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what does the Hebrew word ‘Shekinah’ describe

the Almighty’s presence in the world, attempting to use finite words to describe the infinite cannot be accurate

what does the Torah speak of (1) (2 PART ANSWER)

God’s presence going with Moses to guide him through the wilderness to the promised land
The shekinah as cloud and smoke on Mount Sinai when God gave the commandments

what does the Torah speak of (2) (2 PART ANSWER)

Moses’ face shining when he came into contact with the divine presence
God choosing the tabernacle as the place for his presence which is so holy, nothing unclean can touch it

what does Shekinah mean

the majestic presence of God

when do rabbis use the term Shekinah

for any form of human contact with that part of God on Earth, not God’ immensity

different understandings of Shekinah: teachings of Maimonides

Reform Jews base themselves on the teachings of Maimonides, who described the shekinah as a light created to be a link between God and the world

different understandings of Shekinah: God’s nature

others regard the shekinah as an expression for the various ways in which God is related to the world

different understandings of Shekinah: God

others believe that Shekinah simply means God, they feel as if God and shekinah are interchangeable

different understandings of Shekinah: Jewish mysticism

in the kabbalah, Shekinah is the gateway to higher consciousness, which brings follows into God’s presence

different understandings of the word Shekinah: God’s nature

Shekinah shows that God is far beyond human thought and so there are many ways of understanding his presence

different understandings of the word Shekinah: masculinity

Shekinah allows Judaism to relate to God to modern theological debates about whether God is masculine

different understandings of the word Shekinah: unity

Shekinah makes it easier for Jews and Christians to come together in their search for God

what does the word Messiah mean

the anointed one

what is the purpose of the Messiah

rebuild the Temple of Jerusalem, unite all the people of the world, make all people aware of the presence of God, bring in the messianic age when all will live in peace

what do Jews believe about the nature of the Messiah

the Messiah will be a descendant of King David, a human and not a divine being, a man of great piety and close to God

what is the Messianic age

when the Messiah will come (Olam Ha-Ba), will be peace among all nations, Jews will return to Israel, temple will be rebuilt, the world will accept God and Judaism

what does Nevi’im say about the Messiah

Messiah will be a descendant of David, will rule wisely and justly, will ensure the poor are treated fairly and will rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem

different understandings of the Messiah: some orthodox rabbis

some orthodox rabbis taught that the Messiah will not come until all Jewish people observe the Mitzvot fully

different understandings of the Messiah: some Jewish rabbis

some Jewish rabbis have believed they know when the Messiah will arrive (usually Ultra-Orthodox Jewish groups)

different understandings of the Messiah: most orthodox rabbis

most orthodox rabbis have followed the teachings of Maimonides that no one can know when the Messiah will come other than God himself

different understandings of the Messiah: many reform jews

many reform jews no longer believe in the Messianic age but instead it is up to them to make the world a better place

why is the belief of the coming of the Messiah important for Jews

Jews pray for the coming of the Messiah, the return of those who were forced to leave at Exile, the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the restoration of the Temple 3x per day

what was the Covenant at Sinai

agreement between God and Jewish people, written on two tablets of stone and kept in the Ark of covenant stored in the Tabernacle and later the temple

what did the Covenant at Sinai state

if the people kept the 613 laws given to Moses on Sinai, they would be God’s special people

history of Covenant at Sinai (1)

Moses lead the Jewish people out of captivity in Egypt and then spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness preparing the people to enter and possess the promised land.

history of Covenant at Sinai (2)

God appeared to Moses on Mount Sinai to make the covenant

importance of Covenant at Sinai to Jews: 613 mitzvot

613 mitzvot given by God on Sinai provide the way of life for Jewish people and separate them from Gentiles

importance of Covenant at Sinai to Jews: duty

Jewish people have a duty to keep the Mitzvot as part of their side of the covenant to make them God’s people

importance of Covenant at Sinai to Jews: Tanakh

the Tanakh teaches that by keeping the covenant, the Jewish people will fulfil their destiny of bringing the whole world to worship God

importance of Covenant at Sinai to Jews: denominations

the laws given to Moses are important for modern Jews that divisions are all based on interpretations of how Jewish people should obey the Mosaic covenant

what are the ten commandments (decalogue)

Jews regard these as special, as well as the Mitzvah, because they are to be kept by everyone

decalogue: 1st commandment

Jewish people remind themselves that they worship one God only every time they touch the mezuzah and pray 3x per day

decalogue: 2nd commandment

means Jewish people ban any form of statues from the synagogue and home

decalogue: 3rd commandment

means Jewish people do not use God’s name in any form of swearing and say the ‘Almighty’ rather than saying God

decalogue: 4th commandment

means Orthodox Jews do not work on Shabbat

decalogue: 5th commandment

helps Jews in their family life and parents in their task of bringing up good Jewish children

why are the other 5 commandments of the decalogue important

important when making moral decisions

what was God’s side of the Abrahamic covenant

his promise to make a great nation from Abraham’s son, to give the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants as an ‘everlasting possession’

what was Abraham’s side of the Abrahamic covenant

Abraham and every other male to be circumcised, and for Abraham and his family to worship God alone

what happened as a result of Abraham’s side of the Abrahamic covenant

Jewish males are circumcised and Jews worship God alone
some reform Jews feel the Mosaic covenant is more important so they don’t circumcise their children

