JUDAISM

3500 YEARS OF RELIGION

AND CULTURE

By: Dian STUDENT

Date: November 1, 2006

When and where the religion was established:

• Abraham called of God.

• Moses leading the People from Egypt and received the Ten Commandments directly from God on Mount Sinai.

Influential Practitioners:

• Rabbi Moses Maimonides 1135-1204 formulated the Thirteen Principles of the Faith.

Abraham the Father of the Jewish Faith. It all began with God calling him to be the Alpha of the Jewish race.

The picture depicts Abraham’s extreme test of faith in God by obeying God’s command to slay his Son of Promise, Isaac. The angel of God stays his hand from killing the child.

Moses the ultimate leader – God gave the law directly to him on tablets of stone (The 10 Commandments) at Mt. Sinai

MOSES is believed to be the writer of the first five books of the Holy Bible: the Jews refer to this as the TORAH

• God is the sole creator• God is One• He does not have a physical form• He is eternal• Man is to pay only to Him• All the words of the prophets are true• Moses was the greatest of all prophets• The Torah which we have today is the same one given to Moses by God• God will not replace this Torah with another• God knows all of man’s thoughts• The good are rewarded and the evil punished• The Messiah will come• The dead will be revived

MOSES MAIMONIDES (1135-1204)

ECCLESIASTICAL LAW

HOUSE OF WORSHIP: SYNAGOGUE the place of worship and communal center of a Jewish congregation.

TORAH: The first five books of the Holy Bible; also Torah is a way of living to the Jewish people.

MISHNAH later referred to as the TALMUD: The oral law that was written for fear of being lost. A belief that every moment of a Jew’s existence is wrapped up in God.

AARON of the Tribe of Levi began the Levitical Priesthood administering animal sacrifices and offering of prayers for the people to God; today no animal sacrifices are performed and Rabbis lead the congregations in worship to God.

A page from the BabylonianTalmud text currently used. These editions established the familiar format of placing the original text in square formal letters the centre of the page, surrounded by the commentaries of Rashi and Tosafot, (comments of the Rabbi) which are printed in a semi-cursive typeface.

The Talmud: The Oral Law, was reduced to writing by Rabbi Judah, 2nd century CE.

SYNAGOGUES

NEW and OLD

Synagogue: East Park, Cleveland, Ohio, 2006

Contrasted to:

Synagogue in Jerusalem and Istanbul built from the 13th to 18th Centuries

Old City

Istanbul SynagogueWest Wall

NUMBER OF ADHERENTS:

Nation Number USA 5,602,000 Israel 4,390,000 Russia 1,450,000 France 640,000

Canada 350,000 United Kingdom 320,000

Argentina 250,000 Brazil 150,000 Australia 92,000 South Africa 70,000

Rank

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Cities with the LargestJewish Population in the Diaspora

New York, USA

Miami, USA

Los Angeles, USA

Paris, France

Philadelphia, USA

Chicago, USA

San Francisco, USA

Boston, USA

1,750,000

535,000

490,000

350,000

254,000

248,000

210,000

208,000

London, UK

Moscow, Russia

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Toronto, Canada

Washington DC, USA

Kiev, Ukraine

Montreal, Canada

St. Petersburg, Russia

200,000

200,000

180,000

175,000

165,000

110,000

100,000

100,000

DIASPORA: The dispersion of Jews outside Israel from the sixth century BCE, when they were exiled to Babylonia, until the present time.

The Islam faith uses the Pentateuch (5 books of the Jewish Testament the Christian Faith’s Old Testament)For its basis of beginning in Judaism, but adds to it the writings of Mohammad to complete their faith basis.

Judaism is the base for Christianity, Jesus Christ is believed to be the Messiah that those of Jewish faith are awaiting the arrival of.

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JUDAISM

CHRISTIANITY ISLAM

The Jewish Faith gave rise to the Christian and Islamic Faiths

VIEW OF JERUSALEM

JERUSALEM

THE HOLY CITY OF JUDAISM: The Temple of Solomon was built, and where Abraham had offer his son Isaac to God.

THE LOCATION OF THE DOME OF THE ROCK OF ISLAMIC FAITH: Muhammad ascended to the sky where he met all the prophets who had preceded him (such as Moses, Josef and Christ), witnessed paradise and hell and finally saw God sitting on his throne circumambulated by angels.

THE PLACE OF BEGINNING OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH: Christ’s Crucifixion and Church Establishment on Pentecost

RITES/RITUALS/CEREMONIES

• The Cycle of Life

• The Cycle of the Jewish Year

THE CYCLE OF THE JEWISH YEAR

• Shabbat (The Sabbath) • Rosh ha-Shanah (The New Year) • Yom Kippur (The day of atonement) • Sukkot (The Festival of Booths) • Simhat Torah (Celebrating the Torah) • Hanukkah (The Festival of Lights) • Tu bi-Shevat (The Festival of Trees) • Purim • Pesah (Passover) • Holocaust Memorial Day • Israel Independence Day • Counting the Omer • Shavuot (Receiving the Torah) • Tish'ah be-Av (Mourning the destruction of the Temples)

(THE SABBATH)

•Simhat Torah (Celebrating the Torah)

•Hanukkah (The Festival of Lights)

The word JUDE is the German word for Jew. This is an armband worn by an adult Jew in Germany during the reign of Hitler.

