JudaismBy Krush Patel, Larry Liu, Alyssa Hoover, Angus Ho, Harsh Jain

Judaist Gods• Since Judaism is monotheistic religion, the god in Judaism is Yahweh,

but the Hebrews didn’t have vowels in the Book of Exodus, so it was spelled a YHWH. It is also pronounced as Jehovah, which is incorrect. Sometimes, they refer to YHWH as Tetragrammaton, which is the Greek word for “four lettered”

Basic Beliefs of Judaism• They have 13 basic principles of faith from Rambam.• 1.God exists• 2. God is one and unique• 3. God is incorporeal• 4. God is eternal• 5. Prayer is to be directed to God alone and to no other• 6. The words of the prophets are true• 7. Moses’ prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets• 8. The Written Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) and Oral Torah (teachings now contained in the Talmud and other writings)

were given to Moses• 9. There will be no other Torah• 10. God knows the thoughts and deeds of men• 11. God will reward the good and punish the wicked• 12. The Messiah will come• 13. The dead will be resurrected

How they practiced their belief’s• Jew’s do most of their prayers outside of the synagogue, but certain

prayers have to be in the presence of at least 10 adults, so most of them go to the synagogue to do those.• Most people think that Jews pray five times a day, but instead they

pray three times a day, in the morning, afternoon, and the evening by reciting texts out of the siddur, the Jewish prayer book.

Major holidays/rituals of Judaism• Jewish holidays serve as a way to preserve and promote Jewish tradition, as well as for the

enhancement of the overall religion. To add to a sense of unity and community, the Jewish celebrate many holidays, whether as reminders of historical events or simply for fun.

• Undoubtedly, the most important of Jewish holy days are the Sabbath, the three pilgrimage festivals (the Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot), and the two High Holy Days (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur). Work is forbidden during these days, as they purely promote religious reflection.

• Shabbat, or “repose” follows the six days of work in a week (just like in the book of Genesis, where god rested after the creation of the world). The day begins on Friday at sunset and ends at nightfall on Saturday.

• Rosh Hashanah, this is the Jewish New Year, which takes place roughly in the middle of September.

• Yom Kippur, which takes place shortly after Rosh Hashanah, is the day in which Jews observe the day of Atonement. During this event, Jewish do not eat or drink and atone for their misdeeds.

Cont.• Sukkot lasts for eight days and takes place late in October. A “booth”

is set for the occasion, meals are eaten inside it. • Hanukkah, perceived as a “Jewish alternative” to Christmas.• Purim. Celebrates the deliverance of Persian Jews from destruction.• Passover, honors the freeing of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. • Shavuot celebrates the spring harvest and God’s gift of the Torah.

The Role of Women in Judaism• In Judaism, God is neither male nor female.• The Talmud says both good and bad things about women.• Women are exempted from certain commandments.• Likewise, certain commandments are specifically for women. • Men and women sit separately in traditional synagogues.

Major texts and books of the religion• Torah – the Jewish equivalent to a bible• Talmud – a book that explains and describes the writings in the Torah• Tanakh – consists of the same books as the Christian Old Testament,

although in a slightly different order

The religion’s missionary/outreach work• Destroying or closing Pagan monuments and Temples. • Adopting some pagan practices and holidays, like Christmas, to attract

members. • Spreading westward, to eventually cover all corners of Europe and

North Africa, Turkey and Syria.

Origin and Diffusion (until 600 CE)• The Diaspora (Greek for “dispersal”), occurring after

Nebuchadnezzar’s conquering of Babylon ca. 587 BCE, was the first true scattering of Judaism. • Jewish communities spread to lands bordering the Mediterranean

and western Asia, establishing various synagogues and other institutions.• The diffusion of Jewish beliefs eventually influenced Christianity.

Diaspora-era synagogue in Ostia, Rome

Contacts with Other Religions (until 600 CE)• Judaism was largely influenced by Zoroastrianism, the only other

monotheistic religion at that time. This religion mainly existed within the Persian empire, thus influencing Judaism through Diaspora. • Also a product of the Diaspora, Judaism largely influenced the

creation of Christianity • In the book of Exodus, interaction between Jews and Egyptians is

highlighted (while this book claims that the Jewish people were enslaved, Egyptian records show no traces of this)

One event highlighted in the book of Exodus is Moses’ parting of the Red Sea to free the Jewish people of their enslavement by the Egyptians

Quotes on Judaism• Judaism will be Enmeshed in pride and shame for as long as it

endures. But to endure as a country, Israel must shun both these tendencies. – Elizabeth Wurtzel• Compassion is the key in Islam and Buddhism and Judaism and

Christianity. They are profoundly similar. – Karen Armstrong

Similarities and Differences Between Religions• Judaism has many differences and similarities when compared to

other religions! Like most other religions, Judaism takes in the need for passion. Judaism and Islam share the most similarities with any other religion. They both consider the Christian doctrine of Jesus. As in similarity to Christianity, they both use the bible. Between Christianity and Islam and Judaism, they have different days of worship. Judaism is Saturday Christianity is Sunday and Islam is Friday. However Judaism is the smallest out of the three religions.