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| Judaica (clockwise
from top): Shabbat candlesticks, handwashing
cup, Chumash and Tanakh, Torah pointer, shofar
and etrog box. |
Judaism
Judaism (Hebrew: יהדות) is the world's oldest Abrahamic
religion. It is almost 4,000 years old. There are about
15 million followers. They are called Jews. It is the
oldest monotheistic religion. The Torah is the most
important holy book of Judaism. The laws and teachings
of Judaism come from the Torah, the first five books of
the Hebrew Bible and oral traditions. Some of these were
first oral traditions and later written in the Mishnah,
the Talmud, and other works.
Both Christianity and Islam are similar to Judaism.
These religions accept the belief in one God and the
moral teachings of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament),
which includes the Torah or "תורה."
Basic beliefs
Thirteen Principles of Faith
Maimonides was a famous Jewish teacher of the 12th
century. He listed thirteen of the main beliefs in
Judaism. These were called the “Principles of Faith.” |
- God is the Maker and the King of the
world.
- There is only one God, and He is the
only one who is and will ever be God.
- God has no body or physical form and
nothing else is like Him.
- God is eternal – He has always
existed and will live forever.
- Only God can answer people’s prayers
and people must only pray to Him.
- The words of the Prophets are true.
- Moses was the greatest of the
Prophets.
- God gave the whole Torah to Moses.
- God will not change the Torah and
will not give another Torah.
- God knows the actions and thoughts
of people.
- God rewards and punishes people for
the things they do.
- The Messiah will come.
- God will make dead people live again
when He chooses to.
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The three main beliefs at the center of Judaism are
Monotheism, Identity, and covenant (an agreement between God
and his people).
The most important teachings of Judaism is that there is one
God, who wants people to do what is just and compassionate.
Judaism teaches that a person serves God by learning the
holy books and doing what they teach. These teachings
include both ritual actions and ethics. Judaism teaches that
all people are made in the image of God and deserve to be
treated with dignity and respect.
One God
The main teachings of Judaism about God are that there is a
God and there is only one God and that god is Yahweh. Only
God created the universe and only He controls it. Judaism
also teaches that God is spiritual and not physical.
Jews believe that God is one – a unity: He is one whole,
complete being. He cannot be divided into parts and people
cannot say how He looks in words; they can only say how He
is and what He does..
Jews believe that all goodness and morality is from God. God
is interested in what people do and He watches what they do.
Judaism teaches that all people are made in the image of
God. This is why people must be treated with dignity and
respect. A person serves God by being like God. This means
that they must do what is fair and just, show mercy, and
behave with kindness and love for people.
Judaism says that God exists forever, that He is in every
place, and that He knows all things. He is above nature
(“supernatural”) but He is in the world and He hears people
who pray to Him and can answer them. God is the main power
in the universe.
Judaism teaches that God allows people to choose what to do
– this is called “free will.” Free will is the freedom to do
whatever a person wants to but must be responsible of his
own actions. A person is responsible for their actions. God
rewards people who do good actions and punishes people who
do bad actions. God gives a person a reward or a punishment
in this world, but He gives the final reward or punishment
to the soul of the person after they die.
Jews
Jews believe that God made an agreement called a “covenant”
with Abraham, the ancestor of the Jewish people. The Bible
says that God promised to bless Abraham and his descendants
if they worshipped God and were faithful to him. God made
this covenant with Abraham's son, Isaac, and with Isaac's
son, Jacob. God gave Jacob another name, Israel. This is how
Jacob’s descendants got the name the “Children of Israel” or
“Israelites.” God later gave the Torah to the Israelites
through their leader, Moses. The Torah told the Israelites
how to live and build their community. God gave the
Israelites the Ten Commandments and other laws in the Torah.
The Jews are sometimes called the “Chosen People.” This is
because the Bible says God told them “you will be to Me a
kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:6) and “For
you are a holy people to the Lord your God, and the Lord
chose you to be His own special nation out of all peoples on
the earth” (Deuteronomy 14:2). Jews understand this means
that they have special duties and responsibilities commanded
by God. For example, Jews must build a just society and
serve only God. Jews believe that this covenant works in two
ways: if they follow God’s laws, He will give them his love
and protection, but they are also responsible for their sins
– bad actions – and not doing what God told them. Jews
believe that they must teach other people that God exists
and that God wants all people to do good actions. Jews
believe that their job in the world is to be "a light to the
nations" (Isiah 49:6) by showing the people of the world
ways to make the world a better place.
