Transcript Judaism is…

Judaism: The Jewish Religion
and Culture
What does it mean to be Jewish?
Judaism is…
• “A 4000 year old tradition with ideas about
what it means to be human and how to make
the world a holy place”
• A “covenant relationship” between God
and the Hebrew people
• A faith, a people, a way of life…
A 4000 year old tradition…
• The Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob
(“Israel”) – origins of the Hebrew people
(more than 3800 years ago)
• Enslaved in ancient Egypt and freed by
Moses (more than 3300 years ago)
• Hebrew monarchy in the “Promised Land”
(The Land of Israel), ends 6th century
BCE
As a faith, Jews Believe…
• In one God, creator of the universe
• In prophets of old – especially Moses, through
whom Torah was revealed to the Hebrew people
• In Torah (first five books of the Bible), containing
religious, moral and social law which guides the life
of a Jew
– the Hebrew Bible does not include the New Testament
As a people, Jews are…
• A nation in Diaspora (dispersed)
• 15 – 16 million in worldwide population
• United by a common heritage (an “ethnic” religion),
divided in contemporary practice:
– Orthodox:
• Modern
• Chasidic / Hasidic (Ultra Orthodox)
– Reformed Conservative – moderates, response
to reform
Hasidic Jews circa 1940 in Europe
Hasidic Boy circa 1950s/1960s
• Side curls are called “payot”
• This is a tradition that
comes from the Book of
Leviticus which states that
mean must not cut the
“corners” of their head
• It is a literal interpretation
that connects Jewish boys
and men to their beliefs
1940s Hasidic Jews in New York
As a way of life, Judaism is based on…
• 613 commandments found in Torah (“Written Law”)
• Talmud (“Oral Law”) – commentary of ancient rabbis
that elaborates on how to apply God’s Law in everyday
life through:
– Dietary rules (Kashrut/Kosher)
– Dress and other symbols
– Prayer and devotion to the one God
– The Temple and Temple rites
– Observance of Holy days
– Proper social relations between male and female, in
business, judicial rulings, etc.
• Thus sanctifying life, blessing it in every way
How does Judaism sanctify life?
Life cycle celebrations:
• Bris – ritual circumcision, sign of the covenant
• Bar/Bat Mitzvah – full adult status and
responsibility within the religion
• Marriage - "Be fruitful and multiply" (Gen. 1:22)
• Death – funerals, mourning (sitting “Shiva”), and
memorials (“Yartzeits”)
How does Judaism sanctify time?
The Jewish Holidays:
• High Holidays:
– Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)
– Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
• Sukkot, the “Festival of Booths” (fall
harvest festival)
• Simchat Torah – celebrating Torah
• Chanukah, the “Festival of Lights”
More Holy Days…
• Purim (“Lots”) – a carnival (commemorates
events told in book of Esther)
• Pesach (“Passover”) – commemorates the
exodus from Egypt (events told in Exodus)
• Shavuot (“weeks,” Pentecost) –
commemorates receipt of Torah at Sinai
• Other, minor festivals
• Shabbat (Sabbath, 7th day, on Saturday) –
the “Day of Rest”
How is Judaism related to
Christianity?
• Judaism predates Christianity – it is the foundation of
Christianity but is not a part of it
• Jesus was Jewish, as were his followers and the
Apostles
• Jews do not believe that Jesus was anything more than
a good and wise man who lived and died 2000 years ago
– Jews still await their messiah
• The Jewish messiah would not be divine. He would be
a political figure who restores the Hebrew monarchy
and causes peace to reign on Earth
• Jews are not concerned about salvation and the “world
to come”
What are Jews really concerned
about?
• Tikkun Olam - “repairing this world” through
justice and righteousness; through “deed, not
creed”
• The heart of Judaism is in the home and family,
social responsibility and doing Mitzvot (“good
deeds” based on God’s commandments)
• Through education and hard work we make our
lives, the lives of others, and the world, what God
intended it to be – Holy!
To Life!
To Life!
LeChaim!
Web resources
• Judaism 101: http://jewfaq.org/
”an online encyclopedia of Judaism, covering Jewish beliefs,
people, places, things, language, scripture, holidays,
practices and customs”
• ReligiousTolerance.org on Judaism:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/judaism.htm
• This P0werpoint presentation available at:
http://www.nvcc.edu/home/lshulman/Rel232/resource/judaism.ppt
Jewish Symbols
From Living Judaism
by Rabbi Wayne Dosick
Magen David
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Star of David
Was on the shields of David’s warriors
Symbol on the Flag of the state of Israel
Used throughout the world as a clear
and unique identifying symbol of Jews
and Judaism
Menorah
• Seven (or nine) branched candleholder
• One of the oldest Jewish symbols—one of the
ritual objects described in the Torah
• Today the nine branched menorah is used in
celebration of Chanukah
• The seven branched menorah is the authentic
ancient symbol (one for each of the 6 days of
creation and 1 for sabbath)
Chai
• The Jewish symbol of life
• Expresses the hope and prayer for life,
health and prosperity
• Popular Jewish toast—L’chayim—To Life
Mazal Tov
• Means good luck or congratulations
• Particularly used for significant life
events (ie. Bar Mitzvahs, weddings,
birthdays, etc.)
