Judaism

Judaism is the religion of the world's approximately 15 million Jews. It is the oldest major religion and the first religion to teach the belief in one God.

Unlike the other major religions, Judaism is the religion of only one people—the Jews. Both Christianity and Islam developed from Judaism. These religions accept the Jewish belief in one God and the moral teachings of the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew Bible is what Christians call the Old Testament. The basic laws and teachings of Judaism come from the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

The teachings of Judaism
The most important teaching of Judaism is that there is one God, who wants people to do what is just and merciful. Judaism teaches that a person serves God by studying the scriptures and practicing what they teach. These teachings include both ritual practices and ethical laws. Judaism teaches that all people are created in the image of God and deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Thus, moral and ethical teachings are as important in Judaism as teachings about God.

The covenant with God is a special agreement that Jews believe God made with Abraham, the ancestor of the Jewish people. According to the Bible, God promised to bless Abraham and his descendants if they worshiped and remained faithful to God. God renewed this covenant with Abraham's son Isaac and Isaac's son Jacob. Jacob was also called Israel, and so his descendants became known as the children of Israel or the Israelites. God later gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments and other laws through their leader, Moses. These laws explained how the Israelites should live their lives and build their community.

The Jews are sometimes called the Chosen People, meaning that they have special duties and responsibilities commanded by God. For example, the Jews must establish a just society and serve only God. Thus, the covenant assures the Jews of God's love and protection, but it also makes them accountable for their sins and shortcomings.

Unlike Christianity and many other religions throughout the world, Judaism does not actively try to convince others to adopt its beliefs and practices. However, under certain circumstances, it does accept people who choose to convert to Judaism.

The Messiah. Traditionally, Jews believed that God would send a Messiah to save them. The word Messiah comes from the Hebrew word mashiah, which means the anointed one. The Book of Isaiah describes the Messiah as a just ruler who will unite the Jewish people and lead them in God's way. The Messiah will correct wrongs and defeat the enemies of the people.

Many Jews still expect a Messiah to come. But others speak instead of a Messianic age. They believe a period of justice and peace will come through the cooperation of all people and the help of God.

The sacred writings of Judaism
Judaism has two major collections of sacred writings, the Bible and the Talmud. These works provide the basis for Judaism's beliefs and practices.

The Bible. The first five books of the Hebrew Bible make up the Torah, the most important of all Jewish scriptures. The Torah contains the basic laws of Judaism and describes the history of the Jews until the death of Moses in the 1200's B.C. According to Jewish tradition, Moses received and wrote down the word of God in the Torah, which is also called the Five Books of Moses. Today, however, many scholars believe that different parts of the Torah were passed down in several collections, which were later edited into the five books we have today. In addition to the Torah, the Hebrew Bible contains books of history and moral teachings called the Prophets and 11 other books called the Writings.

The Talmud is a collection of legal, ritual, and ethical writings, as well as Jewish history and folklore. It serves primarily as a guide to the civil and religious laws of Judaism. Orthodox Jews believe the laws in the Talmud were an "oral Torah," which God gave Moses as an explanation of the written Torah. About A.D.200, scholars wrote down these oral laws in a work called the Mishnah. Later scholars interpreted the Mishnah. Their comments were recorded in the Gemara, which was written between 200 and 500. The Mishnah and Gemara together make up the Talmud.

The branches of Judaism
Modern culture has posed challenges to traditional Jewish observance and faith. Jews have made a variety of responses to these challenges that have resulted in the division into several branches of Judaism. In the United States and Canada, the three main branches are (1) Orthodox Judaism, (2) Reform Judaism, and (3) Conservative Judaism. Each represents a wide range of beliefs and practices.

Orthodox Judaism continues traditional Jewish beliefs and ways of life. Orthodox Jews believe that God revealed the laws of the Torah and the Talmud directly to Moses on Mount Sinai. They strictly observe all traditional Jewish laws, including the dietary rules and the laws for keeping the Sabbath. Orthodox Jews pray three times daily—in the morning, in late afternoon, and after sunset. The men wear hats or skullcaps (yarmulkas or kipot) at all times as a sign of respect to God.

