Download The 14th European Day of Jewish Culture in Bulgaria

European Day of Jewish Culture 2013
The theme of this year’s European Day of
Jewish Culture is Jewish Heritage – Judaism and Nature. This topic gives us food
for thought – is there a link, and if yes what
is it between these categories, what is the
interaction between them? In order to find
the answers to these questions it is necessary to look for arguments and examples
and define a concept for the link between
them. Here is a glimpse into this extremely
complex topic.
Judaism is a monotheistic religion; it is also
Torah
philosophical
in nature, because it contains the main postulate, described in the Pentateuch – the
Torah on the lifestyle
of the Jewish people; the sacred relation between God
and the Children of
Israel.
Jews from India
The term “Judaism” stems from the
Greek word “Judaismus”. It appeared in Jewish-Hellenic literature towards the end of 1st century BC as an
antithesis of pagan beliefs, manifested in polytheism
and idolatry. It is worldwide accepted that Judaism is
the oldest monotheistic religion.
Even though the Jewish religion is clear, monolithic, it
Jew from Africa
is also multifaceted because it concerns first and foremost God, but also the universe and humanity.
The numerous Jews are united thanks to Judaism as a religion, but also thanks
to the attitude towards humanity inspired by the religion, and the Judaistic
creed for the relations between different people as indicated in the principles
of the Testament. These priority milestones in the faith generate harmonious
coordination between God and His people within the Jewish communities.
This is clearly stated in God’s Commandments, accepted by the Jews, which
should be valid for people all over the world. The Jewish lifestyle is subject to
the idea of various cyclical practices, of unconditional adoption of the Jewish
sacred days, the Jewish calendar and the
observance of the Jewish ethical laws and
sanctity of traditions. Believing in Judaism
requires adopting the universality of Jewish
prayers and teachings so that every person
who identifies themselves as a Jew should
accept the basic features of this religion
that is an indelible part of the centuries-old
history of the Jewish people. After Judaism apThe Creation
peared
the new
concept of a single God was created. He
is the creator and ruler of the universe.
Judaism has developed along with a fierce
struggle with the inherited attitudes towards
polytheism and influences of neighboring
countries, exerted by the peoples around
the Jewish people. After Moses received
Mount Sinai
on Mount Sinai the Ten Commandments,
inscribed on stone tablets, these acquired
the virtue of a moral code for all people
and Judaism is categorized as an ethical
religion. So Jews not only worship God,
but have also acquired humane directives, where it is indicated how one should
treat another person, animals, plants and
nature in general. Thus the monotheistic
religion of Jews is formulated as an ethical
monotheism. The main postulate in Judaism the world has been created by God.
If the Creator of the universe and all in it
is made
by God,
then the
question of
God’s Commandments
His relations
with His creatures, nature among those,
arises. Nature goes beyond a mere collection. It bears the stamp of the act of God;
The God’s Model
men,
plants
and animals
were created
by Him and
this is in absolute confirmation of the
existence and
the obligatory
relation
beThe Eden Garden
tween the Creator and His
creations.
Gathering Manna
Nature is a manifestation of the rule of God. The
theme of nature as a manifestation of the divine
greatness is a recurrent one in religious literature.
Animals are also a result of the blessing of God. Judaism teaches us that
one must enjoy the beauty of nature and
express that joy through prayer. God must
be praised for the fragrant flowers, the
trees, the grass, fruit, and animals. When
seeing the miracles of nature, such as a
lightning, the sunrise, falling stars, thunders, rainbows, the mesmerizing effect of
flower blossoms, one should say a blessing. Judaism is full of evidences about the
Jews’ relation to nature, especially with the
The Passover
land, in particular the land in Israel. Nature,
whether it be trees, fruit and vegetables,
animal products, during the change of seasons and the transition from one
agricultural cycle to another, is a recurrent element, like traditions and rituals, for the celebration of Jewish feasts
(Hagim). This blending between nature
and traditional rites, typical for Jewish religious and secular feasts, is yet evidence
that in Judaism nature, as God’s creation,
has a place in the lives of Jews.
Jewish feasts are marked as special days
in the Jewish calendar:
- Shabbat is the sacred day to celebrate the
creation and it is a day for rest. The ban to
Challah for Shabbat
work on Shabbat allows the world to exist
Rosh Hashanah
Jesus with his disciples
at Passover
Shavuot
Hanukkah
for a day
without
human
intervention,
which
makes
all people - rich
and poor,
young
Sukah
and old,
in good
and poor health – equal before God.
- Rosh Hashanah is the beginning of the
year (New Year); it is a reminder of the creation of the world. The rite features Shofar
blasts in the Synagogue and the relation
to nature consists in the mandatory consumption of apples and honey, as blessing
for the typical fruit of the feast – pomegranate.
- Sukkot is the harvest feast and celebrates
what grows from the earth. This is the beginning of the rainy season in Israel. The
feast is celebrated in a tabernacle made
of branches, the sukkah, and it symbolizes the temporary dwellings of wandering
Jews. It coincides with fruit picking and is
celebrated in the end of the agricultural
season. Worshippers receive food from
plants in the tabernacle, decorated with
fruit and vegetables.
- Pesach. On Pesach the planting of spring
seeds is celebrated, as well as the start of
the barley harvest.
- Shavuot. This feast celebrates the harvesting of wheat and summer fruit. In Jerusalem people carry baskets full of fruit and
bread, prepared from the best wheat of the
first yield.
- Hanukkah marks the end of the olive pick-
Tu Bishvat
Miqwe
ing.
- Tu Bishvat is
considered the
new year of trees
and is celebrated
by relatives exchanging bags
full of various
fruits: fruit eaten
A Prayer
entirely
(figs),
fruit with a pit (olives), fruit where only the soft part is eaten, fruit with a
shell, where only the nut is eaten (walnuts).
There are special rituals related to nature to be performed according to Jewish religion. They consist of
prayers and acts.
- Prayer for rain, given on Sukkot (Geshem)
- Prayer for dew (Tal) on Pesach.
- The casting off of sins in the river (Tashlikh) on Rosh
Ashana
- An official dinner
on Tu Bishvat
- Planting of trees
- Climbing up the
hills and mountains
on Lag Ba Omer
- Ritual bath under running water (Miqwe)
- Honoring the new moon (Kiddush levana)
A significant feature of Judaism is the ethical treatment of animals. At the same time
God allows people to eat animals, but protects the latter against brutal killing and
instructs that the procedure be as gentle,
fast and efficient as possible. According
to Judaism animals can be used for other
tasks as well, such that are difficult for men
but necessary for their living. Restrictions
to the use of animals for various types of labor are imposed based on the ban to treat
them brutally. Animals must not be beaten,
forced, made to do labor unnatural for them,
Tashlikh
Cosher food
m a d e
to work
n i g h t
and day
without
rest, and
must not
be
left
without
The forbidden fruit
In the Eden
food or
water.
Regardless of the strict restrictions laid out in the Torah, the humane nature of Judaism breaks
certain bans; for instance if an animal is
drowning, according to the rules in the Talmud, one is allowed not to observe the restrictions
of Shabbat
in
o r d e r
to save
the animal from
Adam and Eve
death.
We, the
Israelites, were ordered to love God, because God is real, it is the path to a righ- The Universe
teous life and we should do our utmost to
follow God’s laws.
The role of man in the maintaining, preserving and improving what God has
created is not indicated. In today’s world threatened by natural disasters, outside of religion, man’s (Homo sapiens’) role is to preserve what the Creator
has made, in the harmony that He has established.
Hanna Lorer