judaism Flashcards
Name the three main beliefs of Judaism.
- You must believe in one god - monotheism
- that they are a family of people who have been chosen by God as descendants of Abraham to represent God on earth
- That God has made a convenant with them which they must obey and follow the rules in the Torah
What are the 613 rules of the Torah called?
The 613 rules of the Torah are called Mitzvot.
What is the Torah and its significance?
- It is a handwritten scroll covered with an ornately decorated cloth
- word of God - should be treated with respect
- contains their laws of how they should live
What is the Ner Tamid and its significance?
- light above the Aron Hakadesh that never goes out
- reminds Jews of the holiness of the Torah scrolls that are kept inside the Aron Hakadesh
What is the Bimah and its significance?
- raised platform with a reading desk
- represents the altar in the Temple (in Jerusalem)
- Torah is read on the Bimah
- shows that the reader is the most important at that time
What is the Aron Hakodesh and its significance?
- large cupboard facing Jerusalaem
- centrepiece of the synagogue and holds the Torah scrolls
- holiest part of the synagogue - symbolises (og) Ark of the Covenant, which held the Ten commandments (on stone tablets) received by Moses on Mount Sinai
Parts of the Jewish Bible (Tanakh)
- Torah - compilation of the first five books of the Old Testament (Moses)
- Nevi’im - Eight books of the prophets
- Ketuvim - Eleven books of writings
What is the Talmud?
The Talmud is a collection of teachings and discussions from early rabbis about the Torah.
Describe the beliefs of Reform Jews (Torah, Shabbat, Synagogue and food).
- Torah - word of Torah should be adapted to modern life to be more relevant
- Shabbat - only very important work should be done
- Synagogue - Women can become rabbis, sit together with men in the synagogue, services conducted mostly in English (some prayers in Hebrew)
- Food - can choose to eat Kosher
Describe the beliefs of Orthodox Jews (Torah, Shabbat, Synagogue, food).
Torah - cannot ever be changed, all 613 laws
Shabbat - no work at all permitted during Shabbat, unless life-threatening
Synagogue - men required to wear kippahs + tallits, services conducted in Hebrew, women sit apart from men
Food - strictly only eat Kosher food
Describe the tradition of Shabbat.
- day of no labour
- begins susnset on Friday, ends sunset on Saturday
- act of memorial - Jews remember how God freed the Israelites from slavery
- melachot - prohibited tasks during Shabbat
Describe the festival of Pesach (passover).
- spring festival, lasts seven/eight days
- passover celebrated with special service called SEder
- everyone at seder leans on a cushion to remind them that they are now free people, not enslaved anymore
Describe the festival of Yom Kippur.
- ten days after Rosh Hashanah - Jewish new year
- day to atone for the sins of themselves + their community, at end of day, one hopes to be forgiven
- ten days between R H and Y K called Days of Awe, reflect on what they did that year
- Y K - fast 25 hours, wear white, spend time in Synagogue
Name the four Jewish responses to the Holocaust.
- Jews held responsible (‘suffering servants’) for the sins of humanity
- if God assisted Jews during Holocaust, man would lose free will
- should still love God, losing faith would be letting Hitler win
- rejectance of God, life is meaningless
Explain the creation of Israel.
- Holocaust-surviving Jews return to find homes no longer there
- many countries agreed Jews have land of their own which God promised them (time of Abraham)
- State of Israel set up 1948, Palestinians angry at piece of land ‘stolen’
