Jewish identity is largely based on religious practices, with rituals marking important stages in a Jewish life and celebrating festivals throughout the year to remember important events in Jewish history. Biblical myths are found mainly in the first 11 chapters of Genesis, which focus on the creation of the world and the first man. The Temple ritual is the way to experience God the way the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. Jewish people believe in the Torah, which was the whole of the laws given to the Israelities at Sinai. They believe they must follow God’s laws which govern daily life.
The Rambam, a great Jewish rabbi and philosopher, summarized the Jewish faith in 13 principles. These principles include the basics of Jewish living, from different movements within Judaism to daily practices that shape the day-to-day experience. Jewish law governs all aspects of Jewish life, including worship, compulsory rituals, and dietary laws. The Jewish place of worship is called the synagogue, which plays a crucial role in observing the laws of the Torah and circumcision.
Judaism is characterized by particular rituals, such as observance of the laws of the Torah and circumcision, that constitute a Jew as a Jew. Jewish tradition has laws and rituals that pertain to everyday activities, naturally weaving Judaism into the lives of its followers. Each ritual has its own meaning, symbolism, history, and purpose.
Rituals of circumcision, the observance of Sabbath, and bathing for purification were common practices occurring outside the Temple that shaped the Jewish identity. A slim majority of Israeli Jews always or usually light Sabbath candles, and a slim majority of Israeli Jews say they do these things because they are Jews.
📹 What is Judaism? What Do Jews Believe?
In our newest #religion video, we cover #Judaism. What do Jews believe? We discuss the Torah, holidays such as Passover and …
What are the rituals and celebrations of Judaism?
Jewish festivals and celebrations are centered around significant events in Jewish history, with most holidays being Pilgrim Festivals. Major Jewish holidays include Days of Awe, Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah), Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), Festival of Thanksgiving (Sukkot), Festival of Lights (Hanukah), Merry Making Festival (Purim), Festival of Freedom (Pessah or Passover), and Festival of Weeks (Shabuot).
What is the birth ritual in Judaism?
In a Jewish family, the birth of a baby is a sacred event that involves blessings, naming, and circumcision. The baby is given a Hebrew name and a civic name, and if a boy is born, he is given a name after the Brit Milah. The circumcision ceremony is held on the eighth day of the baby’s birth, even on Jewish holidays like Sabbath or Yom Kippur. The baby is taken to the synagogue for the rite, where the Mohel, a pious man trained in circumcision, holds the baby.
The second chair is reserved for Prophet Elijah, who Jews believe maintains contact with the Almighty. If the baby is a firstborn son, the Pidyon Haben ceremony is conducted on the thirtieth day of birth. The father takes the child to a Kohen, a descendant of the priestly family, and redeems them from the obligation to become a priest by making a payment of five silver shekels in the presence of a Minyan group.
What does Judaism believe in?
The tenets of Judaism posit the existence of a singular, everlasting, and actively engaged deity, whose involvement in worldly affairs is a fundamental tenet of the religion. However, there are various schools of thought within Judaism that differ in their interpretation and application of religious law in the context of modernity.
What is not allowed in Judaism?
Judaism’s food laws, primarily found in the Books of Deuteronomy and Leviticus, dictate what is allowed and what is not. Treif, or forbidden food, includes shellfish, pork products, and unsheathed shechitah, which requires a sharp knife cut to the throat of the animal. Land animals must have cloven hooves and chew cud, while seafood must have fins and scales. Shellfish is not allowed, and birds of prey are only allowed for clean birds.
Poultry is allowed, and meat and dairy cannot be eaten together, as stated in Exodus 23:19. Jews must wait up to six hours after eating meat before consuming dairy. Following these dietary rules demonstrates obedience and self-control.
What rituals are practiced at the place of worship for Judaism?
The Tefillah, a series of benedictions, is the primary component of all Jewish worship services. It is also known as the Amidah or “standing” prayer and the Shemoneh Esreh, which originally contained 18 benedictions. On weekdays, it is composed of 19 benedictions, including 13 petitions for welfare and messianic restoration. On Sabbaths and festivals, these petitions are replaced by occasional prayers.
A major rubric is the recitation of the Shema in the morning and evening. All services conclude with two messianic prayers, the first called Alenu, and the second an Aramaic doxology called the Kaddish.
As a sign of devotion to God, the observant adult male Jew during weekday morning prayers wears both a fringed prayer shawl (tallith) and phylacteries (prayer boxes, called tefillin), derived from the scriptural passages that are recited as the Shema. As a gesture of respect to God, the head is covered during prayer, either with a hat or a skullcap (kippah). Pious Jews wear a head covering at all times, recognizing God’s constant presence.
The study of Torah, the revealed will of God, is considered an act of worship in rabbinic Judaism. Passages from Scripture, Mishnah, and Talmud are recited during daily morning services. The major liturgical Torah readings take place on Sabbath and festival mornings, with the annual cycle beginning again every autumn at a celebration called Simhath Torah (“rejoicing in the Torah”), which falls at the end of the Sukkot festival. Thematically appropriate readings from the Prophets (Haftarah) accompany the Torah readings on Sabbaths and festivals.
Jews recite numerous benedictions throughout the day before performing commandments and enjoying the bounties of nature. For the Jew, the earth belongs to God, and humans are simply tenant farmers or gardeners. The owner must be acknowledged before the tenant may partake of the fruits.
