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Judaism is the official religion and culture of the Jewish people. This article provides detailed information on Judaism. Read about the various Jew divisions, the categories in Judaism, the sacred writings in the religion, the important God worshiped by Jews and some of their important holy days and religious ceremonies.
Jews
Jews are a particular section of people who are the followers of Judaism. Jews can be traced back in their ancestries to the Patriarch Abraham, his son Isaac and his son Jacob (Isaac’s son). The Jews are divided into four ethnic groups.
- Ashkenazi – Jews who lived in Germany or France, before they moved to Eastern Europe.
- Sephardic - Jews who lived in Spain or Portugal.
- Oriental Jews – Jews who lived in Middle East and North Africa before moving to Central Asia and South Asia.
- Yemenite Jews – They are also known as Teimanim. They were initially Oriental Jews but developed a distinct set of
practices for themselves.
There are also Ethiopian Jews also known as Falasha, the Jews who live in Bombay, India called Bene Israel, Cochin Jews residing in Cochin India, the Romaniotes, Greek speaking Jews living at Balkans.
Judaism
Judaism is the foundation for religions such as Christianity and Islam. It is one among the three great monotheistic faiths that emphasis on the Semetic existence one God who is incorporeal, all knowing and all powerful. Judaism emphasizes that every individual is created in the image of God and that all people are to be treated with dignity and respect due to each. The Jewish serve God by study, prayer and by the observance of the commandments specified in the Torah.
Judaism recognizes the eternal existence and presence of God. Although worships are carried out through out the world, Jews consider Jerusalem as their center of worship. Israel is the hope, life and ambition for every observant Jew.
God In Jewish Religion
The most important name used to refer to God in Judaism is Tetragrammaton. In Hebrew it is named as Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh and is pronounced as “Yahweh”. In English it is written as YHVH. Initially the design of life was connected with YHVH.
With the exception of the High Priest, Jews were forbidden to use the four letters YHVH to refer to God. The Jews considered it sinful to pronounce YHVH, instead they used the word Adonai in their prayers. The Hebrew Bible refers to god as Elohim. In Ethiopic, Amlak (Lords) is the common name used for God. Other Jewish names of God includes, Emet (Truth), Tzur Yisrael (The Rock of Israel), Elohei Avraham (God of Abraham), Elohei Yitzchak (God of Isaac), Elohei Yaacov (God of Jacob), Ehiyeh sh’Ehiyeh (I Am That I Am), Avinu Malkeinu (Our Father, Our King), Ro’eh Yisrael (Shepherd of Israel) and many more.
Jewish Sacred And Religious Writings
The Bible (The Old Testament) is the most important Jewish religious text. It consists of the Torah, the Prophets and
the Writings. The Tanakh and Talmud are two important holly books of the Jews.
The Tanakh
The Tanakh is the Jewish Bible. It is written in Hebrew and is also known as the Hebrew Bible. The Tanakh contains similar books as the Protestant Old Testament, but in different order. Jewish Tanakh is divided into three sections. The Torah (Teachings), Nevi’im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings). It contains the writings of Major as well as Minor Prophets.
The Talmud
The Talmud contains the Judaism’s oral law. It is the record for rabbinic discussions on Jewish law, ethics, customs, legends, stories, legislations, customs, and case histories. The Talmud is organized as two components, the Mishnah and the Gemara. The Mishnah is the basis for all codes of the Jewish law. There are two distinct Gemara, the Yerushalmi and the Bavli. As per the Gemara the Talmud is categorized as the Talmud Yerushalmi and Talmud Bavli.
The Torah
Torah is the primary document and religious book of the Jewish. It refers to the first section of Tanakh, the five books of Hebrew Bible. As per the Jewish tradition, Moses obtained Torah from God at Mount Sinai.
Torah contains teachings, instructions and laws that govern the Jewish community and people. The Torah encompasses 5 books, the Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
The Mishnah
The Mishnah is the first work of Rabbinic Judaism. It contains the oral law of the Jewish and is considered as the core of Judaism religious texts. The Mishnah is comprised of six orders, each of the six orders contain between 7 to 12 tractates called Masechtot. Each Masechtot is further subdivided into smaller units called Mishnayot.
Jewish Church and Priest
The Jewish house of worship, prayer and study is called the
Synagogue. In Hebrew, it is known as Beit Knesset, the House of Assembly or Beit Tefila, the House of Prayer. A synagogue is used not only for prayer but also for communal activities, adult education and school education. A synagogue contains separate rooms for prayer, study and other communal activities. Conservative and orthodox synagogues have three prayer services every day, one in the morning and two in the evening. They also have special services on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.
Rabbis are the spiritual priests of the Jewish synagogue. They are religious Jewish teachers and scholars’. Rabbi are expert in the Jewish law and are authorized to decide on any issues pertaining to the Jewish law. A Rabbi may or may not perform Prayer services, his true role is one of a spiritual consultant, leader and teacher.
Judaism Categories
Judaism can be divided into four categories depending on the values and intensity of their believes. The Judaism denominations are
Orthodox Judaism – involves strict adherence to the Halakha, the Jewish code of law. It includes Modern Orthodox
Judaism, Ultra-Orthodox Judaism and Hasidic Judaism.
Conservative Judaism – has a positive attitude towards the modern culture. They apply both traditional as well as modern day rabbinic modes of study. Outside USA, they are known as Masorti Judaism.
Reform Judaism – believes that a person’s individual sovereignty supersedes traditional Jewish law and custom. They are also known as Progressive Judaism and Liberal Judaism outside USA.
Reconstructionist Judaism – is a combination of the above three. They reject miracles, theism and non-fundamentalist methods of teaching.
Jewish Holy Days And Religious Ceremonies
Certain days of the year are considered holy as per the Jewish religion. The seventh day of every week is called the Sabbath. On this day Jews are permitted to perform only those tasks that are connected with worship and protection/preservation
of life and health. The High Holy Days are observed during the month of September and October. These days are spent in prayer and solemn introspection. The Rosh Hashana marks the beginning of Ten days of Awe. It ends on the Day of Atonement with the feast of Yom Kippor.
Three important festivals in the Jewish religion are the Pesach (Biblical Passover and Exodus from Egypt), Shavuot (obtaining the law, Torah at Mount Sinai), and Sukkot (the Sojourn in the Wilderness). These three festivals are considered as ideal
occasions for pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
Some of the important Jewish Religious Ceremonies are
- Brit Milah – This is the religious ceremony where a male baby is welcomed into the covenant through the rite of circumcision.
- Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah – These two Jewish ceremonies celebrate the child (male and female) reaching the age of majority. After the ceremony the individual children are considered as adults who have to lead the Jewish life following the Halakha.
- Marriage – Marriage is carried in the traditional way, where the proposal for marriage has to be brought about by a third party, the professional matchmaker called Shadchan.
- Mourning – In Judaism, there are three stages to mourning. Shivah, the first stage is for a period of one week. Shloshim,
the stage is for a duration of one month. Avekyt yud bet chodesh, the third stage applies to Jews who have lost either of their
parents. It is for a period of one year.
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