Authors: Lynn Austin

Tags: #FIC042030, #FIC014000, #FIC026000, #Bible. Old Testament—Fiction, #Exile—Fiction, #Obedience—Fiction, #Jerusalem—Fiction, #Babylon (Extinct city)—Fiction

Return to Me (41 page)

Glossary

Abba—
Father, Daddy.

Aron Ha Kodesh
—The sacred ark in the Jewish house of worship where the Torah and other sacred scrolls are kept.

Bar Mitzvah
—Son of the commandments—The ceremony at age twelve or thirteen at which a Jewish boy is considered a man and can read Scripture in the synagogue.

Beit Knesset
—House of Assembly, later called a synagogue in Greek.

Bimah
—The raised platform in a Jewish house of worship where Scripture is read.

Gan Eden
—the Garden of Eden.

Haroset
—A mixture of chopped apples, nuts, etc., eaten at Passover to remember the mortar used by slaves when building in Egypt.

Kippah
—A small headcovering worn by Jewish men.

Levite
—A descendant of the tribe of Levi, one of Jacob’s twelve sons, who later became temple assistants.

Mikveh / Mikvoth
(pl)—A bath used for ritual cleansing and purity.

Mishneh
—The “second quarter” of Jerusalem, built during King Hezekiah’s time.

Negev
—The South, referring to the southern region of Israel.

Phylacteries
—Small boxes containing Scripture that Jewish men attach to their foreheads and arms while praying. (See Deuteronomy 6:8).

Rebbe
—Rabbi, teacher.

Saba
—Grandfather.

Safta
—Grandmother.

Seder
—The Passover meal and celebration.

Shabbat
—The Sabbath, a Jewish day of rest. It begins at sundown on Friday and lasts until sundown on Saturday.

Shalom
—Peace. A greeting that can mean hello or good-bye.

Shalom bayit
—Peace in the home.

Shofar
—A musical instrument made from a ram’s horn.

Simchat Torah
—A holiday celebrating God’s gift of the Torah at Mount Sinai.

Sotah
—An adulteress.

Teshuvah
—Repentance, turning from evil, changing directions in life.

Torah
—The first five books of the Bible, which contain God’s Law.

Yeshiva
—A Jewish school where Scripture is studied.

Ziggurat
—A stepped pyramid used for worshiping pagan gods, like the Tower of Babel.

A Note to the Reader

Careful study of Scripture and commentaries support the fictionalization of this story. To create authentic speech, the author has paraphrased the words of biblical figures such as Zechariah and Haggai. However, the New International Version has been directly quoted when characters are reading, singing, or reciting Scripture passages.

Interested readers are encouraged to research the full accounts of these events in the Bible as they enjoy the R
ESTORATION
C
HRONICLES
.

Scripture references for
Return to Me:

2 Kings 17:24–40

2 Kings 25:1–21

Ezra 1–6

Haggai 1–2

Zechariah 1–14

Daniel 5, 9

Books by Lynn Austin

All She Ever Wanted

All Things New

Eve’s Daughters