Jewish dietary laws relate to the Temple cult, with one’s table at home being analogous to the table of the Lord. Certain animals, considered unclean, are not to be eaten, and meat and milk products are not to be eaten together.
The Jewish liturgical calendar carries forward the divisions of time prescribed in the Torah and observed in the Temple cult. Every seventh day is the Sabbath, when no work is performed, returning the world to its owner, God, acknowledging that humans extract its produce only on sufferance.
Is dating allowed in Judaism?
The shomer negiah law advises Jews to avoid all physical touch before marriage, including kissing, hugging, and hand-holding. Some Orthodox Jews may engage in sexual activity before finding a life partner, but it is important for potential couples to discuss their boundaries. Preserving the purity of sexuality and marriage allows couples to connect on a deeper level, and the more devoted a Jewish single is to guarding physical touch, the happier and healthier their relationship is likely to be. Rabbi Pinchas Stolper suggests that dating should be limited to conversation, allowing for new and stimulating conversations and a greater interplay of personality.
What is unforgivable in Judaism?
In Judaism, the principle of pikuach nefesh dictates that individuals are required to perform most sins if necessary to save human life. The only exceptions are the three exceptional sins (murder, idolatry, and sexual misconduct) which require one to die rather than commit. The completely righteous enjoy both this world and the life after, while the wicked are considered dead wild beasts who cannot correct their sins in this world or the next.
During the time of the Temple, Jewish courts punished certain sins with varying forms of punishment, such as execution, lashes, fines, and more. After the destruction of the second Temple and the Sanhedrin, physical punishments were no longer given due to the necessity of the Sanhedrin for their execution.
The righteous enjoy both this world and the life after, while the wicked suffer and prosper. Despite this, God’s justice is long, precise, and just.
How do Jews mourn?
Shav is the first seven days of mourning after a burial, with some Jews staying at home and creating a minyan for communal worship. If a parent has passed away, mourning lasts a year. In Judaism, there are significant rituals surrounding death, including making a tear in clothing to express grief. The body is washed and prepared for burial, and the days before the funeral are spent with the body. Burial should occur as soon as possible, with a simple coffin to show equality, and the ceremony at a cemetery.
Why are rituals important in Judaism?
Jewish rituals are significant stages in a Jewish life, marked by festivals and worship of God. They often mark transitions from one phase of life to another. After a child’s birth, the mother undergoes a ritual cleaning and attends, as required by a scripture. Jewish rituals begin for both boys and girls, marking important events in Jewish history. Prayer and worship in the synagogue are central to the Jewish faith.
What are Judaism’s main beliefs?
The tenets of Judaism posit the existence of a singular, everlasting, and actively engaged deity, whose involvement in worldly affairs is a fundamental tenet of the religion. However, there are various schools of thought within Judaism that differ in their interpretation and application of religious law in the context of modernity.
📹 Judaism Explained
Judaism, at 4000 years old it is one of the oldest monotheistic religions and the granddaddy of Christianity and Islam. But even …
Thank you for the article. Most of it covered what I already knew or was familiar with. But some was brand new to me, a non-jewish person. I found this article because of a college class I’m taking as a humanities requirement that goes towards my goal of a bachelors degree in Social Work. I’m a 1st year undergrad, at 57. 🙂
ABOVE ALL …. LOVE GOD WITH ALL YOUR MIND, HEART,STRENGTH…love your fellowmen (do unto others what you would like others do un to you)…I KNOW ALL RELIGIONS CENTERED TO THIS “IDEA” I am just a humble roman catholic..i RESPECT ALL RELIGIONS…we all just but HUMAN which i know that there is “no two human beings are EXACTLY ALIKE..
I have some ancestors on both sides of my family who were originally Jewish. On my father’s side, his paternal greatgrand- mother Willner died when her son was only 3 years old. Her husband (the widower) died a few years later as a result being murdered by horse thieves who broke into his stable in Europe. My greatgrand- father was sent far off to live with other relatives & were not very nice to him. On my mother’s side, her maternal ancestor’s father Shamer was living in Germany and was self-employed. He was having a problem with paying his taxes and was thrown into a Debtor’s prison. The only way he could get released was to agree to be an indentured servant for 7 years to a Master in America. Before he could cross the ocean, he had to agree to convert to the Christian faith. He arrived on a ship in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After he served his indenture, he married the Master’s daughter who came from a very wealthy Dutch family. Most of his offspring became successful in various careers and some were artistically and musically talented, etc. One of the immigrants sons married into the Taylor family, my 2nd great-grandmother whose ancestors may have also been originally Jewish according to some early census records that my late mother and I discovered at the Archives when I was a young child. I always went along to assist with the. research because I found it to be interesting. I have always had an interest my Jewish heritage. I wish film director, Barry Levinson would produce a movie about the prisoners who were let out of the prisons in Europe & Great Britain in exchange for becoming indentured servants in America per a 7-year agreement.
Great article. I’m writing a book similar to your article’s purpose, but mine compares the top ten populated religions. I only write my book so that I might remember the details. I remember things better if I document them. While writing, I see the overlap of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam – as does your article. That’s the lesson I walked away from How can so many wars be fought over these religions when so much of their scriptures focuses on peace and love? I haven’t come to a conclusion yet, but it seems that governments use religion to start these wars and get their populace behind the killings.
