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OAK AND TEREBINTH – The Hebrew terms calling for consideration here are: "elah" (Gen. xxxv. 4; Judges vi. 11, 19, and elsewhere); "el" (only in the plural form "elim"; Isa. i. 29, lvii. 5, A. V. "idols," R. V. "oaks"; lxi. 3, A. V. "trees"); "elon"...
OATH – Function of Oath. The Hebrew terms for "oath," "alah" and "shebu'ah," are used interchangeably in the Old Testament (comp. Gen. xxiv. 8 and 41; see also Shebu. 36a). According to the ancient Jewish principle of jurisprudence the...
OATH MORE JUDAICO – Special form of oath, accompanied by certain ceremonies, which Jews were required to take in courts of law.Historical Development. The disability of a Jew in a contention with a Christian dates back to the Byzantine emperor...
OBADIAH – The name of thirteen different persons mentioned in the Bible. As vocalized in the Masoretic text, it means "worshiper of Yhwh." 1. Head steward to King Ahab of Israel. At the time of the persecution of the prophets of Yhwh by...
OBADIAH, BOOK OF – Biblical Data: This book, which bears the title "The Vision of Obadiah," consists of but twenty-one verses, which are devoted to a prophecy against Edom. The prophecy is usually divided into two parts: verses 1-9 and 10-21. In...
OBADIAH ("HERALD OF THE MESSIAH") – See Isḥaḳ ben Ya'ḳub Obadiah.
OBADIAH DI BERTINORO – See Bertinoro, Obadiah ben Abraham.
OBADIAH BEN DAVID B. OBADIAH – Commentator; born in 1325, according to Azulai ("Shem ha-Gedolim," i. 76); in 1341, according to Steinschneider ("Cat. Bodl." col. 2075, No. 6687). He wrote a commentary on Maimonides' "Yad," Ḳiddush ha-Ḥodesh, in which he gives...
OBADIAH BEN JACOB SFORNO – See Sforno, Obadiah ben Jacob.
OBED – 1. Son of Boaz by Ruth, the daughter of Naomi. He was named, curiously enough, by Naomi's neighbors, and not after his own kindred. Obed was the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David (Ruth iv. 17, 21, 22; I Chron. ii....
OBED-EDOM – 1. Biblical Data: A Gittite to whose house the Ark was taken when removed from that of Abinadab in Gibeah. It remained with Obed-edom three months before it was carried to the City of David; and God "blessed Obededom and all his...
OBORNIK (OBERNIK), MEÏR – Biurist and one of the Me'assefim; born in 1764; died at Vienna Nov. 6, 1805. Obornik contributed to the "Meassef" a great number of fables and was one of the most active of the Biurists. He translated into German the Books of...
OCAÑA – Town of Castile which had a Jewish community at an early date. When the Jews, who had previously enjoyed full privileges, began to be oppressed and curtailed in their liberties by the Christian population of the city, D....
OCCIDENT AND AMERICAN JEWISH ADVOCATE, THE – Periodical published in Philadelphia by Isaac Leeser. It appeared first in April, 1843, and was continued as a monthly until March, 1859, inclusive, making sixteen volumes in that form. In April, 1859, it appeared as a weekly,...
OCCUPATIONS – The ancient Hebrews were farmers, fishermen, artisans, etc., very seldom merchants. Solomon's endeavors to stimulate commerce among them bore no lasting fruit. Outside of their country they were not always allowed to acquire...
OCEDA, SAMUEL – See Uceda, Samuel.
OCHLAH WE-OCHLAH – See Oklah We-Oklah.
OCHS, ADOLPH SIMON – American journalist and newspaper publisher and proprietor; born March 12, 1858, at Cincinnati; educated at the common schools of Knoxville, Tenn. From 1869 to 1873 he was employed as carrier-boy and "devil" in the office of the...
OCHS, GEORGE WASHINGTON – American journalist; born in Cincinnati Oct. 20, 1861; brother of Adolph S. Ochs; educated at the University of Tennessee. Ochs began his journalistic career as a reporter on the Chattanooga "Daily Times," of which he became...
OCHS, SIEGFRIED – German conductor and composer; born at Frankfort-on-the-Main April 19, 1858. He first studied medicine and chemistry at the Polytechnikum of Darmstadt and at Heidelberg University, but later devoted himself entirely to music,...
ODEKA – Initial word of Ps. cxviii. 21 (See Hallel), marking the point where the antiphony of alternate verses between two choirs comes to a conclusion (comp. Grätz, "Kritischer Commentar zu den Psalmen," pp. 74, 608, Breslau, 1882;...
ODENATHUS – See Zenobia.
ODESSA – Beginnings of the Community. City on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea, forming with the adjoining region a separate district. It has been an important factor in the cultural life of the Jews of Russia. It is believed that...
OEDENBURG (Sopron) – Hungarian city, capital of the district of the same name. Its Jewish community, according to a document of 1526, dates from the tenth century and is one of the oldest in Hungary. The town was destroyed by fire in 1317. Charles...
OELS – See Silesia.