Jews believe that God has given them a special job to repair
the world. Their job is to make the world a better place
with more good in it. They must use the things in the world
to increase good and come closer to God. They call this “tikkun
olam” – repairing the world. Jews see themselves as God’s
partner to repair the world in any way they can – to find
ways to lessen suffering of people and animals, to make more
peace and respect between people, and protect the earth’s
environment from destruction.
Jews do not try to convince other people to believe in
Judaism. Jews believe they have a special job to show all
peoples that God exists, but people do not have to be Jewish
to follow God. All people can serve God by following the
Seven Commandments (rules) given to Noah. But, Judaism
accepts people who choose to change their religion to
Judaism.
Torah and Mitzvot
Jews believe that God tells them in the Torah the way of
life that they must follow. The Torah says God wants the
people of Israel to walk in His ways, to love Him, and to
serve Him, and to keep God’s commandments (Deut. 10:12–13).
Actions are more important than beliefs and beliefs must be
made into actions.
These actions are called “mitzvot” in Hebrew (singular: a
mitzvah מִצְוָה). Sometimes they are called “laws,” "rules"
or “commandments”. Many people think of a mitzvah as "a good
act," or "a good thing to do." There are 613 mitzvot in the
Torah. Jews believe that the Torah gives mitzvot for all
people; all people must keep seven laws that were taught to
Noah and his children after the flood. The Jews must keep
613 mitzvot, which are listed in the Torah. The rabbis
counted 365 mitzvot that Jews must not do (negative mitzvot),
and 248 mitzvot that Jews must do (positive mitzvot). Some
mitzvot are for everyday life, and some are only for special
times, such as Jewish holidays. Many of the 613 mitzvot are
about the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and cannot be done now,
since the Temple was destroyed.
Some of the mitzvot are about how people must act to other
people. For example, they must give charity to a poor
person, or help a person who is in danger. They must not
steal or lie. These are ethical and moral mitzvot.
Some mitzvot are about how people must act towards God. For
example, they must respect God’s name, or not work on the
Sabbath. These are religious or ritual mitzvot. Jews believe
that God tells them to do both ethical and religious acts.
Jews see mitzvot as acts that sanctify – bring holiness – to
the world and bring people and the world closer to God. Jews
do the mitzvot to sanctify the physical world and the things
in it, such as food and drink, clothing, and natural
activities such as work, or seeing beautiful sights. Before
doing many acts, such as eating, Jews say a blessing – a
short prayer – that God makes and gives a person the things
that they need for life. In Judaism, life is most holy and
important. A Jew must stop doing other mitzvot of the Torah
to help save another person’s life.
Jews believe that they must do the mitzvot with happiness
and joy because the Bible says “Serve God with joy; come
before God with singing” (Psalms 100:2). Doing a mitzvah
helps a person come close to God and that makes the person
happy. A group of Jews called the Hasidim say this is the
best way to live. They say that worrying takes people away
from joy and they will not see the beauty and good in the
world.
Many mitzvot in the Torah are about the Land of Israel. The
Talmud and later books call these mitzvot “commandments
connected to the Land” because Jews can only do them in the
Land of Israel. For example, Jews give gifts to the poor or
the priests from their fields every year, take fruit or
animals to the Temple in Jerusalem, and must stop working on
the land every seven years (the “shmittah” – sabbatical
year).
The Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is holy in Judaism. A Jewish belief is
that God created the Earth from Mount Moriah in Jerusalem in
the Land of Israel, and He is always closest to this land.
Jews believe that this land is where God told the Jewish
people to build a society to serve Him, and many mitzvot
(commandments) in the Torah are about the Land of Israel.
The Jewish people believe their history as a nation begins
with Abraham. The story of Abraham in the Torah begins when
God tells Abraham to leave his country. He promises Abraham
and his descendants a new home in the land of Canaan. This
is now known as the Land of Israel. It is named after
Abraham's grandson, Jacob, who was also called Israel and
who was the father of the twelve tribes. This is where the
name “Land of Israel” comes from. The land is also called
“the Promised Land” because in the Torah, God promises to
give the land to the children of Abraham (Gen 12:7, Gen
13:15, Gen 15:18, Gen 17:8).
The rabbis of the Talmud understood from the Torah (Num
33:53) that it is a “mitzvah” for Jews to live in the land
of Israel. They saw living outside of Israel as not natural
for a Jew. Jews often called the land outside of Israel "galut."
This is usually translated as "diaspora" (a place where
people are scattered), but the word more closely means
"exile".
The Messiah and Saving The World
The story of leaving Egypt, called the Exodus, is very
important in the way the Jewish people understand the world.
