Judaism - Beliefs and Teachings

Question 1

what do orthodox Jews believe in about the torah?

Answer 1

orthodox: follow the words of the Torah word for word, strictly follow the traditional beliefs and practices of the Jewish religious laws called kosher. orthodox men undergo circumcision. Orthodox synagogues keep men and women separate.

Question 2

what do reform Jews believe in?

Answer 2

Reform: change/adapt the words of the Torah for living in modern society these Jews reject what they believe to be the outdated practices of orthodox Jews, tend not to follow the kosher rules, and discard circumcision.

Question 3

What is Shekinah?

Answer 3

the place that gods presence rests and can be felt

Question 4

What is Covenant?

Answer 4

is a promise made between two people or groups

Question 5

What is the Messiah?

Answer 5

is the anointed one who Jews believe will bring a new era for mankind

Question 6

What is the Mitzvot?

Answer 6

is duties or good deeds there are 613 mitzvot rules in the torah

Question 7

what are Jewish beliefs about god?

Answer 7

god as creator, god as one, god as lawgiver, god as judge

Question 8

what do they believe about god as a creator?

Answer 8

Jews believe that god created the universe out of nothing, Jews believe that god created the world to a precise plan and created the world exactly as it should be. Evidence for this is ‘in the beginning god created the heavens and the earth’ - genesis

Question 9

what do Jews believe about god as one?

Answer 9

Jewish people are monotheists which means only worshiping one god the Shema prayer outlines Jewish beliefs and clearly states they are only one god. ‘the lord is our god the lord is one and only.’ - Deuteronomy.

Question 10

what do Jews believe about god as a lawgiver?

Answer 10

God gave the Torah to Moses on mount Sinai. Torah is the holiest Jewish scripture and is the source of the 613 mitzvot rules. god as lawgiver can be seen in exodus 20 ‘remember the sabbath day by keeping it holy, Honour your father and mother, you shall not murder and you shall not commit adultery’

Question 11

what do Jews believe about god as a judge?

Answer 11

Jews believe god constantly judges the actions of every person this can be seen in the story of adam and eve, Noah’s Ark, and the plagues god sent down upon Egypt.

Question 12

what is Rosh Hashanah?

Answer 12

gives Jews the opportunity to repent and reflect on their behaviors

Question 13

What is the Tenakh?

Answer 13

the tenakh in the Jewish bible is made up of three parts:
.the Torah which contains the 613 mitzvot laws given to Moses on mount Sinai.
.Nevi’im they are books of prophets. These books show how the Prophet tried to keep the Jews on the right path.
.Ketuvim is writing that is about history, poetry, and philosophy they show how jew’s behavior toward god affected their history.

Question 14

why is the Tenakh important?

Answer 14

. Jews study and read the Torah as it helps them to understand god and how god wants them to live.
.parts of the Ketuvim form an important part of festivals
psalms are found in the Tanakh.
.psalms form an essential part of daily worship.

Question 15

what is the Talmud?

Answer 15

when god gave Moses the Torah he also gave him the oral Torah which gave instructions on how the laws were to be obeyed. over 1000 years later these instructions were written down and formed the Talmud.

Question 16

why is the Talmud important?

Answer 16

.the Talmud explains how the 613 laws should be obeyed
.the Talmud contains the view of rabbis they explain how the Talmud relates to daily life.
.the Talmud gives instructions on how to worship. for example, it instructs us to light two candles for Shabbat.

Question 17

what was the Abrahamic covenant?

Answer 17

It’s when god came to Abraham and said you have to go from your country your people and your father’s household to the land I show you

god promised Abraham land which we know because god said to leave your land to the promised land I show you. He also promised Abraham he will have many descendants we know this because god promised to make a great nation out of him with many descendants and the quote ‘As many as there are stars in the sky, so shall your descendants be’ . he also promised redemption because god promises to bless Abraham and the families of the earth through him.

The sign of the Abrahamic covenant is the rite of circumcision
Jewish males get circumcised because it shows their relationship with god. A quote you can put in a paragraph ‘You shall be circumcised through the flesh of your foreskin this shall be the mark of the covenant between you and me’
And he (Abraham) believed in monotheism and spread this message along now Jewish faith is monotheism

Question 18

why was Moses important?

