judaism beliefs and teachings

rs aqa gcse

is Judaism monotheistic or polytheistic?

monotheistic

what are the 3 main qualities of god?

He is omnipresent (everywhere at all times), omnipotent (powerful) and omniscient (all knowing/seeing)

what are some of the different types of Jews?

Religious (orthodox, reform/progressive) and non-religious

how do people become non-religious Jews?

people who are born Jewish will be born into the race, but might not choose to practice the religion - may be an atheist Jew who engages in cultural practices without engagement with God

how many Jews are there globally? (approximate number)

13.4 million

what are the key beliefs of Orthodox Jews?

written law of the Torah was given by God to Moses and has full authority over every-day life, transcends all logic as God commanded it

what are the key beliefs of Reform Jews?

laws from the Torah were a human interpretation of God’s commands, can be taken more lightly and change with the times/circumstances

how many mitzvot are there?

613

what are the mitzvot?

the commandments/rules (mitzvah singular)

what does Shekinah mean?

God’s divine presence (on earth)

what is the main point of the Jewish creation story?

God created the universe and everything in it in 6 days and rested on the 7th day

what do different types of Jews believe about the Creation Story?

Orthodox believe it is all true, Reform may believe it is symbolic and not all true

what is the Torah?

the 5 books of Moses, given to him by God, one of three parts of the Tenakh

what is the Talmud?

the oral law (believed by Orthodox Jews to have been given to Moses but not written down), consists of the Mishnah and the Gemara, commentary on the Torah from 2nd century

what is the Tenakh?

the books that comprise the Jewish scriptures, split into 3 parts: Torah (law), Nevi’im (prophets) and Ketuvim (writings)

what do Jews believe about God as a judge?

God is a fair, loving judge, there are two main times when judgement happens (Rosh Hashanah and after death), everyone will be judged even if they are Jewish or not, judgement is based on if people followed God’s rules or not

what is the Mishnah?

the original version of the oral law

what is the Gemara?

the scholarly record of discussions following the writing of the Mishnah

what is the Halakah?

collection of Jewish laws based on written and oral Torah

what is the Shema?

a Jewish prayer affirming belief in God, found in the Torah

The Shema, Deuteronomy 6:4-5, “Hear, O Israel!….

“The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

what is the name for the ten laws given to Moses by God at the top of Mount Sinai?

the ten commandments

what are the 4 Jewish beliefs about God? (His traits/what he is)

God as one, creator, judge and lawgiver

What do Jews believe about death?

That it is an inevitable part of life and is part of God’s plan

What do Jews believe about judgement after death?

Some believe that they will be judged instantly, others believe there will be a day of judgement after the coming of the Messiah

Where do many Jews believe the Shekinah (God’s divine presence) resides?

In the synagogue, especially during communal prayer

What is a minyan?

A group of 10 Jewish adults; it is believed that God’s presence is stronger when Jews pray together in this way

What do some Reform Jews believe about the Shekinah?

it is the feminine presence of God

What are the 3 ways Jews can experience Shekinah?

Through prayer, worship and study

what is the 1st commandment?

“Thou shalt have no other Gods before me.”

what is the 2nd commandment?

“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image.”

what is the 3rd commandment?

“Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”

what is the 4th commandment?

“Remember the sabbath day, keep it holy.”

what is the 5th commandment?

“Honour thy father and thy mother.”

what is the 6th commandment?

“Thou shalt not kill.”

what is the 7th commandment?

“Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

what is the 8th commandment?

“Thou shalt not steal.”

what is the 9th commandment?

“Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”

what is the 10th commandment?

“Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house.”

quote for God as the creator Genesis 1:1

“God created the heavens and the earth.”

quote for God the lawgiver Deuteronomy 10:12-13

“keep the Lord’s commandments.”

quote for God the judge Isaiah 33:22

“the Lord is our judge”

quote for God the sustainer Genesis 2:9

“the Lord God made all kinds of trees grow”

How does the lack of teachings about life after death influence Jewish life?

it reminds them to live in the present and follow God’s commandments during their current life rather than worrying about the afterlife, God wants people to focus on the present world rather than the afterlife, Judaism is all about life and how to best live it without worrying what comes after

what are some Orthodox beliefs about life after death?

righteous souls go to heaven, everyone will be resurrected at the coming of the Messiah, reincarnation of souls with unfinished business

do Jews believe in a physical hell?

no, hell means not being in God’s presence/being judged unworthy

what is Gan Eden?

heaven, paradise

what is Sheol?

the place where souls wait to be cleansed so they can go to Gan Eden, where souls go instantly after death

What is Gehenna?

where wicked souls go to be cleansed, none can be there longer than 12 months, as even the most wicked perish by then

quote for life after death Daniel 12:2

“Many of those that sleep in the dust of Earth will awake, some to eternal life, others to reproaches, to everlasting abhorrence.”

what is the Messiah?

the anointed one, a leader of the Jews who will be the future king of Israel and rule during the Messianic age

what do Orthodox Jews think about the Messiah?

we must be worthy of the Messiah and he won’t come to earth until we are

what do Reform Jews think about the Messiah?

the Messiah is not a real person and it is up to humanity to try and create the Messianic Age by making peace

what are the characteristics of the Messiah?

he will be born to human parents and have the authority of God, he will be a powerful ruler and introduce a time of peace that will last forever, he will reign on David’s throne, he will rule justly over the world

judgement quote Ecclesiates 12:14

“God will bring every deed into judgement”

what is Olam Ha-Ba and what are the 2 ways it's percieved?

it is the world to come, can be seen as a place souls go after death or life after the Messiah where the righteous dead are resurrected

what is the main difference between Orthodox and Progressive Jews’ beliefs about life after death?

Orthodox believe one day everyone will be resurrected, progressive reject beliefs about physical resurrection

what do Haredi Jews believe about the Messiah?

they believe that 36 righteous men are born into every generation and any of them could be called to be the Messiah

what is a covenenant?

an agreement, in Judaism it usually means an agreement between individuals on behalf of Jews and God