JUDAISM

BY: GROUP 1
JUDAISM
Judaism is a monotheistic religion, believing in one
god. It is not a racial group. Individuals may also
associate or identify with Judaism primarily through
ethnic or cultural characteristics. Jewish communities
may differ in belief, practice, politics, geography,
language, and autonomy.
DOCTRINE
DOCTRINE
A belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a Church,
political party, or other group.
DOCTRINE IN JUDAISM
Jewish people believe there’s only one God who has
established a covenant—or special agreement—with
them. Their God communicates to believers through
prophets and rewards good deeds while also
punishing evil. Most Jews (with the exception of a few
groups) believe that their Messiah hasn’t yet come—
but will one day.
MAIN DOCTRINE
The basic beliefs of Judaism are monotheistic, that
there is one god named Yahweh, and covenantal, that
Yahweh made a covenant with Abraham that
guaranteed the land of Canaan (which is now Israel) to
the Jews.
DOCTRINAL ASPECT
Across all streams of Judaism, there is no exact
established set of doctrines or beliefs. Doctrinal
authority in Judaism is typically derived through sacred
scripture, rabbinic interpretations, traditions and laws
(mitzvot).
MAIN BELIEFS
Religious expressions of Judaism believe that God is
one, has no form, created the world, is eternal and is
still actively involved in world affairs. Different
streams differ in the degree to which the law can be
interpreted and applied to modernity.
SYMBOLS
The Jewish community of Prague was the first to use
the Star of David as its official symbol, and from the
17th century on the six-pointed star became the official
seal of many Jewish communities and a general sign
of Judaism, though it has no biblical or Talmudic
authority.
THE 6 POINT STAR
The six-pointed star is one of the oldest Christian
Symbols for God. For Christians, it’s called the
creator’s star. It represents the fact that all the
persons of the trinity were present at creation. The
hexagram symbol is composed of two overlaid
equilateral triangles that form a six-pointed star.
TRINITY
In Judaism, the idea of God as a duality or trinity is
heretical — it is even considered by some polytheistic.
According to Judaic beliefs, the Torah rules out a
trinitarian God in Deuteronomy (6:4): “Hear Israel, the
LORD is our God, the LORD is one.”
PRACTICES
MAIN PRACTICES OF JUDAISM
Similarly, when it comes to Jewish religious practices
such as lighting Sabbath candles, keeping kosher,
holding or attending a traditional Seder and studying
the Torah, children of FSU immigrants are
considerably more active than the first generation.
PRACTICES
Religious Adulthood (Bar/Bat Mitzvah)
Ritual Bath (Mikveh)
Prayer (Tefillah)
Avoidance of Writing and Uttering ‘God’
Charity (Tzedakah)
Weekly Observance (Shabbat)
A bat mitzvah is based on the centuries-old ritual of
bar mitzvah, or “son of the commandments,” the
ceremony for 13-year-old boys. Today, it typically
involves months or years of study, chanting Torah in
front of the congregation and giving a reflection on the
week’s reading.
The mikveh is a ritual bath designed for the Jewish rite
of purification. The mikveh is not merely a pool of
water; it must be composed of stationary, not flowing,
waters and must contain a certain percentage of
water derived from a natural source, such as a lake,
an ocean, or rain.
Jewish prayers (tefillah) typically entail recitations and
contemplations. Some may pray three times a day
within specific time ranges (z’manim); shacharit
(morning prayer), mincha (afternoon prayer) and
ma’ariv (evening prayer).
Avoidance of Writing and Uttering ‘God’
Judaism does not prohibit writing the Name of God per
se; it prohibits only erasing or defacing a Name of
God. However, observant Jews avoid writing any Name
of God casually because of the risk that the written
Name might later be defaced, obliterated or destroyed
accidentally or by one who does not know better.
