Judaism

Jews believe that:

The Almighty is one, there is only one God.

The Almighty is the Creator: the first words of the Torah are about the Almighty creating.

The Almighty is the law-giver: he gave the Jewish people the Torah.

Judaism teaches strict monotheism. 

The first words in the Shema which is in the Torah says that, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

Importance:

Jewish people have a mezuzah holding the Shema on their gates and doorframes

Jewish men bind tefillin to their forehead and arm when they pray every morning.

Judaism teaches the unity of creation and the need for people to try to bring unity into society.

The very first words of the Torah are, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”

God the creator is the first of the Thirteen Principles of Faith set out By Maimonides.

The Torah teaches that because God is the creator, everything belongs to him. Judaism teaches that God created the universe and his creation is good. In their prayer every day, Jewish people praise God. God’s creation is good and so Jewish people care for the environment.

The Tenakh teaches that God is the great law-giver. He gave laws to help people look after the earth in the way he wanted.

God gave some laws to Noah and some to Abraham, but it was Moses who received all 613 commands of the Jewish on Mount Sinai. Believing that God is the law-giver is important in Judaism today because God’s law form the Halakhah, which is the basis of how Jews live their lives today. The fact that God is law-giver means that God cares about his creation and cares about humans.

The halakhah is the divine law of Judaism. It means “the path that one walks”. Any divine law requires a divine judge and the Tenakh teaches that God is the divine judge who ensures that the good are rewarded and the evil are punished. Eventually God will make sure that justice reigns.

Importance:

God’s laws (the Mitzvot) form the halakhah, which is the basis of how Jews live their lives today. Having the laws given by God means that Jews know exactly how they should live. As Isaiah says, ‘God is our lawgiver.’

The Almighty is a law-giver is that it shows that the Almighty cares about his creation and cares about humans. He gave the Torah as his part of the covenant, so the Almighty as a law-giver is a sign that the Jewish people are God’s people.

Shekhinah means “the majestic presence of God” or the “glory of God”. The rabbis always used the term shekhinah for any form of human contact with God because humans can have contact only with that part of God on Earth, not Go’s immensity.

The Torah speaks of:

God’s presence going with Moses to guide him through the wilderness to the promised land

The shekhinah as cloud and smoke on Mount Sinai when God gave the commandments

God choosing the tabernacle as the place for his presence which is so holy that nothing unclean can touch it.

Jewish understanding of shekhinah

Some modern Jews base themselves on the teachings of Maimonides, who described the shekhinah as a light created to be a link between God and the world.

Others regard the shekhinah as an expression for the various ways in which God is related to the world.

Others understand it as simply meaning God. Such Jews feel that shekhinah and God are interchangeable words.

The idea of shekhinah shows that however close Jews may feel to God, God’s presence is so holy and awesome that they must always have a deep sense of respect for God. This sense of respect is shown by Jews only referring to God’s names in worship.

The Tenakh describing the shekhinah as being at the Temple, Mount Zion and Jerusalem is what makes those places so special for many Jews. As Isaiah said, ‘I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the Temple

Messiah means anointed one.

Purposes of the Messiah:

The messiah will:

Rebuild the temple in Jerusalem

Unite all the people of the world

Make all the people of the world aware of the presence of God

Nature of the Messiah:

The Messiah will be:

A descendant of King David

A human, not a divine being

A man of great piety and close to God.

Beliefs about the Messiah are important for Jews today because belief in the Messiah is one of the Thirteen Principles of the Faith. It is Principle 12 which says, ‘I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah.’ All Jews should believe the Thirteen Principles so belief in the Messiah must be important.

Jews pray for the coming of the Messiah, the return of the exiles, reward to the righteous, the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the restoration of the Temple service three times a day. Many think that the Messiah ideal of peace and justice for the poor is the reason why so many left-wing thinkers were Jewish.

Some Orthodox rabbis taught that the Messiah will not come until all Jewish people observe all the Mitzvot fully.

Many Reform Jews no longer believe in the idea of an individual Messiah who will make the world perfect. It is up to individual Jews to do the work of the Messiah.

The covenant at Sinai:

Was an agreement between God and the Jewish people

Was written on two tablets of stone kept in the Ark of the Covenant and then later in the Temple

Stated that if the people kept the 613 laws given to Moses, they would be God’s special people

Moses was given the laws- tells Jews how to live

Moses was given laws- judged on how they follow them

Agreement between God and Jewish people- promised land

Moses received the covenant on Mount Sinai when God promised to be the God of the Jewish people if they agreed to keep his laws expressed in the 613 Mitzvot. Deuteronomy records Moses entering into a covenant with God making God the God of Israel and the Israelites God’s people.

