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An Introduction to Judaism
Judaism
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The Jewish people trace their ancestry,
and their faith, back to the early leaders of
their people, such as Abraham.
They believe that God made a covenant,
or agreement, with their ancestors, and
that is their duty to live faithfully under
God.
People of the Book
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Judaism is based on the words of the
Hebrew Bible, especially the Torah, which
his the name given to its first five books.
The whole essence of the Torah, however,
has been summed up in one sentence:
“That which is hateful to you, do not do
unto your neighbor.”
the Torah
Jewish Diaspora
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The Jewish faith has never laid particular
emphasis on the recruitment of new
converts.
Although they have faced persecution
throughout history, Jewish people have
made a positive contribution to the
societies in which they have lived.
The Hebrew Bible
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Torah
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The first five books of the Bible are known as
the Torah, which Jews believe God first
revealed to Moses.
Torah means “guidance” and “teaching,” but
it also translates as “law.”
As well as history, the Torah contains 613
commandments on which Jewish life is based.
Messiah
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Since the time of the prophets, Jews have
looked forward to the coming of the
Messiah, or Anointed One. The Messiah
will establish God’s kingdom on Earth,
scatter Israel’s enemies, and rule with
justice for all time. Orthodox Jews await
this coming of the Messiah. Reform Jews
hope for a time of righteousness and
peace for all people.
Patriarch
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Abraham
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Genesis tells how God made a covenant, or
agreement, with Abraham. God promised
Abraham that He would be faithful to the
people of Israel, who must serve Him and
obey His laws. In turn, Abraham would
become the father of a great nation, and God
promised Abraham a land “flowing with milk
and honey.”
(not really…)
Synagogue
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The synagogue, a center for
worship and study, is the
main meeting place in any
Jewish community
The fourth side of the
building faces Jerusalem
Orthodox synagogues contain
a separate women’s gallery
Other Orthodox religions
practice the separation of
man and woman
The Rabbi
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The rabbi is first and foremost a teacher,
once who studies the Torah and applies it
to daily life
He may preach, visit the sick, console the
bereaved (or the mourning, for those of
you who do not know), and advise
members of his congregation on spiritual
matters
Cantor
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Any congregational member may lead the
prayers, but in larger synagogues a paid
official, or cantor, does this. It is
traditional for prayers and scriptures to be
chanted, without any musical
accompaniment.
Eternal Light
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A light always burns in every synagogue,
to remind a congregation of God’s eternal
light
Skull Cap
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When a Jewish man prays at home or in
the synagogue, he normally covers his
head with a hat or a skull cap, called a
yarmulkah or kippah, as a mark of respect
for God
Holy Days
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Shabbat
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The Jewish day of rest, or Shabbat, begins at
sunset on Friday. A time of joy, Shabbat
marks God’s creation and his rest afterward
Although a serious topic, this is a
humorous take on Shabbat
Pesach
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The spring feast of Pesach,
or Passover, celebrates the
exodus of the Israelites from
Egypt
The name Passover derives
from the tenth plague of
Egypt, when the first-born
sons of Egypt died, but the
angel of death “passed
over” the homes of the
Israelites
Seder
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Seder is the traditional meal, rich in
symbolism, eaten during Pesach
(Passover)
During this meal, a special place is laid at
the table for the prophet Elijah, who will
usher in the Messiah
The Seder Meal
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The egg
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The egg represents sacrifice
The Seder Meal
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Lettuce
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Fresh lettuce for frugal meals eaten in slavery
The Seder Meal
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Salt water
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A reminder of the tears of slavery
No, not literally
from the ocean
The Seder Meal
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The shank bone of a lamb
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Recalls lambs killed at the first Pesach
The Seder Meal
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Fruit and nut paste
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Represents bricks and mortar used to build
cities in Egypt
The Seder Meal
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Bitter herbs
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Represent the bitterness of slavery
The Seder Meal
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Vegetables
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Represent spring
The Seder Meal
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Matzah
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Shows haste when Israelites fled Egypt
Hanukkah
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Taking place in December, Hanukkah,
meaning “the festival of lights,” celebrates
the rededication of the Temple in
Jerusalem in 164 BCE, after Judas
Maccabeus defeated the Syrians.
Because a single cruse (earthenware
container) of oil lasted for eight days in
the Temple after the victory, Hanukkah is
celebrated for eight days
Rosh Hashanah
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New Year’s Day, or Rosh Hashanah,
occurs in the autumn to celebrate both the
world’s creation and the day of Judgment,
when God will judge people on their past
lives.
Yom Kippur
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The Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, is
a day of fasting when people pray and
confess their sins
Kabbalah
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The term Kabbalah is
the name given to a
collection of Jewish
mystical ideas, passed
on by word of mouth
and kept secret. The
two branches are
practical (prayer) and
speculative (mystery)
Kabbalah
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Zohar
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The Book of Splendor, or Zohar, is the main
text of the Kabbalah. While it was reputed to
be the teaching of a second-century sage,
scholars have since argued that Moses de
Leon, a 13th-century Kabbalist in Spain, wrote
the texts. The Zohar introduced new rituals
and describes the sefirot, attributes of God
from which he created the cosmos
Sefirot
The ten sefirot reveal how God interacts
with the world, and are often shown as
branches of a tree.
