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The Roots of Judaism
In this chapter
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Learn about the history of the world’s oldest monotheistic faith
Find out how Judaism has influenced other faiths
Explore the Ten Commandments
Judaism is the world’s oldest monotheistic faith, and not coincidentally, is the parent faith
of both Christianity and Islam. In the face of incredible challenges and over thousands of
years, this faith has remained virtually unchanged and as strong as it has ever been. Learn
some of the background and beliefs of Judaism in this chapter.
The Jews—Enslavement and Freedom
The Torah (the holy book of the Jewish faith) teaches that
the Jewish people are descended from Abraham, the man
God formed the Covenant with.
The Torah also tells how, long after Abraham’s time, the
descendants of Abraham and his son Isaac moved to Egypt,
where they were enslaved by the Pharaoh (king of Egypt)
and forced to work for many years.
Abraham
Jews call their god Yahweh (yaw-way). They teach that after centuries of being Pharaoh’s
slaves, Yahweh called a man named Moses to lead the Jewish people out of Egypt. The
book of Exodus reports that on Mt. Sinai, Yahweh gave Moses ten commandments meant
to guide the conduct of His people, and began a new covenant with the Jewish people.
What’s it Mean?
The Bible tells of many covenants, or agreements, God
made with men such as Abraham, Noah, and Moses. When
“covenant” is capitalized, it means the covenant between
God and Abraham. Under this agreement, God would
create a “chosen people” from Abraham’s descendants
whom he would bless. In return, the people would offer God
complete obedience.
Torah: The holy book of Judaism. Made up of 5 books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Deuteronomy, and Numbers. (These 5 books are also part of the Christian Bible.)
Moses: The greatest prophet of Judaism. Accepted the Ten
Commandments from Yahweh and led the Jews from Egypt.
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Ten Enduring Rules
The Ten Commandments (or Decalogue) which appears in the book of Deuteronomy,
now serves as the moral compass for both the Jewish and Christian traditions. Jews and
Christians believe they were delivered to Moses by Yahweh.
What’s it Mean?
The Decalogue is another word for the Ten Commandments.
Close-Up on the Decalogue (or Ten Commandments)
The Ten Commandments are the foundation of Jewish and Christian morality. Even
though most Westerners are familiar with the Ten Commandments, not many of us know
them by heart. Let’s take a look at these ten rules that are so important in these two faiths.
1. You shall have no other Gods but me.
2. You shall not make for yourself any idol, nor bow down to it or worship it.
3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
4. You shall remember and keep the Sabbath day holy.
5. Respect your father and mother.
6. You must not murder.
7. You must not commit adultery.
8. You must not steal.
9. You must not give false evidence against your neighbor.
10. You must not be envious of your neighbor's goods. You shall not be envious of his
house nor his wife, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.
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Moses: Judaism’s Most Important Prophet
Moses was born to a poor Jewish slave in Egypt. At the time, the
Pharaoh forbade all Jewish women to keep their baby boys.
Moses' mother was afraid that her baby would be killed as well,
so she put him into a basket that floated down the river, hoping
that he would be found by an Egyptian woman who might raise
him as her own. The Pharaoh's daughter discovered the baby in
the bulrushes, and Moses was raised a prince.
One day, Moses was summoned by God.
He left the comfort of the palace to free
the Jews from slavery in Egypt and later
delivered the Ten Commandments to his
people.
According to the Torah,
certain people throughout
Jewish history were chosen by God
to remind His people of His love for
them, guide them on the right
path, and reveal important
information to them. These people
are known as the Prophets.
Moses spent his final days in the hills watching
over the Jewish tribes of Israel as they made
their journey to a new homeland. According to the Bible, the journey took 40 years.
The Torah tells us that Moses stuttered. Jews and Christians believe that this shows that
God can and will use anyone to deliver his messages, even if it might not appear that they
can do so.
What’s it Mean?
