Download Gr10 LO2 AS4 Judaism Explained

Judaism Explained
Interview with Chana Benjaminson, head of website chabad.org
Is there more than one God in Judaism? How are they related / linked?
There is only one G-d in the Jewish faith, also referred to as Y-hw-h. In the beginning, G-d revealed
Himself as the Creator, Master, and King - all very impersonal roles. In Torah law G-d reveals His laws,
but doesn't allow His "personal feelings" to show. Later, in the Kabbalah, G-d makes Himself vulnerable
by sharing more intimate details.
Why don't you spell out G-d's name?
G-d's name should not be written in a place where it could easily be discarded or erased. Treating G-d's
name with reverence is a way of showing respect to G-d.
What makes someone Jewish?
Jews are not a "people" or "nation." We don’t have a common race, culture or historical experience.
While we all have eternal rights to the Land of Israel, the majority of Jews have never lived or even set
foot in the Jewish homeland.
Throughout our 3300-year history, we have been defined by a relationship and commitment. We are
Jews because G-d chose us to be His "cherished treasure... a kingdom of priests and a holy people"
(Exodus 19:5-6).
G-d chose us to play the central role in His creation: to live our lives in accordance with His will, and to
develop a society and world community that reflects His goodness and perfection. According to Torah
law, a person's Jewishness is not a matter of life-style or self-perception: you could be totally unaware of
your Jewishness and still be a Jew, or you could consider yourself Jewish, follow the Torah, and still not
be a Jew. It is the relationship between the Jew and his Creator that defines his Jewishness.
What does it mean to be the “Chosen People”?
The answer to this question lies in the Torah passage (Exodus 19:3-6) in which G–d addresses Moses
immediately prior to His revelation at Sinai. G-d’s words reveal how He “chose” the Jews namely, to be
a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation”. The priest’s function is to bring G–d to the people, and to
elevate the people to be nearer to G–d. The purpose of the Jews is to bring G–d to the world and the
world closer to G–d. Our impact on the outside world is intrinsically related to our dedication to Torah
and mitzvah.
What is the Torah? Do Jews use any other sacred texts?
Technically it refers to the Five Books of Moses (Pentateuch). This is the Written Torah (Torah
SheBiktav). The scroll upon which it is written and which is kept in the Holy Ark of the synagogue is
called a Scroll of the Torah (Sefer Torah). In a sense, this is the constitution of the Jewish people. The
Torah is the substance that your relationship with G-d is based on. It is G-d's concept of reality
communicated to man.
Along with the Books of Moses, we believe that G-d's will was also made manifest in the Oral Torah.
This includes details of general principles, and the ways in which the commandments are to be applied.
The Oral Torah was finally written during the second century. It was integrated into the Mishnah, which
became the cornerstone for the Gemara, which consists of the immense records of the discussions and
legal debates conducted by the Sages. Mishnah and Gemara together make up the Talmud. The rest of
the books of the Hebrew Bible consist of the Prophets (Neviim) and the Sacred Writings (Ketuvim).
These books convey the teachings of the Prophets in the context of Israel's history over a period of
about seven hundred years. They tell of the Prophets' visions of G-d, and ongoing struggles to promote
greater allegiance to the teachings of the Torah. Among these books is the inspirational Psalms that
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reflects man's deepest religious sentiments. The Torah, with the Neviim and the Ketuvim are together
referred to as TaNaKh. (What non-Jews call the "Old Testament" but which to the Jew is the only
testament.)
What happens when a Jew sins? What do they need to do to be forgiven?
There are two related issues: forgiveness and healing. When a person makes a mistake and sins, it
causes damage to the world, the soul and the body. They may regret their sins and ask forgiveness and they will be completely forgiven. But they must now be careful to keep the laws so that they can
better themselves.
We call this "tikkun" - a type of healing of the soul, the body and the world. A tzaddik (righteous
individual) can often assist a person to find the proper tikkun for specific sins. But the first step is to feel
true regret, and decide to abandon the sin altogether. That alone is enough to receive forgiveness.
What does it mean to be kosher? What foods can a Jew not eat?
The Hebrew word “kosher” means, "fit." The kosher laws define the foods that are fit for consumption
for a Jew. Keeping kosher is a mitzvah. We eat kosher because G-d commanded us to, and by fulfilling
the divine we connect to G-d. The observance of kosher has been a characteristic of Jewish identity.
To the Jew, even the ordinary activity of eating is a G-dly act and a uniquely Jewish experience. Our
sages also point out the various advantages of the kosher laws: the health benefits, the humane
treatment of animals, their unifying effect on a dispersed people, and their role as shield against
assimilation. There are two signs that identify a kosher animal. It has split hooves, and chews its cud. A
cow fulfils both requirements, and is thus kosher.
The pig is the only animal that seems kosher because it has split hooves, but is really not because it
doesn't chew its cud. That's why we degrade the pig - because it presents a kosher facade. In Judaism,
nothing is worse than making a holy facade when your inside is rotten.
What is Shabbat? What rituals/customs are practiced?
Shabbat is:

Rest: For about 25 hours each week, the world comes to a halt. We stop all involvement with
the physical world, and our focus turns inwards to family and friends, to our inner self, to our
soul.

Awareness: We remember that the world is not ours to do with as we please, but G-d's
creation. We remember that G-d took us out of Egypt and ruled that never again will we be
slaves to any alien master - our jobs, financial commitments and material involvements are the
tools with which we fulfil our divine purpose, they are not the masters of our lives.