Amen
• Literally “So be it”
• Means I agree/affirm
• After a blessing it is customary for those who
have heard the blessing to say Amen
Shalom
• Means hello/goodbye/peace
• Comes from root word shalem
which means whole/complete
– Peace comes when there is wholeness,
completeness, unity.
• Pease is the eternal Jewish prayer—
world peace, peace between
people, inner peace, harmony.
Modern
Denominations
of Judaism
From Living Judaism by Rabbi Wayne
Dosick
Orthodox Judaism
• Mainstream Judaism
• Belief in the direct revelation of divine law which
was recorded in the Torah
– It is eternal, unchanging, and the sole guide for life
– Carefully and strictly observe the commandments as
the direct will of God
– Ultra-Orthodox assert that complete separation from
secular society
Chasidism—Sect of Orthodox
Famous for their dress. From eastern Europe in the early 18th C. Emphasizes both contemplative
meditation and fervent joy.
Lubavitch Chasidism (Chabad) is contemporary American Chasidism
Reform Judaism
• Early 19th C. Germany
• Assert authorship of Torah to Divinely inspired
human beings
• Modern worship mostly in vernacular
Conservative Judaism
• Response to Reform mid to late 19th C. Europe
• Agree that change was necessary but felt
Reform had eliminated too many basic Jewish
practices
• Motto is “tradition and change”
• Fiddler on the Roof
Reconstructionist Judaism
• Early 1920s in US by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan
• Judaism is not merely a religion, but an
evolving religious civilization, a peoplehood, a
culture, as well as a faith community
All of Judaism
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To accept Torah and fulfill its mitzvot
To embrace the ethical mandate of Judaism
To regulate existence to Judaism’s rituals & observances
To support Jewish causes
To be a devoted member of the Jewish community
To maintain a bond and a sense of mutual interdependence with
the Jewish Land
• To feel a connection to Jewish history
• To be committed to the creative survival of the Jewish future
Jewish Literature
From Living Judaism by
Rabbi Wayne Dosick
Torah
• Creation: God Created the Universe and
everything in it, The covenant was created
between God and Humanity (specifically
between God and the Jewish people)
• Redemption: Israelites were saved from bondage
in Egypt (in order to experience revelation)
• Revelation: God gave his 613 mitzvot as a
standard for conduct and behavior
▫ Mixed with ritual practices this provides the framework
of lifestyle for all humanity.
Torah
• Genesis (Bereshit): contains stories of creation, records the
establishment of the covenant between God and the Jewish
people, tells of the lives of the patriarchs and matriarchs
• Exodus (Sh’mot): account of Israelites enslaved in Egypt, the
exodus from Egypt, the receiving of the 10 Commandments at Mt.
Sinai
• Leviticus (Vayikra): gives God’s ethical and ritual laws and specific
instructions to priests on how to perform their duties
• Numbers (Bamidbar): recounts the of the Israelites through the
desert and gives more of God’s ethical and ritual laws
• Deuteronony (Devarim): Moses reviews the laws and the people
prepare to enter the promised land.
Nevi’im
• 2nd section of the Hebrew Bible, prophets
• Not a soothsayer but rather a messenger of
God to the people
• Prophets admonished the Jewish people for
forgetting and forsaking God’s commands
• They called on the people to examine their
lives and their conduct
• Nevi’im is divided in two sections: early and
latter prophets
Nevi’im
• Early Prophets: Joshua, Judges, Samuel (2),
Kings (2)
• Latter Prophets:
– Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel
– Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah,
Jonah, Micah, Nachum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah,
Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
Ketuvim
• 3rd section of Hebrew Bible, writings
• Contains wisdom literature, poetry, songs,
narrative, history, religious philosophy, and
love hymns…12 books in total
• Books include: Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Songs,
Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther,
Daniel, Ezra, Nechemiah, Chronicles
Tenach / Tanakh
• Hebrew name for Hebrew Bible
• Created by taking the first letter of each of the
three sections of the Bible and making a word
out of those three letters.
– T: for Torah
– N: for Nevi’im
– CH: for Ketuvim
Mishnah
• The first compilation of the Oral Law between
200 BCE and 200 CE
• Collects all of the Jewish legal material from
the post-Torah era.
• Divided into 6 orders (or chapters)
– Seeds, Festivals, Women, Damages, Holy Things,
Purifications
Gemara
• A compilation of the discussions,
interpretations, explanations, and theological
arguments about the Mishnah.
• New interpretations and new laws that arose
after Mishnah from about 200-600 CE
• Contains both Jewish law and Jewish stories
Talmud
• Is the combined Mishnah and Gemara
• Largest compilation of post-biblical law
• Remains the basic and central document of postbiblical law
• Talmud is studied:
▫ For the practical application of its laws
▫ For its mind-expanding challenges in logic and
reasoning
▫ For its total immersion in Jewish concerns
▫ For its wisdom and insights into the human experience
▫ And for the simple love of learning and growing