Judaism

Judaism is the religion, culture, ethics and law of the Jewish people. It is one of the first recorded monotheistic faiths, a 4000 year history.
= History of Judaism =

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History is of the utmost importance in Judaism. Whereas the sacred texts of most ancient religions focus on myths and philosophical concepts, the Jewish Bible is centered around historical narrative; and most Jewish holidays are intended to connect modern Jews with their historical ancestors and traditions. ======

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 Judaism began in Canaan with the advent of Abraham to that region. This region is commonly known as Israel today. Founded thousands of years ago, [|Judaism] (JOO-dee-ihz-uhm) was the first major religion to teach a belief in one God. Jews trace their ancestry to Abraham, who lived sometime between 2000 B.C. and 1800 B.C., in the region we know as the Middle East. Jews believe that God promised to protect Abraham's people if they remained faithful to Him. Abraham was chosen in part because he was the first to profess a belief in only one God. ======

= Followers of Judaism =

According to the TIME/Britannica Almanac 2010, Annual Megacensus of Religions, p. 508,  figures as of mid-2009:  Africa:. . . . . . . . . . . 130,000  Asia:. . . . . . . . . . 5,865,000  Europe:. . . . . . . . 1,847,000  Latin America:. . . . . 930,000  Northern America: 5,668,000  Oceania:. . . . . . . . . 109,000

 Number of countries: 138  World:. . . . . . . . // ** 14,549,000 ** //  Fraction of world population: // ** 0.2 percent ** // (that's 1/5 th of one percent) = Worship = = From tradition, Jewish pray in a congregation three times a day. The study of //Torah//, the revealed will of God, also is considered an act of worship. The Torah is the foundation of Jewish religion, law, and refers to the Five Books of Moses, the Pentateuch: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. But the word "torah" can also be used to refer to the entire Jewish bible. =

In Judaism there is only **one deity**. He has ultimate control over the entire universe. The deity is referred to as God or Almighty. Since it's a grave sin to mention God's name in vain, Jews will refer to God in day-to-day speech as **[|Hashem]**.

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 * [|The synagogue]** is the Jewish equivalent of a church, more or less. It is the center of the Jewish religious community: a place of prayer, study and education, social and charitable work, as well as a social center. A synagogue is a house of prayer. It is the place where Jews come together for community prayer services. Jews can satisfy the obligations of daily prayer by praying anywhere; however there are certain prayers that can only be said in the presence of a minyan, and tradition teaches that there is more merit to praying with a group than there is in praying alone.

= Beliefs of Judiasm =

** God ** Judaism is a monotheistic faith, meaning that they believe there is on one God. ** Humankind was created in the divine ** Judaism teaches that every person, Jewish and non-Jewish, was created "in the image of God." For this reason, every person is equally important and has an infinite potential to do good in the world. ** Community ** Judaism believes that Jews are uniquely connected with each other. Regardless of where we live in the world, all Jews are part of a global Jewish community. ** In Judaism, there are [|five major sects]: Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, and Humanistic. **Each one of these different sects encompasses a different set of religious beliefs, different histories, and different ways of looking at the Jewish tradition. __** Reformed **__ Reform Judaism believes that the Torah was written by different human sources, rather than by God. and then later combined. While Reform Judaism does not accept the binding nature of halakhah (Jewish Law), the movement does retain much of the balues and ethics of Judaism as well as some of the practices and culture. __** Conservative **__ Conservative Judaism maintains that the ideas in the Torah come from God, but were transmitted by humans and contain a human compontent. Conservative Judaism generally accepts the binding nature of halakhah, but believes that the Law should adapt, absorbing aspects of the predominant culture while remaining true to Judaism's values. **__ Orthodox __** Orthodox Jews believe that God gave Moses the whole Torah at Mount Sinai. Orthodox Jews believe that the Torah contains 613 commandments that are binding upon Jews. Modern Jews strictly observe Jewish Law, but still integrate into modern society. __** Reconstructionist **__ Reconstructionist believe that Judaism is an "evolving religious civilization." In one way it is more liberal than Reform Judaism - the movement does not believe in a personified deity that is active in history and does not believe that God chose the Jewish people. In another way Reconstructionist Judaism is less liberal than Reform Judaism - Reconstructionists may observe Jewish Law, not because it is a binding Law from God, but because it is a valuable cultural remnant. Humanistic Judaism offers a nontheistic alternative in contemporary Jewish life. Humanistic Jews believe in creating a meaningful Jewish lifestyle free from supernatural authority, in achieving dignity and self-esteem, and in reviving the secular roots of Judaism. Humanistic Judaism embraces a human-centered philosophy that combines the celebration of Jewish culture and identity with adherence to humanistic values.
 * __ Humanistic __**

=** Jewish Rituals **= Jewish life is marked by numerous occasions in which individuals and families take time out of their everyday lives to focus on God and his commandments, including daily prayer, Sabbath services and holidays.


 * **Birth and Naming Ceremonies**
 * **Brit Milah: Circumcision**
 * **Redemption of the Firstborn**
 * **Coming of Age: Bar and Bat Mitzvah**
 * **Jewish Marriage Traditions**
 * **Divorce in Judaism**
 * **Mourning**

=** Judaism Symbols of Faith **=

It is best known symbol of the Jewish faith. The sign is based on the shape of David's shield or the symbol on his shield. The six points of the Star of David symbolize God's rule over the universe in all six directions: north, south, east, west, up and down.
 * The Star of David **

The menorah is the oldest symbol of the Jewish faith.
 * The Menorah **



=** Festivals and Celebrations **=

**March** //14 Purim (The Festival of Lots)// This celebrates the time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from death by the courage of Queen Esther.


 * April**

//13-20 Pesach (Passover)// This marks the freedom of the Children of Israel from Egypt. These people were slaves who were set free by Moses. Because they left so quickly their bread did not have time to rise, so it is traditional to eat matzah (unleavened bread).

//25 Yom Ha Shoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day)// This is the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto revolt. It is a day when Jews remember the 6 million Jews (and others) who died in the Shoah (or Holocaust) because of the Nazis

**June** //2-3 Shavuot (The Feast of Weeks)// Celebrates the giving of the Torah (Five Books of Moses),the first harvest, and the ripening of the first fruits. It is customary to stay up throughout the first night of Shavuot to study the Torah.



//23 Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)// This celebrates the creation of the world. Families get together for festive meals, go to synagogue and hear the shofar (ram´s horn). This is the start of ten days of repentance, which ends on Yom Kippur.
 * September**

//2 Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)// The holiest day of the Jewish calendar. Jews are not allowed to eat for 25 hours. They also have to pray for forgiveness for last year´s sins
 * October**

//6 Sukkot (The Feast of Tabernacles)// Jews remember the autumn harvest and the wandering of the Jews in the wilderness after they left from Egypt. For these 8 days, it is the tradition to eat and sleep in sukkahs (rough shelters).

//15 Simchat Torah (Rejoicing in the Law)// This celebrates the end of reading the Torah (Five Books of Moses), which happens every year.

//16 Chanukah (Festival of Lights)// This celebrates Jerusalem’s 2nd Temple and the miracle of its menorah (9 candles). The menorah stayed lit for 8 days with only 1 day’s supply of oil. Lighting the menorah on each night of the festival remembers this miracle.
 * December**



=Worldwide Comparison to Other Religions=