Jewish symbols

The Shema
● A Jewish affirmation of the
belief in one God.
● It is the centre piece of the
daily morning and evening
prayer services and is
considered the most essential
prayer in all of Judaism.
The mezuzah
● Translation: doorpost
● A small case that is attached to the
right side of the doorpost as you
enter a room.
● It is important because it is a
constant reminder of God’s presence
and God’s law.
● The words of the Shema are written
on a tiny scroll of parchment paper
and placed inside the case.
● Every time Jews pass through the
door, they touch the mezuzah and
then kiss the fingers that touched
it, expressing love and respect for
God and his law.
The tefillin ● The shema commands to bind the
words to our hands and between
our eyes - Jewish people follow
this command by binding
tefillin (leather boxes and
straps) to their arms and
foreheads.
● The straps and boxes contain
pieces of Torah passages and
are worn during prayers, except
on Shabbat and Festivals.
● Tefillin symbolizes God’s law:
○ Arm - represents the
opportunity to serve God with
the body and the head to serve
God with the mind through study
and belief.
The tzitzit & tallit
● A tallit is a four cornered
garment or prayer shawl that is
worn during the morning
prayers.
● The important part of the
tallit is the tzitzit, or
fringes, tied to each corner as
the Torah commands Jews to wear
tzitzit (fringes) at the
corners of garments as a
reminder of the commandments.
The Menorah
● A candelabrum with seven
branches, used at home and in
the synagogue on the Sabbath
and holidays
● The menorah is a very ancient
symbol of the presence of God
and the 7 branches represent
the 6 days of creation and one
for the Sabbath.
● Also a symbol used during
Hanukkah to represent the oil
that once burned in the Temple
for 8 days in Jerusalem.
THe kippah/yarmulke
● The most commonly known and
recognized piece of Jewish clothing
is actually the one with the least
religious significance.
● It is a skullcap that is small,
round, and worn on the head.
● Some Jews wear the kippah all day;
some wear it only while eating,
praying or studying; and some
(reform) do not wear it at all.
● It symbolized that human beings are
beneath or dependant on, God.
The shofar
● The shofar is a ram’s horn
blown during the month prior to
Rosh Hashanah (the New Year)as
during Rosh Hashanah services
and at the end of Yom Kippur
(the Day of Atonement)
services.
● The shofar makes a loud sound
and the purpose of this is to
wake people up and remind them
of their responsibility to ask
other people and God
forgiveness for their sins.
The star of david
● The star of David is the symbol most
commonly associated with Judaism
today.
● It is named after King David, a great
Jewish leader and is supposed to
represent the shape of his shield.
● During the Holocaust, Jews were
required to wear a Star of David as
badges to identify themselves as
Jews.
● Today, the Star of David is a
universally recognized symbol of
Judaism and appears on the flag of
the state of Israel.
Ner tamid (eternal light or flame)
● Hangs above the ark in every
synagogue.
● It is a symbol of God’s eternal
presence, and is therefore
never extinguished.
The holy ark or torah ark
● Torah scrolls are kept here, at
the front of the synagogue.
● This is the considered the
holiest place in the synagogue.
● It is normally placed on the
eastern wall to face the city
of Jerusalem.