Tzedakah is a responsibility of all Jews to help those in
need, through acts of service, tangible goods or
financial donations. In many Jewish homes, you’ll find
a Tzedakah box or a Pushke, where anyone entering
the home can put money in the box and when it’s full,
it’s donated to charity.
Jews observe a day of rest to commemorate God
resting on the seventh day after he made the world.
Shabbat begins on Friday at sunset and lasts until
sunset on Saturday. It is a time for family and
community, and during this time services at the
synagogue. Are well attended.
HOLLIDAYS
HOLLIDAYS
Rosh Hashanah
Yom Kippur
Sukkot
Shemini Atzeret
Simchat Torah
Hanukkah
Tu BiShvat
Purim
Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is one of
Judaism’s holiest days. Meaning “head of the year” or
“first of the year,” the festival begins on the first day of
Tishrei, the seventh month of the Hebrew calendar,
which falls during September or October.
Yom Kippur, most solemn of Jewish religious holidays,
observed on the 10th day of the lunar month of Tishri
(in the course of September and October), when Jews
seek to expiate their sins and achieve reconciliation
with God.
Sukkot is a Torah-commanded holiday celebrated for
seven days, beginning on the 15th day of the month of
Tishrei. It is one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals on
which Israelites were commanded to make a
pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem. Originally a
harvest festival celebrating the autumn harvest,
Sukkot’s modern observance is characterized by
festive meals in a sukkah, a temporary wood-covered
hut, celebrating the Exodus from Egypt.
Shemini Atzeret, (Hebrew: “Eighth Day of the Solemn
Assembly”), a Jewish religious festival on the eighth
day of Sukkoth (Feast of Booths), considered by some
to be an independent celebration immediately
following Sukkoth.
Simchat Torah is Hebrew for “the joy of Torah.” It is a
celebration, often accompanied by dancing and
singing, to mark the completion of the annual reading
of this section of the Bible.
Hanukkah — also spelled Chanukah or other
transliterations from Hebrew — is Judaism’s “festival of
lights.” On eight consecutive nightfalls, Jews gather
with family and friends to light one additional candle in
the menorah — a multi-branched candelabra.In
Hebrew, Hanukkah means “dedication,” and the
holiday marks the rededication of the Temple in
Jerusalem in the 2nd century BC after a small group of
Jewish fighters liberated it from occupying foreign
forces.
Tu BiShvat (Ti BiShavat, Tu B’shevat, Tu B’Shevat, Tu
Bishvat) is the Jewish new year for trees. It occurs on
the 15th day of the Shvat month in the Jewish
calendar. This is a lunisolar calendar, which means
that the months are based on the lunar cycle, but
years are based on solar years.
Purim, or the Feast of Lots, is a Biblical Jewish festival
known for extravagant costumes, the exchanging of
gift baskets, performances, and a feast. This joyous
celebration commemorates how ancient Jews were
spared from massacre during the Persian Empire.
SACRED
SCRIPTURES
■ Torah
■ Talmud
■ Deuteronomy
■ Book of Genesis
■ Ketuvim
■ Exodus
■ Hebrew bible
TORAH
The written Torah is an important text for Judaism and
world history, which by definition, means the ‘’law’’ or
‘’teachings’’ of Judaism. It contains the books of
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy. The written Torah is the first part of the
Tanakh, the Jewish Hebrew Bible or Christian Old
Testament.
TALMUD
The Hebrew term Talmud (“study” or “learning”)
commonly refers to a compilation of ancient teachings
regarded as sacred and normative by Jews from the
time it was compiled until modern times and still so
regarded by traditional religious Jews.
DEUTERONOMY
Deuteronomy has a strong intellectual orientation. It
urges all Israelites to study God’s laws. Its style is
didactic and sermonic, explaining the meaning of
events and the purpose of laws, to secure Israel’s
willing, understanding assent.
BOOK OF GENESIS
Its Hebrew name is the same as its first word, Bereshit
(‘In the beginning’). Genesis is an account of the
creation of the world, the early history of humanity,
and the origins of the Jewish people. Genesis is part of
the Torah or Pentateuch, the first five books of the
Bible.
