judaism practices Flashcards
synagogues importance through worship and prayer
- communal space
- certain prayers can only be said in the presence of a MINYAN (groups of 10 adults)
synagogues importance through social activities
- youth clubs
- coffee mornings
- music/drama groups
synagogues importance through education
- educates all ages of their faith
- classes in Hebrew
- librarys
synagogues importance through charity
- donating money
- cake sales, clothes sales ect
the arks description and significance
WHAT
- cabinet containing torah at the front
SIGNIFICANCE
- holiest place in synagogue
- represents original ark of the covenant built to hold stone tablets with 10 commandments
the ner tamid description and significance
WHAT
- ever burning light
- placed in front of the ark
- oil lamp
SIG
- symbolises gods presence so never put out
- reminder menorah was lit every night in the temple of Jerusalem
the bimahs description and significance
WHAT
- raised platform in centre of synagogue
- where torah is read from during services
SIG
- reminder that it was the central feature in the courtyard in the temple of Jerusalem
orthodox servies
- holds daily services
- Hebrew
- person leading faces ark so back to congregation
- men cover heads with skull cap and women wear scarf to show respect
- singing is unaccompanied
reform services
- not daily services but mainly at festivals and Shabbat
- English and Hebrew
- person leading faces congregation
- men and women sit together
- most men wear skull cap and some women too
- singing ids accompanied by music
tallit description and significance
WHAT
- prayer shall made from wiool or silk
- long tassels at each corner
SIG
- tassels represents the mitzvot
tefillin description and significance
WHAT
- 2 small leather boxes containing extracts from torah and shema
- one fastened with leather straps to centre of forehead and other round upper arm lined up with the heart.
SIG
- reminds them they should be fully concentrating on god when they pray and it should come from the heart.
format of jewish services (orthodox- morning, noon and night)
- opening prayers - thanks to god
- shema
- Amidah prayer
- reading from torah
- final prayers
what’s the amidah prayer
- standing prayer
- central to jewish worship
- prayed in silence while standing and facing Jerusalem
- blessings include: first 2 - prays god and ask for mercy. next 13 - ask for gods help. last 3 - thank god for opportunity to serve him and they pray for peace
summary of shabbat services - friday evening and saturday morning
- Friday evening - brief, welcoming like a bride
some do this for kids and families where games and stores are said - Saturday morning - main service.
contains reading from the torah, prayers, blessings and sermon.
3 actions and their significance of the shabbat services
- congregation stands when ark is revealed - jews stood at bottom of mt. sinai when Jesus returned with 10 coms
- torah held and paraded around the room - march through the wilderness from mt. sinai to Jerusalem
- when torah passed through jews touch their tassels n it and then to their lips - gods words are sweet like honey
4 shabbat preparations in the home and their significance
- everything prepeared before Friday eve eg cleaning making food ect - like a bride and 4th commandment “no work on the shabbat”
- 2 candles at least on table
- two loaves of CHALLAH bread on table - food god provided jews in the wildness wandering
- wine from kiddish cup - symbolises joy and celebration
3 shabbat celebrations in the home
- female lights candles before Friday sunset and beckons her arms with a blessing
- blessings over kiddish cup, bread passed round before meal, family relax and meal lasts hours, meal ends with thanksgiving prayer
- another meal after Saturday service and then havdalah service
what’s the havdalah service
- marks the end of shabbat
- blessings over wine with sweet smelling candles to sooth and bring light to the house after the shabbat
SRT for shabbat in the home - shabbat blessing
” blessed are you lord… who commands us to light the candles of the shabbat”
what’s the tenakh and its contents
WRITEN LAW
- sacred jewish scriptures of 24 books
contains
1. torah
2. nevi’im (the prophets)
3. ketuvim (the writings)
what’s the talmud and its contents
ORAL LAW
- teachings about the torahs laws on everyday life
contains
1. Mishnah
2. gemera
the naming ceremony for newborn jews - what and significance
- kid blessed in synagogue on first shabbat after birth
- baby girls name announced at this point
- boy named later at circumscision
significance: introducing child into jewish community
the brit milah for newborn jews - what and significance
- happens when a boy is 8 days old
- baby circumcised in simple operation
