Practices

• Pigs in Israel also used to carry a lot of disease, and again it would have been

unwise to eat them.

• Many Jews keep the laws simply because they believe they came from God.

“These are the animals that you may eat: the ox, sheep, and goat [...] and every animal that has a split hoof, which is completely separated in two hooves, that brings up its cud [-] But this shall you not eat [..] the camel, the hare, and the hyrax, for they bring up their cud, but their hoof is not split- they are unclean to you.” (Deuteronomy 14:4-7)

Their application in Jewish life today

Orthodox Jews continue to believe that these rules are important to keep, but some Reform and Liberal Jews believe they are outdated. Many Jews continue to refrain from pork even if they do not observe all dietary laws. As certain combinations of food are prohibited, such as meat and dairy, a three-hour gap must be observed after meat before eating dairy. Additionally, Orthodox Jewish families would have separate utensils for each. This creates challenges for Jews when eating out; not only does the food need to be kosher, but so do the cooking methods.

During the week of Passover, Jews do not eat anything containing yeast. Often a deep clean of the house takes place to remove all foodstuffs that won't be eaten during this time. Separate crockery and cutlery are used to avoid contamination. While some Reform Jews may believe that some rules of kashrut are outdated, others aim to take the principles of kashrut and find ways of making them meaningful. For some Reform Jews certain principles of kashrut are important as a way of expressing kedusha and a sense of connection with God.

There are Jews, including both Reform and Orthodox, who observe what is called 'eco-kashrut' - aiming to bring contemporary ethical and ecological issues into consideration of what is fit to eat. For example, a cow may be kosher according to the letter of the law, but has it also been raised in an ethical manner?

Summary

• The Torah is the most important and holy book for Jewish people. It contains the Law of Moses. It forms part of the Tenakh.

• The Talmud is the Oral Law and contains information on how the Torah's laws should be interpreted. It is widely studied by Jews.

• Food that is acceptable to Jews is called kosher; unacceptable food is called treifah.

• Some Jews continue to observe the food laws, believing they come from God. Others do not observe them as strictly.

Private prayer

The nature of prayer in the home and of private prayer

As many Jews cannot attend the synagogue daily, often individual prayers in the home will replace them. These may be carried out individually or as a family. Private, or individual, prayer is also encouraged and considered an important part Jewish worship:

“Tremble and sin not; reflect in your hearts while on your beds and be utterly silent, Selah.” (Psalms 4:5)

Jews are encouraged to clear their minds before they begin to pray so they can focus only on God. Psalm 4:5 says 'reflect in your hearts', which means an individual should forget the world around them and look inwards, into their heart, to connect with God. It is this connection which is most important during prayer.

Shabbat prayer

Payers are important as part of the Shabbat rituals. On a Friday night, the Shabbat real is prepared before candles are lit to welcome Shabbat. Prayers are recited before the meal begins. The Kiddush is a prayer of sanctification which:

• celebrates God's creation of the universe

• remembers the release of their ancestors from slavery in Egypt.

After the Kiddush is recited over the wine and other blessings are made, the food is eaten. The meal can take several hours, with stories being told and songs being sung. The connection of family, and sometimes friends, through prayer and thanksgiving is considered to be of great value.

Prayer three times a day

Jews believe they are instructed to pray three times a day:

“Evening, morning, and noon, I supplicate and moan; and He has heard

my voice.” (Psalm 55:18)

Specification Focus

The nature and purpose of prayer in the home and of private prayer: the nature, features and purpose of prayer three times a day; the important day for Jews, the importance of having different forms of prayers, including interpretations of Psalm 55:16-23.

Useful Terms

Kiddush: prayer of sanctification

Modeh ani: 'I give thanks', a prayer recited upon waking



Pikuach Nefesh today

Pikuach Nefesh is important for Jews today and can significantly affect their lives:

• A person who is ill is not permitted to fast on Yom Kippur.

• Doctors are allowed to answer emergency calls on Shabbat.

• Abortions to save the life of a mother are mandatory. The unborn is not yet considered equal to the mother.

• Jews are not permitted to do anything that may hasten death, even to prevent suffering. Euthanasia, suicide, and assisted suicide are strictly forbidden.

• It is sometimes permissible to end artificially prolonged life, for example turning off life support machines when a patient cannot live without it.

Divergent understandings of Pikuach Nefesh

There is divergent understanding among contemporary Jews of how Pikuach Nefesh should affect their actions. It is impossible to say that every Jew in a particular group would feel one way because the issues involved are emotive and individuals may feel very differently, even within a particular tradition. There is a tendency for Orthodox tradition to take a stricter view on what Pikuach Nefesh means, but it should not be assumed that every Orthodox Jew feels this way, or that every Reform Jew would be more liberal.

Judaism does not support assisted dying in any form as human life is holy. However, while suicide is forbidden, it is usually looked upon with understanding and sympathy. Acceptance of abortion is more complicated: while Orthodox Jews only permit it to save a mother's life, for mental health reasons, or in certain very particular conditions; other denominations such as Reform or Liberal would allow wider circumstances such as social, and medical issues to be considered, including the age of the foetus.

Organ donation is also an area of debate among denominations. Liberal and Reform Jews usually permit organ donation. Under certain conditions organ donation is allowed within Orthodox Judaism, but it is very controversial:

• Donation of an organ from a living person where the donor's health is not endangered, and there a patient waiting is permitted and encouraged.

• Donation from a dead body is also permitted for the purpose of saving life. • Difficulties arise in defining death because most organs need to be transplanted before the heart stops beating, which suggests their removal causes death. There is an ongoing discussion about what is acceptable.