Moses led the Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt into the Promised Land. Without Moses the Jewish people would have died out and there would be no Judaism.

Torah is a vital part of Jewish life:

Guide for living- stay in favour of God (connect)

History of faith- Abraham/origins

Combined with Talmud makes up Halakhah- Jewish way of life

SOWA- covenant/genesis-creation/Exodus-laws

Features:

The Abrahamic Covenant said that the descendants of Abraham would become a great nation.

It also said the Jewish people would occupy the Promised Land.

And it said that all Jewish males should be circumcised.

Most Jewish boys are circumcised, usually at eight days old, and enter into the covenant of Abraham

The covenant gave rise to the idea that Jewish people had a right to live in the area that was the ancient Kingdom of Israel, which has led to the importance of the land of Israel to Jewish people. The state of Israel was established in 1947 as a place of security for all Jews and Jewish people.

Sowa -  Genesis, “This land will be an everlasting possession to you and your descendants.”

Jewish male babies are circumcised because God made a covenant with Abraham in which he promised to make a great nation from Abraham’s son and to give the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants as ‘an everlasting possession’, but only if Abraham and every male descendant was circumcised. As Genesis says, ‘You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you.’ 

The covenant led to the importance of the land of Israel to Jewish people. The state of Israel was established in 1947 as a place of security for all Jews. Jewish people living anywhere in the world have the right to live in Israel and become a citizen.

Judaism teaches that life is sacred as it is a gift from God.

Pikuach nefesh means saving life and is the principle in Jewish law that the preservation of human life overrides almost all other commandments.

The Talmud explains the principle in Leviticus, “You shall therefore keep my statues … which if a man do, he shall live by them”. Rabbis see this as meaning that people live by the Mitzvot not die by them.

Three examples of Pikuach nefesh:

Driving someone who was very ill to hospital on Shabbat.

Allowing a blood transfusion even though Jews should not take blood.

Extinguishing a fire on Shabbat

Jews believe in the sanctity of life because Judaism teaches that life is sacred since life is a gift from God.

Life was created by God and so only God has the right to end life. As God says in Deuteronomy, ‘There is no God but me. I put to death and I bring to life.’

Orthodox Judaism does not allow transplant surgery because there is a mitzvah which argues that dead bodies should not be interfered with. But pikuach nefesh means that this can be broken to transplant an organ from a dead person to save life.

For Jews living in today’s complex world, pikuach nefesh is a means of deciding when and where the Mitzvot take priority.

Good deeds that Jews see as Mitzvah:

Give to charity

Respect Mother and Father

Do not steal

Orthodox Jews believe the Mitzvot are God’s direct words to Moses and they cover the whole of life. For the Orthodox there is a right and a wrong way of doing everything. The Mitzvot cover the whole of life and they are also the way to eternal life as they will be the basis of the final judgement. As Deuteronomy says about when they were given, choosing to obey the Mitzvot is a life and death decision.

The Mitzvot are not as important for Reform Jews because the Mitzvot came to Moses directly from God. They believe the Torah was written by men inspired by God rather than by God himself and so they believe that observing the Mitzvot is a matter of personal choice. For example, some Liberal Jews keep kashrut, some just eat kosher food, others ignore the food laws altogether

Governs life- guides them to do the right thing

Help them live out their free will correctly- temptation

Given by God- must be followed

Jewish beliefs about resurrection:

Some Jews believe the resurrection will follow the Messianic Age.

Others believe the resurrection will occur during the Messianic Age.

Some believe there will be no resurrection and they believe in the immortality of the soul.

Most Jews believe in resurrection as it is one of the Thirteen Principles of Faith.

Some rabbis have taught that judgement will be based purely on behaviour

Maimonides taught that all good people will go to heaven, even the non-religious.

Others have suggested judgement will be based on a combination of belief and behaviour.

Many rabbis have taught that the souls of the totally righteous ascend to heaven whereas the souls of the ordinary people go to the place of punishment (Gehinnom)

Others teach that the souls of the truly wicked are destroyed by God and so cease to exist.