KETUVIM
Divided into four sections, the Ketuvim include:
poetical books (Psalms, Proverbs, and Job), the
Megillot, or Scrolls (Song of Solomon, Ruth,
Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther),
prophecy (Daniel), and history (Ezra, Nehemiah, and I
and II Chronicles).
EXODUS
Exodus, the liberation of the people of Israel from
slavery in Egypt in the 13th century bce, under the
leadership of Moses; also, the Old Testament book of
the same name.
HEBREW BIBLE
The Jewish Bible is known in Hebrew as the Tanakh,
an acronym of the three sets of books which comprise
it: the Pentateuch (Torah), the Prophets (Nevi’im) and
the Writings (Ketuvim).
SUBDIVISION
In addition to ethnic diversity, modern Jewish
adherents are divided into several different branches
or sects. In North America, the four main branches
include Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, and
Reconstructionist. Orthodox Judaism is considered the
most traditional form of modern Judaism.
ORTHODOX
Very roughly, it may be divided between Haredi
Judaism, which is more conservative and reclusive,
and Modern Orthodox Judaism, which is relatively
open to outer society. Each of those is itself formed of
independent communities.
REFORM
Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive
Judaism, is a major Jewish denomination that emphasizes the
evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority of its ethical aspects to
its ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous revelation which is
closely intertwined with human reason and not limited to the
Theophany at Mount Sinai. A highly liberal strand of Judaism, it is
characterized by little stress on ritual and personal observance,
regarding Jewish law as non-binding and the individual Jew as
autonomous, and by a great openness to external influences and
progressive values.
CONSERVATIVE
Conservative Judaism is a form of traditional Judaism
that falls halfway between Orthodox Judaism and
Reform Judaism. It is sometimes described as
traditional Judaism without fundamentalism. Masorti
is traditional Judaism practised in a spirit of open-
minded enquiry and tolerance.
RECONSTRUCTIONIST
In the mid-20th century, some Jews split off from
Conservative Judaism to form a new branch called
Reconstructionist Judaism. In this tradition, which
some consider a fourth major branch of Judaism, Jews
maintain the Torah as much as possible but realize
that strict adherence is impossible.
ISSUE/RELEVANT
ISSUE
ISSUES/PROBLEMS IN JUDAISM
It is also criticized by some leaders of Reform Judaism
for being at odds with the principles of its young adult
members on issues such as intermarriage, patrilineal
descent, and the ordination of homosexuals—all issues
that Conservative Judaism opposes and Reform
Judaism supports.
INTERMERRIAGE
All branches of Orthodox Judaism follow the historic
Jewish attitudes to intermarriage, and therefore refuse
to accept that intermarriages would have any validity
or legitimacy, and strictly forbid sexual intercourse
with a member of a different faith.
PATRILINEAL DESCENT
Patrilineal ideology traces a lineage through a line of
male descendants. Sons inherit property from their
fathers and typically incorporate wives into their own
line.
ORDINATION OF HOMOSEXUAL
The subject of homosexuality and Judaism dates back
to the Torah. The book of Vayikra (Leviticus) is
traditionally regarded as classifying sexual intercourse
between males as a to’eivah (something abhorred or
detested) that can be subject to capital punishment by
the current Sanhedrin under halakha (Jewish law).
LIFE ISSUE OF JUDAISM

Under Jewish law, suicide, assisted suicide, and

euthanasia are forbidden. Passive euthanasia is
defined as the withholding of treatment that can
prolong life. It is more permissive and would apply to
those deemed to have a life expectancy of not more
than 3 days.
SUMMARY
Judaism, monotheistic religion developed among the
ancient Hebrews. Judaism is characterized by a belief
in one transcendent God who revealed himself to
Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrew prophets and by a
religious life in accordance with Scriptures and
rabbinic traditions
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