(Sorry for the VERY, VERY long “comment”. But I believe it NEEDS to be espoused) Kind Sir…I believe “Judaism” and “what do Jews Believe”; is something many do not understand! IE: 4,000 yrs ago, God tempted a Hebrew man; which is was VERY hard; to most other men! 1. God wanted Abram to leave and go the “Canaan Land”. That would be so dangerous! Amd 2. The second tempt of God; was Abram to “sacrifice” his son. And believe or not, Abram did both. But, 99.99% men would never do that! So, God was very pleased’ and He changed Abram to Abraham. And when he sired a grandson (Jacob); when his name would be changed to “Israel”. And Israel would create 12 Israelite Tribes. And their names; were Jacob’s of his 12 sons. And ONE of those Tribes was named “Judah”; and they called it “Judahites”. Sadly, over untold centuries; the ONLY Tribe left; was that Judahite. And as time went on; that Judahite Tribe; most of them became “Abominable Sinners, over many centuries. So their name became “Jews” (short-cut for Judah by the Babyloinians, who hated the Judaites). So their later religion name; became “Judaism”. And while most of them said; they believed in the TRUE God; it was a satan-led, Godless LIE! Oh indeed yes. IE: that has never changed to this day. Thus, God (2,000 yrs ago), changed His name “YHWH”, to “Yeshua”! Believe it nor not. And Yeshua (God) became “flesh” on this earth for 30 yrs. But MOST Jews did not believe that. So they forced the “Roman Empire” to crucify Yeshua. Because they said, he was a fake “Messiah”.
When I was a furniture repairman, one of my customers was a Jewish family, and the wife asked me if I could affix a Mezuzah to her front door. I did it according to Ashkenazic dictum, upon inspection she asked why it was tilted towards the home and what was inside it. I showed her the scroll and told her to have the Rabbi stop by and bless it and the family inside as required. I found it humorous and charming that an Atheist like me had to explain this to an adherent, but they were a sweet family and… a good customer, so I looked out for them. ☺
I love the comments of @MH 55 yt. He is a scholar himself wondering why there is some sort of a perpetual conflict amongst Jews, Christians and Muslims, when each religion preaches Monotheism, love and care for the entire humanity, peace and freedom to follow one’s belief. I am a Muslim and Pakistani having spent several years at law schools of some American universities along with mostly Jewish students and faculty. Not even once in years, I ever felt that I didn’t fit in the Jewish community. I’m sure that it’s the governments of the states which use religion for their political ends and in the process provoke hate amongst followers of different religions. Look forward to reading your book.
In this article something very important is missing. The fact that they regard themselves as having been god elected people.And if this is the case we are all monkeys without a soul ( i do mind because I really love monkeys). Monkeys to serve them .to get rob, to get cheated and sometimes to get crashed as il we were cockroachs. Iam not making up anything, everyone can see it for himself right now.
Biblical Mosaic Judaism ended in two stages- when Jesus raised from the dead, and when the temple was flattened 70 AD. It has not existed ever since. Pharasaic Judaism ended 70 AD also as the temple was the main part of it as it was for Mosaic Judaism. The oral tradition the Pharisees had mentioned in mark 7 was eventually written down 200-500 AD by rabbis in a book called the Talmud and that marks the beginning of rabbinic Judaism which is the religion of the people that call themselves Jews today. Revelation 2:9 9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. Even while the temple is still standing is saying there are people using the old covenant identity for their religion but are lying. Jesus told the Pharisees their religion did not come from Moses therefore modern rabbinic Judaism did not come from Moses. See the wiki page on gentiles to see the real definition of the word. It only came to mean non Jew at the start of the rabbinic era 200 AD which is after all the bible had been written/ happened. Jew means Judean in the bible. Living in Judah or Judea, and of the religion of the Judeans which was Moses religion or the different forms of it by NT times. Judaism means Judeanism – of the religion of the Judeans which was Moses/different forms of it.
🙏 With great respect to All Sides … After studying & working overseas for 6 Corporstions >>> Realised that, the Most Important Thing is to be Good Person & to Do Good Deeds with Wisdom & we are Automatically following the True Teachings of the True God or Goddess & becomes a Good Citizen, regardless of our Ethnicities, Way of Worship, Gender, Nationalities, Social Status, the Clothes we wear or the Food we consume! The rest are just Man Made history of Traditions, Customs, Cultures or worse Political & Economic manifesto! When we die, our Souls have to follow the Universal Laws & Protocols … No human made rules, achievements nor objects can we bring along, only our Karmic Energies fused into our Consciousness will follow our Souls for our Next Life! 🙏🕯🌷🌿🌍💜🕊
GOD IS LIGHT. GOD IS GOOD. AHURA MAZDA IS WISDOM. UNDERSTANDING IS BENEFICIAL. AHURA MAZDA IS THE LORD. THE LION OF JUDAH. YAHVEH SHABBOUT. I AM. HE’S US! In the mirror. Perception in utterance, is the foundation of every language, in expression and experience, bringing discretion, becoming understanding, which is expressed as council and truth, in relationship between others, like yourself, in reproduction. FLESH AND BLOOD, IS BUT THE CARBON COPY OF PERCEPTION IN UTTERANCE, ITSELF!
