Religious and Spiritual Experience

acts of devotion towards a deity

How the past effects the present

• The covenant with Abraham- Tzitzit and other aids of concentration help Jews to focus on the one true God
• Plagues of Egypt- passover
• Exodus- Saturday morning service focuses on this, challot (manna from heaven)
• Building and destruction of Temple (Bimah)- No animal sacrafices as they can only take place at temple, all synagogues face towards temple, dough thrown into oven on shabbat (piece of bread used to be given to priest), menorah, wailing wall

Main Points

• 613 Mitzvot- controls what they do, wear, eat and say- Gods name in vain
• Torah- How to live and why, must be studied for barmitzvah, indressed and paraded around synagogue in shabbat, only men can handle the torah in Orthodox synagogues
• The covenant relationship- Effects rituals eg. Passover overflowing wine on table shows gods overflowing love. Jews must place God first in their lives, be obedient and worship him
• Promised Land- Israel a place of religious significance or just a place to live without persecution
• Shoah- Heavy impact in Jewish beliefs about racism

5 types of Prayer

• Adoration
• Penetance/confession
• Petition
• Intercession (asking for something on someone elses behalf)
• Thanksgiving

Prayer said 3 times a day

• Shacharit- at dawn
• Minchah- in the afternoon
• Maariv- in the evening

The shema, a declaration of faith in God, is said on getting up and going to bed

Jews are also encouraged to pray spontaneously through the day

How does Prayer deepen faith?

• Reiterates certain attributes- omniscient, omnipresent, omnibenevolent, immanent
• Relationship deepened with regular contact
• Petitionary, intercession- comforts and reassures, reinforces benevolence and immanence
• Penetance- Reincforces merciful God and makes us purer therefore closer to God
• Adoration- Reinforces creator, makes prayer grateful and more appreciative
• Thanksgiving- Shows personal nature of relationship, intelligence has chosen to help us

'Recite them when you are home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you get up, bind hem as a sign on your hand...' Deut 6.4

• The Shema is written on parchment and placed in a Mazazah which is attached to the doorposts. It is also put into Tephlin and strapped to the forearm and head for weekday prayers
• It is a link between the jewish community
• It defines the uniquness of Gods people, and their responsibilities towards god and mankind
• It expresses beliefs- it acknowledges God as the creator God

Jews must love God with all their 'heart, soul and might'

Solomon's temple

• Built at the time of prosperity
• Destroyed twice
• Synagogue seen as replacement temple
• Built facing Jerusalem
• Heart of Jewish Community
• During persecution time (Nazi) Jews can worship at home

Synagogue- Meaning to Gather

• Service lead by Rabbi
• Traditional worship requires a minyan (10 adult males) to take place
• Orthodox- Carried out in Hebrew, singing unaccompanied
• In the USA a choir is common
• Progressive- Partly in English, music allowed, men and women sit together

Symbolic objects in the synagogue

The Ark- A symbolic representation of the Ark of the Covenenant, it is a cupboard holding copies of the Torah. It is the focus of the building...