Judaism

• The nature of the almighty

  Key words: Creator, One, Lawgiver, Judge
• Creator


  The belief that God created the everything, 'God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th' -Genesis
• One

  The belief in one God (Monotheism) 'You should only worship one God' - Decalogue & 'Hear O'Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one' -Shema prayer
• Lawgiver


  God provides the laws for Jews (613 Mitzvot) 'The covenant with moses
• Judge

  The belief that when you die God will judge how you have lived your life (life after death)
• Shekhinah


  The divine presence of God on Earth
• Why is the Shekinah important for Jews?

  - Made by ancient Rabbis to help them understand God.

  - Shows how God was able to speak to Moses through the burning bush.

  - Way for Jews to know that God is present 'The glory of God filled the Temple'.

  - Helps them relate to God in a more modern debates about whether he's masculine. (more reform POV)
• Orthodox and Reform views on the Shekinah

  Orthodox Jews- Don't agree in the Shekinah because it came from Rabbis rather than from God in the Tenakh.

  Reform Jews- Some see this as a feminine aspect of God as it allows for them to understand him better because of the motherly nature.
• Messiah


  Messiah- Anointed one + hasn't arrived yet
• Characteristics of the messiah

  - Rebuild the Temple in Jersusalem and unite everyone

  - Descendant of King David 'A descendant of King David a good and righteous king and he will rule wisely'

  - Messianic age
• Orthodox and Reform POV

  Orthodox Jews- Messiah won't arrive until all Jews follow the 613 mitzvot

  Reform Jews- No longer believe in one Messiah but rather the messianic age, a state when the world is at peace
• Abraham


  The founding father of Judaism, made 3 covenants with God
• Promised Land


  Abraham received the 'Promised Land', Israel, which is the holy land for Jews today. (Amidah- face the Promised Land, Shema- 'Hear O'Israel')
• Descendants


  All Jews today are Abrahams descendants, as he received 'as many as the stars' (Judaism wouldn't exist today without him)
• Circumcision

  A permanent sign of the covenant Abraham made with God when he had agreed to kill his son Isaac on mount Sinai. Performed in Brit Milah.
• Moses (Mosaic covenant)


  Moses made the covenant with God on Mount Sinai when he set the Jews free from slavery in Egypt and received the Decalogue
• Why is it Important?

  - The Decalogue is the 10 most important mitzvot that all Jews follow today

  - The freedom from slavery is celebrated in the festival Pesach

  (Passover)

  - They have a duty to keep their part of the covenant to make them God's people.
• Sanctity of Life


  The belief that all life is sacred and should be preserved. Pekuach Nefesh
• Why is Pekuach Nefesh important.

  - Pekuach Nefesh means deciding when and where mitzvot take priority. 'The is no God but me, I put to death and I bring to life'

  - Some Jews disagree with abortion due to the fact that the baby is a human life and therefore should arguably be cultivated as well.
• Arguments for Pikuach Nefesh

  Orthodox- Agree with Pikuach Nefesh and the sanctity of life, therefore they believe life begins at the moment of conception, so it applies to them too so abortion isn't accepted.

  Reform- Abortion is accepted to save the mother's life
• Mitzvot


  The 613 commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai, a sign of his covenant with God for all Jews

  Deuteronomy and Leviticus are key books where the Mitzvot are kept.
• Why are the mitzvot important?

  -they're god's way of reaching out to humans, helping them develop a deeper relationship with him. 'If you keep God's commandments God will bless you'

  -understanding and following the mitzvot leads to better relationships with people.
• Arguments for Mitzvot


  Orthodox- Follow all Mitzvot as they believe it comes directly from God. Shows them the right and wrong way to live their lives.

  Reform- Don't follow all the mitzvot because they don't think it's directly God's word so mitzvots like kosher are optional.
• Life after death

  - Souls live on after death

  - Souls of the righteous go to Gan Eden anf Souls of the unrighteous go to gehinnom
• Why is life after death important

  - It is one of the 13 principles of faith

  - A life after death where people are judged will make sure people are righteous in life

  - The Tenakh says God will end the world one day and he will raise the dead and create a new world by rebuilding Jerusalem and the Temple. (Torah) 'Those who are righteous will be reunited with their loved ones
• Why is life after death important

  Most Jews- believe there will be a resurrection and a new world since it's one of the 13 principles of faith. Some believe this will occur when the Messiah arrives.

  Other Rabbis- Argued immortality of the soul, the idea that the soul lives on after death in Olam Ha-Ba (spiritual world).
• Worship


  Jews worship publicly at the synagogue and their weekly worship is the shabbat service on Saturday morning.
• worship is important because.....

  - Worshipping publicly allows Jews to feel as though they're part of a community.

  - Synagogue worship is needed to celebrate Shabbat properly. 'Keep the Sabbath day holy' (Decalogue)

  - It gives all Jews a sense of belonging as it strengthens their faith, since they can listen to the sermons of the Rabbi and discover more about the faith. 'Worship is a way to repay God for his great goodness' (Psalm 116)
• Different worship

  Orthodox worship- always keep men and women separated because they believe the mitzvot is the direct word of God

  Reform worship- demonstrate equality, so both sexes can sit together in the synagogue.
• prayer


  Tallit- prayer shawl

  Tefillin- prayer box/straps tied to the left arm and head

  Kippah- scull cup
• Prayer is important because...

  - Allows Jews to build their relationship with God

  - serve God and object the commandments

  - Most Jews pray at home because they believe you can wake God in the morning 'you should pray morning, noon & evening' (Tenakh)
• Where is it better to pray?

  Home- good place because it's personal and private. Prayer can be said when waking up, before bed and before meals. A lot of festivals such as Pesach, take place in the home because God listens anywhere

  Synagogue- has Rabbi's sermons and the Tenakh/Talmud, which Jews may not have access to at home. It's bette to say set prayers in the Synagogue rather than at home.
• Tenakh and Talmud


  Tenakh- is all three books that make up Jewish scripture: Torah, Nevim, Ketuvim

  Talmud- book of instructions that helps Jews understand the Tenakh
• Importance


  - Torah is in the Tenakh and contains all 613 Mitzvot.

  - Torah contains daily prayers used in the synagogue.

  - Talmud explains the importance and meanings of the 613 mitzvot, such as Kosher. 'Do not eat an animal that doesn't chew the cud
• Different woship:

  Orthodox Jews- believe the Tenakh and Talmud are both the direct word of God, both were given to Moses on mount sinai

  Reform Jews- disagree that the talmud was given to moses. They do believe Moses received the 10 commandments bu t not all 613 are the direct word of God,
• Shema and Amidah


  - The Shema prayer is the most

  important prayer in Judaism, it is

  all about the oneness of God

  - The Amidah is the second most

  important prayer and is known as the standing prayer.
• Shema


  Most important prayer in Judaism because it is about the oneness of God (which is featured in the Decalogue) and how Jewish people need to show God love by following the mitzvot 'Hear O'Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is one
• Amidah


  Prayer set out by great Rabbis and is said facing Israel. It fulfills the 3 purposes of prayer: Praise, Petition, Thanks. In 19 blessings.
• Rituals


  Rituals and ceremonies are

  important in Judaism as they

  mark important stages in a

  Jewish persons life
• Brit Milah


  after 8 days when a born is born they will have the covenant of

  circumcision. This is important because it follows Abraham's final covenant of circumcision ( Orthodox Jews belive they are direct descendants So they are responsible for fulfilling his covenant) and it is when he receives his name 'this is my covenant with you and your descendants forever