I’m a Christian and began studying Judaism a few years back.After my Husband and I went to Israel a few years ago I’ve become more and more Jewish. I love Rabbi Tovia Singer. Evangelicalism seems to be up a creek without a paddle. I made a friend a few years earlier who is an Orthodox Jewish Mother. She really helps me.
The Jews said, ‘Ezra is the son of God,’ and the Christians said, ‘The Messiah is the son of God’: they said this with their own mouths, repeating what earlier disbelievers had said. May God confound them! How far astray they have been led! They take their rabbis and their monks as lords, as well as Christ, the son of Mary. But they were commanded to serve only one God: there is no god but Him; He is far above whatever they set up as His partners! Quran: 9
Very interesting article! Regarding what you said at 5:25, that its tricky topic to cover what does this religion believe. While it is for sure true that you can find jews in all spectrum of belief (like in every religion), from complete secular with scientific outview to totally religious, what you said at 1:30 is also true – jewish Rabbis and religious scholars studied and created texts interpreting the original texts for hunderds of years. I studied these topics for a while, it seems like they examained everything. Well one of them, probably the most famous one, was Maimonides, and he put together what is called “13 principles of faith”, which explains exactly what the jewish faith believes in, or, exactly what judaism is. So, from the strict orthodox point of view, it’s actually easy to find the knowledge of what does this religion believe in (again – from a completely religious perspective).
I watched this because I don’t understand why people in history have such hate for the Jewish. I still don’t get it and don’t really want to. I have no racism against anyone. I also don’t mind what religious beliefs people have. What I believe is between me and the faith I have for a higher power or God.i don’t agree or disagree what another believes. That’s about all I have to say about that other than I do disagree with the hate. I respect the fact many believe in something. Its not my position to judge anyone. I hope we can all be at a united peace in an afterlife
Nice article. A few points: The use of the term “denominations” is a little problematic for a few reasons – branches is how I’ve always heard it referred to. The 3 branches you spoke about are only really adhered to by us Ashkenazi Jews. Sephardic, Yemani and Mizrahi Jews (as I understand it) do not have these. Ashkenazi refers to Jews from Northern / Eastern Europe, Sephardic (means Spanish) Jews come from Southern Europe (From Portugal to Greece) and parts of North Africa. Yemani Jews are from, well, Yeman and Mizrahi Jews are (roughly speaking) from what we would consider today “Islamic” countries like Iran, Iraq, Jordan etc. A lot of the images you used when referring to “Orthodox” Jews were actually Haredi which is a branch that’s more “devout” than Orthodox. Lastly, of the 3 branches you mentioned it’s interesting to note the oldest of them is actually Reform Judaism. “Orthodox” Judaism was actually ‘started’ as a direct result of the impact Reform Judaism had in Northern/Eastern Europe a few hundred years ago. You mentioned Hanukkah isn’t a very major holiday, and that’s true, it’s only in the English speaking world that Hanukkah is such a big deal because it loosely comes around the same time as Christmas. It’s a very minor holiday overall. Some High Holidays you didn’t mention are: Shavout, Sukkot, Pesach (Passover) and Rosh HaShana (Jewish New Year because the our Calendar is a Lunar one unlike the standard Gregorian Solar Calendar). Best Wishes.
There are numerous misrepresentations and distortions in this article. One example is that the speaker only considers the Ashkenazim in his discussion of three divisions. Ashkenazim are, generally, descendants of Jews who lived in Eastern Europe, though they were prohibited from participation in the dominant societies of the countries where they lived. Jews were restricted from many benefits, membership in craft guilds, access to educational institutions and many other social entities, and were not considered citizens at all, as well as being mistreated and repeatedly expelled from their homes.The separations into Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Judaism applies only to Ashkenazim, but not at all to Sephardim, nor to other branches of Judaism in other places from Western Europe, Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world. The practice of wearing a kippah or yarmulka is not universal, and many Reform communities do not use it at all. Women wear headcovering for modesty, but this generally applies only to married women. Yom Kippur is not pronounced to rhyme with “bomb”, but with “comb”. It is regrettable that most of the portrayal of religious life are exaggerated, showing many males with long earlocks, and engaging in stunts like those in the article. While these extreme forms of style may be retained in small groups of extreme adherents, they are virtually unknown among most Jewish communities.
I mean Jesus is our saviour and “no one comes to the father except through him. “He is the way the truth and the life. But unfortunately Christians in general, don’t really practice what he taught. Or the Full Teaching of the Bible. Just Segments of it. And according to Jesus he will reject such ones. Even though we may mean well. Applying God’s Full Teaching is Vital. I know a religion that does. No I’m not saying perfectly. But important area’s that Jesus taught about. Or rhe rest of the Bible similar. Just to mention one. “No part of the world. Like Politics. Various celebrations. Ect.
Most Jews today do not see religion as central to their lives (Pew Research Center.) They do identify as being Jewish, but not religious, and most, like myself, no longer believe in a deity, and lean more towards humanistic concepts of basic ethics and morality based on culture over time, and not religion, though it’s often difficult to distinguish where the ideas flow from. And this is even more true in Israel, where I spent 2 years in the 80’s, partially with the IDF, and still have many friends there. So this article is not representative of the majority of Jews worldwide, but of the religious portion of us. And of those, Reform Judaism is the largest group.