Rabbis are religious leaders in
the Jewish faith. Among other
duties, rabbis lead worship services,
act as counselors, and study and
write about the Torah.
What’s it Mean?
The Talmud is another holy
book of the Jewish faith. It is a
collection of writings by rabbis.
These writings comment on and
explain Judaism’s main holy book,
the Torah.
Wrapping It All Up: The Roots of Judaism
The Jewish faith spans several thousand years, and places great emphasis on events from
its beginning.
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Judaism’s 3 Branches
In this chapter
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Find out how Judaism has developed in modern times
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Learn about the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform branches
Over the millennia of their faith’s growth, Jews have been confronted with a difficult
question: How much should the outside world influence their faith? Of course, not all
Jews in the past answered that question in the same way, and in the present, Jews
continue to answer this question in a variety of ways.
Over time, this difference of opinions led Jews to arrange themselves in one of three
branches of the faith. Nowadays, most Jews would classify themselves as Orthodox
Jews, Conservative Jews, or Reform Jews. Each branch has its own practices, values,
and view on how the faith should be observed.
1. The Orthodox Branch: Original Judaism
Members of the Orthodox branch of Judaism believe
that the Jewish faith should not be changed from the
way it was practiced thousands of years ago.
Orthodox Jews believe in complete observance of
God’s will in all aspects of life. When making any
decision, they consult 3 things:
 the Torah, (Jewish holy book)
 the Talmud, (writings of rabbis)
 Jewish tradition (the way things have been done in the past).
They believe these three sources of information reflect God’s will and must be followed.
Some other facts about Orthodox Jews:
 They wear distinctive clothing,
 They use the ancient Hebrew language in worship services.
 Strong gender segregation—some roles and activities are gender-specific.
 They have complex rituals for many occasions, including daily prayers.
Orthodox Jews do not believe in changing their faith to match the changing outside
world. Similar to the Amish, Orthodox Jews live “outside” the outside world.* Actually,
it can be said that for Orthodox Jews, Judaism is the world.
*However, unlike the Amish, they do not live in separate communities by themselves.
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2. The Conservative Branch: “Middle Ground”
In many ways, the conservative branch represents the “middle ground” of Judaism.
Conservative Jews believe as many laws and traditions as possible should be preserved—
but not everything. They are more open to influences from the outside world than
Orthodox Jews are. Conservative Jews do not see anything wrong with adjusting to trends
and practices in the outside world, so long as they do not contradict (go against) the
major principles of their faith.
3. Reform Judaism: “
Of the three branches, Reform Judaism is the most open to the outside world. Whereas
Orthodox Jews view all elements of the faith as important and necessary, Reform Jews
only keep the elements that make the most sense in the modern world.
Reform Jews believe Yahweh inspired the Torah, but they believe in freedom to practice
the faith in their own way.
Modern Day Example: Pressure and Reaction to the Outside World
It’s easier to see how these 3 branches differ if we take a look at a situation from the
outside world, and observe how the branches react to it. For example, say a Jewish
woman who was very knowledgeable, sincere, and wanting to teach, decided she wanted
to become a rabbi. Would she be allowed?
RABBI?
Naturally, each of the three branches answers this question in a different way.
“God gave us the Jewish
faith as he wanted it to
be, and we’re going to
keep it that way. If he
wanted women to be
rabbis, he would have
done that at the
beginning.”
O
According to tradition, only
males have ever been rabbis.
Which is better for the Jewish
community: to restrict gender
roles, or to allow both sexes
to take part fully in the
faith?”
C
“We value tradition, but we
also take into account
changes in the world around
us. Women have never been
rabbis before, but they have
gained many rights in the
modern world. Some of our
synagogues will allow it and
some will not.”
R
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While these labels for the branches are helpful,
remember that people are individuals with
individual differences, and there are many
variations of beliefs and practices in each branch.
