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

who is Abraham?

the founder of Judaism

what was the first covenant?

the covenant between God and Abraham

what did God give Abraham in the covenant?

God called on Abraham and his family to leave in Canaan (the Promised Land, Israel), promised to bless him and his family and promised to make a great nation for Abraham

quote for the covenant between Abraham and God

“I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you.” Genesis 12:1-2

what did God ask Abraham to do in their covenant?

follow his laws, be a good example to others, to raise his children in God’s laws, to be circumsised and have his sons circumsised to pass down the covenant

quote for circumsision

“Circumcision shall be the mark of the covenant between me and you” Genesis 17:11

who was Abraham’s son and grandson?

Isaac (son), Jacob (grandson), they are all Judaism’s patriarchs

who was Moses?

the greatest prophet in Judaism, he climbed to the top of Mount Sinai and received the 613 mitzvot from God, only person to witness God face to face, blessed with miracles from God

what is the story of Moses?

Moses was called by God to rescue the Jews from enslavement in Egypt, the Pharaoh refused to let them go, God sent the ten plagues on Egypt, Pharaoh let them go but sent his army after them, God parted the Red Sea so the Jews could escape

what do Orthodox Jews believe about the covenant between Moses and God?

that Moses was given the Oral Torah (part of the Talmud)

what happened at the covenant between God and Moses at the top of Mount Sinai?

God passed down the 613 mitzvot, Moses formed a covenant with God that the Israelites (God’s chosen people) would keep the commandments

how do the mitzvot (especially the 10 commandments) impact Jews today?

they are a guide for Jews, God will judge them based on how well they have followed his commandments, they help Jews follow Moses’ example, they guide Jews to love and worship God effectively

what is the Sefer Madda?

the list of the 613 mitzvot

what are the two types of mitzvot?

positive (mitzvot aseh) and negative (mitzvot ta’aseh)

what are the 6 constant mitzvot?

fear God, love God, know that God is one, do not believe in other Gods, know there is a God, do not be misled by personal desires

how do Orthodox Jews treat and uphold the mitzvot?

they uphold every area and believe all of the laws are important because they believe the Torah is the literal word of God, God’s law must be obeyed as he created life, Jews will be judged according to how well they follow the mitzvot, only exception is Temple laws as the the Temple does not exist anymore

how do Reform Jews treat and uphold the mitzvot?

they do not believe all laws are compatible with modern life and that some are outdated, rules can be adapted, mitzvot are a good guide but it’s impossible to follow all of them, some are symbolic not literal

why are the mitzvot important?

they are the basis of the Halakhah (code of conduct for Jewish life)

what happens on Mitzvah day (celebrates mitzvot)?

people work together to reduce poverty, care for the environment and others, perform good deeds

what is Tikkun olam?

the idea of repairing the world (e.g. volunteering), brings people closer to each other and God

what is Gemilut Hasadim?

central principle of Judaism, everyone should try to carry out good deeds

quotation for kindness and love

“Love your fellow as yourself” Leviticus 19:18

what is Pikuach Nefesh?

saving a life despite it breaking Jewish laws

quote for Pikuach Nefesh

“one who saves life, it is as if they had saved the whole word” Talmud

what do Orthodox Jews believe about free will and the mitzvot?

free will is the choice to obey or disobey God, Jews choose and seek to obey because it’s God will

what do Progressive Jews believe about free will and the mitzvot?

choice to obey God, then choose to exercise free will by following interpreted versions of certain mitzvot