Abraham’s grandson

Jacob, was renamed Israel by God and his 12 sons became the children of Israel and inherited Abraham’s promise

descendants of Israel’s (Jacob) 12 sons

any ethnic Jew has descended from these 12 and has a right to be a citizen of the state of Israel whether they follow the religion or not

a thousand years before Moses, what does the Torah say about the Abrahamic covenant

God called Abraham to leave his family in Iraq and travel to Canaan (Palestine) to worship the one true God

importance of Covenant with Abraham to Jews: Brit Milah

most Jewish baby boys are circumcised at 8 days old and enter into the covenant of Abraham

importance of Covenant with Abraham to Jews: Brit Chayim

ceremony for Jewish baby girls among Reform and Liberal Jews welcomes girls into the Jewish faith and claims them as an heir to the Abrahamic covenant

importance of Covenant with Abraham to Jews: Kingdom of Israel

covenant gave Jewish people a right to live in the Kingdom of Israel, state of Israel was established in 1947, a secure place for all Jews

importance of Covenant with Abraham to Jews: United Nations (2 PART ANSWER)

the state of Israel has been recognised by the United Nations from 1947, but never by Palestinians
there has been some conflicts between Israel and the Palestinian people, and Arab states in the middle east

what is shown in the concept of Pikuach Nefesh

the sacredness and importance of human life

what does Pikuach Nefesh mean

saving a life, saving a human outweighs all the other commandments

SCRIPTURE: how does the Talmud explain the principle of Pikuach Nefesh in Leviticus

‘You shall therefore keep my statues… which if a man do, he shall live by them.’

what do rabbis teach about the principle of Pikuach Nefesh explained in the Talmud

you should live by the Mitzvot but not die by them, e.g if someone is dying of hunger they will be allowed to eat non-kosher food to survive

what does Judaism teach about sanctity of life (1)

life is sacred, a gift from God, follows that as God is the author of life so that makes itself holy and it must be valued and preserved

what does Judaism teach about sanctity of life (2)

people should respect all human life, God is the creator of life so it is up to him when it begins or ends

SCRIPTURE: how does the Torah explain the principle of Pikuach Nefesh in Leviticus

‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbours life.’

according to Pikuach Nefesh…

a person must do everything in their power to save the life of another e.g it’s acceptable to break the Yom Kippur fast

importance of Pikuach Nefesh to Jews today: decisions

Jews living in today’s complex world, Pikuach Nefesh is a means of deciding when and where the Mitzvot take priority

importance of Pikuach Nefesh to Jews today: abortion

some Jews believe that abortion can never be allowed due to the Sanctity of life, but Pikuach Nefesh means if the mother’s life is at risk abortion is allowed

importance of Pikuach Nefesh to Jews today: condoms

Orthodox Judaism is against protection as the Torah teaches male seed is sacred, but Jewish AIDS trust promotes use of condoms to prevent HIV, and save lives of infected

importance of Pikuach Nefesh to Jews today: transplant surgery

Orthodox Judaism is against transplant surgery as there is a mitzvot against tampering with dead bodies, but Pikuach Nefesh allows it to save the lives of the recipient

explanation of mitzvot in the Torah (1)

God gave this to Moses in the form of the ‘Oral Torah’, passed on by priests, judges and later rabbis, oral and written Torah make up the Halakhah

explanation of mitzvot in the Torah (2)

the oral Torah was written down to create the Mishnah, rabbi’s discussions on the Mishnah were written down in the Babylon

where were the 613 mitzvot Moses received on Mount Sinai recorded

in the Torah and Jewish people are to observe them as their part of the Mosaic covenant

why is it that for most Jews the Mitzvot and Halakhah are the same

by following the Halakhah they are keeping the mitzvot

what happens despite the mitzvot being commandments

each Jew must decide whether or not the follow them of their own free will, as they were made in God’s image so humans have to choice do what they would like

example of human free will

they can choose whether or not to obey the mitzvot, their decision would be something that is judged

why is the mitzvot very important for Orthodox Jews

they believe that they are God’s direct words to Moses and they cover the basis of life, there is a right and wrong way to do everything

why is the mitzvot not as important for Liberal Jews

they don’t believe the Mitzvot came to Moses directly from God and that observing the Mitzvot is a matter of personal choice

why do Orthodox Jews believe the Mitzvot should be understood at a much deeper spiritual level

