Judaism Flashcards
what are the principal beliefs of Judaism?
- monotheism, belief in one god
- moral law was divinely inspired by god
- the importance of the covenant
why is the covenant important for Jewish adherents?
- understanding the importance of the covenant reveals the Torah as the teacher and guide for life
- the covenant affirms a unique relationship with god and the Jewish people
what are the variants of Judaism?
Orthodox jews
progressive jews
conservative jews
what distinguishes an Orthodox jew from all other variants?
- traditional forms of worship in hebrew
- rejects modernistic adjustments
- described as Jewish traditionalists who accept the the authority of the code of jewish law
what distinguishes a progressive jew from all other variants?
- synagogues are known as temples
- religious services in local language
- men and women sit together during worship
- women rabbis
- lessening of the importance of traditional Jewish laws
what distinguishes a conservative Jew from all other variants?
in between othodox and progressive jews
- service includes prayers in English, but most of the service is in Hebrew
- accepts the authority of the oral torah unlike progressive jews
what do progressive jews reject in terms of belief?
- a personal Messiah
- Resurrection of the dead
- return to the holy land
what is shabbat?
“god blessed the seventh day and made it holy”
seventh day of the week, commemorates the creation of the world and also gods rest on the seventh day
why is shabbat important for Jewish adherents?
- elevates mundane activities to levels of great spiritual significance, it stresses what is valued
- stresses the freedom Jewish adherents have now and the freedom they didn’t have when they were slaves
- apart of the covenant and renews a deep connection with god
- it sets priorities in a busy life, guidelines and a plan
- ties in a long line of tradition, community and culture providing roles in a liturgical celebration
- its a celebration, thus it brings people together and establishes strong bonds between adherents and with god
what is the most important Jewish sacred text?
The Torah
what is the Jewish idea of God?
- god is transcendent, immanent, and creator and there is only one of him
- god is without form, gender, he has no daughters or sons
- images of God are never shown in Jewish worship
- although he is separate from the world, he still manages to be apart of the world and its people
Tenach
the twenty four books which make up the Hebrew scriptures
torah
tradition as a whole
or
the first five books of the Hebrew bible
Shabbat
the Jewish day for rest, personal devotion and observance. begins on Friday and ends on Saturday. part of the covenant
Talmud
a huge collection of writings, laws and teachings comprised by many rabbis. known as the ‘oral torah’
