JEWISH BELIEF

What do Jewish people believe?

Within Judaism, there are a variety of beliefs, and different branches of Judaism practice their faith in different ways.  Some branches hold to a more traditional observance of all of the laws, and some hold to a more relaxed obervance of only some of them.  There are a few basic beliefs, though, that are essential to Judaism.  Maimonides, a rabbi and scholar who lived in the early middle ages, listed the following thirteen beliefs as basic to Judaism:

1. G-d exists 2. G-d is one and unique 3. G-d is incorporeal: pure spirit 4. G-d is eternal 5. Prayer is to be directed only to G-d 6. The words of the prophets are true 7. Moses' prohecy holds primacy over that of the other prophets

8. The Torah (both in written form-- the first five books of the Bible, and oral     form-- the teachings now contained in the Talmud) were given to Moses

9.  There will be no other Torah; revelation is closed

10.  G-d is omniscient: He knows the thoughts and deeds of all people

11.  G-d is just; He will reward and punish people according to their deeds

12.  The Messiah will come

13.  The dead will be resurrected

While these beliefs are more or less basic to Judaism, the Jewish faith is not so much a list of doctrines as it is a complete way of life, filled with guidelines and practices that touch every aspect of daily living, from what you wear to who you marry and how you work; from how to keep the holidays and observe the Sabbath to how to treat G-d and others.  This set of rules and practices is known as halakhah.

What is halakhah?

"Halakhah" is usually translated as "Jewish law", but a better way to understand its meaning is as "the path one walks".  Halakhah is meant to be not just a set of rules but a path that leads a person to a life in which even the smallest, most ordinary daily activities, such as getting dressed and eating, become acts of religious significance.  The point of halakhah is to fill each action of the day with remembrances of G-d, and turn each activity, however trivial, into one of service and obedience to G-d.  Halakhah is built around 613 commands, or mitzvot, that G-d gave the Jewish people in the Torah.  There is a command, a mitzvah, for the proper way to observe holidays, the way to dress, the way to conduct business and family life, how to pray, and what to eat.  The mitzvot that deal with which foods can and cannot be eaten, and how foods must be prepared, are called kashrut.  People often refer to following the regulations of kashrut as "keeping kosher".