If you read this post, then you read that I have been teaching the five major religions of the world. Here are the notes on Judaism that I taught. I hope it all makes sense.
Orthodox Judaism
“maintaining the past”
*“Orthodox” and “Jewish”
*Orthodox:
-refers to historic interpretation of Judaism
-focus on observing laws, holidays, and tradition
-Talmud interpreted by highly respected rabbis
*Jewish:
-religious choice or heritage
* Historical Background
*Ancient Israel (prior to 200 BC)
-Nomadic tribe; Israelites become God’s chosen people through Abraham
-Main interaction with God through priests descendant from Levi tribe
-Interaction through prophets
-laws and practices from Torah; not as institutionalized
* 200 BC Rabbinic Judaism begins separation from ancient Israel
-focus on institutions: synagogues, yeshivots (academies), rabbinic office
-catalyst to solidify institutional approach: destruction of Temple in 70 AD
*Basic Theology (monotheistic)
*God:
-“Only One”; he is personal and transcendent, omniscient, omni-present, omni-potent, eternal, and compassionate
*Humanity:
-people are born neutral with good and evil inclinations
-no original sin; sin committed through breaking Talmud laws
-need to rectify wrongs
*Salvation and Afterlife:
-must repent and believe in God’s mercy
-must pray and observe laws of Talmud
-righteous will be physically resurrected and live in “World to Come”
-unrighteous will suffer
*Messiah:
-will be a human (not divine)
-will deliver the land and make it head of the world nations
-will judge land on right and wrong
*Practices and lifestyle:
-Abstaining from work on the Sabbath
-Placement of scripture (worn on arm and placed on door posts in home)
-Eating Kosher (cannot mix meat and milk at one meal; avoiding pork)
-Bris: Circumcision of son on 8th day
-Bar/Bat Mitzva: coming of age reception and ceremony at 13
-Sitting Shiva- mourning for 7 days after a funeral
Additional clarification:
Orthodox Judaism refers to the longest standing historical strand of Judaism. The two other major divisions are Conservative and Reform. Orthodox was chosen because it reflects the beliefs most aligned with those during the writing of the sacred texts.
Conservative Judaism arose in the 19th century; it began as a reaction to some of the strict laws set forth by Orthodox teachings. Its focus was to find a balance between historical teachings and a changing modern world. The main differences include: 1) The Bible is a document that was written by both man and God, therefore, God is in a partnership with man. 2) God is considered more impersonal. 3) There is no original sin; sin can be committed in social or moral actions
Reform Judaism developed out of a reaction to the German occupation. Many believed that if the belief system was modernized, it would decrease the amount of persecution. Today, the main differences include: 1) The Bible was only written by men, thus not inspired. It is simply a document to preserve history. 2) God and his attributes are only interpreted by the individual. This makes God less distinctive; his essence becomes one more like those seen in Eastern religions. 3) There is no original sin. Salvation comes through bettering society and self.
Individuals claim to be Jewish for two different reasons. Some claim it because they adhere to the Jewish religion (thus anyone who believes can be Jewish). Others believe that one is Jewish by heritage (thus an atheist can claim to be Jewish because his family line was Jewish).
Ancient Israel refers to the group of God’s chosen people. The Old Testament writings were given to them from God over the process of time. The collection is from a variety of people (often kings, prophets, and leaders chosen by God) and are considered inspired by God.
The focus on institutions resulted in a need for more focused places of study. After the split with Christianity, there was a need to focus on teaching because of the varying opinions.
Judaism still focuses on following the law (Talmud) to reach God. This manifests itself in the practices and lifestyle because it is much more important do exactly what is asked of the individual. Overall, it is more important what an individual does here and now than what they believe about God.
“maintaining the past”
*“Orthodox” and “Jewish”
*Orthodox:
-refers to historic interpretation of Judaism
-focus on observing laws, holidays, and tradition
-Talmud interpreted by highly respected rabbis
*Jewish:
-religious choice or heritage
* Historical Background
*Ancient Israel (prior to 200 BC)
-Nomadic tribe; Israelites become God’s chosen people through Abraham
-Main interaction with God through priests descendant from Levi tribe
-Interaction through prophets
-laws and practices from Torah; not as institutionalized
* 200 BC Rabbinic Judaism begins separation from ancient Israel
-focus on institutions: synagogues, yeshivots (academies), rabbinic office
-catalyst to solidify institutional approach: destruction of Temple in 70 AD
*Basic Theology (monotheistic)
*God:
-“Only One”; he is personal and transcendent, omniscient, omni-present, omni-potent, eternal, and compassionate
*Humanity:
-people are born neutral with good and evil inclinations
-no original sin; sin committed through breaking Talmud laws
-need to rectify wrongs
*Salvation and Afterlife:
-must repent and believe in God’s mercy
-must pray and observe laws of Talmud
-righteous will be physically resurrected and live in “World to Come”
-unrighteous will suffer
*Messiah:
-will be a human (not divine)
-will deliver the land and make it head of the world nations
-will judge land on right and wrong
*Practices and lifestyle:
-Abstaining from work on the Sabbath
-Placement of scripture (worn on arm and placed on door posts in home)
-Eating Kosher (cannot mix meat and milk at one meal; avoiding pork)
-Bris: Circumcision of son on 8th day
-Bar/Bat Mitzva: coming of age reception and ceremony at 13
-Sitting Shiva- mourning for 7 days after a funeral
Additional clarification:
Orthodox Judaism refers to the longest standing historical strand of Judaism. The two other major divisions are Conservative and Reform. Orthodox was chosen because it reflects the beliefs most aligned with those during the writing of the sacred texts.
Conservative Judaism arose in the 19th century; it began as a reaction to some of the strict laws set forth by Orthodox teachings. Its focus was to find a balance between historical teachings and a changing modern world. The main differences include: 1) The Bible is a document that was written by both man and God, therefore, God is in a partnership with man. 2) God is considered more impersonal. 3) There is no original sin; sin can be committed in social or moral actions
Reform Judaism developed out of a reaction to the German occupation. Many believed that if the belief system was modernized, it would decrease the amount of persecution. Today, the main differences include: 1) The Bible was only written by men, thus not inspired. It is simply a document to preserve history. 2) God and his attributes are only interpreted by the individual. This makes God less distinctive; his essence becomes one more like those seen in Eastern religions. 3) There is no original sin. Salvation comes through bettering society and self.
Individuals claim to be Jewish for two different reasons. Some claim it because they adhere to the Jewish religion (thus anyone who believes can be Jewish). Others believe that one is Jewish by heritage (thus an atheist can claim to be Jewish because his family line was Jewish).
Ancient Israel refers to the group of God’s chosen people. The Old Testament writings were given to them from God over the process of time. The collection is from a variety of people (often kings, prophets, and leaders chosen by God) and are considered inspired by God.
The focus on institutions resulted in a need for more focused places of study. After the split with Christianity, there was a need to focus on teaching because of the varying opinions.
Judaism still focuses on following the law (Talmud) to reach God. This manifests itself in the practices and lifestyle because it is much more important do exactly what is asked of the individual. Overall, it is more important what an individual does here and now than what they believe about God.
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