Abrahamic Religion: JUDAISM
Historical Background:
Judaism is the world’s oldest monotheistic
religion, dating back nearly 4,000 years.
Followers of Judaism believe in one God who
revealed himself through ancient prophets.
The history of Judaism is essential to
understanding the Jewish faith, which has a
rich heritage of law, culture and tradition.
The origin of the Jewish people and the
beginning of Judaism are recorded in the first
five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Pentateuch.
Judaism has three notable founding figures or patriarchs, namely, Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob
These biblical patriarchs are the physical and spiritual forebears of the Jewish
people.
Judaism is anchored upon God’s revelation to Abraham that he is the creator and
ruler of the universe, and that he loves his creatures and demands righteousness
from them.
Jewish beliefs and doctrines are manifested in the Articles of Faith, in the Ten
Commandments, and in the 613 mitzvot or laws.
God in Judaism
God has a proper name, written YHWH in the Hebrew Bible.
God in Judaism is understood to be the absolute one, indivisible, and incomparable
being who is the ultimate cause of all existence. Judaism holds that Yahweh, the God
of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and the national God of the Israelites, delivered the
Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and gave them the Law of Moses at biblical Mount Sinai
as described in the Torah.
Articles of Faith
Thirteen Principles of Faith
1. God exists.
2. God is one and unique.
3. God is incorporeal.
4. God is eternal.
5. Prayer is to be directed to God alone and to no other.
6. The words of the prophets are true.
7. Moses’ prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets.
8. The written Torah (first five books of the Bible) and the oral Torah (teachings
contained in the Talmud and other writings), were given teaching to Moses.
9. There will be no other Torah.
10. God knows the thoughts and deeds of men.
11. God will reward the good and punish the wicked.
12. The Messiah will come.
13. The dead will be resurrected.
Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments, also known as Aseret HaDibrot (“Ten Sayings” in Hebrew) or
Decalogue, are the first ten of the 613 commandments given by God to the Jewish people.
They form the foundation of Jewish ethics, as well as civil and religious law.
613 Mitzvot or Laws.
The 613 refers to the 613 Jewish commandments (Mitzvot in Hebrew) extracted from the
Old Testament.
BRANCHES OF JUDAISM (Subdivisions of Judaism)
Orthodox
Reform Judaism
Conservative Judaism
Reconstructionism
Orthodox Judaism- the orthodox branch of Judaism was by far the most prevalent. The
essential principle governing Orthodox Judaism is Torahmin Hashamayin. This means that
the Torah, both the written Law (Scriptures) and the oral Law (rabbinic interpretation and
commentaries), is directly derived from God and therefore must be obeyed.
Reform Judaism- American Reform Judaism was born when some of these reformers
immigrated to the United States from Germany in the mid-nineteenth century. Under the
leadership of Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, Reform Judaism became the dominant belief held by
American Jews.
Principles/ Believes of Reform Judaism
1. The Torah was divinely inspired but authored by humans.
2. There is only one God.
3. The reinterpretation of Torah is continuous and must be adapted for new
circumstances and challenges.
4. The moral and Ethical components in the Torah are important.
5. The sexes are to be treated equally.
Conservative Judaism
- Believe that written and oral were divinely inspired but authored by humans- that it
does not to come to us directly from God.
- It generally accepts the binding nature of Halakhah.
- Conservative agree that Halakha is the Subject to change and that adaptaions may
be made to it based on the contemporary culture, so as long as the Halakha remains
true to Judaism to Judaism’s values.
Reconstructionist Judaism
This is Judaism youngest movement. It germinated from an eloquent and momentous
article written by Mordecai Kaplan (1881-1893) in 1920, in which he called for a
reinterpretation of Judaism in keeping with modern thought and the strengthening of ties
with Jewish communities in Palestine. Two years later, he resigned from the pulpit of a
Conservative congregation in Manhattan and founded a congregation based on his
philosophy of Judaism that came to be known as the Society for the Advancement of
Judaism (SAJ).
Hebrew Bible (“Tenach/Tanakh/Mikra) – 24 Books
The Jewish people have been called the “People of the Book” in reference to the Hebrew
Bible (“Tenach/Tanakh/Mikra) that is divided in three principal sections, namely the
Torah, Nevi’im, and Ketuvim. The term Tenach is created by taking the first letter of
each of the three sections of the Bible and making a word out of those three letters. – T: for
Torah – N: for Nevi’im – CH: for Ketuvim
First section of the Hebrew Bible is the Torah.