Zev Porat asked a Jewish rabbi if there was anything in the hebrew bible where someone had been pierced. The rabbi said that no one had been pierced in the scriptures. Zev Porat then read Isaiah 53 to him. The rabbi wanted to go on, but his wife wanted to know what else was written and they stayed. The rabbi thought that this text would be in the Christian Bible, as the text describes Jesus. Isaiah 53 is not allowed to be read in synagogues, unbelievable. Although it was written 700 years before Christ by God through Isaiah. How can God’s word be forbidden?
I love jewish people and if I lived in the middle east I would live in Israel. However there is something very controversial about Judaism that most people don’t want to talk about or are not allowed to discuss. The god of Judaism is actually a being but not a god and the top tier know this and the ark of the covenant is technology, a replicator and not a religious artifact. If you were to equate it to Christianity it would be if everyone thought Jesus was God when you know there is a distinction between what Jesus was and what God is.
As I understand, while Christianity and Islam is more focused on believing and going to heaven, Judaism is more on the community in the mission that the Jewish people got from God. The commandments to fulfill in order to be a good person on Earth. Not for a heavenly reward. More about ethics. And then there is this culture of disagreement, and questioning and debating theology and practices.
It is key to understand the overarching volume and density of STUDY that is involved in Judaism. It is directly related to the professional success of the average observant Jew. The Jews are, on average, far and away the most studious of the members of any faith. The quantifiable sum of requirements of their observance is far greater than the other comparable organized faiths. The catalog of required reading alone is daunting. The memorization and linguistic studies are monumental. Torah and The Torah, life and the word. It is fascinating and strange.
What do Muslims have in common with Mormons ? Galatians 1:8-10 (KJV) But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. Matthew 11:13 (KJV) For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. Luke 16:16 (KJV) The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it. Matthew 11:10-13 (KJV) For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. Put that in your pipe and and smoke it, Muslim Allah is an old Arabic moon god (small g) And Mohamed was a false prophet accusing one of the Arch Angels ( Gabriel ) of Treason against the LORD GOD most high
There is no special place to pray. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Ask God for anything with Jesus name! Lord payers is the most powerful one please Pray now and God be with you all Everyone must understand there is no salvation without understating who Jesus Christ is? 2 Corinthians 1:20 No matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so, through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Jesus Christ.
You forgot the supremacist ideology >> In Judaism, the concept of the Jews as the chosen people (Hebrew: הָעָם הַנִבְחַר ha-ʿam ha-nivḥar, IPA: haʕam hanivħar) is the belief that the Jews, via descent from the ancient Israelites, are the chosen people, i.e. selected to be in a covenant with God. The idea of the Israelites being chosen by God is found most directly in the Book of Deuteronomy as the verb baḥar (בָּחַר), and is alluded to elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible using other terms such as “holy people”. Much is written about these topics in rabbinic literature. The three largest Jewish denominations—Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism—maintain the belief that the Jews have been chosen by God for a purpose. Sometimes this choice is seen as charging the Jewish people with a specific mission—to be a light unto the nations, and to exemplify the covenant with God as described in the Torah. source. Wikipedia
That six pointed hexagram which is lied upon David the king of Judah isn’t scriptural within the Holy Bible. Neither Solomon, David’s son and reigning king, can it be founded within the Holy Bible or the Torah. Actually Deuteronomy 17:2-5; Leviticus 17:7; Exodus 22:20 speaks out against worship of stars or magic or talismans which is magic or anything above the heavens or on the earth or underneath the earth. So please someone in truth reveal the matter of this mysterious six point hexagram.
Whatever Wiki-fakeya or this article says, Judaism is the core of what makes a Jew a Jew. There is no such thing as three (different) Judaism’s. Judaism is not based on genetic heritage or religion, but on the simple, spiritual understanding that there is one sole, incorporeal G’d. Judaism is therefore not a ‘religion’, in the current (negative) understanding of the word, but it should be understood as ‘Jewishness’. So who’s Jewish? Anyone born from a Jewish mother or a genuine convert. AND one who trusts in his (incorporeal) Creator. Who was the first Jew? I tend to go with Haevael. (Abel.)
That is not what Judaism is about. And it’s a very bad explanation for non jews .Judaism is a conversation with God. This article is just the external outer shell. The physical modern daily implications. This article jumps frequently from one subject to another, which Make is confusing. The most important part is left out. It should be more focused. The word Judaism is based on the name of the judea tribe which is only one tribe of israel. but the real original name of that religion is the “Torah given to Moses.” Or “covenant of Abraham” And it’s not just a religion but a bloodline, a nation. It’s an obligation for God. A covenant of 613 commandments . based on love for God. As a father. And it has a lot to do With the true meaning of existence and God. The article describes the physical traditions But Judaism, meaning the Torah,the vibration, the song of creation is far more than that .
I stand with the Hebrew brethren of our Messiah and their faith who seek peace, truth and justice, yet do NOT support the ZIONIST (neo Nazi) ORGANIZATION that do not care about the Jews themselves just their Agenda which is they say is a place a refuge for the Jews in the dispora. One just has to follow the truth.
So, before the 2 minute mark you’ve already made a major error by putting “the rest of the Old Testament” in the “Christian only” column. Somehow that slipped by the “Jewish friends” of yours that supposedly checked over this content? Also it’s only after marriage that Orthodox women cover their hair.
