Judaism
Overview
Around 2,000 years ago a non-Jew told Hillel, a famous Jewish teacher, that he would convert to Judaism if Hillel could teach him the whole of the Torah in the time he could balance on one leg. Hillel replied... "What is hateful to yourself, do not do to your neighbour. That is the whole Torah; the rest is just commentary. Go and study it."
The Bare Essentials of Judaism
3500 years old
Began in the Middle East
Founded by Abraham and Moses
Parent Faith of Christianity
Jews believe that there is only one God
Jews believe that the Jewish People are specially chosen by God
Jews worship in Synagogues, their spiritual leaders are called Rabbis
The Jewish Holy book is the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh, especially the first 5 books, called The Torah.
12 million followers, most in Israel and the USA.
6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust in an attempt to wipe out Judaism.
Who Are Jews?
Jews believe that a Jew is someone who is the child of a Jewish mother, and who has not adopted another faith.
Someone who isn't born a Jew can convert to Judaism, but it is not easy to do so.
The Jews brought new ideas about God. The Jewish idea of God is particularly important to the world because it was the Jews who developed two new ideas about God:-
There is only one God
God chooses to behave in a way that is both just and fair
Before Judaism, people believed in lots of gods, and those gods behaved no better than human beings with supernatural powers. The Jews found themselves with a God who was ethical and good.
Holy Book
The Jewish prayer book is drawn from the writings of the Jewish people across the ages. It contains the wisdom of great thinkers, and some of the most beautiful Hebrew poetry.
Spending time with these prayers enables a Jewish person to absorb the spiritual teachings of the Jewish people.
Greeting
The following is a guide to the most common Jewish terms and phrases;
Shalom - Hello, goodbye, peace
Mazel Tov - congratulations, well done
Mitzvah - good deed
Dress and Appearance
Jewish men always wear hats when they are saying prayers which mention God's name.
Observant Jewish men wear a hat almost all the time
The most common hat for men in the synagogue is a small round cap called a yarmulke (Yiddish) or a kippah (Hebrew), but an ordinary homburg or street hat will be accepted.
Adult men (i.e. those over the age of 13) often wear a Tallit or prayer shawl for morning prayer. A Tallit has fringes (called tzitzit) on the edges to remind the wearer to observe God's commandments - as commanded by God in the Bible.
Food
The Jewish dietary laws, known as kashrut, cover the way in which meat is ritually killed and prepared as well as which foods can and cannot be eaten. For an animal to be kosher, the Torah dictates it must chew the cud and have cloven hooves - as such Jews may eat beef, lamb and any other products from cows or sheep, but pork, bacon and other pig products are prohibited as a pig does not meet these requirements. Most poultry - including chicken, turkey, duck and goose - is permitted, but birds of prey are not.
Animals killed for meat are ritually slaughtered by a specially trained person known as a schochet - and are done so in the quickest and cleanest way possible. Jews are not permitted to consume the blood of an animal, so the meat has to be 'koshered1 - to have all the blood removed - which is normally done by the kosher butcher selling the product. Poultry is killed and prepared in the same way. Fish do not have to undergo any specific treatment but for a fish to be kosher, it must have fins and scales - and no shellfish is permitted.
Jews are forbidden to consume milk and meat in the same meal.
To accommodate Jewish people, manufacturers produce ranges of products that are specially supervised. These cover such basics as bread through to frozen meals.
Many Orthodox Jews will only eat out in a restaurant which is supervised by a Jewish authority; however less Orthodox Jews may feel comfortable eating in a restaurant which is not supervised provided they are not offered any product which conflicts with basic dietary laws.
There's often a pomegranate on the table because of a tradition that pomegranates have 613 seeds, one for each of the commandments that a Jew is obliged to keep.
Names
A baby naming is the female equivalent of a Bris. Bris is the circumcision and naming ceremony for a newborn Jewish male. Traditionally held on the first Shabbat after her birth, the baby is named in a special ceremony, often in a synagogue with a minyan present. Minyan means that boys and girls are personally responsible for religious obligations.
