Variants in Judaism

The three major variants of Judaism are Orthodox Judaism, Reform Judaism (often

called “Liberal” or “Progressive”) and Conservative Judaism. The Australian

Jewish community is a united, but pluralistic, community, which includes

groups and sub-groups from all of the major streams. However the majority of Jews in

Australia, whether strictly observant or not, are affiliated to orthodox synagogues.

Orthodox Judaism

Orthodox Judaism defines itself as the only authentic Judaism. One distinguishing feature of orthodoxy is its maintenance of the traditional forms of worship in the Hebrew language, and of the traditional observances as prescribed by the Law.

Variants in Judaism

The “Ultra-Orthodox”

The long black coats, flowing beards and picturesque hatsseen in the news films of Jerusalem and in some streets ofSydney, represent various minority groups within orthodoxJudaism, these originated in Eastern Europe of the 18th century. Some, but not all, of these movements areChassidic. Chassidism bears some ideologicalresemblance to charismatic Christianity in its search forecstasy in prayer, its interest in medieval mysticism, and itsemphasis on the possible imminence of a Messianic era.The Chassidim represent a very small, but very active,minority within Orthodox Judaism.

Variants in Judaism

A new element entered the Jewish world inthe early nineteenth century, a movementwhich is variously described as Reform,Liberal, or Progressive Judaism.Whilst Orthodoxy sees the Torah assubject to very limited processes ofinterpretation, the Liberal view regards the“sacred heritage” as evolving and adaptingover the centuries and continuing to do so.

Variants in Judaism

The English language is used for parts of theReform service, which often features a mixedchoir, and the service is adapted and shortenedand is conducted with somewhat more decorumthan the usual Orthodox services, which oftenaccommodate individual praying and occasionalconversation. Men and women sit together in theTemple, both participate in all aspects of theservice, and women Rabbis may officiate

Variants in Judaism

Conservative Judaism

Conservative Judaism fosters the practice of traditionalJudaism among Jewish men and women while embracingmodernity. It comes midway between Orthodoxy andReform, intellectually liberal in matters of belief, butconservative in matters of religious practice. It attempts to“combine a positive attitude to modern culture, acceptanceof critical secular scholarship regarding Judaism’s sacredtexts, and also commitment to Jewish observance”.

Variants in Judaism

Ashkenazim and SephardimThe difference between Ashkenazi Jews andSephardic Jews lies in the cultures developed inthe countries in which they have lived. TheAshkenazi culture originated in the Franco Germanregion in Western Europe and developed inEastern Europe and Russia. In contrast, theformative experience of the Sephardim originatesin Spain, North Africa and the Middle East.

Variants in Judaism

Public Worship

Public Worship

The emphasis on the detailed code of conduct and the following of each individual and community of these codes is a form of daily worship. Therefore, all of life is a liturgy (public worship).

Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews are in agreement that life should be seen as a ritual to honour the Creator. The difference lies in what the definition of the word “ritual” should be.

For the Orthodox tradition, there is a heavy emphasis on the precise recitation of specific prayers in specific situations. According to the Torah, there are specific prayers for waking and before eating for example.

For the Conservative Jew, the approach to worshipis less formal than the Orthodox, but it is stillguided by tradition.

The Conservative movement holds to theview that ritual is an expression of values likeloving God and helping others. Ritual is notparticularly a commitment to make specific prayersfor every conceivable situation. For Reform Jews, the practicing of some specific forms ofdaily religious worship does not have to be found inscripted responses to daily activities.

Public Worship

It would be impossible to speak about Judaism without mentioning theJewish Dietary Laws. The adherence to these food laws are anotherform of worship for the Jewish people.

The rules were set out in the Hebrew Bible. Food laws broadly are:

• Kosher meat comes from an animal that chews a cud and has cloven hoofs (sheep and cows for example). The meat must be killed in accordance to special rules and the meat must be prepared in such a way that all blood is removed.

• Seafood is Kosher if the animals have scales or fins. • Poultry is kosher if it follows the special rules of slaughter and

preparation. • It is prohibited to consume dairy products at the same time or

shortly after a meal which included meat products. • Separate utensils are required for dairy and non-dairy meals.

Public Worship

Synagogues are the names of Jewish

places of worship. Group prayer is extremely

important. The prayers vary depending on

the hour of the day, the day of the month

and the branch of Judaism. During services

Jewish males are required to wear yarmulke

(skull caps).

