Judaism is a monotheistic religion. This is to believe in one god. God’s laws and teachings are set forth in the Torah. The Torah Law teaches the Jewish people “what to do, think and feel about life and death” (What is the Torah). Moses was given the Torah by God.
The Torah consists of two parts; these parts are called the written Torah and the Oral Torah. The Torah is written, it contains three parts, which are called the five Books of Moses, the Prophets and the Scriptures. The Five Books of Moses “were given to the Jewish People on Mount Sinai during their exodus from Egypt about 3500 years ago” ( What is the Torah). Prophets are “prophecies or direct reports of what God said to the prophets” (What is the Torah). The works of the prophets were written under the guidance and inspiration of God.
The Oral Torah is a verbal explanation of the Written Torah. These have been handed down from generation to generation over the years. That the Oral Torah should not be changed orally is a written outline that was constructed in the “2nd century C.E.” (what is the Torah). This form is called the Misnah. “In the last few centuries Jewish students studied the Mishnah. Their discussions, questions and decisions were made in the Gemara” (What is the Torah). The Mishnah and the Gemara are the only known Talmud that is taught today.
Jerusalem plays an important part in Judaism. King David made Jerusalem the capital of Israel in his kingdom, and his son King Solomon built the first temple there. . The Ark of the Covenant was to be kept in the temple, and the Israelites had a holy place to worship their God. In 70 CE The Romans took the temple and destroyed it, and it was never rebuilt there. The foundation was left a place of Jewish pilgrimage until 132-135, when their defeat was disastrous. Later the Jewish people were persecuted. They were not allowed to enter the rebuilt Roman city of Jerusalem, and they had remained without worship, which was sacred to them.
Israel was created in 1948 when the United Nations cut Palestine in two. One part of Israel became an independent state, the other was to be ruled by the Arabs. The surrounding Arab nations were not happy with this decision and conflict ensued. Although they differed against the Israelites; they were able to possess more land than they had at first. Israel is considered the land of promise to the Jewish people, but the Arab people feel that this is unfair. To this day, there are conflicts in Israel and in the surrounding countries. There is still war and pain, but with hope there may be peace.
There are many different sects of Judaism. Orthodox Jews believe that the Torah was given to Moses and contained 613 commandments to be obeyed. Modern Orthodox Jews strictly observe halakhah (Jewish Law), but still integrate into modern society (branches of Judaism). Ultra-Orthodox people strictly follow Jewish law and do not mix with society by dressing differently from industry and living apart from society. Conservative Jews believe that the Torah is from God, but that it was written by the hand of men and contains a human element. Conservative Jews believe that the values of the Torah are preserved intact, while some laws are adapted to adapt to the times. Reform Judaism believes that the Torah was written by different human sources, rather than by God, and later combined” (Branches of Judaism).
Reconstructionist Jews “do not believe in a personified deity active in history, nor do they believe that God chose the Jewish people” (a branch of Judaism). Humanistic Jews believe in a Jewish life that is not bound by supernatural authority. Humanistic Judaism encompasses a human-centered philosophy that combines the celebration of Jewish culture and identity with an adherence to human values” (a href=”https ://e-info.vn/tag/ offshoots of Judaism).
During World War II more than 6 million European Jews were killed. This catastrophic event is called the Holocaust. The total number of civilians killed was “over a third of the Jewish people in the world and half of all Jews in Europe” (Judaism). Adolf Hitler led the Nazi on a mission to remove all Jews from Europe. He blamed the Jews for everything in Germany, and when he conquered other regions, he brought war against the Jews. “During 1942, large death camps were set up by the Nazis to facilitate the ‘Final Solution’, the total extermination of all Jews in Europe, the Nazis numbering 11,000 people” (Judaism). The Jews were taken from their homes, worked, starved, tortured, tortured, and finally killed. This was truly horrible, not just in Jewish history, but in the history of the world.
There are many sacred practices in Judaism. Hebrew children are taught to read and write; they will also be taught how to interpret the Scriptures. They are taught to observe and follow the precepts and to consider God in every aspect of life. What a person eats is also important because some foods are considered dirty. “For example, the only accepted, or tanned, foods are the hooves of warm-hoofed animals that chew the cud, such as cows, goats, and sheep. Chicken was kept, except for birds of prey, but no shellfish. Food was also kept only if it was sharp, as was the custom of the ancient butchers. and with a sharp knife used by the Jewish murderer. Meat and milk cannot be eaten together, and separate dishes are eaten for preparation and service” (Judaism).
Prayers are also the most important sacred rituals and prayers are said in the morning and before bedtime.
There are many holy holidays in Judaism. Rosh Hashanah is the New Year that celebrated “spiritual renewal in memory of the original creation of the world” (Judaism). It is celebrated around the time of the equinox. Yom Kippur means to celebrate “the renewal of the holy covenant with God in the spirit of atonement and purification” (Judaism). This is the time to cleanse the soul from sins. This is when a person confesses his sins and asks for forgiveness and penance.
Sukkot is the harvest festival in the fall. A house is built outside in 7 days for God to be a true house. “Close to the winter solstice, the densest time of the year, comes Hanukkah, the Feast of Dedication. Each night for eight nights, another candle is lit in a special candle holder. The amount of light gradually increases as the length of the sun” (Judaism).
“Judaism, like all modern religions, faced the challenge of secularism: the idealization of science, rationalism, industrialism and materialism” (Judaism). There are many different groups and sects of Judaism, as I said above, and there are many conflicts between them. Different belief and reasoning in the Scriptures and Laws of the Jews lead to conflicts between the different sects of the Jews. Time put a tension in these different groups, because some wanted to keep the Jewish law in different degrees of severity, while others liked to change the law to adapt to the day and age. These different beliefs do not unite the Jewish people, but there are still many who believe in Judaism.
References
What is the Torah? (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2007, from http://judaism.about.com/cs/torah/f/torah.htm
Branches of Judaism. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2007, from http://judaism.about.com/od/denominationsofjudaism/p/branches.htm
Judaism, Living Religions Sixth edition. (2005)