Catholic Christians believe in purgatory- Jews don’t

Catholic Christians two types of judgement- Jews judged once

Catholics Christians believe that afterlife is possible because of Jesus- Jew’s don’t

Belief in life after death is important for some Jews today because it is the teaching of the Torah which Orthodox Jews believe is a direct communication from God which must be believed. When Genesis says that Abraham breathed his last and he was gathered to his people, it means that Abraham lived on after death.

Life after death is also the teaching of the other books of the Tenakh, such as Daniel, which says, ‘Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life’ and the Mishneh Torah says that ‘the pious of all the nations of the world have a portion in the world-to-come’.

Purposes of public worship:

To give a Jewish person a sense of belonging to a whole community of Jewish believers.

To give order and purpose to people’s religious life.

There is more merit in praying with a group than there is in praying alone

On shabbat morning is the main service of the week when the Sefer Torah is taken out of the Ark and carried out to the bimah for the rabbi to read the sidra and the rabbi gives a sermon.

Synagogue shaver special services for most of the festivals, especially Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and Simchat Torah.

Synagogues have afternoon prayers when the Sefer Torah is again taken out of the Ark and a short prayer of the next week’s sidra is read

Liberal Jews often do not wear tefillin and tallit for worship whereas Orthodox Jews do. This is because the Liberal Jews believe the Torah was written by people inspired by God rather than being the direct word of God whereas Orthodox Jews believe the Torah was given to Moses directly from God.

Orthodox synagogues keep men and women separate because the Prophet Zechariah said that men and women should be separated for periods of mourning and the Talmud recommends men and women being separated for worship. Liberal synagogues, meanwhile, allow mixed seating because they believe men and women are equal.

Synagogue worship is needed for the Jewish community to celebrate Shabbat properly.

Synagogue worship gives the community the opportunity to share the great festivals and family celebrations.

Synagogue worship is important for an individual:

It gives the opportunity to think about the meaning of life

Sermons from the rabbi are the opportunity to discover more about what it means to be a Jew

The Tenakh is the Jewish Bible. The name comes from the initial letters of Torah, Nev’im and Ketuvim.

The Tenakh is important because:

The Psalms are an essential part of daily prayers and of much synagogue worship

Portions of the Ketuvim form an important part of some festivals

Judaism teaches that when God gave Moses the Torah, he also gave him the Oral Torah to explain how these laws were to be obeyed.

The written Torah and the Oral Torah make up the halakhah. This was studied by rabbis and then were written into the Talmud with Mishneh.

Talmud importance:

One reason is because it explains the meaning of the 613 Mitzvot and Deuteronomy says that keeping the Mitzvot is what Jewish people must do to be part of the Mosaic Covenant.

It is the basis of the halakhah following, which is the way Orthodox Jews live a good life. As a first-century rabbi said, ‘Anyone whose good deeds are more than his wisdom, his wisdom will endure. Anyone whose wisdom is more than his good deeds; his wisdom will not endure.’

Two ways the Talmud is used by Jews:

Explains the 613 laws in the Torah- How to live- God gave them

Basis of Halakhah- foundation of Orthodox Jewish life

Explains how mitzvot should be applied to modern situations and daily lives of Jews today

Three foods that are not kosher are:

One non-kosher food is fish without fins and scales.

Another non-kosher food is animals with split hooves that do not chew the cud.

A third non-kosher food is meat where the blood has not been drained out.

Keeping kashrut is very important for Orthodox because:

Eating non-kosher foods, or not keeping a kosher kitchen, means breaking many of the Mitzvot

It makes them think about God every time they eat

There are two types of prayer, formal and informal prayers. Formal – set prayers, Informal – makes up their own prayer to express their feelings to God.

The formal prayers of Judaism are contained in the Siddur and for Orthodox are said in Hebrew.

The purpose of prayer is to:

Build up your relationship with God

Serve God will all their heart, so obeying God’s commandment

Take the opportunity to speak directly to God

A Jew should pray a set formal three times a day:

Shacharit is morning prayers, minchah is afternoon prayers and arvit is evening prayers. This is set out in the Siddur and can be said at home or at the synagogue.

Why it is important for Jewish people to have different forms of prayer:

Saying prayers in a set form which have been used in this form for centuries and at set times gives order and purpose to people’s religious life. As the Psalmist said in Psalm 55, Jews should pray morning, noon and evening.

However, saying prayers in your own words whenever you want to is important because people can have a relationship with God only if they can contact God when they want and express their thoughts and feelings rather than other people’s. The Psalms say that people should cast their cares on the Lord and he will sustain them.