The Torah tells how God took a group of slaves, the
Israelites, from slavery, and tells them how to be His
partner to build the world. Jews see this story as a model
for the whole world. In the future, the whole world will
change, and all the people of the world will serve the one
God. This will be God’s kingdom on Earth. They believe the
whole of Jewish history, and world history, is part of this
process.
The prophets taught that God would send a person to the
world who would help all the people of the world see that
God is the maker, king of the world and has supreme power.
This person is called the Messiah. The word Messiah comes
from the Hebrew word mashiah, which means "the anointed
one". The Book of Isaiah says the Messiah will be a just
king who will unite the Jewish people and lead them in God's
way. The Messiah will also unite all the people of the world
to serve God. People will act with justice and kindness, and
the whole world will be filled with peace.
Jews still wait for the Messiah to come. They believe that
this will be a person. Other Jews believe in a future time
when justice and peace will come through the cooperation of
all people and the help of God. |
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Writings
Jews believe that to know what God wants them to do,
they must study the books of Torah and its laws and do
what they teach. These include both laws about how to
behave to other people and how to serve God.
The two most important groups of books in Judaism are
the Bible and the Talmud. The beliefs and actions of
Judaism come from these books. Jewish teachers and
scholars wrote more books, called commentaries. They
explain and say more about what is written in the Bible
and Talmud.
The Torah
The Torah is the most important of all Jewish writings.
The first five books of the Hebrew Bible (known to
Christians as the "Old Testament") make up the Torah.
The Torah contains the basic laws of Judaism and
describes the history of the Jews until the death of
Moses. Jewish tradition says that God told Moses what to
write in the Torah, which is also called the Five Books
of Moses. Religious Jews believe that Moses brought the
Ten Commandments and the Torah down from Mount Sinai.
The Ten Commandments are special because they were heard
by all of the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. However, in
traditional Judaism, all of the 613 mitzvot in the Torah
are equally important.
Jews divide the Hebrew Bible into three parts and call
it the Tanakh. The three parts are the Torah, which is
the first five books; the Nevi'im, which are the books
of the prophets; and the Ketuvim, meaning the Writings,
which are other books of history and moral teachings.
Talmud
Rabbinic Jews also believe that there is another part of
the Torah besides the five books of Moses. It is called
the Mishnah, also called the Oral Torah or Oral Law. It
explains how to follow the laws written in the 5 books.
There is a commentary (explanation) of the Mishnah,
called the Gemara. Together, the Mishna and the Gemara
make up the Talmud. But Karaite Jews believe that there
is no additional Torah besides the five books of Moses.
Traditional Jews believe that God gave the written Torah
and the oral Torah to Moses and that Moses told it to
the Jewish people, and that it is the same today as it
was back then. Traditional Jews also believe that all of
the commandments must still be followed today.
Liberal Jews believe that the Torah was inspired by God
but written by human beings. Liberal Jews believe that
all of the ethical laws in the Torah must still be
followed, but many ritual laws do not need to be
followed today.
It is considered good in Judaism to talk about the
commandments and to try to understand how to follow
them. The Talmud has many stories about Rabbis who
argued about the commandments. Over time, some opinions
have become the rule for everyone. Some rules are still
being argued about. Jews praise logical argument and
looking for truth.
There is no single leader of Judaism who can decide how
to follow the commandments or what to believe. Even
though Jews believe different things and they disagree
about the rules, they are still one religion and one
people.
Daily way of life
Kashrut: Jewish food laws
Jews who follow the religious rules called "kashrut"
only eat some types of food that are prepared by special
rules. Food that a Jew can eat is called kosher food.
Traditional Jews are very careful about kashrut. They
usually cannot eat many foods in non-kosher restaurants
or in the home of someone who does not keep kosher.
Sometimes, this makes it hard to visit people or to do
business. It is important to understand that this is
part of their religion. People help avoid this problem
by choosing to dine with Traditional Jews in a kosher
restaurant or serve them kosher food in their home.
Liberal Jews are not so careful about kosher, although
some of them may keep some rules.
Kosher foods |
- Jews can eat any fresh fruit or
vegetables that do not have any insects on or in them.
- Jews can eat any fish that has
scales and fins. This includes fish like salmon and
tuna. They cannot eat seafood like shrimp, lobster, or
mussels.
- Jews can eat meat of any animal that
chews its cud (food which has already been partly
digested), and has split hooves. For example, cows,
sheep, deer, and goats. However, the meat must be
slaughtered and prepared in a specific way to be kosher.
