SOR FA2: Judaism Essential

CORE BELIEFS SECTION

CORE BELIEFS SECTION

Revelation

• Refers to an act in which God conveys a message, teaching, or truth to humanity or to a group of human beings.

• E.g. The giving of the Torah through Moses at Mount Sinai.

Covenant

• A sacred agreement with God, where both parties have duties to fulfill.

• e.g. God offered them the promised land and Jews have to fulfill duty on Earth.

Chosen People

• The Jewish people, as expressed in the idea that they have been chosen by God as his special people.

Messiah

• A saviour and liberator figure in Jewish eschatology who is believed to be the future redeemer of the Jews.

Messianic Expectation

The messianic expectation refers to the belief in a future Messiah (Mashiach), a descendant of King David, who will bring about a period of peace, justice, and divine redemption.

Promised Land

the land now known as Israel belongs to Jews in fulfilment of God's covenant with Abraham to give the Jewish people a Promised Land.

Mitzvot

Mitzvot rules help inform how Jewish people should live

Sin

• "Miss the mark"

• When bad instinct leads us into doing something that violates one of the 613 rules in the Torah

Repentance

• Atoning from sin. Repairing from sins, mistakes and repairing with people and God

• 3 stages: confession, regret and a vow not to do it again.

Divine Justice

• If a man inflicts a wound in his fellow, as he did shall be done to him. This illustrates that punishment will be equal to the sin - in this life and the next

• Based on 3 types of relationships

  • God and Human

  • Human and Human

  • Human to community of Jews

• 3 types of life

  • Divine

  • Natural

  • Torah

Sanctity of Life

The extent to which human life is considered precious. Jews believe that humans were made as part of God's creation and in Gods image. Human life is valued and sacred.

Free Will

We have no choice but to believe that we are free to act in accord with our own wishes, to personally decide upon the meaning of our lives and our purpose, to start our own destinies.

Orthodox

Orthodox Jews believe in one God, and they adhere to the Ten Commandments and other associated laws of God from the Torah and Talmud. Believe that a future Messiah who will restore Jewish practice by building the temple in Jerusalem and gathering all the Jews to Israel

Reformed

A religious movement that has modified or abandoned many traditional Jewish beliefs, laws, and practices in an effort to adapt Judaism to the changed social, political, and cultural conditions of the modern world.

Hassidic

Hasidic Jews believe that they are set apart to worship God wholeheartedly, based upon the written Torah, the Talmud, and the teachings of their spiritual leader, or Rebbe.

Revelation

An act whereby the hidden, unknown God shows Himself to man

Atonement

Expiation for an individual's own sin in order to attain God's forgiveness

AFTER LIFE BELIEFS SECTION

YHWH

Yahweh is the name of the state god of the ancient Kingdom of Israel and, later, the Kingdom of Judah. His name is composed of four Hebrew consonants (YHWH, known as the Tetragrammaton) which the prophet Moses is said to have revealed to his people

Tikkun Olam

In Jewish teachings, any activity that improves the world, bringing it closer to the harmonious state for which it was created.

Olam Ha Ba

“the world after death” or the new creation or restoration of the world that is to follow the messianic millennium.

Messianic Era

The future period of time on Earth in which the messiah will reign and bring universal peace and brotherhood, without any evil.

Judgement Day

Rosh Hashanah is the Day of Judgment for all of mankind. On this day man is judged for all of his actions, and all that will transpire and occur during the coming year is recorded.

Gan Eden

the spiritual realm of souls in the afterlife

Gehinnom/ She’ol

the destination of the wicked for the atonement of their sins.

SACRED TEXTS SECTION

Torah

The law of God as revealed to Moses and recorded in the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures

Nev’im

• The law of God as revealed to Moses and recorded in the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures

• The second major division of the Hebrew Bible

Ketuvim

the third part of the Jewish Scriptures which contains the poetic books and the remaining canonical books of the Jewish Scriptures not included in the Torah or the Nevi'im.

Tanak

The Jewish Scriptures comprising the books of law, the prophets, and collected writings compare torah, nevi'im , ketuvim

Talmud

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

Kosher

• Foods that Jews can eat are Kosher.

• Foods that Jews can't eat are Trefah.

• Kosher ensures that all animals are killed painlessly as possible as it is against Jewish law to cause pain to living things. Also only eat healthy animals.

• A rabbi must inspect the animals before they are killed and watch while it happens and then inspects the meat afterwards. All blood must be drained away as Jews don’t eat meat without letting all the blood drip out.

Kashrut

All the rules about food are known as Kashrut. The torah explains all the rules of Kosher. It is important as Jews promised to obey all of God's laws.

RITUALS SECTION

Sabbath

• Only commandment given to Moses about ritual - therefore holds more meaning.

• Sabbath takes place from sunset Friday evening until sunset Saturday.

• Families father for Shabbat meal and refrain from work on Sabbath.

• 7th day of the week, where no work is done.

Shabbat

A meal shared with family during Sabbath. During Shabbat, Jewish people remember the story of creation from the Torah where God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th day.

Bar/ Bat Mitzvah

"Son and daughter of the commandment". Ceremonial recognition that a young person had reached the age when he or she was no longer a minor in Jewish law. Take new religious privileges and responsibilities. For boys: 13 years old. For girls: 12 years old.

Ritual of Bar/Bat Mitzvah

Boys and girls may conduct all or part of the service, read or chant the b'rachot over the Torah, read a section from the Torah portion for that week, read or chant the b'rachot for the haftarah, read a section from the haftarah, and deliver a sermon.

Passover

Eight day festival. Celebrated in the early spring, from the 15th-22nd of Hebrew month of Nissan. Commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in ancient Egypt. Because God passed over the Jewish homes when he was slaying the firstborn of Egypt.

Yom Kippur

The day of Atonement which is particularly solemn event. Most practiced jews attend synagogue. Jews believe God makes the final decision on who will live, die, prosper and fail during the next year and writes His judgement in the Book of Life. It is the day of fasting. Worship includes the confession of sins and asking for forgivenes, which is done aloud by the entire congregation.

Purim

Celebrates the events told in the Book of Esther, in which a wicked Persian nobleman named Hama plotted to murder all the Jews in the land. The book of Esther is read in the synagogue and the congregation rattles, cymbals and boos to drown out Haman's name whenever it appears.