Jewish identity: It is one of the most powerful ways to actualise our Jewishness and pass it
along to our children. We have remained true to the Shabbat in every place, culture and
circumstance of our 4,000-year history.

Pleasure: We have delicious food, a richly set table, the glow of candlelight, sweet singing, and
luxuriant sleep. Both body and soul are elevated to a higher, more spiritual plane, and to
pleasure the Shabbat with food, drink and comfort is a mitzvah, a G-dly deed.

Spirituality: Keeping the Shabbat secures G-d's blessing for success for our week ahead, and
introduces purpose and meaning into our week gone by.

A Taste of Life to Come: "In that time there will be no hunger or war, no jealousy or rivalry.
For the good will be plentiful, and all delicacies available as dust. The entire occupation of the
world will be only to know G-d."
Shabbat is special because G-d has sanctified the day and made it unique. We engage in rituals that set
it apart from our workweek, and bring the holiness of Shabbat into our lives. We welcome in Shabbat by
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working on Friday to prepare ourselves, our home and our family.
Eighteen minutes before sunset, all becomes still as we light the candles, cover our eyes and recite the
blessing. This tranquillity carries through the rituals of the candle lighting, the prayers, the Kiddush, the
festive meals, and havdalah - that we fulfil the mitzvah to keep the Sabbath holy.
What is Yom Kippur? What rituals/customs are practised?
Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year, when we are closest to G-d and to the essence of our own
souls. It is the Day of Atonement, when you are forgiven, purified and cleansed of all your sins before
G-d. For twenty-six hours (from several minutes before sunset to after nightfall the next evening) we do
not wash our bodies, do not wear leather shoes, and abstain from food, drink and sexual relations.
Before Yom Kippur we perform an atonement service, where we request and receive honey cake - an
acknowledgement that we are all recipients in G-d's world and in prayerful hope for a fruitful year. We
eat a festive meal and give extra charity. In the late afternoon we eat the pre-fast meal. Afterwards, we
bless our children, light a memorial candle as well as the holiday candles, and go to synagogue for
services.
We have five prayer services during Yom Kippur: a solemn service on the eve of Yom Kippur; the
morning prayer; a detailed account of the Yom Kippur Temple service; the reading of the Book of Jonah;
and the "closing of the gates" service at sunset. We say the Al Chet confession of sins ten times during
Yom Kippur, and recite Psalms at every available moment.
It is the most solemn day of the year, but has an undertone of joy - a confidence that G-d will accept our
repentance, forgive our sins, and bless us with a year of life, health and happiness. The closing service
climaxes with the resounding cries of "Hear O Israel... G-d is one" and a single blast of the shofar,
followed by the proclamation, "Next year in Jerusalem." There is joyous song and dance, followed by a
festive meal.
(2006 dates of Yom Kippur: October 1 – 2)
What is the Passover? What rituals/customs are practised?
It is a festival of liberation, celebrating the deliverance of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt. One
of the major mitzvhas of this holiday is the prohibition against eating any leavened products and the
commandment to eat Passover Matzos.
What happens at synagogue? What is the format of such a service?
The synagogue is the Jewish house of prayer and study. The Holy Ark, where the Torah Scrolls are
kept, is the holiest place and is situated in the front of the synagogue. The ark is only opened during
special prayers and when removing the Torah to read during prayer services.
Prayer is the service of the heart, and is one of the many ways to express your love of G-d. You may
pray in private, but traditionally praying with a congregation is preferable. Many pray while swaying back
and forth. This is a traditional aspect of Jewish prayer, which has mystical origins and significance.
One interpretation is that during prayer, the soul is considered to be attempting to connect with the
Divine source and is compared to the flame of a candle, which flickers back and forth as it reaches
upward. Another interpretation is that we should involve our entire being in the prayer experience.
There are different forms of prayer:

The Chazan – Cantor: Most prayers are led by a member of the congregation, which is a great
honour. In many congregations there is a specially designated cantor who leads the prayers on
the Shabbat and holidays.

The Weekday Prayers: There are three daily prayers: morning (Shacharit), afternoon (Mincha)
and evening (Maariv). The tradition of three services is attributed to the prayers of our
forefathers- the morning prayer was taught by Abraham, the afternoon prayer by Isaac, and the
evening prayer by Jacob.
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
The Shabbat Prayers: On Shabbat we read the entire Torah portion for that week. We also
add the Musaf Amidah (silent prayer), which is an additional short service that commemorates
the Shabbat sacrifices in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. In many communities it is customary
to sing the Anim Zimirot, the Hymn of Glory. A young member of the congregation often leads
this prayer. In many synagogues the service concludes with all children invited up to the front
of the room to lead the singing of this hymn.
How does Judaism promote peace and human rights? What does it say about war?
The commandments of the Torah are commonly divided into two categories: laws that govern the
relationship "between man and G-d”, and those that legislate the proper conduct "between man and his
fellow". Ultimately, there is no essential difference between the Torah's "civil" laws and its so-called
"religious" laws.
A crime against man is also a crime against G-d, and a crime against G-d is a crime against all of His
creations. Kindness to a fellow human being is a kindness to Him who created us all and desires that we
live in peace and harmony with each other. It is the aim of Judaism to see humanity progress toward a
more peaceful and harmonious existence.
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