Summary

• The story of Creation in Genesis makes it clear that God is the giver of life, so life is sacred.

• Most Jewish laws can be broken in order to save a person's life in life- threatening circumstances. This is called Pikuach Nefesh.

• Pikuach Nefesh influences how Jews approach moral and ethical decisions such as abortions and euthanasia.

The Shekhinah

Judaism believes that God created the world, and continues to work in the world. The Shekhinah means 'to settle or dwell' and refers to the divine presence of God within the created world.

The divine presence of God is particularly important in relation to:

• the study of the Tenakh and Talmud

• the Tabernacle and worship today.

The Shekhinah is not a teaching explicitly contained within the Torah, and although there are some references found in the oral teachings of the Talmud (see 8.2), the divine presence of God is felt in different, subtle ways by Jews: in study, in

worship, and in prayer.

Study

Although Jews acknowledge that humans are naturally limited in their ability to understand God, study of the Tenakh and the Talmud is an important part of being Jewish.

• To study is regarded as an act of worship, and as such the Shekhinah is also present.

• Study of the Tenakh is done by both men and women: all Jews are encouraged to connect with God through study. This may take place in a yeshiva, but Jews can study at any time.

• The Talmud, the oral law, evolved through and contains discussion between Rabbis since the start of Jewish history.

.

❝If two sit together and the words between them are of the Torah, then the Shekhinah is in their midst” Rabbi Hananiah ben Teradion

Divergence in understanding

• At some Orthodox yeshiva schools, Torah study is the primary focus. This will take place in the morning, with other subjects such as English, Maths, and Science taking place in the afternoon as a secondary focus.

• Some Hassidic Jews, who are considered the most strict, reject secular (non-religious) study and concentrate on textual learning.

Specification Focus

The nature and importance of Shekhinah: how the divine presence is shown in the Torah and why it is important including interpretations of 2 Chronicles 7:1-3; the divergent understandings of Shekhinah found in different forms of Orthodox Judaism and the importance of them for Jews today.

Useful Terms

• Rabbi: Jewish teacher or religious leader

• Talmud: the 'Oral Torah', or the Oral laws and traditions passed down from Moses, eventually written down as the Mishnah and the Gemara. There are two versions (Jerusalem and Babylonian)

• Yeshiva: Jewish school of Talmudic study

The Covenant at Sinai

A covenant is an agreement between two parties, which benefits both. Both parties need to keep certain conditions or fulfil obligations.

• For Jews, this agreement is between God and the Jewish people.

• It is an agreement formed in love and creates an important relationship. This makes it different from a contract.

• A covenant can only be created and sealed in Judaism with an oath.

Brit olam means 'an everlasting covenant' and makes it clear that Jews believe that God will not break his covenant with the Jewish people. The Jewish people recognize that from time to time they fail to fulfil their obligations and break the law.

For you are a holy people to Hashem, your God; Hashem, your God, has chosen you to be for Him a treasured people above all the peoples that are on the face of the earth. (Deuteronomy 7:6)

The covenant at Sinai

God's covenant with Moses and the Jewish people at Mount Sinai followed covenants with the three main patriarchs of Judaism: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Israel). As centuries passed, the descendants of these leaders became slaves in Egypt and suffered greatly under the Pharaohs. Moses was chosen by God to lead the Jewish people out of Egypt.

The nature and history of the covenant

The events leading up to the covenant at Sinai are recorded in the Torah.

• Moses grew up in the household of the Pharaoh, after being rescued from the River Nile. However, he discovered his Jewish heritage and had to leave Egypt after killing an Egyptian taskmaster, then lived in Midian for 40 years.

• God appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush and told him to return to Egypt to lead the Jewish people to freedom. With the help of his brother Aaron, he spoke to Pharaoh and triggered ten plagues.

• The final plague prompted Pharaoh to allow Moses to leave with the Jewish people. He crossed the Reed Sea to freedom and took the people to Mount Sinai.

The Torah states that, at Mount Sinai, God made a covenant with the Jewish people but with an important difference from earlier covenants: Jews who did not follow the agreements would be punished (Deuteronomy 28:15-68).

• The covenant identified the Jewish people as the chosen people of God. By this, it means 'chosen for responsibility.

• The introductory instructions were the Ten Commandments (the Decalogue), which Moses inscribed on stone.

Specification Focus

The Covenant at Sinai: the nature and history of the Covenant at Sinai (the Ten Commandments), including Exodus 20; the role and significance of Moses in the Covenant at Sinai; divergent understandings of how and why the Decalogue is important in Jewish life today.

Useful Terms

Olam Ha-Ba: 'The World to Come'; term used for both 1) the Messianic Age and 2) a spiritual afterlife following physical death

Reed Sea: some scholars believe a mistranslation led to this originally being called the 'Red' Sea

The Exodus

• God gave the Jewish people the Torah in its entirety (see 7.1) to help Jews live an obedient life.

• According to Jewish tradition, Moses was also given the Oral Torah, later written down as the Talmud.

• According to Jewish tradition, every Jewish soul that would ever be born was present at that moment, and agreed to be bound to this covenant.

“The entire people responded together and said, “Everything that Hashem has spoken we shall do!" Moses brought back the words of the people to Hashem.”

(Exodus 19:8)

Why it is important for Jews today

• The Torah is the most important part of the Tenakh as it contains the Law of the covenant. These remain a guide for Jewish living today.

• Jews believe they are bound to follow the teachings in the Torah because of the covenant made by Moses. Obedience will be blessed and disobedience punished.