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Judaism Powerpoint
DJE
• Name 1 thing that Islam and Christianity have in
common.
• Tell me 2 of the 5 Pillars of Islam.
• What are 3 ways that Jesus helped people?
Judaism is…
• “A 4000 year old tradition with ideas about
what it means to be human and how to make
the world a holy place”
(Rabbi Harold Kushner, To Life)
• A “covenant relationship” between God and
the Hebrew people
• A celebration and sanctification of life
• A faith, a people, a way of life…
A 4000 year old tradition…
• The Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
(“Israel”) – origins of the Hebrew people
(more than 3800 years ago)
• Enslaved in ancient Egypt and freed by
Moses (more than 3300 years ago)
• Hebrew monarchy in the “Promised Land”
(The Land of Israel), ends 6th century
BCE
As a faith, Jews Believe…
• In one God, creator of the universe, personal but
non-corporeal
• In prophets of old – especially Moses, through
whom Torah was revealed to the Hebrew people
• In Torah (first five books of the Bible), containing
religious, moral and social law which guides the life
of a Jew
– the Hebrew Bible does not include the New Testament
Afterlife and Salvation
• Belief in heaven.
• When the body dies, the soul remains in
heaven.
• Both Jews and righteous Gentiles (non-Jews)
have a reserved place in heaven based on
their study of the Torah along with prayer,
repentance, and good deeds.
As a people, Jews are…
• A nation in Diaspora (dispersed)
• 15 – 16 million in worldwide population
• United by a common heritage (an “ethnic” religion),
divided in contemporary practice:
– Orthodox:
• Modern
• Chasidic (Ultra Orthodox)
– Reformed (18th century Germany)
– Conservative – moderates, response to reform
• Reconstructionalism (20th century America)
As a way of life, Judaism is based
on…
• 613 commandments found in Torah (“Written Law”)
• Talmud (“Oral Law”) – commentary of ancient rabbis
that elaborates on how to apply God’s Law in everyday
life through:
– Dietary rules (Kashrut/Kosher)
– Dress and other symbols
– Prayer and devotion to the one God
– The Temple and Temple rites
– Observance of Holy days
– Proper social relations between male and female, in
business, judicial rulings, etc.
• Thus sanctifying life, blessing it in every way
How does Judaism sanctify life?
Life cycle celebrations:
• Bris – ritual circumcision, sign of the covenant
• Bar/Bat Mitzvah – full adult status and
responsibility within the religion
• Marriage - "Be fruitful and multiply" (Gen. 1:22)
• Death – funerals, mourning (sitting “Shiva”), and
memorials (“Yartzeits”)
How does Judaism sanctify time?
The Jewish Holidays:
• High Holidays:
– Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)
– Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
• Sukkot, the “Festival of Booths” (fall
harvest festival)
• Simchat Torah – celebrating Torah
• Chanukah, the “Festival of Lights”
More Holy Days…
• Purim (“Lots”) – a carnival (commemorates
events told in book of Esther)
• Pesach (“Passover”) – commemorates the
exodus from Egypt (events told in Exodus)
• Shavuot (“weeks,” Pentecost) – commemorates
receipt of Torah at Sinai
• Other, minor festivals
• Shabbat (Sabbath, 7th day, on Saturday) –
the “Day of Rest”
How is Judaism related to
Christianity?
• Judaism predates Christianity – it is the foundation of
Christianity but is not a part of it
• Jesus was Jewish, as were his followers and the
Apostles
• Jews do not believe that Jesus was anything more than
a good and wise man who lived and died 2000 years ago
– Jews still await their messiah
• The Jewish messiah would not be divine. He would be
a political figure who restores the Hebrew monarchy
and causes peace to reign on Earth
• Jews are not concerned about salvation and the “world
to come”
What are Jews really concerned
about?
• Tikkun Olam - “repairing this world” through
justice and righteousness; through “deed, not
creed”
• The heart of Judaism is in the home and family,
social responsibility and doing Mitzvot (“good
deeds” based on God’s commandments)
• Through education and hard work they make their
lives, the lives of others, and the world, what God
intended it to be – Holy!
Jewish Symbols
From Living Judaism
by Rabbi Wayne Dosick
Magen David
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Star of David
Was on the shields of David’s warriors
Symbol on the Flag of the state of Israel
Used throughout the world as a clear
and unique identifying symbol of Jews
and Judaism
Menorah
• Seven (or nine) branched candleholder
• One of the oldest Jewish symbols—one of
the ritual objects described in the Torah
• Today the nine branched menorah is used
in celebration of Chanukah
• The seven branched menorah is the
authentic ancient symbol (one for each of
the 6 days of creation and 1 for sabbath)
Chai
• The Jewish symbol of life
• Expresses the hope and prayer for life,
health and prosperity
• Popular Jewish toast—L’chayim—To Life
Mazal Tov
• Means good luck or congratulations
• Particularly used for significant life
events (ie. Bar Mitzvahs, weddings,
birthdays, etc.)
Amen
• Literally “So be it”
• Means I agree/affirm
• After a blessing it is customary for those who
have heard the blessing to say Amen
Shalom
• Means hello/goodbye/peace
• Comes from root word shalem
which means whole/complete
– Peace comes when there is wholeness,
completeness, unity.
• Pease is the eternal Jewish prayer—
world peace, peace between
people, inner peace, harmony.
Modern
Denominations
of Judaism
From Living Judaism by Rabbi Wayne
Dosick
Orthodox Judaism
• Mainstream Judaism
• Belief in the direct revelation of divine law which
was recorded in the Torah
– It is eternal, unchanging, and the sole guide for life
– Carefully and strictly observe the commandments as
the direct will of God
– Ultra-Orthodox assert that complete separation from
secular society
Conservative Judaism
• Response to Reform mid to late 19th C. Europe
• Agree that change was necessary but felt
Reform had eliminated too many basic Jewish
practices
• Motto is “tradition and change”
• Fiddler on the Roof
Reconstructionist Judaism
• Early 1920s in US by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan
• Judaism is not merely a religion, but an
evolving religious civilization, a peoplehood, a
culture, as well as a faith community
All of Judaism
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To accept Torah and fulfill its mitzvot
To embrace the ethical mandate of Judaism
To regulate existence to Judaism’s rituals & observances
To support Jewish causes
To be a devoted member of the Jewish community
To maintain a bond and a sense of mutual interdependence with
the Jewish Land
• To feel a connection to Jewish history
• To be committed to the creative survival of the Jewish future
Jewish Literature
From Living Judaism by
Rabbi Wayne Dosick
Torah
• Creation: God Created the Universe and
everything in it, The covenant was created
between God and Humanity (specifically
between God and the Jewish people)
• Redemption: Israelites were saved from bondage
in Egypt (in order to experience revelation)
• Revelation: God gave his 613 mitzvot as a
standard for conduct and behavior
▫ Mixed with ritual practices this provides the framework
of lifestyle for all humanity.
Torah
• Genesis (Bereshit): contains stories of creation, records the
establishment of the covenant between God and the Jewish
people, tells of the lives of the patriarchs and matriarchs
• Exodus (Sh’mot): account of Israelites enslaved in Egypt, the exodus
from Egypt, the receiving of the 10 Commandments at Mt. Sinai
• Leviticus (Vayikra): gives God’s ethical and ritual laws and specific
instructions to priests on how to perform their duties
• Numbers (Bamidbar): recounts the of the Israelites through the
desert and gives more of God’s ethical and ritual laws
• Deuteronony (Devarim): Moses reviews the laws and the people
prepare to enter the promised land.