- Jews can eat many common birds such
as chickens and turkeys and duck. The birds must also be
slaughtered and prepared in a specific way. Jews can't
eat birds of prey, like vultures.
- Foods sold in stores or restaurants
must be checked by a Jew who is an expert in Kashrut.
The name for this person is "mashgiach," or kosher
overseer. He makes sure that the kosher rules were kept.
Foods bought at the store often have a symbol called a
hechsher on them to tell the customer that the food have
been checked. Many everyday foods have a hechsher.
- Honey is an insect product made by
bees, but it is kosher.
- It is a well-known myth that kosher
food must be blessed by a rabbi, a rabbi cannot bless a
food and make it Kosher.
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Non-kosher foods |
- Some call non-kosher foods "Treifah,"
meaning "torn." This is because the Torah says not to
eat an animal that has been killed or torn by another
animal.
- Jews cannot eat animals that do not
have split hooves or animals that do not chew their cud.
Unlike cows and sheep, pigs have split hooves, but do
not chew their cud and are therefore not kosher.
- Jews cannot eat rodents, reptiles or
amphibians.
- Jews cannot eat any sea animal that
does not have scales and fins. For example, sharks,
eels, crabs, shrimp and lobsters are not kosher.
- Jews cannot eat birds that eat meat
like vultures, which are mentioned in a list in the
Torah.
- Jews cannot eat any insects, except
for a few types of crickets or locusts.
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Other kosher rules
There are other rules for kosher food as well. |
- Animals must be killed in a certain
way, including using a fast strike across the neck with
a very sharp blade which makes sure that the animal dies
quickly.
- All the blood must be removed from
an animal before the meat is eaten. This is done by
soaking and salting the meat.
- A Jew cannot eat a meal that has
both meat and milk in it. This comes from the rule (in
the Torah) that a Jew must not cook a young goat in its
mother's milk. Because of this, Jews use separate dishes
and utensils for foods that have meat in it, and foods
that have milk in it.
- After eating meat, many Jews do not
drink milk products before a time period between 1 to 6
hours has passed.
- Kosher food must be cooked in a
kitchen for actual kosher food. If the kitchen has been
used to cook non-kosher food, such as rabbit and pig
then the kitchen must be cleaned in a special way before
it can be used to cook kosher food.
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Holidays
Shabbat
One of the commandments is to keep the Jewish Sabbath,
or Shabbat. Shabbat starts every Friday at sunset and
ends on Saturday at nightfall. Shabbat is a day of rest
to thank God for making the universe.
The tradition of resting on Shabbat comes from the
Torah. According to the Torah, God created the world in
six days and on the seventh day, Shabbat, He rested.
Many Jews go to their temple or synagogue to pray on
Shabbat.
Religious Jews follow special rules on Shabbat. These
rules require Jews not to do creative work on Shabbat.
One reason for this is to give people a break from all
the things that make them busy during the week. This
helps them focus more on appreciating God, their family,
and the rest of creation. Also it reminds people that
God is the creator and ruler of the world; and no matter
how great a person's creative power is, it cannot
compare with God's creation of the universe and
everything in it. Many of these categories of creative
work include actions that people might not think of as
work. For instance, on Shabbat a Jew cannot: |
- Use electrical machines like phones,
computers, or a TV
- Buy or sell things
- Put on or off a fire or a light
- Drive a car or ride a bicycle
- Cook
- Write
- Build or fix things
|
Traditional Jews are very careful about Shabbat. It is a
special day. They clean their houses and prepare special
food for Shabbat. They dress in their nicest clothes. They
sing beautiful songs and say extra prayers in the synagogue.
They have dinner and lunch with their families. Many
families also invite guests for dinner and for lunch. They
eat special delicious food, and sing together traditional
Shabbat songs. On Shabbat afternoon people study Judaism
together or just visit friends.
Liberal Jews do not follow those rules. Some do go to
synagogue, visit friends, or have special meals. But they
may also talk on the phone, drive cars, and go shopping.
Important points in a Jewish
life |
- Birth
- Brit Milah (for boys) a circumcision
ceremony when a boy is 8 days old. It includes naming
the baby. Some non-Orthodox Jews practice Brit Shalom, a
baby naming ceremony for Jewish boys without
circumcision.
- Pidyon haben (for boys) is when a
father does a special ceremony to redeem his wife's
first son from the Temple, as originally all firstborn
boys were sent to serve in the Temple. Levites (a tribe
of Israel) and Cohanim (priests) do not do this ritual.
