Judaism- Beliefs Flashcards
What type of religion is Judaism? What does this type of religion actually mean?
1) Judaism is a monotheistic religion which means that they believe that there is only one God.
What is Shema and explain its importance.
1) The Shema is a prayer that affirms belief in one God and is found in the Torah. It is important because it expresses ther belief in one God and explains the way in which humas should respond to this belief.
Expplain the difference between the 3 different types of Jews.
1) Orthodox Jews- strictly follow laws and practices in the Toarh.
2) Ultraorthodox- very strictly follow laws and practices in the Toarh. Tend to live with other Ultraorthodox Jews.
3) Reform Jews- Believe that Jewish laws should be re-interpreted to suit modern day life.
Describe the meaning of the terms:
- Omnipotent
- Omniscient
- Omnipresent
1) Omnipotent is the belief that God is all powerful
2) Omniscient is the belief that God is all knwoledge
3) Omnipresent is the belief that God is everywhere at once.
Explain Jewish beliefs on free will and evil. Provide a quote about this.
1) Jews believe that as creator of everything, God must have created evil but he gave them free will.
2) “I bring prosperity and create disaster”
Explain the Jewish belief that God is the sustainer.
1) God sustains the universe- provides everything needed for life.
Explain how God is the lawgiver, how he is the judge and how he is merciful.
1) God gives laws to govern how people behave. By following laws, Jews believe that they are fulfilling God’s will on earth.
2) God is the judge because he judges Jews on how well they follow his laws.
3) God is merciful because he shows compassion/forgiveness to humans even though he has the power to punish them.
Explain what a mitzvah is and how many God gave Jews. What are the 10 main commandments God gave to the Jews?
1) A mitzvah is a Jewish commandement. God gave Jews 613 mitzvot to follow.
2) The ten commandments are:
- Worship no God but me
- Do not worhsip idols
- Do not use my name for evil purposes
- Keep the sabbath day holy
- Respect your father and mother
- Do not murder
- Do not commit adultery
- Do not steal
- Do not lie
- Do not be jealous
Explain the Jewish belief known as ‘Shekhinah’
1) Shekhinah is the belief that God is everywhere but also in certain places and that God can ‘focus hs presence’in certain places. It also means that God is spiritually present, not physically.
How do Jews believe that God’s presence can be brought to them?
1) Jews believe that God’s presence can be brought to them by doing good deeds.
What are Jewish beliefs about Life after Death?
1) Sheol- a place where souls are cleansed. People who led bad lives will go to sheol.
2) Teachings imply that God will send good people to Gan Eden (Heaven).
3) Jews also believe that they will be judged by God as soon as they die.
What are the 3 Jewish Moral principles? Why are they important?
1) Justice- important because it means that everybody can live their lives correctly following the laws of the Torah.
2) Healing the world- important because many Jews see it as getting closer to God. It motivates Jews to get involved to increases social justice.
3) Kindness to others- important because it is an aim that Jews must aim to achieve as spelt out in the Torah.
Explain the Sanctity of Life.
1) The sanctity of life is the belief that all life is Holy as it is created by God and that humans should not be misused or abused.
Explain what Shabbat is.
1) Shabbat is the Jewish holy day of the week. Jews are not allowed to do any form of work from sunset on Friday to sunset on Saturday.
What is the law that can allow Jews to do some sort of work on Shabbat? What does it mean to Jews?
1) Pikuach Nefesh. It is the obligation to save a life even if doing so breaks Jewish laws.
2) It shows how valuable human life is to Jews.
