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Judaism
By Elizabeth, Louise, Aimee, Natalie, Marie and Dan
Introduction
• Judaism is the religion of people who are Jewish
• It is one of the oldest religions in the world (over 3500 years old)
• Judaism means living the faith
• They believe God is a spirit and does not have a physical form
• They don’t think he was ever born, and don’t think he will ever die
• They believe he made everything and deserves people to worship him
• His name is Adonai (Lord)
The founding of Judaism
• The founding father of Judaism was Abraham, who lived
approximately 4000 years ago.
• He believed that there was only one God.
• God told him to move to Canaan.
• God made him the father of the nation Canaan which is known as
‘The Promised Land.’
• They lived there for roughly two hundred years.
13 Principles… Key Beliefs
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God as the Creator
The Unity of God
The denial of physicality in connection with God
God’s Antiquity
That God, Blessed be He is worthy that we serve him, to glorify him, to make
known his greatness, and to do his commands
Prophecy
The Prophetic capacity of Moses our Teacher, peace be upon him
The Torah is from heaven
The completeness of Torah
That God knows man’s actions and does not remove his eye from them
That God gives reward to who follows his commandments and punishes those
who don’t.
The Era of the Messiah
Resurrection of the dead.
Who is classed as a Jewish person?
• It is believed that a Jew is someone who is the child of a Jewish
mother.
• Some groups also accept children of Jewish Father’s as Jewish
• Someone who isn’t born Jewish can convert to Judaism, but it is not
easy to do so.
• The Jewish Faith is a very community based faith with lots of worship
being done as a group.
• The Jewish faith is based more on actions than beliefs.
Moses
• Was the founder of Judaism
• Although Jews trace their history back to Abraham
• Moses led the Jews out of slavery in Egypt and led them to the holy
land that God had promised them
• This is remembered through the festival of Passover
• He also received the Ten Commandments from God on Mt. Sinai
The Synagogue
• Synagogue is the central Jewish place of worship, but is also used as a
place of study
• Prayer study, and special family occasions such as weddings, bar and
bat mitzvahs take place here
• Orthodox Jews often use the Yiddish word shul (shool) to refer to
synagogue
• The rabbi is the leader of the Jewish community and a source of
authority
• Term ‘rabbi’ literally means teacher
The Torah
(Tenakh)
• The scroll contains first five books of the bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and
Deuteronomy
• It is written in Hebrew and considered the most important text
• Every synagogue contains an Ark which is a cupboard where the Torah Scrolls are kept
• Ark is named after the wooden chest which held the stone tablets of the Covenant that
God gave Moses on Mt Sinai
• An eternal light hangs above the ark and is always burning to symbolise Gods presence
• The Torah is not directly touched and is carried to the desk using handles and when
reading from it a pointer is used
• When constructing a Torah it is handwritten on parchment made from a kosher animal, if
any mistakes are made it can make the scroll invalid
• Sefer Torah is a completed scroll and is so sacred that if it is accidently dropped in a
synagogue the congregation must fast for 40 days
The Sabbath
• The focal part of the week is the Sabbath (Shabbat) which is a day of
rest
• It is centred at the synagogue and at the home
• It begins on Friday evening when the women light candles and the
whole household sits down for a meal
• Their blessing is made over wine and bread
• Together, the family eat in commemoration of the creation of the
world and the abolishment of slavery in Egypt
• No food may be cooked (the meal is always pre-prepared) and no
work is permitted.
The Sabbath Continued…
• The Jewish have put a strict definition on ‘work’ that even switching
on a light qualifies.
• Jews do not consider these restrictions to be in any way inconvenient.
They see it as a liberation.
• Orthodox Jews tend to interpret the rules more strictly that nonorthodox Jews.
What is Kosher?
Kosher comes from the Jewish law or kashrut. It refers to what they can eat and how animals
should be killed.
• Prohibited animals
According to the Torah, cloven-hoofed, cud-chewing animals can be kosher. Cows, sheep,
deer and goats can be kosher, but pigs and rabbits never are. Only some birds are kosher,
such as chicken, turkey, duck and goose. For seafood and fish to be kosher it must have fins
and be easily descaled, ie Tuna.
