Judaism

Caitlyn Musser and Gabby Black

The God of Judaism

• One of the first religions to believe that there is only one god (monotheistic)

• Different names: -Yahweh - Elohim• God is seen as an eternal force, able to

intervene with the world whenever necessary. • He has a relationship his people and vice versa• They believe that God cares for humanity much

as humans care for their Gods.

Basic Beliefs

• Jews were monotheistic. This means they believe that there is only one God. Believing that there is only one God led them to believe that he is all knowing (omniscient), all powerful (omnipotent), in all places at all times (omnipresent), just, and merciful.

• Statement of Faith: this statement lists the thirteen beliefs of the people of Judaism. They believe that all words of the prophets are true. They also believe that the Creator has made, does make, and will make all things. The Creator is also believed to be the first and last.

How to practice Judaism

• Prayer: When Jews wake up in the morning, they say a short prayer to thank God for allowing them to wake up. They wake up before dawn to prepare for the morning prayer. Jews pray three times a day, formal services which are in the morning, afternoon, and at night. Before going to sleep, Jews recite verses from the Hebrew Bible.

• Service: The morning service is the main service of the day. In this service, men wear prayer shawls called talleisims. They also have small boxes bound to their head and arm that contain verses from the Torah. These boxes are known as tefillin.

• Studying: Some Jews study the Hebrew Bible all day. If they do not study it all day, they at least study in the morning and at night before going to bed. Studying helps the Jews to learn more about God and what his expectations are. Studying in a group or with a partner is of great value but studying alone is also important.

Jewish Rituals• Daily:Daily: -Pray 3 times a day -Synagogue service• Weekly:Weekly: -Sabbath- a day of rest and worship• Yearly:Yearly: -Yom Kippur: the day of atonement (fasting) -Rosh Hashanah-Jewish New Year -Chanukah- the light feast, remembrance of the rededication of the Temple of

Jerusalem in 165 BCE - Pesach- remembrance of Jews allowed to leave Egypt -Sukkoth- remembrance of Exodus and 40 years of wandering Sinai -Shavuoth- remembrance of Exodus -Purim- the salvation from the destruction of the Persian king in the 1st millennium

BCE. • Life:Life: - Bar/Bat Mitzvah- entering upon adulthood - Shiva- 7 day mourning period after family member’s death

Role of Women

• Many people think that women are looked down upon in the religion of Judaism, but this is not true. The role of the women is actually better than the role of women under the American civil law.

• Women are for the most part considered to be separate but equal. The role of women are different from men but they are not less important. In fact some are even more important than the men’s roles.

• The role of women in Judaism is determined by the Hebrew Bible, Talmud (oral law), tradition, and non-religious cultural factors. Women were basically banned from any study beyond a basic understanding of the Torah.

Texts and Books of Judaism• Tanakh-(Jewish sacred text) same as Christian Old Testaments with a few

minor changes

• Torah-first five books of the Tanakh (Five Books of Moses or Pentateuch)

• Talmud: The Oral Torah - written from 2nd-5th century CE, these interpret and explain the texts of the Torah

• Midrash- primarily written from 4th-6th century CE, texts derive from the sermons (d’rash)

• Responsa- thousands of answers to questions on Jewish laws -Talmud: law book:: Responsa: case law

• Zohar (Book of Splendor)- central text of Kabbalah, the mystical branch of Judaism

Missionary Work

• The Jews do not find missionary work very important so they studied different religions and practiced them

• Jewish teachers taught about Geltile because he already had a close relationship with God (Christianity)

Diffusion of Judaism• Abraham, who was from Mesopotamia, started Judaism. he

migrated to Canaan, present day Israel and his children brought the religion to Egypt.

• When they left Egypt, they were given the holy book of Judaism (Torah), and then returned to Israel. Before being exiled to Babylon, all of the Jews lived in Israel for 800 years.

• 70 years later, Jews were allowed to go back to Israel and some did. However, some wanted to stay in Babylon because of the learning experience it had offered them. This was the first time that Judaism had split.

• 400 years later, the second temple collapsed which left only a small portion of Jews, because some migrated to the South and West. Jews that were in Babylon also migrated to the South and its surrounding areas and became the Eastern (Mizrahi) Jews. Jews that migrated to the southern Europe and North Africa were known as Spanish (Sephardic). German (Ashkenazic) Jews migrated to western Europe and Northern Asia.

Contacts with other religions

• Traditionally lived on Muslim land• Messianic Judaism- Christians movement to

evangelize Jews. They believe that Jews have to accept Jesus as the Messiah, for Second Coming of Jesus to occur.

• The most controversial group in America is, Jews for Jesus, actively convert ethnic Jews through numerous missionary campaigns in major American cities.

• Groups who incorporate different religions with their main Judaism. (Wiccan, pagan, Buddhist)

Quotations

• "There is a Being, perfect in every possible way, who is the ultimate cause of all existence. All existence depends on God and is derived from God." - Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon

• “Judaism is not complete without Christianity and without Judaism, Christianity would not exist” –Benjamin Disraeli

Bibliography

• http://www.essortment.com/lifestyle/judaismjewishb_svvx.htm• http://www.jewfaq.org/women.htm• http://www.experiencefestival.com/role_of_women_in_judaism• http://judaism.about.com/od/abcsofjudaism/a/beliefsbasic.htm• http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/religion/judaism/beliefs.html• http://www.success.co.il/knowledge/images/Supernatural-Judaism-

Star-of-David.jpg• http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?

qid=20090110144219AAlBsoY• http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/beliefs/god.htm • http://looklex.com/e.o/judaism.htm#rit