Public Worship

The Jewish holy day is called the Shabbat(meaning rest). The Shabbat begins at sunset onFriday and continues until the first 3 stars appearin the night sky on Saturday. Work is prohibitedduring the Shabbat. On the Shabbat prayerservices are more detailed for all branches ofJudaism – Friday services can be anywhere fromhalf an hour to an hour and a half; and Saturdaymorning services can be as long as three hours.

Public Worship

The sacred language of Judaism is Hebrew.

Hebrew would be used the most in an Orthodox

service, while it would be used the least in Reform

one. It is Jewish tradition that a communal service

requires something called a minyan (or quorum) of

at least 10 adults. For Orthodox Jews, this quorum

must consist of 10 men and the men and women

sit separately.

Public Worship

Services are conducted by Rabbis (Jewish

scholars or teachers) and a cantor sings and

leads the congregation in song.

Essentially a service consists of three parts:

– Amidah: Grateful salutations and prayers to praise G-d.

– Shema: The pledge of faith. – A public reading of a passage of the Torah.

Public Worship

Marriage

Judaism

in

Marriage In Judaism Marriage is considered to be the ideal state for everyone. The bible

changed marriage from an option to a mitzvah (good deed…literally a commandment) Tradition believes that G-d is the matchmaker for every wedding, and the bride and groom are destined for each other from the time preceding their birth.

Essentially both orthodox and reform marriage services are the same.

There is a custom that the bride presents the groom with a tallit (prayer shawl) on the wedding day. One of the reasons is that there are 32 fringes on it and this number is the numerical equivalent of the Hebrew word lev (heart)…What a romantic notion!

The kallah (bride) and chattan (groom) are not supposed to see each other for a period of time before the wedding (anywhere from a day to a week). Observant Jews follow the law that bride and groom fast on the wedding day until after the ceremony. In this way the holy day is compared to a day when we examine our past actions with a goal of self-improvement and a day on which we commit ourselves to be better human beings in the future.

Marriage In Judaism

Before the ceremony there is a “veiling” called the ‘badeken’. The groom is led to the room where the bride is seated and places the veil over her eyes. The biblical basis for this is the story of Jacob where his father-in-law Laban fooled him by switching Leah for Rachel before the wedding…the moral to this story is that “A Jew may be fooled once, but for the next thousands of years he’ll be sure not to make the same mistake again”

Marriage In Judaism

The ceremony begins with the signing of the wedding document (called the KETUBAH) in front of two witnesses. These witnesses are not to be blood relatives. In the Ketubah the groom promises to support his wife and to provide for her if they are divorced or he dies before her.

Marriage In Judaism

Marriage In JudaismThe ceremony itself takes place

under a canopy called a CHUPPAH. The chuppah symbolises the new home about to be created. The chuppah is usually cloth or floral and supported by four poles. It can be used indoors or outdoors, and does not have to be in a synagogue

An example of a chuppah…

And another…

Marriage In Judaism The bride circles the groom 7 times. In doing so, the

bride demonstrates she is entering the seven spheres of her beloved’s soul. She also shows she has captured the heart of her beloved just as Joshua captured the city of Jericho by marching around it 7 times.

The round ring with its circular shape is a symbol of eternity. It is placed on the first finger of the right hand.

The engagement and the wedding are performed under the chuppah. Both involve blessings over a cup of wine, (a symbol of joy and gladness). One blessing is for the wine and the other is to bless the commitment the bride and groom make to each other. Bride and groom drink from the same cup to show that their lives will now be joined together and they will evermore share in whatever the cup of life has to offer them.

Marriage In JudaismThe breaking of the glass by the groom ends

the ceremony. Some claim it is the last time the husband will ever get a chance to put his foot down now that he’s married! There are a couple of reasons for this…

1. the breaking of the glass reminds us that in rejoicing we must also remember our people’s catastrophes. In modern terms no matter how happy we are, we dare not forget the Holocaust.

2. the fact another generation has signaled its commitment to Jewish continuity “shatters” the hopes of those who planned Jewish genocide.

Marriage In JudaismThere is one last tradition which follows

after the guests shout “Mazeltov” and the bride and groom realise they are now husband and wife. It is generally followed by the more observant Jews that instead of mingling with guests, the mitzvah of Yichud (togetherness alone) demands that the bride and groom go off to a private room to spend some time with just each other. Judaism hopes to accomplish from this ritual a sense of : Be concerned with your mate from now on more than with others.

Mazeltov!