 The first, Crown, represents God’s will
to create.
 The others are Wisdom, Understanding,
Love, Judgement (divine justice),
Beauty, Eternity, Splendor, Foundation
(the basts of existence), and Kingdom
(God’s presence)
Golden Age
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In many parts of Europe where Jews
settled, they were highly successful, as in
medieval Spain, where Jewish art, culture,
commerce, and scholarship flourished for
centuries. Gifted with languages, Jews
became authorities on law and were
valued diplomats. Anti-Jewish violence
erupted in the 14th century, with Jews
later expelled from Spain in 1492
Expulsions
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Jews have been expelled from many
civilizations around the world for
centuries. They have often been
persecuted and sometimes expelled from
their homes, both in Palestine and
elsewhere. During Roman times, a group
of Jewish Zealots held out in the fortress
of Masada, by the Dead Sea. They
committed mass suicide rather than
surrender to the Roman army.
Hasidism
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Hasidic Jews value religious devotion
Jews that practice
Hasidism worship
separately, wear dark
clothing, and men grow a
long ear lock of hair
Writings and History
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The words of God form the basis of the Jewish
religion. Jews believed that the Torah was the
word of God, whereas the other books of the
Bible were written by people who were inspired
by God. Jews therefore believe that the Bible
deserves the most careful study. As time went
on, Jewish scholars and rabbis wrote
commentaries to explain the results of their
Bible studies. After the Bible, these
commentaries are Judaism’s most important
books, and their importance explains why Jews
have always set a very high value on learning.
Books
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Jews have always valued learning. For
thousands of years, rabbis have studied
the Torah and set down the results of
their work in commentaries that have
provoked further scholarly writings. The
most important of all these works is the
Talmud, which contains guidance on
Jewish Law and Biblical narrative.
Talmud
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When the Mishnah was completed, rabbis
added their comments. Their studies, or
the Gemara, alongside the Mishnah,
became the Talmud; the most important
Jewish text after the Bible. There are two
versions—Palestinian and Babylonian.
15th Century
Mishnah
The Talmud
Halakah
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Meaning “that by which one walks,”
Halakah is the name for all the laws in the
Talmud that govern civil or religious
practices in the Jewish community. It is
thought these rules may go back to Moses
at Sinai.
Modern Judaism
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Deprived of their own homeland for hundreds of
years, Jews spread all over the world in the
movement known as the Diaspora. During the
last 100 years, two of the most momentous
events in Jewish history occurred. The
Holocaust, when millions of Jews were murdered
by Germany’s Nazi regime during World War II,
was followed by the establishment of the
modern state of Israel, providing the Jews with
a national homeland for the first time since the
Roman period.
Zionist Movement
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In 1897, Theodore Herzl founded the
Zionist movement with the purpose of
creating a Jewish national state as the
homeland of Judaism in Palestine.
Holocaust
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The term Holocaust (Sho’ah) is used to
describe the mass murder of European
Jews by the Nazis during WWII—Hitler’s
so-called “final solution” to the Jewish
question. Persecution of the Jews began
in the early 1930’s, when the first
concentration camps were set up. During
the War, the Nazis massacred some six
million Jews, remembered each year by
Yom ha-Sho’ah.
Western Wall
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The Jews today, Jerusalem’s most sacred
place is the Western (Wailing) Wall, which
contains stones from the retaining wall of
the Second Temple. People come to pray
at the wall, and leave prayers written on
pieces of paper pushed into gaps between
the stones. Israel upholds religious
freedom in the city.
The Western Wall
Life and Worship
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Religion affects every aspect of Jewish life, from
eating specially prepared food to the rituals
surrounding the main events in life from birth to
death. Prayer is seen as a way of serving God
and attaching oneself to him. Religious Jews
pray three times a day—at morning, noon, and
night. Ideally, a group of at least ten people (a
minyan) is required before prayers can take
place, usually in the synagogue, where prayer
services include the Shema (the assertation of
faith) and a series of blessings called the Amida,
meaning “standing prayer.”
Stages of Life
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Circumcision for eight day-old boys
Bar Mitzvah for thirteen year-old boys
Bat Mitzvah for twelve year-old girls
Marriage
Stages of Life
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Marriage
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The seven blessings of marriage are recited.
Then the groom breaks a wine glass beneath
his feet, in remembrance of the destruction of
the Temple in Jerusalem.
Stages of Life
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Death
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Jews observe a period of seven days of
intense mourning, when a prayer (the
Kaddish) is recited.
Shema
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The Shema is the most important of all
prayers and is recited twice a day. It is
named after the first word, and beings,
“Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the
Lord is One.”
Jewish Culture
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United States
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The U.S. has seen the largest flowering of
Jewish culture since World War II—in the
arts, academia, law, politics, business, and
entertainment. Jews are part of the wider
community, synagogues flourish, and there is
a widespread support for Israel.
Mmmm…bagels. 
Anti-Defamation League
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In 1913, B’nai B’rith created the AntiDefamation League to act as a watchdog
against the anti-Semitism that Jews
encountered all over the world.