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Judaism
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The
Mezuzah, with the star of David, Israil''s greatest king
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The Mezuzah is a tiny
parchment scroll inscribed with biblical exts and enclosed in a
case. Traditionally, Mezuzahs are fixed to the door-frames of
Jewish homes. They usually contain the words of the Shema from
the Bible, which calls God''s people to love him totally. (Langley 43) |
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 God and His Laws
Special Holy Days
Different
Approaches: Orthodox Conservative
Reformed Hassidim
Secular
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| God and His Laws |
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For all Jews, God is both
utterly transcendent, "wholly other," yet near to His creation, in
particular His creature, Man.
God is a moral being, as the
paradigm of ethical conduct: a holy, just, and merciful being.
The people are the instrument of
God, His chosen vessel to bear witness to Him for all humans. The covenant
is the alliance or pact between God and his people. It is the alliance
to which He will be utterly faithful, no matter how faithless the
people might be. The idea of covenant starts with Adam, goes through
Noah, but "The Covenant" is the promise God made to Abraham, who
becomes the first Patriarch of the Jewish religion (a role he plays in
Christianity and Islam as well).
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Torah, "instruction" or "revelation," is the way of
imitating God and becoming holy like Him. The Torah
(using the article) is the Holy Book of Judaism and is comprised of
first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers and Deuteronomy). They are also called The
Pentateuch.
Left: A
scroll containing the Torah, the ''Five Books'' supposedly written by
Moses. The Jews are traditionally known as the people of the Book
. The Jewish Museum, New York.
(Parrinder 393)
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The Talmud are the
authoritative interpretations of the texts of the Bible and
interpretation of oral traditions.
Kosher (kashrut)
is a set of dietary laws governing Orthodox Jews. Forbidden foods
include pork, shellfish and scavengers, the separation of meat and
dairy products, and the manner in which food is prepared.
The sabbath or holy day for Jews
starts at sundown Friday and runs till sundown Saturday. Jews will
sometimes go to temple for services led by the rabbi,
or spend time with family. Orthodox Jews are forbidden to work on this
day and take this rule seriously -- no cleaning, school work, cooking
(foods are prepared the day before), travel. It''s a time for God and
family.
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At
prayer in the synagogue. This man wears phylacteries bound to
head and arm, containing portions of the scriptures, and a tallit or
prayer shawl. (Parrinder 415) |
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| Special
Holy Days |
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| Passover (Pesach) is an eight-day celebration commemorating the
flight from slavery in Egypt. The story is told in the Book of
Exodus. There are special foods eaten and the special dinners
are called seders. Since the date is based on a lunar calendar it''s
not fixed, but it usually occurs in early April.
Right: A Jewish
family gathered together for the seder or Passover feast. On the
table can be seen the unleavened bread which commemorates the hasty way
in which the Israelites left Egypt.(Parrinder 406)
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Lighting
the last candle of chanukkah. The eight branches of
the candlestick commemorate the eight days for which a miraculous
supply of oil lasted during the re-dedication of the temple of
Jerusalem in 165 BC. (Parrinder 415) |
Chanuka
(also Hanukka or The Festival of Lights) celebrates a military
victory and the miracle of the temple lights burning for eight days
when there was only enough oil for one. Jews light the menorah, an
eight-branched candelabrum, have special dinners, give small gifts,
play games and sing songs. This usually falls sometime in December and
because of that is sometime called "Jewish Christmas," but that''s a
totally misleading misnomer. |
Rosh Hashana is
the Jewish New Year. It usually falls in mid- to late
September and is a time of joy and feasting.
Yom Kippur (The Day of
Atonement) This is the holiest of holy days for Jews. It
occurs two weeks after the New Year, and it''s a day of fasting,
mourning and prayer for forgiveness of sins. It''s a somber and serious
day, but also one of joy, since God is merciful and forgives sins.
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| Orthodox |
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Orthodox Jews usually prefer the
term Traditional Judaism. They adhere to the
traditional way of Torah, regarding both scriptural and traditional
expression of Torah as binding, shaping daily life according to its
teaching. This group keeps kosher, separates men and women during
worship, and prays exclusively in Hebrew. The dress of women is also
highly regulated (collarbones, elbows, and knees covered, and for
married women, their hair as well) and men as well have special ritual
clothes that should be worn. |
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| Conservative |
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A more moderate approach which
emerged during the 19th century, this form stresses the need
to be as faithful as possible to the way of Torah. It continually
reassesses its particular directives in the light of present-day needs,
adapting the traditional teachings in order to make prophetic Judaism
come to life in a unique way. |
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| Reformed |
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This form also
emerged in the 19th century. It broke with tradition in its
attitude toward the binding authenticity of Biblical and Talmudic
interpretations of Torah, stressing, instead, the ethical dimensions of
Judaic faith. Since this group does not regard Jewish law as divine in
origin, it sees no need to follow them. Non-morality based laws are
ignored. They also allow women full equality in religious matters. |
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| Hassidim |
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A sect of ultra-orthodox
mystical Jews which originated in Eastern Europe in the 18th
century and have since settled in large numbers in Brooklyn, NY, but
they are in other places as well. Their way of life and style of dress
has changed little since the 19th century. They are often
portrayed in movies as something "different," and are easily seen when
visiting New York City as many work in the diamond market, though they
work in many fields as well.
Photo:
Hasidic Jews in Jerusalem.(Parrinder
416) |
A panel of rabbis study the marriage contract at a unique Hasidic
wedding in New York. The bride came from a line of
miracle-working rabbis. (Parrinder
416) |
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| Secular |
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This is a more modern usage.
People use this term to culturally ally themselves with Judaism, but to
say that they don''t have any religious ties to Judaism. |
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| Picture Source:
1. Parrinder, Geoffrey, ed. World
Religions: From Ancient History to the Present. New York:
Facts on File, 1971.
2. Langley, Myrtle. Religion (Eyewitness Guides.)
New York: Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
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