• Kosher slaughter
(1) only trained butchers can perform the slaughter
(2) the animal must not have any medical defect or disease
(3) must be killed with a sharp knife to the carotid artery
(4) as much blood is removed as possible through koshering process
There are other rules aswell.
• Separation of dairy and meat
Dairy and meat cannot be eaten or served together. This includes poultry, so fried chicken
with a milk-based batter is not kosher, but because fish is pareve (contains meat/ milk), milkbattered and fried fish, or bagels with lox and cream cheese is kosher. Also, meat and fish
have to be stored separate, ie on different shelves in the fridge (meat at the bottom)
Bar and Bat Mitzvahs
Bar Mitzvah (Son of the Commandment)
• The boy is aged thirteen when he celebrates his Bar Mitzvah.
• It usually takes place on the Sabbath after his birthday.
• In his religion, he is now seen as a man.
• During the service the boy will recite a blessing on the Torah.
• He should now observe all Jewish laws.
Bat Mitzvah (Daughter of the Commandment)
• The Girl is aged twelve
• The service follows the same pattern as a Bar Mitzvah.
Passover - Exodus
• Celebrates the liberation of the Jews who were freed from Egypt by Moses
• The Pharaoh refused to release the Israelites
• God sent Moses with a warning however the Pharaoh still refused so God
sent the plagues there were 10 plagues in total
• The last plague was the death of the first born son
• The Israelites were protected by a cross of male lambs blood painted on
their door frame
• Egyptians were terrified and convinced the Pharaoh to banish the Israelites
• Pharaoh changed his mind and pursued them, Moses parted the Red Sea
allowing the Israelites to escape
• Now Passover is celebrated every year and consists of seder meals, the
Passover meal and prayers and worship
The Seder Plate
Roasted lamb shankbone: (called zeroah), which symbolises the paschal (lamb) sacrifice made the night the ancient Hebrews
fled Egypt. Some people say it symbolizes the outstretched arm of God (the Hebrew word zeroah can mean “arm”)
Roasted egg: Symbolises the sacrificial offerings which was performed in the days of the Second Temple.
Maror (“bitter herb”): Horseradish is the most common. Bitter herbs bring tears to the eyes and recall the bitterness of
slavery
Charoset: that sweet salad of apples, nuts, wine, and cinnamon that represents the mortar used by the Hebrew slaves to
make bricks.
Karpas: Karpas is a green vegetable, usually parsley. Karpas symbolizes the freshness of spring.
Chazeret: The chazeret is a second bitter herb, most often romaine lettuce, horseradish or carrot plant. Symbolises the same
as maror.
Salt water: Salt water symbolizes the tears and sweat of enslavement, though paradoxically, it’s also a symbol for purity,
springtime, and the sea, the mother of all life. You dip in the karpas during the seder.
Matzah: Perhaps the most important symbol is a stack of three pieces of matzah (unleavened bread) on it. Some say they
represent the Kohen class (the Jewish priests in ancient times), the Levis (who supported the priests), and the Israelites (the
rest of the Jews). During ww2, a fourth piece of matzah was added to the seder plate to symbolize the struggles of Jews who
were not yet free enough to celebrate the Passover.
Wine cups and wine (or grape juice): they drink four (small) cups of wine. Traditionally, the four cups represent the four
biblical promises of redemption. Others say the four cups represent the four letters in the unspeakable Name of God.
Hanukkah
Hanukkah lamp
Hunukkah is the Jewish festival of lights and is
celebrated for 8 days. A candle on the lamp is
lighted each day. It symbolises how God looked
after the Israelites during a difficult time over
2500 ears ago in Syria.
Dreidel
Each player starts with the same amount of pieces, ie sweets and
on their turn spins the dreidel once. At the beginning of each round
everyone puts on piece into the centre. There are four outcomes on
the dreidel:
- take half the pot
- take the whole pot
- do nothing
- add one piece to the pot
If you have no pieces you are out. The only one left is the winner nd
that ends the round.
Thanks for listening
• Remember not every Jewish person would follow this exactly as some
believers are more strict than others