seeking God’s help. Fast  days,  dawn  to  dusk,  are  3  Tishri,  Fast  of  Gredaliah;  10  Tishri, Day  of  Atonement;  10  Trevet,  Asarah  be-Tevet;  13  Adar,  Fast  of Esther; 14 Nisan, Fast of the First-born; 17 Tammuz, Shivah Asar be- Tammuz, and 9 Av, Tishah be-Ab. GENTILE—A  non-Jew  that  is  any  person  not  either  born  of  a Jewish mother or converted to Judaism. HAKKAFOT—The seven circular processions made, with the Torah Scrolls,   in   synagogue   or   elsewhere   on   various   occasions,   both festival and solemn. HIGH HOLIDAYS—Name given to Rosh ha-Shanah and the Day of Atonement which occur on 1 and 2 Tishri and 10 Tishri respectively and mark the most solemn time of the Jewish year. KABBALAT SHABBAT—Welcoming or accepting the Shabbat. This is the service preceding Friday, traditionally at twilight. KADDISH—A doxology prayer of praise to God. The recitation of a mourner’s kaddish is widely observed. KOSHER—A term denoting those foods that are judged proper for consumption, according to the biblical and rabbinic Dietary laws. MINYAN—Traditional  prayer  quorum  of  at  least  10  males  above the  age  of  13  who  assemble  for  public  worship  and  various  other religious observances. Reform Judaism has adopted the practice of counting women as well as men in the prayer quorum. ONEG   SHABBAT—Oneg    Shabbat,    meaning    Sabbath    delight. Special dishes should be served as part of the Sabbath delight. PARENTAL BLESSING—A blessing, birkat banim, usually recited by the father for his  children of all  ages  every  Sabbath  ever  after services, either in the synagogue or at home. PEACE—Peace, Shalom, is a blessing. PRAYER—In Judaism, prayer is a verbal or meditative expression of a relationship with God. Prayer is praise, thanksgiving, request, petitions, entreaties, or confession of sins. RABBI—Title of qualified Jewish religious authority, a teacher, or an expression of respect. RENDING    OF    GARMENTS—A    mourning    ritual.    Performed standing, is done to the outer garment only, on the right-hand side. The person who rends recites the blessing “Blessed is the judge of truth.” SABBATH—The seventh day of the week. Shabbat; the day of rest, one of the central features of Judaism. SEDER—The  order  of  the  home  ceremony  observed  on  the  first night of the Passover festival. SHABBAT—See Sabbath. YAHRZEIT—Anniversary,    the    Yiddish    name    for the    death anniversary of a parent or other close relative who is  obligated  to mourn. ZION—One of the names for the city of Jerusalem. Figure 1-13C.—-Essential elements for Jewish worship. 1-31