Judaism: Beliefs & Teachings

Question 1

What is monotheism?

Answer 1

a religion that believes there is only one God

Question 2

Give three religions that are monotheistic.

Answer 2

Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Judaism, Hinduism

Question 3

What do Jews believe about ‘God as One’?

Answer 3

That there is only one God, who does not have any other forms.

Question 4

How do jews express the idea of ‘God as one’

Answer 4

Through the Shema

Question 5

What is the Shema?

Answer 5

a Jewish prayer affirming belief in one God found in the torah

Question 6

How do some jews choose to refer to God as?

Answer 6

G-d or YHWH (taking out the vowels) or refer to God as ‘Adonai’

Question 7

What does Adonai mean

Answer 7

Adonai means ‘my Lord’

Question 8

What does the Shema State?

Answer 8

“Hear O’ Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is one; And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

Question 9

What is ‘love’ in the Shema mean?

Answer 9

That God requires total loyalty

Question 10

What does ‘soul’ in the Shema mean?

Answer 10

That Jews need to have spiritual dedication to One God.

Question 11

What is an Orthodox Jew?

Answer 11

Jews who emphasise the importance of following the laws and guidance of the Torah; they believe the Torah was given directly by God to Moses, SO should be followed as closely as possible

Question 12

What is an Ultra-Orthodox Jew?

Answer 12

Jews that are more committed to following the laws and guidance of the torah than the orthodox jews.

Question 13

What do jews believe about ‘God the creator’?

Answer 13

They believe that God created the universe out of nothing, how he wanted it to be.

Question 14

How is the belief of ‘God as creator’ be expressed

Answer 14

The torah begins with “When God began to create Heaven and Earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

Question 15

What does God do on the First day?

Answer 15

separate light and darkness

Question 16

What does God do on the second day?

Answer 16

make the clouds and the oceans

Question 17

What does God do on the third day?

Answer 17

make the sun, moon & stars

Question 18

What does God do on the Fourth day?

Answer 18

Make the land, plants and trees

Question 19

What does Go do on the Fifth day?

Answer 19

Make the fish and Birds

Question 20

What does God do on the Sixth day?

Answer 20

Make humans and animals

Question 21

What does God do on the seventh Day?

Answer 21

He rested

Question 22

How do orthodox jews take the creation story?

Answer 22

They believe it is the literal truth and believe it happened around 6000 years ago

Question 23

How do Reform Jews take the creation story?

Answer 23

They accept that an evolutionary theory may be correct but that God cause it to happen.

Question 24

Why is the order in the creation story important to Jews?

Answer 24

Because it reminds jews of God’s omnipotence. As he created everything in a way where everything would fit into each other without causing any problems