Download Reading: Judaism

JUDAISM
Three of the great religions of the world have a number of things in common.
These religions are one-God centered. They worship a personal God. Two of them,
Christianity and Islam, stem from the third, Judaism. The religions are alike in several
other ways, too. They are religions of the Semitic peoples, and came from Mesopotamia.
A prophet made each well-known to the common people.
But Judaism stands apart from the other faiths in some ways. It is very closely
joined to the national history of the Jews. It is also joined to the concept that the Jews are
God’s chosen people.
Although each faith has a historic background, Judaism is unique. Here are some
reasons that the faith of the Hebrews is worthy of notice:
1. There is not heavy philosophy. It is very practical.
2. Its God is active. God is watching over the small nation and guiding
it.
3. The religion is always concerned with political and social events.
Social justice, the rise and fall of kings, and wars are concerns, too.
4. God can be served only when his followers are good. He is an ethical
God. Moral behavior codes resulted from this. They never stay the
same, but are always in a state of change.
Jews have always found it hard to live up to the standard set by their God. Often,
they would forget their standards and go back to worshipping other gods as neighboring
groups of people still did. But God was faithful to them and continued to keep them as
His people. God did not work through each Jew, but with all of them. To accomplish
this, a series of men became leaders and prophets to the Hebrew people. The Jewish faith
did not spring from one man, but a series of men including Abraham, Moses, and Elijah.
They all helped to develop the religion. They rid it from superstition and the belief in
many gods. Many prophets, such as Isaiah and others, also added to the development of
the Jewish faith.
Western Wall
Biblical archaeologists believe that the Western Wall in Jerusalem, also known as the Wailing Wall, is all
that remains of the Second Temple, which was destroyed in AD 70. The destruction of the Temple led to
the formation of the rabbinic movement in Jerusalem. The movement taught Jews to focus their religious
lives on study of the Torah and community. Today, the wall remains a sacred place for Jews. Many take
pilgrimages to the wall to pray and hold religious ceremonies.
Hutchison Library/Tony Souter
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006. © 1993-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
The Hebrews are joined to their God by an agreement (covenant). This is a
contract between the two parties. They chose Yahweh as their God. And God chose
them as his people. Kings ruled both by Divine consent and the will of the people. They
were not absolute rulers. They could rule as long as they were faithful in doing their
duties. If they failed, God chose a new ruler. One of the most famous Hebrew kings was
David. He was a warrior but he was also the author of many of the Psalms, in the Old
Testament. One of the symbols of the Jewish faith is called the Star of David. It is
formed by two overlapping triangles which make a six-pointed star.
God’s promise to the Hebrews was very unusual. He would defend them in
battle. He would send them rain and what they needed to succeed. He would create an
ideal representative state.
The guide to Jewish religion practices was the Torah, which is the first five books
of the Old Testament, written by Moses. With the Torah (Law), Hebrews used books of
history and prophecy, the Psalms, and other books. Jewish scripture includes all of these
along with all of the written (the Old Testament) and unwritten laws of their faith
combined with the past opinions of the rabbis (religious leaders). The Talmud is a
collection of rabbis’ opinions and ideas about the laws. There were also the histories and
stories as told in the synagogue, their place of worship. The power of these writings on
Judaism is immense. They have supported the Jewish people through centuries of trouble
and suffering.
Torah Case
This ornate Torah case contains a handwritten parchment scroll of the Torah, or Pentateuch, for reading
before a congregation in a synagogue. Of Persian origin, the case is now at the Jewish Museum in New
York City.
Art Resource, NY/The Jewish Museum
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006. © 1993-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4). These
words were first spoken to the Jewish people by Moses, who spoke for God. They
created a new idea of God, the belief that there is but one God of the Universe. Not only
Judaism, but Christianity and Islam, rest on this idea of strict monotheism.
This God directly enters the life of every person with justice, anger, and love. He
is a God of hope. His followers believe the world is headed towards one goal, the
Kingdom of God. Life is not just to be endured. It is God’s gift to be lived fully by His
will. Judaism is not just a preparation for an after-life. It is a guide for man in this life.
It attempts to find God’s will in all things.
In Judaism, every part of life is blessed. The home must be a house of God. The
table is an altar. The marketplace is a place of justice. Thus, the religious Jew moves
through a round of blessings. A Jewish woman blesses the Sabbath lights. There are
blessings for food and drink. There are blessings for new clothes, and for seeing any
lovely object. Saturday is the day for holy practice and is called the Sabbath.
The books of Moses set down the Ten Commandments on the Tablets of Law.
They also set down the right way to prepare food, to give to charity, to pay damages.
God distinguished between foods that were unclean and those that were unacceptable.
The term kosher refers to food that may be eaten. Jewish faith, fully lived, leads to a life
of good deeds.
Passover Meal
A Yemenite family gathers in Israel for the Seder meal to celebrate the Jewish festival of Passover. The
foods shown in the foreground symbolize some aspect of the ordeal of the Israelites during their
enslavement in Egypt. These symbolic foods include unleavened bread (matzoh), bitter herbs, and a lamb
shank.
Corbis/Richard Nowitz
Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2006. © 1993-2005 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Jewish rites are not very dramatic. Its places of worship are without “graven
images” (idols). One Jewish festival described in the Torah marks one of the times when
God was involved in Israel’s history. It is called Passover (observed in March or April)
and marks the time (around 1900 B.C.) when Moses led the Jews from their slavery in
Egypt. They wandered in the Sinai Desert for 40 years and then crossed the Jordan River
into the land of Canaan, later called Palestine. Finally, they became a nation. The nation
is called Israel, and God’s people are called by several names: Israelites, Hebrews, and
Jews. Their language is Hebrew, which is the language of the Old Testament.
Other holy days and festivals are Rosh Hashanah, which observes the creation of
the world, and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), a day of fasting and prayer. That is
when Jews wait for the judgment and mercy of the Lord. Another Jewish festival is
called Hanukkah, which remembers a time when God saved his people by keeping the
candles burning for eight days. Since the lights continued to shine, the Jews were able to
win an important battle. The menorah, a candlestick used in worship and at the time of
Hanukkah, is a symbol to Jews of God’s protection and faithfulness.
When God chose them as His people, He gave them special responsibilities. The
most important is to bring His word to all peoples of the world.
Judaism sees a person as a handful of dust which contains a divine spark. People
are made in the image of God. A person has the freedom of choice between good and
evil. By loving God and trying to be like Him, people also learn to love their fellow
human beings. Jews believe that they need both the Law of God and the words of the
prophets of old. They need a combination of practice and spirit to fulfill the command
given by Moses: “Love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, and with
all thy might” (Deuteronomy 6:5)
Judaism continues to touch every part of Jewish life. It did not become “frozen”
with the birth of Christ. It is a dynamic, living religion.
Source: Kent County Core Curriculum