Mitzvah is closely related to the Hebrew word for connection, Jews think the mitzvot is a way for individuals to connect with God

importance of Mitzvot to Jews today: understanding

only if Jewish people really understand the Mitzvot will they keep them properly

importance of Mitzvot to Jew today: connecting to God

the Mitzvot are God’s way of reaching out to humans and keeping Mitzvot is a way to develop a relationship with God

importance of Mitzvot to Jews today: relationships

understanding the mitzvot leads to better relationship between people

importance of Mitzvot to Jews today: test of faith

some mitzvot come with no given reason e.g keeping kosher, so some Mitzvot are a test of faith

what does the Torah say about life after death

the righteous will be reunited with their loved ones after death, so there will be an afterlife

what does the rest of the Tanakh say about life after death

God will end the world, raise the dead and create a new world by rebuilding the Temple and Jerusalem

what does the rest of the Tanakh say about life after death: God

God will decide what happens to people in the afterlife on the basis of how they have lived their lives and what they believed

why do most Jews believe in resurrection (5 PART ANSWER)

it is one of the 13 principles of Faith
some believe the resurrection of the dead will occur during the Messianic era
some believe it will follow the Messianic era
some believe only the righteous will be resurrected
some believe everyone will be ressurected

why have other rabbis argue against immortality of the soul

the idea that the soul lives on after dead as a spiritual being in Olam Ha-Ba where God dwells in what many think of as a parallel universe

different beliefs about the nature of judgement: behaviour

some rabbis have taught that judgement will be based purely on behaviour - the good will go to heaven, the bad to Gehinnom (hell)

different beliefs about the nature of judgement: Maimonides

Maimonides taught that all good people will go to heaven - even non Jews

different beliefs about the nature of judgement: combo

others have even suggested judgment will be based on a combination of belief and behaviour

different beliefs about the nature of judgement: modern rabbis

many modern rabbis prefer to concentrate on this life rather than worrying about the details of an afterlife nobody can be certain about

importance of life after death for Jews today: teaching of Torah

teaching of the Torah which Orthodox Jews believe it is a direction communication from God and so must be obeyed

importance of life after death for Jews today: books from Tanakh

teaching of the other books of the Tanakh which Orthodox Jews believe are inspired by God

importance of life after death for Jews today: Talmud, 13 principles of faith

teaching of Talmud which most Jews try to follow, one of the 13 principles of faith which are the Jewish creed

importance of life after death for Jews today: judgement

a life after death where people will be judged on how they live this life, makes sense of life and gives purpose

different understandings of heaven and hell: Gan Eden

many rabbis have taught that the souls of the totally righteous ascend to Gan Eden, whereas souls of the ordinary people go to the place of punishment

different understandings of heaven and hell: Gehinnom

some rabbis teach that Gehinnom is like the Catholic Purgatory and that souls are purified of their sins through punishment and fire

different understandings of heaven and hell: punishment

some rabbis teach that the totally evils souls are punished in Gehinnom forever, others teach souls of the truly wicked are destroyed by God and cease to exist

what is the purpose of public worship in Judaism: participation

to give a sense of belonging to a whole community, provides opportunity to take part in those prayers which can only be said on congregation

what is the purpose of public worship in Judaism: teaching/practice

rabbis taught that praying in a group is more effective than praying alone, provides at set time giving order and purpose to a Jew’s religious life

features of Jewish public worship: Shabbat morning

on shabbat morning the main service of the week is when the scrolls of the Torah is taken out of the Ark and carried to the bimah for the rabbi to read sidra, rabbi gives a sermon

features of Jewish public worship: Shabbat afternoon

on shabbat afternoon, synagogues have afternoon prayers when the Sefer Torah is again taken out of the Ark and a short part of the next week’s sidra is read

features of Jewish public worship: special services

synagogues have special services for most of the festivals, especially Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Simchat Torah

what happens in orthodox synagogues

prayers are said in Hebrew, men and women sit separately and some services are for men only

what happens in liberal synagogues

prayers are said in English, women attend all services and sit with the men, rabbi could be a woman

why is synagogue worship important for a Jewish individual

gives a sense of belonging and community, allows time to think about the meaning of life, sermons from the rabbi are opportunity to discover more about faith

why is synagogue worship important for the Jewish community

to worship God with all your soul and heart which requires community, needed to celebrate Shabbat, gives opportunity to share great festivals + family celebration

why do Jewish people worship in different ways: orthodox

orthodox synagogues keep men and women separate because they believe the Mitzvot are God’s words

why do Jewish people worship in different ways: liberal/reform

reform synagogues demonstrate complete equality of the genders as they believe the Torah was written by people inspired by God rather than the direct words of God

what is the Tanakh

the Jewish Bible, name originates from the initial letters of the Torah, Nevi’im and Ketuvim