•Holocaust Memorial Day

The Star of David: Original Rendition

In modern times, the Star of David has become a premier Jewish symbol. This six-pointed star (hexagram), made of two interlocking triangles, can be found on mezuzahs, menorahs, tallis bags, and kipot. Ambulances in Israel bear the sign of the "Red Star of David," and the flag of Israel has a blue Star of David planted squarely in the center.

The six points of the Star of David symbolize God's rule over the universe in all six directions: north, south, east, west, up and down.

THE LIFE CYCLE

• Childbirth • Brit Milah (Circumcision) • Welcoming a Daughter • Pidyon ha-Ben (Redeeming a first born son) • Childhood • Bar and Bat Mitzvah • Marriage • The Jewish Home • Death and Mourning

Circumcision or Brit Milah    

        

Like some other religions, Jewish baby rites differ for male and female babies.Any child born to a Jewish mother is considered a Jew. The Brit Milah (circumcision ceremony) is an important initiation rite for young Jewish boys. Ordinarily circumcision ceremonies take place when the child is eight days old but it can be delayed for medical reasons.

The Brit Milah is usually attended by men. The child is placed on the lap of a male friend or relative who has the honor of being the Sandek. He has the responsibility of holding the child still whilst the circumcision is performed by a Mohel.

Baby boys are also given their names at their circumcisions; it is customary to keep the name a secret before the ceremony.

Pidyon HaBen is only held if all of the following are true about the male baby:

He is the first-born child of his mother.

His parents are neither Kohanim or Levites.

He was born in natural childbirth (not via C-section).

His mother did not previously have a miscarriage after more than 40 days of pregnancy.

REDEEMING A FIRST BORN SON

A Jewish Bride:

Haredi Judaism is the most theologically conservative form of Judaism. Haredi Judaism is often translated as ultra-orthodox Judaism, although Haredi Jews themselves object to this translation. They simply refer to themselves as Jews, and they consider more liberal forms of Judaism to be unauthentic.

According to Haredi Jews, authentic Jews believe God wrote the Torah, strictly observe Jewish Law (halacha), and refuse to modify Judaism to meet contemporary needs. The word Haredi derives from the Hebrew word for fear (harada) and can be interpreted as "one who trembles in awe of God"

•Rabbis serve Orthodox, Conservative Reform and Reconstructionist Jewish congregations, preserving the substance of Jewish religious worship. The format of the worship service and, therefore, the ritual that the rabbi uses may vary even among congregations belonging to the same branch of Judaism. •Rabbis report directly to the board of trustees of the congregation they serve. •Those serving large congregations may spend considerable time in administrative duties, working with their staffs and committees. •Rabbis play a role in community relations. •Rabbis also may write for religious and lay publications and teach in theological seminaries, colleges and universities.

CLERGY:

THE RABBI

HISJOB:

AUGUST 2006: Dina Najman became "rosh kehillah," or "head of the community" at an Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Manhattan without the title "rabbi."

NOVEMBER 2005: The emergence of women as learned Jews and as public Jewish leaders is rooted in non-Orthodox Jewish denominations, which have influenced many among the Orthodox.

JULY 2006: ORTHODYKES is a list for Orthodox Jewish lesbians. More information is available at the ORTHODYKES web page. To subscribe, send the message SUBSCRIBE ORTHODYKES <your email address> to MAJORDOMO@QUEERNET.ORG .

WOMEN IN CLERGY

CAN I BE PROSELYTIZED?

1. If your mother is a Jew you are automatically a Jew and with religious instruction you would adhere to a particular branch of Judaism.

2. Becoming a Jew is not just a religious change: the convert not only accepts the Jewish faith, but becomes a member of the Jewish People and embraces Jewish culture and history.

3. Conversion to Judaism is a process governed by Jewish religious law. Conversions are overseen by a religious court, which must be convinced that:

the convert is sincere; is converting for the right reasons; is converting of their own free will has a thorough knowledge of Jewish faith and practices, will live an observant Jewish life.

4. There are also two ritual requirements:

A male convert must undergo circumcision if they are already circumcised, a single drop of blood is drawn as a symbolic circumcision,

The convert must undergo immersion in a Jewish ritual bath (a mikveh), with appropriate prayers.

AGE OF REASON• The Jews were treated better by those of

the Enlightenment became religion did not matter to them.

• On Napoleon’s march through Europe he liberated the Jews.

• With time, Jews were granted citizenship in every country in Europe. Interestingly, the last two countries to grant Jews citizenship were Switzerland (1874) and Spain (1918).

www.adherents.com/largecom/com_judaism.html

www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/index.shtml

www.bibleplaces.com/

www.ushmm.org/outreach/before.htm

www.fordham.edu/halsall/jewish/jews-romanlaw.html

www.geocities.com/alabasters_archive/jewish_history.html

www.lcsc.edu/mlevine/Judaism/main.htm

www.answers.com/topic/star-of-david-1

www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism

www.jewishsoftware.com/products/The_Israel_Museum__Cycles_of_Jewish_Life_368.asp?bhcd2=1162359209

www.spaceandmotion.com/religion-judaism-jewish-jews.htm

REFERENCES

INTERNET:

The American Heritage College Dictionary. Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Co. Boston 2002.

Gerber, Jame S. et al. The Illustrated History of the Jewish People. Edited by: Nicholas DeLange. Harcourt Brace & Company. New York. 1997

Himelstein, Shmuel Rabbi Dr. The Jewish Primer. Facts on File. New York 1990.

Tremendous amount of Sunday School Lessons.

REFERENCES