Judaism

Learning Objective
• To distinguish the different
Jewish practices and beliefs
Key Understanding
• Knowledge of the different Jewish
practices and beliefs is key to
understanding this religion.

Key Question
• What are the different Jewish
practices and beliefs?
What is Judaism?
• Judaism is one of the world’s oldest religions,
originating around 3,500 years ago.
• Despite its relatively small population (with
respect to other religions) around the globe and
in the country, it has influenced Western
civilization.
• Jews believe that being Jewish defines an
important and critical part of their being; many
believe that Judaism tells them the meaning of
life and how to live it.
What is Judaism?
• If we ask what all Judaism identify in common,
they point to the Five Books of Moses (the Torah).
• The Torah comes ‘in the beginning,’ and explains
‘where it all began’. This is important because it
forms the critical component of the holy writings of
Judaism; obviously, the Torah plays an important
role in Jewish religious life.
What is Judaism?
• In order to understand Judaic beliefs and practices, it
is important to begin with the story of the Jewish
people to see how their religion is inseparable from
their history.
• Much of Jewish history is recorded in the Hebrew
Bible (which is the “Old Testament” for Christians), but
we need to emphasize that these texts were written by
the Jews themselves in the Promised Land.
Torah
• The Torah contains the early history of Judaism,
as well as the law and teaching ‘handed down’ to
Moses by Yahweh or God Himself.

• Genesis, the first book of the Torah--and of the

Hebrew Bible--which tells us the mythic origin
(Genesis means “origin”) of the entire world.
Torah
• The second book, Exodus, begins with the
Egyptians being threatened by the growing
population of the Hebrews in their land.

• The specific laws about the Passover and rituals

were given throughout the last three books
(Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy).
Beliefs and Practices
There is no official Jewish creed, only a set of central beliefs
formulated by the Jewish medieval philosopher Moses Maimonides.
They are:
belief in a God that is one, formless, all-knowing, creator and judge,
both loving and just
belief in the words of the prophets
belief that God gave the law to Moses
belief that the Messiah will come
belief that there is a resurrection of the good in “the world to come.”
Beliefs and Practices
Dietary Practices
•One of the areas of Jewish life heavily influenced by the
laws from Torah is their food. “Food consumption and
handling must be done according to religious laws”.
•Such laws were originally designed for those who serve in
the temple, but some rules also apply even for the
common people.
•There are also specific rules of how to slaughter, cook,
and serve animals. This is called kosher, which means
“ritually correct” and particularly refers to food preparation
and consumption.
Beliefs and Practices
Sabbath

• The veneration of the Sabbath day originates

with the Creation story; God rested in Sabbath. It
was also one of the Ten Commandments that
Moses received in Mt. Sinai: “Keep holy the
Sabbath Day.”
Beliefs and Practices
Messiah
• One of the most fundamental Jewish beliefs is that a
Messiah, or savior will come. During Jesus’ time, the
founder of Christianity, Jews believed that they were
living at the end of time.
• The belief in the coming of the Messiah is one of
those doctrines that has changed across different
versions of Judaism. Some believe that the Messiah
will be a political leader, who will rule Israel as a
model for the rest of the world. Others believe that
the Messiah will bring peace and love among the
nations, which may not necessarily originate from
Israel.
Beliefs and Practices
Passover
• The Jews have many Holy Days throughout the year,
but perhaps the most important for them is the Feast
of the Passover, which commemorates the liberation
of the Hebrews from Egypt.
• The Jewish liturgical year begins with the month of
Nisan in spring, and the Passover begins on the 15th
of Nisan, celebrated for 8 days (Démann,1961:92, 95).
Beliefs and Practices
Passover
• One of the parts of the Passover is the Seder, or the
Paschal meal shared by the family on the eve of the first
day of the feast. Traditionally, first born sons fast on the
day leading to the Seder to commemorate the killing of
the Egyptian first-born (de Lange, 2000: 98).
• The primary food ingested during the Passover is
matzah, or unleavened bread, which was consumed
during the Exodus, when there was no time to prepare
decent bread. It symbolizes freedom and liberation.
Beliefs and Practices
Passover
• In connection to this, all leavened items must be
removed, in preparation for the festival.
• Wine is also served, where all participants are supposed
to drink four glasses throughout the ceremony.
• There is a table set for Elijah, whom the Jews believe will
come again to prepare the way of the Messiah (de
Lange, 2000: 99).