Wrapping it all Up
When any large group of people gets together, differences develop. In the Jewish faith,
these differences manifested themselves in the creation of 3 separate branches: the
Orthodox, the Conservative, and the Reform.
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Jewish Ritual and Celebration
In this chapter
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Learn how Jews practice their faith
Understand the Jewish synagogue service
Discover holidays that are important to Jews
So how do Jewish people practice their faith? In this chapter, you’ll learn about the
practices, rituals, and holidays of the Jewish faith.
Life: The Ultimate Religious Celebration
At the heart of all Jewish worship and ritual is the desire to celebrate Yahweh and all of
his creation through day-to-day living. All 3 branches of Judaism agree on this point.
What they disagree on, however, is how best to worship Yahweh. Orthodox, Conservative,
and Reform followers have different views on this topic.
In the Orthodox branch, the emphasis is on saying specific prayers
in specific situations. There is a prayer to say after
waking from sleep, before eating, and before
bedtime, in addition to countless other situations. In
fact, there is a specific prayer to say for practically every situation that is
encountered in daily life. These prayers are said word-for-word from tradition
O
The Conservative approach is less strict and regimented, but still closely
linked to tradition. This branch views prayer as important, but they see
word-for-word prayers as less important than living out values like
loving God and helping others.
In the Reform branch, as always, the view is that the
faith should be as accessible as possible to followers.
Specific word-for-word prayers, like those especially
used in the Orthodox branch, are seen as an obstacle
to the faith instead of an aid. They still pray; it’s just that they
view these scripted prayers as distancing them from God rather
than bringing them closer to Him.
R
C
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What about the Jewish worship service?
All branches believe that group prayer and worship are very important. A synagogue is a
Jewish place of worship. This is where group prayer is conducted, as well as any
important rituals. The length and complexity of synagogue service depends on the time of
day, the day of the month, whether a holiday is involved, and, of course, the branch of
Judaism in question.
The holy language of Judaism is Hebrew. This is the language of
the slaves of the pharaoh’s day, and is today the national language
of Israel. Orthodox services, you may have guessed, use the most
Hebrew, while Reform services use the least.
Rabbis lead the worship service. A cantor sings and leads the
congregation in singing.
The synagogue service itself consists of 3 basic parts:
 Amidah are prayers of praise and thanks to God.
 Sh’ma is the Pledge of Faith. From the book of Deuteronomy, it states “Hear, O
Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.”
 Aliyah literally means “going up.” It refers to the honor of being chosen to read a
passage from the Torah, and ‘going up’ to the front of the synagogue to do so.
Dietary Laws
You may have seen food in the supermarket before that was labeled “kosher.” But do you
know what that means? Kosher food is food that is prepared according to standards of
Jewish ritual—in other words, it’s been “okayed” by the Jews. These laws cover many
foods and ways to prepare them, but briefly, they are as follows.
What’s it Mean?
The idea of kosher foods goes back to the times of the ancient
Hebrews. God gave a long list of foods the Hebrews could and could not
eat, as well as ways to prepare it. It may seem like an unusual thing to
include in a holy book, but many explain that that it is these very laws that
kept the Jews healthy when surrounding peoples were not.
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Kosher Rules
Red Meat:
Must come from animals that:
 Have cloven hoofs
 Chew a cud
 Are killed according to special slaughtering procedures
 All traces of blood must be removed
Seafood:
Must come from creatures that:
 Have scales
OR
 Have fins
 No crab, lobster, or
shellfish
Poultry:
Kosher as long as it is:
 Slaughtered the same way as meat
AND
 Prepared the same way as meat
Some additional kosher rules:
 No milk, cheese, or other dairy products at the same time, immediately before, or
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immediately after eating red or white meat.
Separate utensils must be used for red or white meat and dairy meals.
Eating any form of pork products is not allowed.
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Holidays and Observances
All religions have special days in which they celebrate their beliefs or important events.
Judaism has several such holidays. Here are the most important, in brief.