Answer 18

. Moses was responsible for the Jews escaping slavery in Egypt
.moses was given the Torah from god
Moses was given the 10 commandments as well as 603 other mitzvot rules from god.
.the covenant with Moses to god was the start of the Jewish nation.
.moses made a new covenant with god on mount sinai: ‘We will do anything the lord has said’ this quote means Jewish people have a duty to follow the Torah

Question 19

What will the messiah be like according to Torah?

Answer 19

. he will be a great political leader descended from king David.
. he will have a superb understanding of Jewish laws, and follow all 613 mitzvot rules.

Question 20

what is the Sanctity of life?

Answer 20

the belief we were made in God’s own image for human life is very precious. ‘so god created man in his own image’

Question 21

what is pikuach nefesh?

Answer 21

it’s the belief human life is more important than most mitzvot.

Question 21

what are Jewish beliefs about life after death?
(immorality of the soul)

Answer 21

1. the immortality of the soul- This is the belief that the soul will live on after the death of the physical body. Jews believe that god breathed the soul into Adam’s body: ‘The lord god formed man from the dust of the earth. he blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.’ - Genesis.

Question 22

what are Jewish beliefs about life after death?
(resurrection)

Answer 22

2. Resurrection- Maimonides taught Jewish people that there would be a resurrection.
   ORTHODOX Jews - who follow the teaching on resurrection very strictly believe there will be a physical resurrection where they will be given a new body after death to live again.

REFORM Jews- do not believe the body will be resurrected, life after death will be more of a spiritual resurrection. they also believe the dead person will live on through the good they have done in the memories of the people they leave behind.

Question 23

what are Jewish beliefs about life after death?
(heaven and hell)

Answer 23

3. Judaism teaches that when people leave this world, they are rewarded or punished for what they have done during their lives. the reward is understood in terms of closeness to god. punishment is thought of as a cleaning process.

Jews do not believe in hell as a place of everlasting torment. they believe that there is nothing a person can do which is so evil that his or her punishment could never ever end. the Jewish hell is like a laundry a process by which souls are cleansed of their sins so that they can eventually enter the presence of god.

Question 24

what are Jewish beliefs about life after death?
(shoel)

Answer 24

4. Shoel - at the time when most Jewish scriptures were written most Jews believed that after death everyone went to Sheol. this is described as a dark place where people went and stayed for eternity.The Talmud contains further ideas about life after death. Many Jews now believe that they will spend their afterlife in either Gan Eden or Gehenna. Gan Eden is a place of paradise for the righteous where they can experience closeness with God. Some Jews see Gehenna as a place of torment and punishment. However, other Jews see it as a place of purification where people are shown their wrongdoings so they can learn from them.

Question 25

what are Jewish beliefs about life after death?
(heaven and hell)

Answer 25

5. Heaven and Hell- many rabbis have taught that the souls of the righteous ascend to heaven (Gan Eden) whereas the souls of ordinary people go to hell (Gehenna)
   .some rabbis think that Gehenna is a place where souls are purified of their sins.

Question 26

what does Olam-Ha-Ba mean?

Answer 26

in Judaism it means the world to come also the word used to describe the Messianic age.

Question 27

nature of god evidence

Answer 27

'’in the beginning. god created’‘genisis
in the Torah ‘‘god is our law-giver, god is our judge’’

Question 28

shekinah evidence

Answer 28

'’the earth shone with his glory’’ exodus in the Torah

Question 29

messiah evidence

Answer 29

'’he shall reign as king’’ Jeremiah in the Nevi’im

Question 30

covenant evidence

Answer 30

'’I will make you a great nation’’ Genesis in the Torah
‘‘you shall worship god’’ exodus in the Torah

Question 31

pikuach nefesh evidence

Answer 31

'’let us make mankind in our own image’’ genesis in the Torah

Question 32

mitzvot evidence

Answer 32

'’recall the commandments and observe them’’ number in the torah

Question 33

the afterlife evidence

Answer 33

'’the world is like a lobby before the Olam-ha-ba’’ the Mishnah (oral torah)