Sephardic Judaism

Sephardic Judaism, as opposed to Ashkenazic Judaism[?] from Eastern Europe, is one of the two major traditions of Judaism. Literally translated from the Hebrew, it means "Spanish." The tradition was heavily influenced by Spanish scholars including Maimonides. Often, the term is used to include all Jews who do not derive of Eastern European descent. Major aspects of the tradition include a greater emphasis on mysticism, prayers and clear codification of the halakha.