Torah (Instructions/Teachings) contains the Five Books of Moses.
The Torah, or Jewish Written Law, consists of the five books of the Hebrew Bible - known
more commonly to non-Jewish as the " Old Testament" - that were given by God to Moses
on Mount Sinai. Torah is sometimes translated as “the Law”. It also means the “a
teaching,” because it represents God’s instructions regarding how Jews should live and
what they ought to believe. The Torah comprises the Five Books of Moses, also called the
Pentateuch.
1. B’reishit (Genesis)
2. Shemot (Exodus)
3. Vayikra (Leviticus)
4. Bamidbar (Numbers)
5. Devarim ( Deutoronomy)
Second section of the Hebrew Bible is the Nevi’im.
Nevi’im (Prophets), means “prophets”. It contains writings of God’s messenger, who spoke
His word to the Hebrews. The writing is the more literary section of the Tanakh, consisting
of stories, proverbs, psalms and poetries. It contains the following eight books:
1. Yehoshua (Joshua)
2. Shoftim (Judges)
3. Shmuel ( Samuel I and II)
4. Melachim (Kings I and II)
5. Yirmiyahu ( Jeremiah)
6. Yeschezkel (Ezekiel)
7. Yeshayahu ( Isaiah)
8. Trey Asar (the Twelve)
Third section of the Hebrew Bible is the Ketuvim.
Ketuvim (Writings), Contains wisdom literature, poetry, songs, narrative, history, religious
philosophy, and love hymn (11 books in total).
1. Tehillim (Psalms)
2. Mishei (Proverbs)
3. Iyov ( Job)
4. Shir Ha-Shirim ( Song of Songs)
5. Ruth
6. Eichah ( Lamentations)
7. Kohelet ( Ecclesiastes)
8. Esther
9. Daniel
10. Ezra and Nechemiah
11. Divrei Ha- Yamin ( Chronicles)
Other important texts/writings in Judaism
Talmud
The Talmud (Hebrew for “study”) is one of the central works of the Jewish people. It is the
record of rabbinic teachings.
The Talmud is made up of two separate works: the Mishnah, primarily a compilation of
Jewish laws, written in Hebrew and edited sometimes around 200 C.E. in Israel; and the
Gemara, the rabbinic commentaries and discussions on the Mishnah.
Midrash
Midrash is a mode of interpretation of the Torah to better understand the implications of Jewish
law.
The languages of the Chosen people
Hebrew
Hebrew is one of the world’s oldest languages, dating perhaps as far back as 4,000 B.C.
The early Israelites conversed in Hebrew, a Semitic idiom of Canaanite group that includes
Arabic. The patriarchs spoke Hebrews as they made their way into the Promised Land, and
it remained the language of the Israelites throughout the biblical period.
However, in the fifth century B.C when Jews began to return to Israel from Babylon, were
many had lived after the destruction of the First Temple in 586 B.C., most the inhabitants
of Palestine conversed in Aramaic, which gradually infiltrated the language of the Israelites.
A few centuries later, Hebrew had all but ceased to exist as a spoken language. It would not
be re-established as such for two millennia.
Yiddish
Jews do not speak “Jewish.” Jewish in an adjective, while Yiddish is a noun which is a
particular Jewish language.
Dietary Practices
Food consumptions and handling must be done according to religious laws.
All blood must be drained before the meat is cooked and eaten because blood, which
give life ,is sacred to God”.
The Jews do not eat pork and shellfish (see Leviticus 11), because these animals are
believed to be contaminated by what they ate.
Fish, eggs, fruits, vegetables and grains can be eaten with either meat or dairy.
Utensils that have come into contact with meat may not be used with dairy, and vice
versa.
Kosher Practices
Kosher which means “ritually correct” and particularly refers to food preparations and
consumptions. Anything in the water that has fins and scales is acceptable. This therefore
excludes shellfish such as lobsters, oysters, shrimp, clams and crabs, all of which are
forbidden. Rodents, reptiles, amphibians, and insects are all forbidden.
Sabbath
By Friday afternoon, he has bathed, put on his Sabbath garments, and set asided
the affairs of the week. At home, his wife will have cleaned, cooked and arranged
her finest table.
The Sabbath comes at sunset, and leaves when three stars appear Saturday
night.
Reference:
https://www.history.com/topics/religion/judaism