A kind of Orthodox Judaism known as Modern Orthodoxy attempts to combine the traditional way of life with participation in the general culture. Hasidic Orthodox Jews, in contrast, wear traditional Eastern European Jewish clothing and stress the joy of worshiping God and performing His commandments.

Reform Judaism began during the early 1800's. At that time, some Jews started to question the traditional teachings of how the sacred writings of Judaism came into being. For example, they considered the oral law a human creation rather than the revelation of God, and so its authority was weakened for them. These people, who founded Reform Judaism, claimed that Judaism is defined principally by the Bible.

Today, Reform Jews believe that moral and ethical teachings form the most important part of Judaism. Many feel that Judaism's ritual practices have no significance for them. They have discarded many traditional customs and ceremonies. However, Reform Jews are increasingly returning to traditional practices.

Conservative Judaism developed during the mid-1800's. Conservative Jews consider the Talmud as much an authority as the Bible. However, they believe that Jewish practice may be changed to fit the times. They believe that in this way, Judaism can remain relevant for each generation. The Conservative movement requires observance of most traditional Jewish laws and customs. The Reconstructionist movement, a smaller group that developed from the Conservative movement, stresses the cultural and community aspects of Judaism.

The structure of Judaism
Judaism has no one person as its head and no international body with authority over religious practices. Each local congregation chooses its own rabbi and manages its own affairs.

The synagogue is the Jewish house of worship and the center of Jewish education and community activities. A synagogue has a sanctuary where religious services are held. It may also include a school where children study Judaism, the Hebrew language, and Jewish history. Most synagogues have a social hall as well. Reform and Conservative synagogues are often called temples.

Most synagogues are constructed so that the worshipers face toward the holy city of Jerusalem during the service. At the front of the sanctuary stands the ark, a chest in which the scrolls of the Torah are kept. In front of the ark hangs the eternal light, an oil lamp whose constant flame symbolizes God's eternal presence.

The rabbi serves as spiritual leader, teacher, and interpreter of Jewish law. Traditionally, rabbis were chiefly teachers of the law. Today, rabbis also deliver sermons during worship services in the synagogue, give advice to people with problems, and perform other functions. A person who wants to become a rabbi must spend years studying Hebrew sacred writings and Jewish history, philosophy, and law. Most rabbinical students also study a wide range of nonreligious subjects. In the United States, Orthodox rabbis are trained at Yeshiva University and other rabbinical seminaries, Reform rabbis at the Hebrew Union College, and Conservative rabbis at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

The cantor chants the prayers during worship in the synagogue. The cantor is often a professional who has a trained voice and special knowledge of Hebrew and the traditions of chanting. The cantor may also direct a choir and conduct religious education.

Worship in Judaism takes place in the home and the synagogue. Important parts of home worship include daily prayers, the lighting of the Sabbath candles, and the blessing of the wine and bread at the Sabbath meal. Jews also observe many holiday rituals at home.

Worship practices in the synagogue differ among the branches of Judaism and even within these groups. Orthodox and Conservative synagogues conduct services daily, but most Reform synagogues have services only on the Sabbath and holidays. In all Orthodox and some Conservative synagogues, at least 10 men must be present for a service to take place. This minimum number of participants is called a minyan. Any male who is at least 13 years old may lead the service. In most Conservative and Reform congregations, women may lead the service and be part of the minyan.

Synagogue worship consists mainly of readings from the Torah and the chanting of prayers from a prayer book called the siddur. A different portion of the Torah is read each week, so the entire Torah is completed in a year. In Orthodox synagogues, men and women sit separately and chant almost all the prayers in Hebrew. In Conservative and Reform congregations, men and women sit together, and much of the service is in the language of the country. Most Sabbath and holiday services include a sermon.

Holy days and festivals
The Sabbath in Judaism is the seventh day of the week, Saturday, which is a holy day of rest. The Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday and ends at nightfall Saturday, at the time when it is calculated that three stars can be seen in the evening sky. On the Sabbath, Jews attend worship services in the synagogue and have special meals at home. Orthodox Jews do not work, travel, or carry money on the Sabbath.

