JUDAISM

Who is a Jew? 

• A Jew is any person whose mother was a Jew or any person who has gone through the formal process of conversion to Judaism.

• Once a person has converted to Judaism, he is not referred to by any special term; he is as much a Jew as anyone born Jewish.

• It is important to note that being a Jew has nothing to do with what you believe or what you do.

• A person born to non-Jewish parents who has not undergone the formal process of conversion but who believes everything that Orthodox Jews believe and observes every law and custom of Judaism is still a non-Jew, even in the eyes of the most liberal movements of Judaism.

• A person born to a Jewish mother who is an atheist and never practices the Jewish religion is still a Jew, even in the eyes of the ultra-Orthodox. 

What do Jews believe?

http://www.jewfaq.org/beliefs.htm

• G-d exists• G-d is one and unique• G-d is incorporeal• G-d is eternal• Prayer is to be directed to G-d alone and to no other• The words of the prophets are true• Moses’ prophecies are true, and Moses was the

greatest of the prophets• 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

• There will be no other Torah• G-d knows the thoughts and deeds of men• G-d will reward the good and punish the wicked• The Messiah will come• The dead will be resurrected

Different Forms of Judaism

Are there different types of Jews?

• Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews represent two distinct subcultures of Judaism. They are all Jews and share the same basic beliefs, but there are some variations in culture and practice.

• It's not clear when the split began, but it has existed for more than a thousand years, because around the year 1000BC, Rabbi Gershom ben Judah issued an edict against polygamy that was accepted by Ashkenazim but not by Sephardim.

Who are Ashkenazic Jews? 

• Ashkenazic Jews are the Jews of France, Germany, and Eastern Europe and their descendants. The adjective "Ashkenazic" and corresponding nouns, Ashkenazi (singular) and Ashkenazim (plural) are derived from the Hebrew word "Ashkenaz," which is used to refer to Germany.

• Most American and Australian Jews today are Ashkenazim, descended from Jews who emigrated from Germany and Eastern Europe from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s. A lot of what is written about Jews is written from the Ashkenazic Jewish perspective.

Who are Sephardic Jews? • Sephardic Jews are the Jews of Spain, Portugal,

North Africa and the Middle East and their descendants. The adjective "Sephardic" and corresponding nouns Sephardi (singular) and Sephardim (plural) are derived from the Hebrew word "Sepharad," which refers to Spain.

• Until the 1400s, the Iberian Peninsula (Spain & Portugal), North Africa and the Middle East were all controlled by Muslims, who generally allowed Jews to move freely throughout the region.

• It was under this relatively kindly rule that Sephardic Judaism developed. When the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492, many of them were absorbed into existing Jewish communities in Northern Africa and the Middle East.

Ancient:• The Essenes were an ascetic and mystical group which lived in

isolation. The Dead Sea Scrolls are believed to be the product of an Essene sect. Some scholars believe that early Christianity was influenced by their mystical teachings

• The Sadducees was a group made up of the priests and the aristocrats of Jewish society. They were religiously conservative but socially liberal. The Sadducees believed in a strict, narrow and unchanging interpretation of the Written Torah, and they did not believe in Oral Torah. The Temple and its sacrificial services were at the centre of their worship. When the temple was destroyed they disappeared.

• The Pharisees believed that G-d gave the Jews both a written Torah and an oral Torah, both of which were equally binding and both of which were open to interpretation by the rabbis, people with sufficient education to make such decisions. The Pharisees were devoted to study of the Torah and education for all.

• The Zealots were basically a nationalistic movement which favored war against Rome, and believed that death was preferable to being under Roman control. They would commit suicide rather than be taken prisoner. The most famous example of the Zealots was the defenders of Masada.

• The Pharisees were the only sect to survive Rome’s invasion.

Modern

• Orthodox– One of the major movements of Judaism,

believing that Jewish law comes from G-d and cannot be changed

– Chasidism (KHAH-sid-ism); Chasidic (khah-SID-ic)

• From the word "Chasid" meaning "pious." A branch of Orthodox Judaism that maintains a lifestyle separate from the non-Jewish world.

• Sometimes referred to as Lubavitch

Sheitel is the name given to a wig worn by married Orthodox Jewish women to comply with Jewish Law to cover her hair. This is part of the modesty dress standard called tzniut

• Conservative– One of the major movements of Judaism, accepting

the binding nature of Jewish Law but believing that the law can change.

• Reform– One of the major movements of Judaism, believing

that Jewish law was inspired by G-d and one can choose which laws to follow.

• Reconstructionist– One of the major movements of Judaism, an

outgrowth of Conservative that does not believe in a personified deity and believes that Jewish law was created by men.

TerminologyHoly Texts

– Torah: is the name given by Jews to the "Five Books of Moses" that begin the Hebrew Bible

– Tenakh: The Hebrew Bible Torah the Five Books of Moses), Nev’im ("Prophets") and Ketuvim ("Writings")

– Midrash: The term refers to the whole compilation of sermonlike teachings on the Hebrew Bible.

– Talmud: It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history.

• Mishnah (c. 200 BC), the first written compendium of Judaism's Oral Law;

• Gemara(c. 500 BC), a discussion of the Mishnah and related writings that often ventures onto other subjects and expounds broadly on the Tanakh

Bibliography

• http://www.jewfaq.org