Download Jackie Andrew World Religions Shannon Atkinson December 8

Jackie Andrew
World Religions
Shannon Atkinson
December 8, 2010
Judaism
I have always held a very high respect for Judaism, I have found the religion to be very
interesting and I have always wanted to learn more. After learning about the Holocaust in my
high school english class and watching several movies on the subject, I still had no idea about the
actual religion in question. That’s why I was super excited to finally have an excuse to visit a
synagogue. With all my mighty powers I finally convinced my friend Brooke to come with me to
the service, and with my luck and very friendly attitude we made friends with Ziv an Orthodox
Jew that attends Chabad Lubavitch of Utah. We attended the Friday night Shabbat on November
26th and had an absolute blast, we left the service feeling inspired and wanting more. In this
paper I plan on exploring all aspects of the Jewish religion, their history, holidays, scriptures,
promises, their beliefs, and schools of thought. Hopefully more pops up along the way.
Lets begin with the covenant, the two way promise that the jewish people have with
Yaweh (God, YHWH), if you do, I do. They are very respectful and cannot desecrate the name
of God, they often spell it G-d, take out the vowel to not defile the name that cannot be uttered.
There are four great covenants Noah, Abraham, Moses and David. Noah’s promise was to be
obedient, not eat blood, eat in a ritualized fashion and to not shed human blood. In return God
promised to never flood the earth again. Abraham’s promise was to circumcise his seed, which
today is called a Briss, there is a Rabbi present and a trained Mohel that conducts the service.
God’s gift to Abraham, he would be a father of many nations; his seed would be as plentiful as
the stars of the sky and sands of the sea. Moses’ promise was to keep the ten-commandments. If
we kept this promise God would bless us physically and spiritually. David’s promise was the
peoples promise to be like David, God promised the messiah would come from his lineage.
The Tanakh is the written law of Yaweh, it is broken up into three parts, the Torah, the
Nev’im, and the Ketuvim. The Torah is “the law” the five books of Moses. Nev’im has the
prophets, and the Ketuvim hold the ‘writings’ of the saints. The Holy Ark (Aron Kodesh), where
the Torah Scrolls are kept, is situated in the front of the synagogue. The Ark is the holiest place
in the Synagogue. The Holy Ark is generally located on the Eastern wall, so that when they face
the ark, they are facing the holy city of Jerusalem. The ark is only opened during special prayers
and when removing the Torah to read during prayer services. The Torah in the ark is a large
scroll of parchment upon which a specially trained Scribe (Sofer) wrote the Five Books of Moses
by hand. Reading from the Torah is quite challenging since no vowels or punctuation are in the
text. Also each Scribe has a slightly different lettering style. Rabbis also have commentary on the
written law, these include the Talmud, Mishrah, Gemara, and the Midrash.
The thirteen principles of Maimonides, came from Moses ben Maimon. Judaism was his
love, but he also studied medicine. In the Torah commentary, he expressed the essential beliefs
of Judaism in thirteen articles
1. God is the first cause-the creator.
2. They are wholly unified (monotheistic).
3. God is a non-physical substance (omnipresent).
4. The first of all that is eternal.
5. God must be served (work).
6. He is the source of prophecy, he knows the future.
7. Moses is the father of the prophets.
8. The Torah is the revealed word of God.
9. You cannot add or take away from the Torah.
10. God is omniscient.
11. God Rewards the faithful.
12. A Messiah will come in the end of days
13. The Messiah will resurrect the dead.
Are you Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, Hasidic, or Zionist? Orthodox
Jews follow the Torah and the Talmud as much as possible, women and men do not sit together
in worship. Men wear hats or and prayer shawls, the service is all Hebrew. Orthodox Jews are
free to participate in the modern world, but are not aloud to compromise their Jewish faith. In
Israel, Orthodox Judaism is the standard, and the American varieties of Reform and Conservative
are not recognized as fully legit. (Matthews 256) Hasidism Jews are considered the “pious ones”
of the modern world because they are devoted to the Torah and to living pure lives. Reform
Judaism, a group of Rabbis decided that the Torah is only binding in its moral teachings and that
ceremonial purity, and dress are no longer binding in the new age. Orthodox and Conservative
require Jews to steer clear of unclean foods, like pork and shellfish. Reform Jews do not follow
the kosher eating laws. Reform services are generally in English and males do not have to wear
hats, also men and women are allowed to sit together. Women can be Rabbis! Conservative
Judaism, the Torah and the Talmud are still followed. The movement to establish a Jewish
homeland is very important in this section of Judaism. In synagogues, most parts of worship
services are in Hebrew, and males wear head coverings (kippot). Members are also encouraged
to follow the kosher food laws. Well qualified women can be ordained Rabbis.
Reconstructionists are Jews in name only, science over the supernatural. They want to follow the
moral code, but they are not kosher. Zionists attempted to establish a Jewish homeland, other
than this extreme movement the Zionists are pretty much the same as the Orthodox Jews.
Some more things that you might encounter in the synagogue: the bimah is the podium
located in the center of the sanctuary. The Torah is read from the bimah, and some of the prayers
are led from there as well. The podium is covered with a special covering to give honor to the
Torah that will be read on it. During the High Holiday season (celebrating Yom Kippur and Rosh
Hashanah), the bimah cover, the covers of the Torah scrolls, the cloth covering the cantor’s
podium, and the curtain for the Ark are all traditionally exchanged for a white fabric. White
represents purity, forgiveness and a “clean” slate, all central High Holiday themes. The Amud is
the Lectern, usually located near the ark, this is where the cantor leads the prayers. In many
synagogues there is a five or seven branched candelabra (Menorah) located on or near the amud.
It is illuminated with electric bulbs, and is in remembrance of the candelabra of the Temple. In
some Synagogues it may be displayed near the ark. Many have the custom to light two candles
near the Lectern. When the leader is a mourner, or leading the congregants on a Yartzeit (Jewish
bereavement), five candles are lit. The Mechitzah is a divider separating the men and women
sections of the synagogue. The fundamental principle of prayer is to establish a relationship
between one’s self and God. The social dimension and distraction which sometimes comes with
mixed groups is eliminated this way. In some Synagogues instead of a mechitzah, there is a
separate women’s balcony.
It’s time to celebrate! Hanukkah this year was December 1st through the 9th, so I went out
and bought a Menorah to celebrate the holiday first hand. Hanukkah is a celebration near the end
of the solar year. It commemorates the lights in the rededicated Temple, after the Syrians had
desecrated it during the Meccabean Revolt. The sacred oil that was enough for only one day
miraculously lasted for eight days of celebration. The menorah of nine branches marks this
special Festival of Lights. This year in September the Jews celebrated Rosh Hashanah, a
celebration of the Jewish New Year. It is the first of the Days of Awe (Ten days when Jews
concentrate on prayer, contemplation, and self searching), it celebrates God’s creation of the
world. The tenth day of the Days of Awe is Yom Kippur- A twenty four hour fasting period,
when Jews stand or kneel in prayer much of the time in the synagogue. Pesach (Passover), is a
holiday to celebrate the Jews release from Egypt. Shabbat also known as the sabbath, it is a day
of rest, worship, prayer and a bunch of stuff you can’t do (there is a list of 39).
Need to incorporate how the service was at Chabad Lubavitch… and add the interview
questions you asked Ziv.