The High Holidays, called Rosh Ha-Shanah and Yom Kippur, are the most sacred days of the Jewish year. Like all Jewish holidays, they occur on different dates each year because they are based on the Hebrew calendar. The High Holidays come during Tishri, the first month of the Hebrew calendar, which usually falls in September or October.

Rosh Ha-Shanah, the Jewish New Year, begins on the first day of Tishri and lasts two days. It celebrates the creation of the world and God's rule over it. According to Jewish tradition, people are judged on Rosh Ha-Shanah for their deeds of the past year. The chief symbol is the shofar, a ram's horn that is sounded during the holiday worship.

Rosh Ha-Shanah begins the Ten Days of Penitence, which end on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. On Yom Kippur, Jews fast and express their regret for bad deeds during the past year and their hope to perform good deeds in the coming year. The day is observed mainly through synagogue worship.

The pilgrimage festivals. In ancient times, Jews were expected to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem during three major festivals—Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot. Each festival is associated with the Jews' escape from Egypt and their journey to Canaan (now Israel).

Passover, or Pesah, comes in March or April and celebrates the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. Jews observe Passover at home at a ceremonial feast called the Seder. During the week of Passover, Jews eat an unleavened bread called matzo (also called matzah). Shavuot, or Pentecost, comes 50 days after the beginning of Passover and commemorates the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai. Many Reform congregations celebrate Shavuot by holding confirmation ceremonies as well. Sukkot is a harvest festival that begins five days after Yom Kippur. Jews build small huts for Sukkot as a reminder of the huts the Israelites lived in during their wandering in the wilderness. On the last day of this festival, called Simhat Torah, Jews celebrate the completion of the yearly reading of the Torah.

Other holidays commemorate major events in the history of the Jewish people. Hanukkah, or the Feast of Lights, is a celebration of God's deliverance of the Jews in 165B.C. That year, the Jews won their first struggle for religious freedom by defeating the Syrians, who wanted them to give up Judaism. Hanukkah usually comes in December and is celebrated by the lighting of candles in a special Hanukkah branched candlestick called a menorah.Purim is a festive holiday in February or March that commemorates the rescue of the Jews of Persia (now Iran) from a plot to kill them. On Purim, Jews read the Book of Esther, which tells the story of this rescue. Judaism also has several fast days. The most important of these, Tishah be-av (the Ninth of Av), commemorates the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586B.C. and the Romans in A.D.70.

Customs and ceremonies
Dietary laws. The Bible, chiefly in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, commands that Jews follow certain dietary rules. Jews who observe these rules do not eat pork or shellfish, such as shrimp or oysters. They also store meat and milk products separately and do not serve them at the same meal. The dietary laws allow only meat that comes from a healthy animal killed by ritual slaughter called shehitah. This method of slaughter is designed to kill animals quickly and with as little pain as possible. The ritual must be performed by a specially trained slaughterer, who says a special blessing before killing the animal.

Food prepared in accordance with Jewish dietary laws is called kosher, which means ritually correct. Orthodox Jews consider these laws divine commandments and observe them strictly. Many other Jews observe the rules as a sign of their faith or simply as a means of maintaining their Jewish identity.

Special occasions. When a Jewish boy is 8 days old, he is circumcised as a symbol of the covenant God made with Abraham. At the age of 13, a boy becomes a full member of the Jewish community. This event is celebrated in the synagogue with a ceremony called a bar mitzvah. Some Reform and Conservative synagogues have a similar ceremony for girls called a bat mitzvah or bas mitzvah. The young person reads from the Torah during the ceremony, which is followed by a social celebration.

A traditional Jewish marriage ceremony takes place under a huppa, a canopy that symbolizes the union of the bride and groom. If a marriage breaks up, the husband must give the wife a writ of divorce called a get.

Jews observe special rituals in connection with death. Burial takes place as soon as possible, in most cases within a day after a death. After the funeral, the family enters a seven-day period of deep mourning called Shiva. The mourners recite the Kaddish, a prayer that praises God but does not mention death. On each anniversary of the death, the relatives observe a memorial called a yahrzeit, reciting the Kaddish and lighting a candle in memory of the person.

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