Let’s see what the Lord Jesus said what they believe : John 5:46-47 KJV For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? Mark 7:6-8 KJV He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do. Mark 7:10-13 KJV For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and, Whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death: But ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is Corban, that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; he shall be free. And ye suffer him no more to do ought for his father or his mother; Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye. Words of Pharisee Saul later saved apostle Paul Romans 10:1-5 KJV Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
I like that you made this article. I did not start perusal it to criticize it but if I see something that could be more accurate I feel like the right thing to do is to say so. The Koran is the Muslim Bible not in addition to the “Old & New” Testaments. The New testament so to speak is called the Gospels and that is basically everything that Christians have accepted that was written by Christians about Jesus and that is just added on to a Hebrew Bible that is reorganized and reinterpreted. Essentially what Christians call the Old testament is a slightly different version than the Hebrew Bible. What Christians did with the Hebrew Bible was look for parts of the Hebrew text that for them anticipate Jesus’ coming because the life and death of Jesus was not a Messianic concept so in a Jewish perspective of this retrofitting process, the Christian Bible “Old Testament” is different from the Hebrew Bible or the 5 Books of Moses, in Hebrew the Torah (the Torah + Prophets and Psalms… is the Tnach), in Greek the 1st translation of the 5 Books was in Greek and it’s called the Pentatuk. The Quran is a full reinterpreted and rewritten account of both the New & Old Testament retrofitted to to Arabia. Historically, it took 500 to write and compile the Torah after the supposed Exodus out of Egypt and Moses. It wasn’t untill after the Babylonian exile that some writings were compiled into a scroll. So 500 years it was mostly an oral tradition. 650 years later Jesus was supposedly born and 40 years after he died they had the 1st oldest Gospel.
In The Quran Allah Said, let us not follow the footstep of the Jews and western people.. al yahud (jews) and al nasara (western people)… All prophet that sent on earth by Allah they are all Jews only prophet Muhammad is from the Arab. They refuse to follow Islam because they thought that they may lost their Dignity to The Arabs and they change the Truth to lies, and the lies to be truth Islam is the only true religion.. please my brothers and sisters read the quran and listen to the verses clearly 🙏 May Allah put us on the right path
What Jews believe? That there is only one God, creator of everything. That God is one (not 2, a trinity or more). That when mankind sin, we can repent directly to God and ask for forgiveness, and He forgives us. And that in end times, the Messiah will do the following: 1/ build a new temple and reinstate offerings for unintentional sins 2/ rebuke the nations 3/ teach Torah to the world In addition during the messianic age, the following will happen: 4/ universal knowledge of God 5/ worldwide peace 6/ resurrection of the dead 7/ no more death 8/ Jews will return to Israel Obviously, those events are all described in the Jewish scriptures, the Tanakh (aka old testament by christianity) and those events have not taken place yet. So everyday, Jews and Noahides pray that the Messiah will come quickly and in the meantime try to do their best to please God by following his commandments.
First lets find out what’s the meaning of the word ..(Judaism) which was derived from the letters (Jdsm) it is pronounced as (Ya Ode osa ama).. Meaning… ((God who resounds among the people of the settlement).. Any other Meaning is meaningless. Juden derived from (Jdn).. meaning.. (God who resounds in the land)… Judah derived from (Jdh).. Meaning… (God who resounds among the people.).. This is the correct pronunciations and meanings nothing Else.
Alhumdullillah I am Muslim and like jews and christians believe in oneness of God and love, believe in and respect all the prophets and holy books including Torah, Bible,Zaboor and Quran the final word of God … and I believe the only point of difference between Islam and orher religions like judaism christianity is both these religions associate God with sons like Jesus and prophet Uzair being son of God which doesn’t seem even logical and rational as such distorted beliefs challenge oneness of God which is principal belief of judaism and christianity too so m playing safe for life hereafter
If not Jewish why preach what you are and please don’t be antisemitic. Mono Adonai, GxD, Lord, etc. Reborn Christians(cult), evangelical and baptist are similar and don’t even have an actual communion. Compared to them we go to hell for not believing in the son of god. Catholic and Lutheran no do not have that belief. Catholic school taught Judaism at the beginning of every year. From pre k to 12th grade. My great great Grandma, great grandma, grandma, mom and others that went to Catholic school. At the beginning of the year The High Holidays, yammica, how woman need to dress, Shabbot, Kosher and why. From there we went to learning r the Tanack then New Testament. High Holidays were mentioned in my church when taking place, we sung Hebrew hymes during Passover and had a service for the first day of Passover. I decided to convert to Judaism in seventh grade. My school accepted it. There is only one Gxd. One thing that was said before class began each year is, “We may believe in Jesus but Gxd excepts all religions. Pay attention to what you learn about Israel.” Don’t forget we learned the Hallakah Laws in school and some hymes are Jewish songs and prayers that don’t mention Jesus. Interesting right? I’m not reform and Jews for Jesus are not a form of Judaism.
