Judaism at a glance

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 453.

Judaism is the original of the three Abrahamic faiths, which also includes Christianity and Islam. According to information published by The Jewish People Policy Planning Institute, there were around 13.1 million Jewish people in the world in 2007, most residing in the USA and Israel.

Judaism originated in the Middle East over 3500 years ago. It was founded by Moses, although Jews trace their history back to Abraham. Jews believe that there is only one God with whom every Jew can have an individual and personal relationship, a covenant. In exchange for all the good that God has done for the Jewish people, Jewish people keep God's laws and try to bring holiness into every aspect of their lives. Judaism has a rich history of religious text, but the central and most important religious document is the Torah. Jewish traditional or oral law, the interpretation of the laws of the Torah, is called halakhah. Spiritual leaders are called Rabbis.

Jewish life is very much the life of a community and there are many activities that Jews must do as a community. For example, the Jewish prayer book uses WE and OUR in prayers where some other faiths would use I and MINE. Jews also feel part of a global community with a close bond Jewish people all over the world. A lot of Jewish religious life is based around the home and family activities. Judaism is very much a family faith. Many Jewish religious customs revolve around the home. One example is the Sabbath meal, when families join together to welcome in the special day.

Jews worship in Synagogues. Almost everything a Jewish person does can become an act of worship. Because Jews have made a bargain with God to keep his laws, keeping that bargain and doing things in the way that pleases God is an act of worship.

There are many people who identify themselves as Jewish without necessarily believing in, or observing, any Jewish law. 6 million Jews were murdered in the Holocaust in an attempt to wipe out Judaism. Judaism is a faith of action and Jews believe people should be judged not so much by the intellectual content of their beliefs, but by the way they live their faith - by how much they contribute to the overall holiness of the world.