Our Father is considered most important and praise and adoration to God- Jewish ‘the prayer’ (Amidah) is most important and is 19 blessings about physical and spiritual needs

Jews- formal prayer three times a day- Christians expected to go to Church to pray on Sunday but prayer morning and evening (informal)

Christians pray in song- Orthodox Jews do not

The Shema is said three times every day.

Shema is known as the fundamental prayer of Judaism and emphasises the:

Oneness of God

Need for mezuzah

Covenant God has made with the Jewish people

The Shema is important because it is a prayer which declares the main points of the Jewish faith that there is only one God. As Deuteronomy chapter 6 says, ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.’

The Shema also says that there is only one God and that people should love God and follow his commands. This belief that there is only one God who demands moral obedience is often called ‘ethical monotheism’ and is the basis of Judaism.

Two ways the Shema is said:

During everyday prayer- morning evening and before sleep

Written on mezuzah scroll so said and remembered every time go through doorway

SOWA- ‘You will be blessed when you go in and blessed when you go out’

First sentence said every time Torah is taken from ark

The Amidah is the second most important prayer and is sometimes known as the standing prayer.

Features:

The Amidah contains 19 blessings. It should be said standing. It should be said facing Jerusalem.

The Amidah is important because:

It fulfils all the requirements of a prayer set out by the great rabbis.

People have two needs, the spiritual and the physical – the Amidah asks God to fulfil spiritual needs such as forgiveness and physical needs such as food.

Brit Milah is where male children are circumcised eight days after birth

Female children of Orthodox Jews have a special naming ceremony in the synagogue on the Shabbat following the birth. Liberals have a brit bat ceremony for girls to make the occasion as important as Brit Milah.

Bar Mitzvah is when a boy becomes responsible for his own actions and is regarded as an adult as far as religion is concerned, so he can make up a minyan, can read the sidra in synagogue services and wear tallit and tefillin.

Girls have a Bat Mitzvah ceremony. In Orthodox Judaism girls attain their Bat Mitzvah at the age of 12 but do not assume the duties like a boy.

The Bat Mitzvah is important because:

They give the children the opportunity to take upon themselves the responsibility of being a Jew.

Ensures the continuation of the Jewish faith.

 Brit Milah importance:

The Brit Milah is important because it brings baby boys into the community of Judaism. The Torah records that God said to Abraham, ‘This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep. Every male among you shall be circumcised.’

Another reason is that the ceremony marks the entry of Jewish males into the covenant of Abraham. Any male wishing to convert to Judaism must be circumcised.

Features of a Jewish wedding ceremony:

One feature is that the marriage ceremony takes place under a canopy called a huppah.

Another feature is that the couple must sign the ketubah or marriage contract.

A third feature is reciting seven blessings over a glass of wine.

Jewish marriage ceremonies are important because:

They bring two people together in the Jewish faith

Provide the opportunity for a new Jewish family to develop and continue the faith.

At point of death family says special prayers. As soon as they hear of a death, relatives will tear their clothes to fulfil the mitzvah, then the chevra kaddisha helps prepare the body for burial which should happen as quick as possible. Someone will stay with the body until the funeral.

There is a period of mourning called avelut – the first seven days are extreme mourning called shiva when close family sit on low chairs, do not leave the house and music is not allowed or mirrors. Male mourners go to the synagogue for the next three weeks to pray kaddish.

On the anniversary of the death and as long as mourners live they keep yarzheit. A candle is lit night and day and kaddish is said.

Funeral rites are important because:

Jewish death and funeral rituals are important because the death of a family member is a time of great grief, but the rituals of the faith provide the comfort of the Jewish community, which helps people to cope with this terrible time as they follow the example of Jacob. The Torah records that when Jacob heard that his favourite son, Joseph, was dead, ‘Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days.’

Another reason is that the rituals of the faith remind people of the Jewish belief that death is not the end and there is still a hope for the future.

Shabbat means ceasing of work. Genesis says God created everything and rest on the seventh day.

Examples of things Orthodox Jews cannot do on Shabbat:

Orthodox Jews cannot go to work on Shabbat.

They also cannot switch on electricity.

A third thing is that they cannot drive a car

Shabbat is important because:

Resting on Shabbat is a mitzvah which all Orthodox Jews must keep. The fourth commandment says, ‘Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.’

Shabbat is God’s gift to the Jewish people which binds them together as community — only Jews celebrate Shabbat.

