Judaism

• Monotheistic


  Belief in ONE God
• The Almighty


  Non-physical, definitely not human, much more than that and therefore difficult to describe fully
• Name of God


  So holy, should not be spoken aloud, written or ever erased/ destroyed
• Names of God


  • Hashem = The name
  • El = A mighty & powerful God
• The Almighty


  • One
  • Creator
  • Law giver
  • Judge
• Ways God's Oneness is shown

  • Jewish people have a Mezuzah containing the Shema prayer on their doorposts
  • Jewish men bind (tie) the tefillin to their forehead and arm when they pray each morning
  • Judaism teaches the unity of creation and the need for people to try to bring unity to society
• God as Creator


  Everything belongs to him, everything comes from God so it also depends on him, God's creation is seen as 'good', Jewish people must care for the environment
• God as Law giver

  Evidence found in the Tenakh, God gave laws to help us to look after the earth, Laws were given to Noah, Abraham & Moses, Moses received 613 Mitzvot (commands), a good Jew lives their lives following the halakhah -Laws given by God
• God as Judge


  The Tenakh teaches that God is the divine Judge who ensures that the good are rewarded and the evil are punished, this is an important belief for Jews because people know that they will be punished if they do not keep Gods laws, they also know there will be rewards for those who do
• These titles are important for Jews today because they allow Jews to understand the greatness and nature of God, the different names show how complex God is, yet he is One, reciting the Shema prayer every day helps a Jew to remember that God is One, understanding that God is Creator, Law giver and Judge helps a Jew to act justly and with mercy
• Shema: ''Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.''
• Shema: ''Hashem is the one and only''
• Shema: ''Hashem formed man from dust''
• First words of the Torah: ''In the beginning God created the heaven & the earth''
• Isaiah: ''Hashem is our Judge, our Law giver''
• Shekinah


  The divine presence of God in the world
• Ways Jews can connect with the Shekinah

  • In study - Study of the Tenakh & the Talmud
  • In Worship - God instructed Moses to build a Tabernacle
  • In Prayer - Jews can pray alone or as part of a Minyan
• The Torah mentions the Shekinah as surrounding Moses, guiding him through the wilderness to the promised land, and as a cloud of smoke present when Moses received the commandments
• The idea of the Shekinah helps Jews to understand that God is omnipotent and can be understood in many ways, the Shekinah enables Jews and Christians to come together to search for God
• Exodus: ''My presence will go with you and I will give you rest.''
• Exodus: ''Mount Sinai was covered with smoke because the Lord descended on it in fire''
• Messiah


  A 'great leader' who Jews do NOT recognise as Jesus, Jews believe the Messiah will come to earth, bringing with the Messianic age, the Messianic age = A time when the Messiah will rule, Messiah = Anointed one, when he comes he will be anointed King of Israel in the End of days
• Purpose of the Messiah

  • He will rebuild the temple in Jerusalem
  • He will unite all the people of the world
  • He will make all the people of the world aware of God's presence
  • He will bring peace to the world
• Nature of the Messiah

  • He will be a great political leader, descended from King David
  • He will be human, not divine
  • He will be a man of great piety and close to God
• The time when the Messiah comes will be known as the Messianic age, many Jews are working together to bring about a better world – Tikkun Olam, they are working together in areas such as politics & environmental improvements, by making the world a better place, it is thought that the Messianic age may come more quickly
• Divergent views on the Messiah

  • Some Orthodox Jews believe the Messiah will only come when everyone observes the Mitzvot fully
  • Some Jews believe God has set a date and time when the Messiah will arrive
  • Some Reform Jews believe it is not up to the Messiah, one man, to make the world a better place, instead they believe it is up to individual Jewish people to do this
• Belief in the Messiah is important because it is 1 of the 13 principles of faith, Jews pray daily for the coming of the Messiah, the return of those who were exiled, reward for the righteous and rebuilding of the temple
• 12th of the 13th Principles of Jewish faith: ''I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah''
• Covenant


  An everlasting agreement between two parties, with certain conditions and obligations that must be followed, for Jews this agreement was one which was formed out of love and signifies a special relationship with God (Hashem)
• Brit Olam


  Everlasting Covenant, the Jewish people that God will not break his covenant with them, they recognise that from time to time, they may fail to follow all the laws
• This Covenant was between God and Moses, the Jewish people entered into a Covenant with God after Moses had led them out of Slavery in Egypt to the promised land
• This is important because it was this covenant where Moses received the Torah, the laws which are still very important and relevant today
• What's special about this Covenant

  • Jews who did not follow this covenant would be punished
  • This Covenant identified the Jews as the 'Chosen people 'of God for 'Chosen responsibility'
  • 10 Commandments were given first of all – Decalogue
  • God gave the Jewish people the whole Torah – this would help them to stay obedient and faithful to God
  • Moses was also given the oral law = The Talmud, which was later written down
  • According to Jewish tradition, every Jewish soul that would ever be born was present at that moment, and all agreed to be bound by this covenant
• These laws of the Torah, are still followed today, they remain relevant, the Torah is read in the Synagogue every Sabbath, studying the Torah is an important part of Jewish life – It is a way of worship, the gift of the Torah is celebrated every year at 'Shavuot'( A remembrance of the day God gave Moses the Torah)
• Torah: ''For you are holy people to Hashem, your God…''
• 1000 years before Moses, the Torah tells us that God called Abraham to leave his family and travel to Canaan to worship ONE true God (Monotheism), God and Abraham entered into a covenant, God promised 3 things; Many descendants, a Promised land & a blessed nation, Abraham had to promise/do the following- Circumcision
• Most Jewish boys are circumcised today to show their faithfulness to this Covenant (Brit Milah), many Jewish People do not believe this Covenant has been completed, they hope to live as a great nation in the Promised Land where they will be blessed and redeemed by God, this Covenant gave rise to the idea that Jewish people had a right to live in the Promised Land (Israel), the state of Israel was established in 1947 as a place of security for all Jewish people, today any Jewish person, no matter where they live in the world, have the right to live in Israel and become a citizen
• A negative affect however, is that the Palestinians and Jews are still in conflict today over the land, Sabbath prayers and prayers said at Jewish Festivals always seek a return to Israel – the Promised Land, this shows that it is still very important to Jewish people today, some Jews believe that living outside Israel, is a form of Exile
• Genesis: ''I will make you a great nation, I will bless you and make your name great, you will be a blessing''
• Genesis: ''I will ratify my Covenant as an everlasting Covenant, to be a God to you and your offspring after you''