Shabbat
This holiday takes place every week. You may be more familiar with the term “Sabbath.”
Celebrates:
When:
How Celebrated:
God’s rest on the 7th day after the Creation
Friday at sunset until Saturday at sunset
No work is allowed (the definition of “work”
varies among different Jews. But all say it
includes buying and selling. Prayer services
are the longest, up to 3 hours.
Rosh Hashanah—The Jewish New Year
Celebrates:
When:
How Celebrated:
Jewish New Year as well as
creation of the Earth described
in the book of Genesis
2 days in the month of
Tishrei, roughly midSeptember to mid October
No work
Yom Kippur (AKA “Day of Atonement”) Jews repent for sins of the past year.
Celebrates:
Jew’s recognition of their sins
When:
A few days after Rosh Hashanah
How Celebrated:
No food and drink, no work,
repenting for sins
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Pesach (Passover)
God sent many plagues to Egypt to persuade pharaoh to let the Hebrews go. The plagues
included turning the water of Egypt to blood, sending frogs, lice, boils, hail, locusts, and
flies, striking the livestock with disease, and turning the day to darkness. After all of
these plagues, though, the pharaoh still would not let the Hebrews go.
God then sent the most serious of the plagues: the death of the firstborn. God’s Angel of
Death visited the homes of the Egyptians, and killed
all the firstborn males. This included the son of the
pharaoh.
In order that the angel could distinguish between the
Egyptian and Hebrew households, God instructed
His people to put lamb’s blood on their doorposts.
Recognizing the lamb’s blood, the Angel of Death
passed over the Hebrew houses.
This plague was all pharaoh could take, and he
promptly accepted God’s demands. The Hebrews left in a hurry and so did not have time
to wait for their dinner bread to rise. This type of bread (flat, unleavened, like pita) is
known as unleavened.
Celebrates:
When:
How Celebrated:
Delivery of Hebrews from Egyptian slavery
Late March/Early April; 7 days for Reform Jews, 8 for
members of other major branches
No leavening agents in bread, no work 1st and last 2 days
Hanukkah (AKA “The Festival of Lights”)
This holiday gets a lot of media attention, probably because of its coincidental proximity
to Christmas. Many people believe that “it’s like the Jewish Christmas.”
WRONG!
Jews do not believe in Jesus as the Messiah and do
not celebrate Christmas. This holiday doesn’t have
anything to do with Christ or Christmas.
Rather, it celebrates a battle victory over the Syrians
2200 years ago.
Celebrates:
When:
How Celebrated:
Military victory of an ancient Jewish group
Early-mid December
Candle lit for each night of Hanukkah
Specific rituals for each night
Work is permitted
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Life Rituals
Upon reaching a certain age, Jewish boys and girls become adult members of the faith.
For boys, this ceremony occurs at age 13 and is known as a Bar Mitzvah, which means
“Son of the Commandment.” For girls, this ceremony occurs at age 12 and is known as
Bat Mitzvah, or “Daughter of the Commandment.”
The Jewish marriage ceremony is known as kiddushin, which means “sanctification,” or
‘making holy.’ It takes place under a canopy called a huppah. It also includes the
breaking of a glass, an act that symbolizes the destruction of the Jewish Temple in 70
C.E.
Funeral services vary depending on the branch of Judaism in question. Some allow
cremation, while others do not.
Jewish Afterlife Beliefs
The afterlife beliefs of Judaism are different from many other religions. Jews do believe
that the human soul is immortal, and that Yahweh will provide a place for them after they
pass away.
However, Jews do not spend a great deal of time or energy thinking about the afterlife
and what it will be like. This contrasts strongly with the Christian tradition, (which you
may be most familiar with) which places an emphasis on Heaven, with many sermons,
books, and discussions focusing on it.
To put it simply, Jewish people believe there will be an afterlife, but they do not
emphasize it.
Wrapping It All Up: Jewish Ritual and Celebration
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