great article, Jewish people are always dressed so cute but I did not know what they actually believe. did you say they wear the hat out of reverence and fear of God? why would they fear God? and what is knakbaar? I keep hearing jews mention the second knakbaar but they won’t tell me when I ask them. I don’t think they were talking about snackbars!😂 how many knakbaars are there (sorry if spelt wrang)😅
I reached a simple conclusion and i request all to consider it too … see who has to decide about heaven for peopleand hell on day of judgement? Definitely God will decide as it is the demand of oneness of God on the very similar point all major religions including Islam Christianity and Judaism believe in …but point of difference here is Islamic God cannot tolerate shirk which means God cannot be associated with sons or idols and any one who will believe so will be in hell for ever means for trillions of years of endless life as He is the only creator … now lets suppose in life hereafter belief of Muslims turns out to be correct as Islam being the latest religion and fastest growing religion according to google cannot be ignored that means rest of believers of all religions which believe that God has sons or worship idols will be in hell for good and now suppose if Christians or jews turn out to be right on the day of judgement… Muslims will again be in win win situation coz they believe in and love all the prophets including Jesus Moses etc and believe in all holy books including Torah Bible Zaboor … now just think for a while God has to give heaven and hell on day of judgement to us …. In question of oneness of God all of us will get 10 out of 10 and lets suppose in case christians turn out to be correct or jews in question of believing that Jesus or prophet Uzair are son of God ( as jews believe)Muslims will again be safe cos they love both Jesus Prophet Uzair and consider them great prophets and this thing can be ignored by God that Muslims though considered them prophets loved and respect them but only thing was muslims didn’t considered them sons of God as they were given birth by human mothers and had human families so it cannot be unforgivable sin fatal mistake which can earn someone hell… so guys play safe for life hereafer its humble submission…
Psalmid (Laulud)121:Iisraeli hoidja 1 Palveteekonna laul. Ma tõstan oma silmad mägede poole, kust tuleb mulle abi? 2 Abi tuleb mulle Issanda käest, kes on teinud taeva ja maa. 3 Ei ta lase su jalga vääratada, ei su hoidja tuku. 4 Vaata, ei tuku ega jää magama see, kes Iisraeli hoiab. 5 Issand on su hoidja, Issand on su varjaja su paremal käel. 6 Päeval ei pista sind päike ega kuu öösel. 7 Issand hoiab sind kõige kurja eest, tema hoiab sinu hinge. 8 Issand hoiab su minemist ja su tulemist nüüd ja igavesti. Jesaja 32:Elu Jumala rahus 16 Siis elab õigus kõrbes ja õiglus võtab aset viljapuuaias. 17 Ja õigluse vili on rahu, õigluse tulemuseks püsiv rahulik elu ning julgeolek. 18 Ja mu rahvas elab rahu eluasemel, kindlais elamuis ning häirimatuis hingamispaigus, 19 kui sajab rahet, mets langeb maha ja linn vajub madalusse. 20 Õnnelikud olete teie, külvajad kõigi vete ääres, kes te võite härja ja eesli jalga lasta vabalt joosta. Jeesus Siirak 36:10 Kogu kõik Jaakobi suguharud ja olgu nad pärijad nagu muistegi! 11 Halasta, Issand, rahva peale, kellele on antud sinu nimi, ja Iisraeli peale, keda pead esmasündinuks! 12 Halasta oma pühamu linna, Jeruusalemma, oma hingamispaiga peale! 13 Täida Siion sinu ülistusega ja oma rahvas sinu auhiilgusega! 14 Anna tunnistus oma esmalooduile ja tee tõeks, mis sinu nimel on ennustatud! 15 Tasu neile, kes sinu peale loodavad, ja sinu prohvetid jäägu usaldusväärseks! 16 Kuule, Issand, nende palvet, kes sind anuvad, sinu rahvale kuuluva Aaroni õnnistuse pärast, 17 et kõik, kes maailmas elavad, tunneksid, et sina oled Issand, igavene Jumal!
What Bible says about present system of things. Ecclesiastes 8: 9- All of this I have seen, and I applied my heart to every work that has been done under the sun, during the time that man has dominated man to his harm. And what is the Prophecy Revelation 21: 4- And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” Jehovah will take over and end all sufferings…..
As a Christian I love Israel and the Jews and wish them all the best. But U feel sorry for them that they did not recognize the Messiah (Jesus Christ) when He was in their midst. In Micah 5 : 2 it written that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem and that’s what the scribes told Herod when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Jesus’s earthly parents Joseph and Maria soon moved to Nazareth. This confused the Pharisees as they knew him only as a Nazarene. Furthermore his teachings and conduct ( like healing on the Sabbath) seemed to them as breaking the law of Moses. They rejected Jesus and His teachings. They even rejected the teaching of Jesus’s disciples including Apostle Paul who was once one of their own and a persecutor of the Christians. They could nit even see what God said in Jeremiah 31 : 31 – 34 that the Jews have not kept the Old Covenant of the law of Moses and that He would change that covenantvwirh a New and a better one But God promises to save all the remnant of Israel. In the scriptures God says that two thirds of the people of Israel will be killed in the final war of Armageddon. God would intervene on behalf of his people and destroy the invading armies. All the remnant that remains after that war will be saved. God woukd send His two witnesses who will preach the Gospel to them.