OAK AND TEREBINTH – The Hebrew terms calling for consideration here are: "elah" (Gen. xxxv. 4; Judges vi. 11, 19, and elsewhere); "el" (only in the plural form "elim"; Isa. i. 29, lvii. 5, A. V. "idols," R. V. "oaks"; lxi. 3, A. V. "trees"); "elon"...

OATH – Function of Oath. The Hebrew terms for "oath," "alah" and "shebu'ah," are used interchangeably in the Old Testament (comp. Gen. xxiv. 8 and 41; see also Shebu. 36a). According to the ancient Jewish principle of jurisprudence the...

OATH MORE JUDAICO – Special form of oath, accompanied by certain ceremonies, which Jews were required to take in courts of law.Historical Development. The disability of a Jew in a contention with a Christian dates back to the Byzantine emperor...

OBADIAH – The name of thirteen different persons mentioned in the Bible. As vocalized in the Masoretic text, it means "worshiper of Yhwh." 1. Head steward to King Ahab of Israel. At the time of the persecution of the prophets of Yhwh by...

OBADIAH, BOOK OF – Biblical Data: This book, which bears the title "The Vision of Obadiah," consists of but twenty-one verses, which are devoted to a prophecy against Edom. The prophecy is usually divided into two parts: verses 1-9 and 10-21. In...

OBADIAH ("HERALD OF THE MESSIAH") – See Isḥaḳ ben Ya'ḳub Obadiah.

OBADIAH DI BERTINORO – See Bertinoro, Obadiah ben Abraham.

OBADIAH BEN DAVID B. OBADIAH – Commentator; born in 1325, according to Azulai ("Shem ha-Gedolim," i. 76); in 1341, according to Steinschneider ("Cat. Bodl." col. 2075, No. 6687). He wrote a commentary on Maimonides' "Yad," Ḳiddush ha-Ḥodesh, in which he gives...

OBADIAH BEN JACOB SFORNO – See Sforno, Obadiah ben Jacob.

OBED – 1. Son of Boaz by Ruth, the daughter of Naomi. He was named, curiously enough, by Naomi's neighbors, and not after his own kindred. Obed was the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David (Ruth iv. 17, 21, 22; I Chron. ii....

OBED-EDOM – 1. Biblical Data: A Gittite to whose house the Ark was taken when removed from that of Abinadab in Gibeah. It remained with Obed-edom three months before it was carried to the City of David; and God "blessed Obededom and all his...

OBORNIK (OBERNIK), MEÏR – Biurist and one of the Me'assefim; born in 1764; died at Vienna Nov. 6, 1805. Obornik contributed to the "Meassef" a great number of fables and was one of the most active of the Biurists. He translated into German the Books of...

OCAÑA – Town of Castile which had a Jewish community at an early date. When the Jews, who had previously enjoyed full privileges, began to be oppressed and curtailed in their liberties by the Christian population of the city, D....

OCCIDENT AND AMERICAN JEWISH ADVOCATE, THE – Periodical published in Philadelphia by Isaac Leeser. It appeared first in April, 1843, and was continued as a monthly until March, 1859, inclusive, making sixteen volumes in that form. In April, 1859, it appeared as a weekly,...

OCCUPATIONS – The ancient Hebrews were farmers, fishermen, artisans, etc., very seldom merchants. Solomon's endeavors to stimulate commerce among them bore no lasting fruit. Outside of their country they were not always allowed to acquire...

OCEDA, SAMUEL – See Uceda, Samuel.

OCHLAH WE-OCHLAH – See Oklah We-Oklah.

OCHS, ADOLPH SIMON – American journalist and newspaper publisher and proprietor; born March 12, 1858, at Cincinnati; educated at the common schools of Knoxville, Tenn. From 1869 to 1873 he was employed as carrier-boy and "devil" in the office of the...

OCHS, GEORGE WASHINGTON – American journalist; born in Cincinnati Oct. 20, 1861; brother of Adolph S. Ochs; educated at the University of Tennessee. Ochs began his journalistic career as a reporter on the Chattanooga "Daily Times," of which he became...

OCHS, SIEGFRIED – German conductor and composer; born at Frankfort-on-the-Main April 19, 1858. He first studied medicine and chemistry at the Polytechnikum of Darmstadt and at Heidelberg University, but later devoted himself entirely to music,...

ODEKA – Initial word of Ps. cxviii. 21 (See Hallel), marking the point where the antiphony of alternate verses between two choirs comes to a conclusion (comp. Grätz, "Kritischer Commentar zu den Psalmen," pp. 74, 608, Breslau, 1882;...

ODENATHUS – See Zenobia.

ODESSA – Beginnings of the Community. City on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea, forming with the adjoining region a separate district. It has been an important factor in the cultural life of the Jews of Russia. It is believed that...

OEDENBURG (Sopron) – Hungarian city, capital of the district of the same name. Its Jewish community, according to a document of 1526, dates from the tenth century and is one of the oldest in Hungary. The town was destroyed by fire in 1317. Charles...

OELS – See Silesia.