Judaism

• Kvater


  Equivalent to a godfather, takes the baby from the mother and hands him to the father
• Tallit


  The father wears it to remind him of the seriousness of what he is doing, the baby is wrapped into the tallit which is a reminder of the 613 commands of the Torah
• YAHWEH is faithful so He keeps his promise to not flood the world again. However, He must find a way to help humans return to a good relationship with Him
• To do this YAHWEH decides to form a Chosen People from one good man, Abraham
• The Chosen People will be an example to all of the other nations in the world of how to live the good life YAHWEH wants
• YAHWEH promises as many descendants as there are stars in the sky and a Promised Land to live in
• It won't be easy to be the Chosen People. The Jews will have to be set apart from the other nations. This will be indicated with circumcision
• YAHWEH Promises to Abraham


  • Many descendants as stars
  • A land in which his descendants will live
  • His protection
• Abraham promises to


  • Worship only God
  • Follow all of God's laws
• Bar Mitzvah


  When a boy (13) takes on responsibility for following the commands in the Torah for themselves
• Part of the Bar Mitzvah is to learn how to read Hebrew so that he can do a public reading of the Torah. Being able to read the Torah for yourself is an important part of following the commands
• More recently, liberal Jews have begun to practise Bat Mitzvah which means daughter of the commandments. A girl may prepare for her Bat Mitzvah in a very similar way to boys, learning to read from the Torah and doing a small speech
• In Orthodox Judaism Bat Mitzvahs are less common and may simply involve a meal at home, some new clothes and a blessing
• Jewish Practices


  • Brit Milah
  • Bar / Bat Mitzvoh
• Shema-Torah: ''Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.''
• Torah: ''You shall bind them (the words of the Shema) as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for a reminder between your eyes. And you shall write them upon the doorpost of your house and upon your gate.''
• Torah: ''Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.''
• Mezuzah


  Boxes on doorposts with the Shema in. They are a reminder of the importance of the law
• Tefillin


  Boxes with verses from the Torah which are tied on the arm and head. They are a reminder of the law
• Brit Milah


  Circumcision ceremony when a baby boy is 8 days old
• Bar/bat Mitzvah


  A rite which celebrates a boy / girl's beginning of adulthood (son / daughter of the covenant)
• Liberal Jew


  This approach to Judaism says we should adapt the Torah to modern life, and therefore will be influenced by the culture
• Orthodox Jew


  This approach to Judaism says that a traditional understanding of the Torah should be followed today and will have a strict application to modern life
• Brit Shalom


  Means covenant welcome. Instead of circumcision an item of the babies clothing is ripped
• Brit Bat


  This means 'daughter of the covenant'. These services have been introduced recently mostly by liberal Jews to welcome baby girls. Sometimes the girls' feet are washed (Brit Rechitzah)
• Brit Milah literally means covenant of circumcision and is the birth ceremony which is necessary for a male Jew to enter the covenant. It involves circumcision at 8 days old. Candles are lit at the ceremony because it is said that when Moses was born the room was lit up. So the room is lit up in the hope that the boy will grow up to be a good Jew, as Moses was