Upload
marcus-lloyd
View
213
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
8/14/2019 Temple Israel Final_Marcus Lloyd
1/8
Marcus Lloyd
REL 2011
Section RVD-1091
January 31, 2009
Site: Temple Israel of Greater Miami
Time: Friday 30th of January
My Understanding of Judaism
One of the first things you come to appreciate about religion is the devotion
that it inspires. Judaism is a religion inspired not only by the word of Yahweh but
also the faith of its devotees. It has a rich history punctuated by the schisms that
so often mark historical religions. Today those schisms are represented in terms of
the Orthodox Jew and the Non-Orthodox Jew. Temple Israel of Greater Miami situated
in the heart of Miami subscribes to the non-orthodox tradition of Judaism. On
Friday the 30th of January I had the pleasure of attending my first Jewish
service at Temple Israel of Greater Miami. I was very excited to study this
particular faith within the synagogue. Submitting to stereotypes of Judaism
and the Jewish race I had previously failed to learn that this great faith has a
rich history, symbolism and tradition.
There is a word called Judaism that is not limited to religion. More than
half of the Jewish people living in Israel say that they are secular and an
equal proportion living in the United States do not attend Jewish religious
8/14/2019 Temple Israel Final_Marcus Lloyd
2/8
services. To begin, Judaism must also then be used to refer to a certain race
of people with a common history. In 1980 the United States Supreme Court
recognized this and declared Jewish to be a race. The Jewish collective is
now recognized throughout the world as an ethno race. 41 percent of that
world population of Jews now lives in the state of Israel. The remaining Jews
living outside of the land of Israel are said to be the Jewish Diaspora. All of
this said, it would surprise many to know that Jew is actually not a race.
Common ancestry is not required to be a Jew. Instead, a Jew can be Sammy
Davis Jr., a convert, or hail from Ethiopian origins. Thus we learn the words
Jew and Jewish can be misnomers. This paper will limit the discussion of
Judaism to the study of its religious context and by default that which
implicitly refers to the study of the Torah, the Jewish holy text.
The word for the Hebrew Bible, Torah, means learning or instruction
in Hebrew. The authorship of this holy text is said to be from Moses and
serves as the basis of Jewish law and tradition. This Jewish Bible is
noteworthy in that it serves also as the precursor to the Christian Bible.
However, throughout the history of Judaism cultural practices and knowledge
of Judaism have not been limited to the holiest of Jewish texts, the Torah.
There also exists the Talmud for the purpose of discussing Jewish ethics,
traditions law and history. Instructional texts such as Gates of Prayer for
Shabbat and Weekdays found at Temple Israel of Greater Miami further
guide traditional religious ceremonies within a synagogue.
8/14/2019 Temple Israel Final_Marcus Lloyd
3/8
In order to fully understand Judaism it becomes necessary to define its
traditional words, namely those that I came into contact with. A synagogue is
a Jewish house of prayer. Nevertheless, Jewish worship may be carried out
wherever ten or more Jews assemble. A kippah is a skullcap worn by
observant Jewish males. Yet, it may also be worn by women within some
branches of Judaism against popular stereotype. Hebrew is referred to as the
holy language of Jews and is used for prayer and study by Jewish
communities across the globe. Israel is referenced as the land of milk and
honey in the Torah. This land is both sacred and central to the Jewish faith.
A menorah is a candelabrum that in the words of the Torah symbolizes "a
light unto the nations." (Isaiah 42:6) to be lit during religious observances.
A menorah was the first Jewish symbol that I noticed upon entering Temple
Israel of Greater Miami. All seven candles flickered in the dimly lit synagogue
located in downtown Miami. On Friday the 30th of January service began at 7:30
p.m. and continued for almost an hour and half. Warmly welcomed by two
hosts the service began in earnest with prayer accompanied by soft piano
music. I quickly noted that the service was highly structured and followed a
detailed program set out in Gates of Prayer for Shabbat and Weekdays,
Shabbat Evening Service II. The first prayer signaled the lighting of two
Shabbat candles followed by an up-tempo hymn whereby the congregation
clapped in rhythm. To my surprise I noticed that the general layout of the
temple resembled that of a Christian church save a few exceptions. The
altar of the synagogue was centered on the ark. No choir was present nor
8/14/2019 Temple Israel Final_Marcus Lloyd
4/8
was there any indication that a choir existed. The Star of David could be
found embossed throughout the temple on the pews, light fixtures and
numerous commemorative plaques throughout. The altar was bordered on
both corners with an American flag and on the other side an Israeli flag.
The role of community was made apparent by the announcement
section of the service. During this segment the membership and outreach
coordinator announced yoga classes, networking meetings and upcoming
wedding celebrations. Linda Levin reminded all in attendance to pray for the
ill and those not able to attend Shabbat. I was able to gain some insight into
the role of the ark in the synagogue when she remarked that it had been
kept by Sandra and Julian Goldstein. Later I would learn that the ark
candles were maintained lit by a rotating group of volunteers
Upon observation I was surprised to see that not all men wore the
ritual Jewish cap. The evening service was dominated by the elderly in
attendance. I was particularly surprised to see a rainbow of races practicing
the Jewish faith especially other blacks like myself. The attire of the
congregation tended to be of black and white colors. Many members wore
shawls of specific colors. Further, the church was decorated with many
stained glass windows depicting scenes from the torah and
commemorations.
The religious instructional text that guided the service was very
particular in emphasizing the roles of the congregation, attendants and the
8/14/2019 Temple Israel Final_Marcus Lloyd
5/8
8/14/2019 Temple Israel Final_Marcus Lloyd
6/8
8/14/2019 Temple Israel Final_Marcus Lloyd
7/8
The second word I researched was rabbi. This word bears no
resemblance to the definition of the word priest in Christianity. Rabbis are not
endowed with the right, privilege or authority to perform rituals more than
any other adult Jew. Instead, a rabbi is a teacher sufficiently educated in
Jewish law and ritual to aid in instruction of such. Having defined rabbi It
became apparent to me that the female chosen to lead the service at the
Temple Israel of Greater Miami served in a defined capacity. Her role was that
of chazan. Chazans are persons of good moral character and possessing
musical ability who lead recitation of prayer and song.
My lasting impression of Judaism is of profound respect and
appreciation. I was very apprehensive attending a Jewish service. I believed
this great missionary religion to not be inclusive and found my belief to be
lacking. A rainbow of skin colors I saw inside of Temple Israel of Greater
Miami. However, if the words of the Torah are eternal then the message from
Rabbi Chefitz was indelible. I know now that in order to achieve his theme of
cooperative understanding we all must venture beyond our preferred
newspapers and read a page from one another whether or not one is Jewish.
Sources:
1.
8/14/2019 Temple Israel Final_Marcus Lloyd
8/8
2. http://www.jewfaq.org/toc.htm
3. Livingston, James C.Anatomy of the Sacred. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2009
4. Boyarin, Daniel.A Radical Jew. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1997.
http://www.jewfaq.org/toc.htmhttp://www.jewfaq.org/toc.htm