Public Acts of Worship:

• Give Jews a sense of belonging

• Provide an opportunity to say prayers that are supposed to be said in a group

• Gives an opportunity to think about the meaning of life

• Means people can celebrate Jewish festivals together

Orthodox synagogues keep men and women separate (recommended in the Talmud) and prayers are in Hebrew

Reform synagogues have men and women sit together and prayers are in the local language

• On Shabbat afternoon, synagogues have afternoon prayers

Tanakh:

1. Torah - law book, contains 613 Mitzvot and the history of Jews

2. Nevi’im - books of the prophets, messages from God to the people

3. Ketuvim - holy writings, show questions on life and morality

• Torah and Nevi’im are important to synagogue worship

• Ketuvim is important during some festivals

Talmud:

• Collection of writings on the Jewish law

• Explains the meaning of the 613 Mitzvot and how it should be applied to daily life

Food Laws:

• Kosher - fit to eat

• Kashrut - rules

• Keeping Kashrut is important for Orthodox Jews because it gives them a sign of Jewish identity

• Keeping Kashrut is not as important for Reform Jews as they believe the laws given to Moses were not given directly by God

‘Do not eat any detestable thing’ - Deuteronomy

• Do not mix meat and dairy

• Meat has to be slaughtered correctly

Prayer:

• How humans communicate with God

Formal - set form used, in Siddur (prayer book)

• Stops prayer being focussed on selfish concerns and more on worshipping God

Informal - spontaneous prayers, improvised

• Can express own thoughts and feelings and ask for God’s help

• Prayer builds a relationship with God

• Day should end and begin by praising God (saying the Shema)

Formal prayers:

• Amidah

• Aleinu

• Kaddish

• Shema

‘Cast your cares on God and he will sustain you’ - Psalms

Shema and Amidah:

Shema - most important prayer in Judaism, affirming belief in one God

• Emphasises the need for Jews to follow Mitzvot and to teach it to children

• Said 3 times a day (morning, afternoon, and night)

• First 2 paragraphs are written on the mezuzah scroll

• Praises God and expresses faith and trust in him

Amidah - contains blessings which praise God and make personal requests for forgiveness and peace

• Standing prayer

• Said facing Jerusalem

• Asks God to fulfil spiritual and physical needs

Rituals and Ceremonies:

Rituals - mark the transition of one phase of life to another

• Brit Milah - circumcision

• Brit Bat - baby girl’s entry into Jewish faith (as female circumcision is unethical)

  • Gives parent the promise of support from the Jewish community in bringing up their child with faith

• Bar Mitzvah - 13 year old boy’s coming of age ceremony

• Bat Mitzvah - 12 year old girl’s coming of age ceremony

  • Gives a young Jew the responsibility of being a Jew and ensure the continuity of the Jewish faith

  • Parents are responsible for a child’s sin before their coming of age ceremony

‘Every male among you shall be circumcised’ - Genesis

• Marriage ceremonies

  • All Jews should marry and have children

  • Ketubah - marriage contract - groom promises to provide for his wife

  • Brings 2 people together through the Jewish faith

  • Provide an opportunity for a new Jewish family to develop

• Death and mourning rituals

  • Shiva - first 7 days after death Jews go into extreme mourning

  • Funeral - rabbi gives speech, prayers said at the grave

  • Provide comfort to the community

  • Provides hope for the future

  • Reform Jews allow more time after death before the funeral and also allow circumcision

‘They will become one flesh’ - Genesis

Shabbat:

• Begins sunset on Friday and ends sunset on Saturday

Meal - father says Kiddush prayer and blesses challah bread

• Gives Jews a chance to renew themselves as they rest from work and concentrate on religion

• Connects community together

• Allows family to grow together in Jewish faith

Festivals:

Rosh Hashanah - marks beginning of Jewish new year

• Shofar is blown in a synagogue every day the month before to remind people of their sins

• Forgiveness is seeked

Yom Kippur - Day of Atonement

• People reflect on what they promised at Rosh Hashanah

• Involves a 25 hour fast

• Releases people from guilt

‘The Day of Atonement, when atonement is made for you before the Lord’ - Leviticus

Sukkot - celebrates the Israelites’ escape from Egypt when they spent 40 years in the wilderness

• People meet in the synagogue carrying etrog and lulav (fruit and palm branch)

• Connects Jews with their ancestors

• Encourages family harmony

Pesach - Passover, remembering the Israelites’ enslavement in Egypt, when God saved Israel and gave them freedom

• Seder meal eaten

• Lasts 7 days

Shavuot - thanking God for the gift of the Torah

• Candles lit

• People eat dairy foods

• Book of Ruth is read

• Celebrates spiritual freedom brought by the Mitzvot

Features of the Synagogue:

Exterior - star of David or menorah is facing Jerusalem

Interior - Decalogue next to ark, sink at door to cleanse, yad so that the Torah won’t be touched, bimah raised for Torah readings etc

Orthodox Jews believe:

• Men can read

• Men can touch Torah scrolls

• Prayers in Hebrew

Reform Jews believe:

• Men and women can read

• Men and women can touch Torah scrolls

• Prayers said in the local language