Being Jewish in the 21st Century

Questions on Judaism

1.   What language do the Jewish people speak?

Hebrew.

2.  How do the Jewish people read Hebrew?

Hebrew is written and read backwards (from right to left).  

3.  Why is Israel important to the Jewish People?

Israel is important to the Jewish people because in His covenant to Abraham, God said to go to Israel, and there would be the ‘promised land’.

4.  When was the present state of Israel formed?

On the 14^th of May, 1948.

5.  What makes it unique in the world?

It is the only Jewish state.  

6.  Who is the chosen prophet of Judaism?

 Jews believe Moses was the greatest prophet. Abraham was the first prophet.

7.  What do the Jews believe God thinks of their people?

The Jews believe that God sees all human as his children, but he will reward those who have done good and punish the wicked.

8.  How do the three main religions differ in their view of Jesus?

Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah, and that he will come again. Jews believe that Jesus was a prophet, but he is not part of their religion and was not the Messiah. Islam also follows the belief that Jesus was not the Messiah, but simply a prophet.

9.  Why do the Jewish people not celebrate Christmas?

Jewish people do not celebrate Christmas because they do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, and Christmas is the celebration of Jesus’ birth.

10.            What festival do they celebrate instead?

Jewish people celebrate Hanukkah, not Christmas. Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of Lights.

11.  What event is celebrated at this festival and what is the significance of the number 8?

The number 8 is significant as the festival lasts for eight nights, and on each of these nights, one candle of the 8 in the candelabra is lit.

12.            What is the name of the sacred text of the Jewish people?

The Torah.

13.            How is their text similar to the Christian Bible?

The Torah is the same as the first 5 books of the Old Testament in the Christian Bible.

14.            How many commandments do the Jewish people have to follow?

The Jewish people have 613 Commandments that were summed up into 10 by Moses.

15.            What is the name of the leader of a Jewish religion?

A rabbi is a teacher of the Jewish law.

16.            What is a Tallit?

A tallit, otherwise known as a prayer shawl, is a shawl worn to morning services that has fringes which remind the person of the Commandments.

17.            What is a Tefillin?

A tefillin is a leather pouch that holds scrolls of scripture.

18.            What is a Kippah?

A Kippah is a skull cap worn by Jewish men during prayer to show their devotion and faith.

19.            What is the word used to describe the food Jewish people can eat?

Kosher.

20.          Where is the only Kosher McDonalds?

Buenos Aires, Argentina.

21.            Why is a Cheese burger not Kosher?

A cheese burger is not kosher because it contains meat and dairy.

Judaism Core Beliefs

Being Jewish

The term “Jewish” can be used to describe a race and a culture rather than a religion, so some who identify themselves as Jewish may have little interest in the beliefs and practices associated with the religion of Judaism.

The Torah

The Jews believe in the teaching of the Jewish Bible, known as the Torah. This is the First Testament of the Christian Bible. There is no Second Testament or New Bible for Jews.

Why?  The Jews do not include the New Testament because they do not believe that Jesus came as the Messiah.

What are the first five books of the Torah?

·         Genesis

·         Exodus

·         Leviticus

·         Numbers

·         Deuteronomy

Written Law and Oral Law

There are 613 commandments found in the Torah (‘Written Law’). T almud (‘Oral Law’) is the commentary of ancient rabbis that elaborates on how to apply God’s Law in everyday life through:

·         Dietary rules (Kashrut/ Koshner)

·         Dress and other symbols

·         Prayer and devotion to the one God

·         The Temple and Temple rites

·         Observance of Holy Days

·         Proper social relations between male and female, in business, judicial rulings, etc.

Core Beliefs

Jews firmly believe that there is only one God. There are 13 main beliefs of Jews believe in, which include:

·         God exists

·         God is one and unique

·         God is eternal

·         Prayer is to God only

·         The prophets spoke truth

·         Moses was the greatest of the prophets

·         The Written and Oral Torah were given to Moses

·         There will be no other Torah

·         God will reward the good and punish the wicked

·         The messiah will come

·         The dead will be resurrected

Judaism is a monotheistic religion, with one eternal God. They believe in the prophets, especially Moses, and they believe that the Torah is the word. They believe that Judgement Day and the Messiah are yet to come.

The Family

The heart of Judaism is in the home and family, social responsibility and doing Mitzvot (‘good deeds’ based on God’s commandments). Through education and hard work they make their lives, the lives of others, and the world what God intended it to be- holy.

The Old Testament

Genesis: Story of Creation

·         God is the creator

·         Adam & Eve are the first humans, who eat the forbidden fruit

·         Original Sin is what everyone is born with

Exodus: Exit

·         Moses is the most important prophet, who leads the Israelites out of Egypt to freedom

·         1200BC

·         They are heading towards the promised land, the covenant God made with Abraham

David & Goliath

·         After wandering the desert for 40 years King David becomes the King of the Jews

     ·         King David- Star of David

Judaism

Origins

·         Judaism is one of the three Prophetic Monotheistic Religions in the world; the other two are Christianity and Islam.

·         Judaism is Prophetic as there were numerous Prophets who predicted the coming of a Messiah, Monotheistic as they believe in one God- mono (one) theology (belief/study of God).

History

·         Jews are an ancient people of around 3000 years old, their history is told in the Bible and is traced back to Abraham of around 1900BC (before common time era).

·         The Jews have been known as Jews, Israelites and Hebrews. Jesus was a Jew, however the Jews accept Jesus as a wise man, but not the chosen Messiah as Christians believe, hence Judaism predates and heavily influences Christianity, but is not part of Christianity).

Abraham

·         Abraham is one of the first recorded leaders of the Hebrews in the Bible. He was a wealthy man who was called by God to leave his land and move from Ur to Canaan, or Israel as it is called today.

·         Abraham heard the call of the Lord to stop believing in pagan Gods (like God of wind, God of Mountain, etc) and he followed God’s request and led his people from Mesopotamia to Canaan. This journey is recorded in the book of Genesis. We can map his journey here: http://www.biblemap.org/#Haran

Questions

Who is Abraham?

Abraham was the first Jew. He was a man of God and learned to turn away from Pagan Gods and instead only follow and believe in one God, the Lord. 

What did Abraham believe? How was it different to the people of the time?

Abraham believed in one God, who was the Creator, whereas the people of the time believed in many Pagan Gods.

What do you think a Covenant is, what Covenant did God make with Abraham?

A Covenant is an understanding or promise. God made this Covenant with Abraham:

·         To make him a father of many nations

·         To bless everyone in his name

·         To give him the promised land

What sacrifice was Abraham requested to make? Why did God ask this of Abraham?

Abraham was requested to sacrifice his own son Isaac. God asked this of Abraham to test his faith, but before Abraham could make this sacrifice he sent an angel to stop Abraham.

Search the site for the word Patriarchs? What does this mean?

Patriarchs refer to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the fathers of Judaism.

From http://www.jewfaq.org