- Bat Mitzvah (for girls) a 'coming of
age' ceremony when a girl turns 12 (13 for some Jews).
Bat Mitzvah means "daughter of the mitvah" or "daughter
of the commandments" in Hebrew. Once a girl turns 12 (or
13), she is considered a woman and is expected to follow
Jewish law. A ceremony is not required. Bat Mitzvah not
only refers to the ceremony, but also to the girl
herself.
- Bar Mitzvah (for boys) a 'coming of
age' ceremony when a boy turns 13. It includes reading
the Torah and special prayers. Bar Mitzvah means "son of
the mitzvah" or "son of the commandments" in Hebrew.
Once a boy turns 13, he is considered a man and is
expected to follow Jewish law. A ceremony is not
required. Bar Mitzvah not only refers to the ceremony,
but also to the boy himself.
- Marriage
- Having Children
- Death
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Kinds of Judaism
For a very long time, most Jews in Europe believed the same
basic things about Judaism. Jews in other lands had
different beliefs and customs than European Jews. About 200
years ago, a small group of Jews in Germany decided to stop
believing in many parts of Judaism and try to become more
"modern" and more like Germans. Those Jews were called
Reform Jews.
Today there are three main kinds of Judaism: Reform,
Conservative, and Orthodox Judaism. There are also kinds
with a smaller number of people, such as Reconstructionist
Judaism, and Karaite Judaism. Each group has its own
practices according to how it understands the Jewish laws.
For example, Reform (also called Liberal or Progressive)
Judaism encourages people to choose the ways to be Jewish
that mean the most to them based on the traditions. Reform
Judaism teaches Jews to focus on the ethical laws of
Judaism. Conservative Judaism developed after Reform
Judaism. The leaders of Conservative Judaism felt that
Reform Judaism was too radical. They wanted to conserve
(protect) Jewish tradition instead of reforming (changing)
it. Orthodox Jews do not believe that Reform or Conservative
Judaism are correct because they believe that the laws given
by God are timeless, and can't be changed.
In the most recent survey of Jews in the United States in
2000-2001, it was found that 35% of American Jews say they
are Reform, 27% say they are Conservative, 10% say they are
Orthodox, 2% say they are Reconstructionist and 25% do not
say what type they are.
In Israel, almost all Jews go to Orthodox synagogues. There
are very few Reform or Conservative synagogues, but there
has been a steady increase since 2009. In Israel, Jews do
not call themselves Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox.
Instead, they mostly call themselves "Haredi" (completely
religious) "Dati" (basically religious), "Masorati"
(traditional/conservative) or "Chiloni" (secular). Surveys
suggest about 20% of Israelis say they are secular, 25% say
they are Dati or Haredi and 55% say they are traditional. |
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Names of God
Names are very important in Judaism. Many Jews believe
that a name not only tells you who someone is, but also
tells you something about them. Names of God are very
special in Judaism, so Jews do not write them or speak
them fully but use other words instead. That is why some
Jews write G-d, with a "-" instead of an "o."
HaShem Means "The Name". It is the word Jews use most
often when not praying to talk about God.
Adonai means "My Lord." This name tells Jews about God's
position. God is the King of the World, and his name
Adonai lets us know that.
Elohim means "one who is strong enough to do
everything." This name is used when talking about God's
power to create or God's justice. This tells us that God
is the creator and that God rules the world with just
laws.
The two names above are so special that Orthodox Jews
use these names only when they pray and read the Torah.
When they are not praying or reading the Torah, they say
"Hashem" (The Name) or "Elokim".
God - Some Jews write "God" by replacing the "o" with a
dash, like this: "G-d". They do this because God's name
is very holy so they are not allowed to throw away a
piece of paper with "God" written on it. However, if by
accident "God" is written, then the paper can be
disposed of in a special way and buried in a special
place. Others say that "God" is just an English word,
not Hebrew, and so it is not holy.
YHWH ("Yehovah"/"Yahweh") is the most sacred name of God
in Hebrew, and is not pronounced by most Jews. No one
knows where the name came from, or what exactly it
means. It looks like the Hebrew word "hayah," which is
the verb "to be." (According to Hebrew scripture, when
Moses asked God who God was, God told Moses I am that I
am/I am who I am.) Jews believe that the name YHWH shows
that God is endless. Instead of trying to say it, most
Jews say "haShem", which means "The Name." Some people
pronounce this name as Yahweh, or Jehovah. Scholars of
religion sometimes refer to "YHWH" as the Tetragrammaton,
from Greek wo. |
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 Kiddle: Judaism
Wikipedia: Judaism |
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