Download Ultra-Orthodox" Jews

A Brief
Introduction
to Judaism
The Essence of being Jewish
One is part of a Jewish
community, & lives one's life
according to Jewish law &
traditions. Judaism is a way
of life inextricably entwined
with a system of beliefs.
The fundamental beliefs of
Judaism are:
There is a single, allpowerful God, who created
the universe & everything in
it.
God has a special
relationship with the Jewish
people, cemented by the
covenant that God made
with Moses on Mount Sinai,
3500 years ago.
Mitzvot
Prayer:


Done 3 times a day
Some can only be said
when ten or more Jews are
together, a minyan
Read & Study the Torah

Done once a week in a
Synagogue
Tikkun Olam

The responsibility to fix the
problems of the world
Tzeddakah

Charity and helping people
The Torah:All men are required to be
covered while reading the Torah or
hearing it read.
The Jewish place of worship is
called a Synagogue.
Ahavath Beth Israel in Boise is the longest
continuously operating Synagogue located
west of the Mississippi
The religious leader of a
Jewish community is called a
Rabbi. Unlike leaders in many
other faiths, a rabbi is not a
priest and has no special
religious status.
The Jewish holy day, or
Sabbath, starts at sunset on
Friday and continues until
sunset on Saturday. During the
Sabbath, observant Jews will
do nothing that might be
counted as work. Among the
things that they can't do are
driving and cooking.
The Torah or Hebrew Bible (which
Christians call the Old
Testament), and particularly
the first 5 books (Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers
and Deuteronomy ).
Holy Books
At least one copy of the Torah,
in Hebrew, is kept in every
synagogue in the form of a
hand-written parchment scroll.
The Talmud, a compendium of
law and commentary on the
Torah applying it to life in later
and changed circumstances.
Torah scrolls
Symbol of Judaism
The symbol of Judaism is
the Magen (shield) of
David, which is often
called the Star of David.
Menorah -The ninebranched menorah used
on Hanukkah
commemorates the
miracle that a day's worth
of oil lasted eight days
during the dedication of
the second temple.
Seder Dinner
The Seder reminds Jews of their
Exodus into the desert as they
escaped the slavery of the
Egyptians.
Each item on the plate represents
something.
Unleavened bread to remind us
that our ancestors didn't have the
time to bake their bread before
they fled.
Bitter herbs to remind us of the
bitter, cruel way our ancestors
were treated in slavery.
Twice-dipped herbs: We dip our
food into Haroset (a mixture of
apples, wine and nuts) to remind
us of the hard work our forebears
did while building the Pharoh's
buildings.*The mixture resembles
mortar*
And we dip our greens (reminder
of spring) into salt water, to remind
us of the tears that were shed by
the Jewish slaves.
we recline as we eat to be
comfortable, and to remind us that
once we were slaves, and now we
are free.
Jewish Holidays
Rosh Hashanna – Jewish new year
celebrated in the Fall
Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement
Hanukkah – Celebration of the victory of
the Macabees over the Greeks and the
rededication of the temple
Passover – Celebration of the miracle by
God which took the firstborn son of nonbelievers (including Pharoah’s son) thus
ending the enslavement of the Jewish
people.
Core Jewish Beliefs
Judaism originated in Israel around
4000 years ago. Both Christianity and,
to a lesser extent, Islam, draw on
Judaism.
The great Jewish scholar Hillel (70
BCE-CE 10) was asked to summarize
the essence of Judaism. He put it like
this: Judaism does not have set
doctrines or creeds, but is a religion
that follows Torah, guidance from God
found especially in Scripture. Jews live
in a Covenant with God, not for their
own sake but for the sake of the whole
world.
The Western Wall, thought to be part of the
original Jewish Temple, is at the base of the
Temple Mount in Jerusalem,
"What is hateful to you, do not do to
your neighbour: this is this is the
whole of Jewish Law; the rest is
mere commentary"
God and the Messiah
Jews believe there is only one God.
God created the universe, and
continues to keep it going. God has
always existed, and always will. God
cannot be seen or touched.
God can however, be known through
worship, and one can get closer to God
through study and through mystical
practices. God chose the Jewish people
as his own special people, to be an
example to all human beings.
God gave Torah to the Jews as a guide
to the obedient and holy life he wanted
them to live.
"The Messiah", who is a person
specially anointed by God (i.e. specially
commissioned), will one day come to
the world. The arrival of the Messiah
will bring an era of peace.
Maimonides wrote “The Laws and Basic Principles of the Torah”
Humanity
Jews believe:
Hebrew, the language of the Jews, is read
right to left.
Humans are made in the image
of God
Human beings should try to
seek holiness in every part and
activity of life
Jews believe that obeying the
"law" is doing God's will, and
showing respect and love for
God
This is why observant Jews will
follow certain practices without
needing any extra-religious
reason to obey the rules. An
example of this would be
obedience to Jewish dietary
laws.
All Jews have a strong
attachment to Israel, the land
God promised to Abraham and
to the holy city of Jerusalem.
The Various Types of Judaism
Jews are divided
according to their beliefs
and practices and
according to their racial
origins, as either having
roots in central Europe
(Ashkenazi Jews) or
Spain and the Middle
East (Sephardi Jews).
The main divisions of
belief and practice are as
follows:
Orthodox and 'Ultra-Orthodox'
Jews
Orthodox Jews follow the original teachings and
traditions of the faith closely.
They believe that the Torah and the Talmud were
given by God directly to the Jewish People in,
and so they regard these documents as being
God's actual words and of the highest authority,
in setting down the traditions and laws of
Judaism
Orthodox Jews are the biggest group in most
countries outside the USA.
"Ultra-Orthodox" Jews obey religious laws very
strictly.
They live in separate communities and follow
their own customs. To some extent they keep
apart from the world around them.
The Ultra-Orthodox are one of the fastest
growing groups of the Jewish people.
"Ultra-Orthodox" is not a term that Jews like very
much, and it is more acceptable to use the word
"Haredi".
Conservative Jews fall somewhere between
Orthodox and Reform Jews
Hasidic Jews are a sub-group
of Haredi Jews, but the two
terms are not interchangeable.
The essential elements of
Hasidic Judaism are the high
importance given to mysticism
rather than learning, and the
reverence given to the leader
of each of the many sects
within the movement.
Hasidism began in Poland in
the 18th Century. Hasidic Jews
were almost completely wiped
out in Europe in the Holocaust.
Hasidic
Jews
Reform Jews and Humanistic
Judaism
Reform Jews have adapted their faith
and customs to modern life, and
incorporated the discoveries that
modern scholarship has made about
the early Jews.
They do not regard the Torah and
Talmud as the actual words of God, but
as words written by human beings
inspired by God.
Reform Jews believe that because the
words of these texts were not directly
given by God, they can be reinterpreted
to suit the conditions of a particular time
and place. So, for example, men and
women can sit together in a Reform
synagogue, when they would be
rigorously segregated in an Orthodox
synagogue.
However, there are still many elements
of Judaism that Reform Jews regard as
unchangeable, even though they may
be less observant in many other areas
of belief.
A particular feature of Reform Judaism
is a strong belief in the importance of
creating a just society, and many
Reform Jews have been in the forefront
of political activism.