Usually, the parents are honoured with an aliyah. Aliyah is calling him or her up before the Torah to recite the blessings before the reading of the Torah portion. After the Torah portion is read, the baby girl is named. It is traditional to throw candy and other sweet things to wish a sweet life for the baby and her parents. Because the naming ceremony is a more recent tradition, new ceremonies continue to develop to celebrate the birth of a girl. One such celebration is called Brit Ha-Hayim - or covenant of life.
Family
Judaism is very much a family faith and the ceremonies start early, when a Jewish boy baby is circumcised at eight days old, following the instructions that God gave to Abraham around 4,000 years ago. Many Jewish religious customs revolve around the home. One example is the Sabbath meal, when families join together to welcome in the special day.
Birth
Brit Milah (Circumcision) - Baby boys are circumcised when they are eight days old, in accordance with the covenant made between God and Abraham in the Bible. This is done by a specially trained person known as a mohel (who has special medical training), and is often accompanied by a party or celebration. The baby is also officially named and given their Hebrew name at this ceremony. If the child is premature or unwell, Brit Milah may be carried out at a later date.
Marriage
Jews are married underneath a special canopy known as a chupa, and traditions associated with the ceremony include the bride circling the groom, and the groom smashing a glass with his foot (wearing shoes) as a symbol to never forget that while this is a happy time, we are still sad that the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed.
Death
Jews are buried quickly, usually a day or so after death takes place. In the event of the death of a close relative (parent, child, brother or sister), the mourners enter a seven-day period known as shiva - they are not allowed to leave the house (except to go to the synagogue) or engage in any work for seven days, and must sit on low chairs to receive visitors. Mirrors must also be covered up. This is a solemn and dignified time, both for the deceased, and also their family. Jews in mourning also display their grief by tearing an item of clothing which they will wear for the entire seven day period.
After the initial week is finished, a longer mourning period begins, lasting 30 days in the case of a sibling's death, or 12 months in the case of a parent, child or spouse, during which time many Jews will not attend parties or celebrations; men are not allowed to shave for a minimum period of 30 days although many will not shave for the entire year. After a year the official mourning period ends, but the person's death is remembered on each anniversary by lighting a memorial light known as a Yahrzeit candle.
Religious Buildings
Orthodox Jews generally attend synagogue daily for morning services (Shacharit), afternoon (Mincha) and evening (Maariv), although the latter two are frequently recited together. They also attend these on the Sabbath and festivals. Those who are less orthodox may attend less frequently. A minimum of 10 men over Barmitzvah age (13) is required to conduct a service - this is known as a Minyan.
Synagogue etiquette varies depending on the denomination of Judaism to which a person belongs. In Orthodox synagogues men and women sit separately -the women's area often consists of an upstairs gallery, or they will sit in a different part of the building closed off by a curtain. Men wear the traditional head covering (kipah or yarmulke) - married women also cover their heads with hats or scarves, and are expected to dress modestly. At Reform and Liberal synagogues men and women will often sit together.
Holy Days And Festivals
Sabbath-The Holy Day
One day each week is set aside as the Sabbath, (in Jewish circles it's usually called "Shabbat"). In order to avoid work and to ensure that the Sabbath is special, all chores like shopping, cleaning, and cooking for the Sabbath must be finished before sunset on Friday.
The High Holy Days
The High Holy Days are made up of the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), The Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) and the Days of Awe or Repentance in between. This is the most spiritual period of the year for Jews, a time for looking back on the year just passed, and for taking action to get right with God and with other people.
The Pilgrimage Festivals
These commemorate the journey of the Jewish People from Egypt to the Holy Land:-
Passover, or Pesach: This spring festival marks the escape from captivity in Egypt.
Shavuot: This festival marks the time that the Jews received God's laws at Mount Sinai.
Sukkot-The Feast of Tabernacles: Sukkot commemorates the years that the Jews spent in the desert on their way to the Promised Land, and celebrates the way in which God took special care of them under impossible conditions.
Simchat Torah Sukkot ends with the festival of Torah. The day marks the end of each year's cycle of reading the whole Torah, and the start of the next cycle.