The father blesses the children and recites Kiddush

Ritual cleansing of hands

Seder Meal

They talk about the exodus from Egypt

Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of Jewish New Year and has been celebrated since biblical times. In the months before Rosh Hashanah the shofar is blown every day in the synagogue and people think about their sins and their relationships with God and people. They throw their sins into the water in the tashlich ceremony.

Rosh Hashanah is important because it is a chance for a person to come before God, acknowledge what they have done wrong and show how they are going to do good in the coming year.

Yom Kippur occurs ten days after Rosh Hashanah. These are known as the days of awe, when people reflect on what they have promised at Rosh Hashanah.

Yom Kippur is commanded in the Torah and in the days of the Temple, priests sacrificed a bull as a sin offering and sent a scapegoat into the wilderness, symbolically taking away sins. Yom Kippur now involves:

A 25- hour fast

Reflection of past sins

Confession of sins and prayers for forgiveness

No jewellery or leather shoes as forbidden in Leviticus

It is a festival for which there are Mitzvot. Indeed, it is one which all Jews should observe because as the Torah says in Leviticus, those who do not fast on Yom Kippur must be cut off from the people.   

Yom Kippur releases people from their guilt about the sins of the past and encourages the self-discipline needed to keep the resolutions made at Rosh Hashanah.

One feature of Sukkot is that families build a temporary home. A second feature is that they live in the temporary home for the seven days of the festival. A third feature is meeting in the synagogue each day with an etrog and lulav.

This is commanded in the Torah. Leviticus orders a seven day festival for Sukkot.

It encourages family harmony by living in a sukkah

It is a link with the ancestors

The four species (lulav, myrtle, willow, and etrog) symbolise God’s presence everywhere and the blessings he showers on his people.

Pesach is a seven-day festival at the beginning of spring. In the days before Pesach houses are cleaned to remove all traces of leaven and children have special games hunting for any chametz round the house.

Pesach is an important festival because it remembers the enslavement in Israel, and when Moses lead the people to freedom.

Pesach is welcomed into the home like Shabbat

A synagogue service is held during which there are special prayers to thank God for feeing their ancestors

The family have the Seder, which follows an order as set out in the Hagadah book and has special foods on the Seder plate. The youngest member asks questions which are answered by the father. The family sings songs about the Exodus and at the end of the roast lamb meal they eat at the afikomen.

In the Seder meal, charoset represents the mud Israelites slaves had to make, bitter herbs represent the pain of slavery, burnt eggs represents the temple sacrifices, lamb shank represents the lambs sacrificed at Passover, green parsley and lettuce represent he freedom.

Pesach is important because it celebrates:

God’s power and control of history – without the Passover and Exodus there would be no Jewish people

Jewish history and the way God has preserved his chosen people

The birthday of the Jewish nation

Shavuot is the Feast of Weeks, celebrated seven weeks after Pesach. It began as a harvest festival, but seven weeks after the events of the Exodus celebrated at Pesach, Moses was given the Torah, and this is now the main element of the festival – thanking God for the gift of the Torah.

Shavuot is the only festival without a specific Mitzvah ordering the celebration.

The main things that happen are:

Candles are lit to bring in the festival

Many people stay up to read the Torah on the first night

People eat dairy foods rather than meat

The Book of Ruth is read.

It celebrates the gift of the Torah to the Jewish people. The 613 Mitzvot contained in the five books of Moses which make up the Torah are the most important thing in Jewish history and are the basis of the Jewish faith.

Whereas Pesach gave the Israelites physical freedom, Shavuot celebrates the spiritual freedom brought by the Mitzvot. So, Shavuot is important because it completes Pesach.

Exterior – Star of David or a menorah to show it is Jewish, be built facing Jerusalem where the temple stood and have windows letting the light in so that worship is not a retreat from the world.  

Interior synagogue design:

A sink at the entrance for worshippers to ceremonially cleanse themselves

The holy Ark as the focal point of the synagogue, often with an embroidered black and gold curtain in front.

A yad so the holy words of the Sefer Torah will not be touched by dirty fingers

A bimah with a desk for reading the Torah

Above the Ark, the ner tamid representing the menorah in the Jerusalem Temple whose seven wicks were never allowed to go out

An actual menorah on a lampstand with six or eight branches instead of the Temple’s seven because the Orthodox think exact copies of the Temple objects are wrong

On the wall next to the Ark, usually the words of the ten commandments.