significance: covenant between god and Abraham “be the sign of the covenant between Me and you”
reminds jews they are the chosen ppl
bar and bat mitzvah
- boys 13, girl 12
- boy wears tallit for first time
- reads from torah and makes short speech
- father thanks god for maturity of this boy
- party and meal after service
significance of bat and bar mitzvah
- seen as an adult
- expected to start stickily following jewish rules
- jewish boy can be part of minyan
marriage betrothal
- time before wedding where 2 ppl are engaged traditionally 12 months
- legal in jewish law and can only be broken by death/divorce
- couple cant live together for this but only prep
5 parts of a jewish wedding
- BEFORE - fasting to be cleansed from sins
- BETROTHAL CEREMONY - bride joins groom underneath chuppah (canopy symbolising couples home) recites blessings over wine
- MARRIAGE CONTRACT - signed with witness
- MARRIAGE ITSELF - bride circles groom and recites blessings, rabbi makes short speech and blesses them, groom break glass - regret for destruction of temple of Jerusalem, congregation wish good luck
- WEDDING RECEPTION - couple spends private time in room
SRT for marriage
“a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife so that they become one flesh
annunciation of the death and first period of mourning - 1, 2
- DEATH ANNOUNCED
- small tears in their clothes to copy Jacob in genesis - FIRST PERIOD OF MOUNRING
- usually buried within first 24 hours but family members shouldn’t leave it until then
the second period of mourning
SHIVA
- intense period lasts 7 days starting at burial
- don’t work
- pray 3 times a day
- Kaddish prayer
- mirrors covered
- no make up/shaving/ hair cut
the third and final period of mourning
THIRD
- last until 30 days after death
- normal life but no parties/music/hair cuts
- males say kaddish daily
LAST
- 11 months
- no parties
- children say kaddish to parent whoes died
after the first year of mourning
- formal mourning ends after a year
- celebrate the anniversary of death
funeral
- body washed and wrapped in linen cloths (tallit for men)
- body taken straight to cemetery (not synagogue bc this is place for the living)
- ## after funeral everyone washes their hands - leaving death behind
examples of kosher and trefah foods
KOSHER
- fish with scales and fins
- cow and sheep meat
- kosher cheese
- fruit and veg free of insects
TREFAH
- pork
- camel
- insects
- rodents
jewish name for food you can/cant eat
can - kosher
cant - trefah
how should kosher animals be killed
- slaughtered with sharp knife by trained jew
- animal must be conscious
- blood drained from animal (jews cant consume food with blood)
SRT for preparing kosher foods
“do not partake of the blood; for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the life with the flesh”
separation in a kosher kitchen with SRT
- keep milk and meat separate “you shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk”
- jews have 2 kitchens
- different untesils
- diff sinks
- diff chopping boards
the meaning of Rosh Hashanah
- day of judgement
- remembers god’s creation of the world
- jewish new year
about Rosh Hashanah
- jewish new year
- pray and do charity to make up for bad things that past year they have done eg charity or atoning
- evening before family has a meal eg apples dipped in honey - sweet new year
- rams horn blown 100 times
the meaning of Yom Kippur and SRT
- day of atonement - holiest day in jewish calendar
- “atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you of all your sins”
- last chance to repent for sins
about Yom Kippur
- asking god for forgiveness
- confession
- fast for 25 hours and do no work
- wear white to symbolise purity - “become like snow”
- doors of ark opened “all sinners can retunr to god”
- betting, wearing leather shoes, having sex = forbidden
what is pesach
- celebrates jews escape from slavery in Egypt after wandering round the desert to Canaan
- remembers the final plague of killing first born sons but it ‘passed over’ the jewish slaves houses
- emphasises they are gods chosen ppl
preparation for pesach
- remove YEAST from the home - shows how jews had no time to let their bread rise when they escaped from Egypt
significance of red win and unleavened bread on the seder meal
RED WINE
- lambs blood on doorsteps of jewish sales to save their kids
BREAD
- god commanded that to celebrate the escape from Egypt, eat unleavened bread for 7 days each year
significance of each item on seder plate
- green veg - new life in promised land
- salt water - tears of slavery
- bitter herbs - bitterness of slavery
- egg and lamb bone - sacrifices made in temple of Jerusalem
worship in the home
- mezuzot - handwritten torah verses in small box on door step - jews touch as a sing of respect to follow the lkaws
- pray 3 times a day
