“Religion, Philosophy, and Way of Life”

In Judaism
Commandments and Scriptures
God gave Jewish people 613 Mizvot or
commandments
Halakhah -> Jewish Law or “The path one walks”
Has 3 sources ( Torah, Laws of Rabbis and Mizvot)
Has 10 Commandments (Taken from Exodus 20)
Actions are more important than beliefs
13 Principles of Faith
I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name,
is the Creator and Guide of everything that has been created; He
alone has made, does make, and will make all things.
I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name,
is One, and that there is no unity in any manner like His, and
that He alone is our God, who was, and is, and will be.
I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name,
has no body, and that He is free from all the properties of matter,
and that there can be no (physical) comparison to Him
whatsoever.
I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name,
is the first and the last.
I believe with perfect faith that to the Creator, Blessed be His
Name, and to Him alone, it is right to pray, and that it is not right
to pray to any being besides Him.
I believe with perfect faith that all the words of the prophets are
true.
 13 Principles of Faith
 I believe with perfect faith that the prophecy of Moses our teacher,
peace be upon him, was true, and that he was the chief of the prophets, both those
who preceded him and those who followed him.
 I believe with perfect faith that the entire Torah that is now in our possession is the
same that was given to Moses our teacher, peace be upon him.
 I believe with perfect faith that this Torah will not be exchanged, and that there will
never be any other Torah from the Creator, Blessed be His Name.
 I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, knows all the
deeds of human beings and all their thoughts, as it is written, "Who fashioned the
hearts of them all, Who comprehends all their actions" (Psalms 33:15).
 I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, rewards those who
keep His commandments and punishes those that transgress them.
 I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah; and even though he may
tarry, nonetheless, I wait every day for his coming.
 I believe with perfect faith that there will be a revival of the dead at the time when it
shall please the Creator, Blessed be His name, and His mention shall be exalted for
ever and ever.-Maimonides
As you can see, these are very basic and general
principles. Yet as basic as these principles are, the
necessity of believing each one of these has been
disputed at one time or another, and the liberal
movements of Judaism dispute many of these
principles.
 TRADITION
From tradition, Jewish pray in a congregation three
times a day. The study of Torah, the revealed will of
God, also is considered an act of worship. The Torah
is read religiously each Sabbath. The Sabbath spent in
prayer, study, rest, and family feasting. Over the
course of a year, the entire Torah will be read on
Sabbath and festival days. The Jewish year
includes five major festivals— Passover, Shabuoth,
Sukkot, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur—and two
minor ones— Hanukkah and Purim.
PRACTICES
Observation of the Sabbath (day of rest), starting at sundown
on Friday evening.
Strict religious discipline governs almost all areas of life
Regular attendance at Synagogue
Celebration of the annual festivals including:
The Passover, which is held each Spring to recall their
deliverance out of slavery in Egypt. A ritual Seder meal is eaten
in each observing Jewish home at this time. Some Passover
dates are: 1998 - 11th April, 1999 - 1st April, 2000 - 20th April ,
The 10 days from Rosh Hashanah (New Year) to Yom Kippur
(Day of Atonement) which are days of fasting and penitence.
Some Rosh Hashanah dates are 1998 - 21 September, 1999 - 11th
September, 2000 - 30tth September
 Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies are commonly held to
recognize the coming-of-age of a Jewish youth. Shortly after
their birthday, (13th for a male; 12th for a female), they recite a
blessing during a Saturday Shabbat service. In most cases, they
might handle additional functions, like reading the assigned
text from the Torah, or leading the congregation in prayer. etc..
They often make a speech which, by tradition, starts with
"Today I am a man." The youth's father often recites a blessing
in appreciation for no longer being burdened with the
responsibility of his child's sins. Within Orthodox and Chasidic
practice, women are not allowed to take leadership roles in
religious services. For them, a Bat Mitzvah celebration is
basically a party.
The local synagogue is governed by the congregation and led by
a rabbi who has been chosen by the congregation. The Chief
Rabbis in France and Great Britain have authority only by the
agreement of those who accept it. Two Chief Rabbis in Israel
have civil authority in areas of family law.
Sources:
http://www.jewfaq.org/beliefs.htm
http://www.jewfaq.org/halakhah.htm
http://www.jewfaq.org/halakhah.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/judaism