This really didn’t explain much. Is there salvation, or heaven? At least for todays Jews. In the time of Jesus, some did believed in heaven some didn’t. Do the majority of Jewish sects believe in heaven or any at all? If they believe in heaven is it only something a Jew can obtain. Is the kabalah a book they looks to? I didn’t hear this book mentioned. Interesting 3 prayers a day, didn’t know that. I always felt the Talmud was Similar to what Muslims believe. Also, I know a jew that is atheist and one that is Hindu, and one that is Christian, other jews only see the Christian Jews as not a Jew but accept the others as Jewish. Is it a Religion or a people? Many say it’s both, very similar to Muslims. Anyone know these answers? Really didn’t learn any tenant, in this article. Why the black cube on the head?, looks like a mini cube like in Mecca.
In a pagan world thousands of years ago, a group of people, who had been freed from slavery banded together and under the leadership of Moses, who secured their freedom, they experienced miraculous events which convinced them that they were the creation of almighty God. This belief in God is the core of the Jewish religion. Every Jew believes in God. Moses gave them the ten commandments from God to guide their lives. Jesus was born and died a Jew and he exported these fundamental beliefs and instructions to all his followers.
You have a couple of fundamental errors, 1. you mention the Torah as being the first five books of the old testament. The term Torah has smaller and larger contexts. You claim it is christianity that adds the old testament, when it is a clear basis for judaism as well. 2. When you speak of the basic tenet that there is one G-d, you misunderstand. It does not mean merely that there is only one G-d, as opposed to more than one. It also means that there literally isn’t anything ELSE, besides G-d. That includes the universe, humanity, and any measuring stick that you would use to determine, for example, if G-d is just. G-d is the only reality that encompasses everything.
I can understand Judaism worshipping only the Father. Exodus 23:13 What I don’t get is Jeremiah 9:11 that Jerusalem supposed to be desolated and uninhabited in total ruins with no people or buildings or cities around. But when I look at Jerusalem it doesn’t show desolation and it’s inhabited with people, totally against Jeremiah 9:11
My family is Catholics. I’ve had close friends in life that are Jewish and Muslim. I figured it would be much easier if true Communism ruled most people’s lives. It’s actually the hardest belief to follow. It’s never worked yet. Survival of the richest is what seems to be working, well till we have to cul. It’s actually not stupid it’s a belief that’s held closest to heart by the majority of the world. The leader is the US dollar like a Pope or Calif it leads the world in it’s religion. Sad.
why do other religion believe there gods don’t look human except the current religions have human looking gods where ancestors in different land making up names of gods described them even tell stories about them something like in harry potter in mexico the people there before the spanish came believed in Aztecs gods that were magical finally anyone who saw wakanda never heal the name kukulkan the serpent god that is a dragon like creature similar to asian brief in a similar dragon like majestical creature that most oriental Beloved in dear is was real when did the idea of making a human god take over ??????
Judaism is the roots of how the universe was created and who is in charge,the Torah is how man should be,the tanakh is how prophets tried to correct evil and what the creator wanted,well Jeremiah the best prophet said in Jeremiah 3,8 a divorce was made creator upset,then Jeremiah 31 31 33 he told of a new covenant, its called edu hadasha,where creator favorite word turned to flesh to redeem all souls thru a shedding of innocent blood. And the proof is yeshua said he was going to give believers the ruah hakodesh as a teacher and comforter. You can feel it,and secrets will be revealed. Example genesis chapter 5 genealogy till the flood Adam to Noah translate all names and put them together what does it say,we’ll how come a hebrew can not see that enough said
Today’s torah is currepted and history tell us when people not accept the mesenger of God,God punish them. We know what hapen with firon and other people . The truth is jews people not accept 2 mesenger . 1. Jesus. 2.muhammad. Why God sent jesus? Besus many people currpet torah and they change order of God so God send the mesenger jesus. We all know jesus born miracl. Why God sent muhammad? Besus jews people not accept jesus and second is chrestion make stupid thing trinity and they make jesus patner with God. But jesua never said it. The qestion is why God not punish jews people becus they not accept God mesengers. We know thos people who not accept God mesenger they try to kill mesenger. Same jews people try to kill jesus but they kill other people whos look like jesus and this is did by God. Becuse God always protect his mesenger. Now jesus is in heven. At the end of the day jesus will come and God punish jews and those people who make patner with God and not accpt God mesenger threw muslim’s hand . Jesus lead muslim. Muslim mean belive in one God. All mesenger is muslim (belive in one God)
TRUE RELIGION ON THE EARTH TODAY IS ISLAM ONLY REVEALED FAITH SENT DOWN BY GOD FOR ALL MANKIND YES GOD SENT MOSES TO THE JEWS BUT THE JEWS HAVE BEEN VERY STRONG AGAINST GOD MUCH AND THE CHRISTIANS ARE FOLLOWING IDEAS OF THEIR OWN INSTEAD OF REVELATIONS FROM GOD ISLAM HAS PRESERVED THE REVEALED FAITH SENT DOWN BY GOD FOR ALL MANKIND
Did I miss the part where 2/3 of the Jewish community think they are God’s chosen people? I understand many think that gives them special rights as well as special responsibilities to look over all of us. Also, apparently one does not have to believe in Judaism to still be a Jew and about 20 percent of the Jews are ‘non-practicing’ Jews. Good. That aspect sounds like a step in the modern direction.
I notice the foretold messiah doesn’t get a mention. Have the Jew’s given up waiting for him?… Has Judaism decided it doesn’t need a messiah?… Or have they realised that the messiah has appeared and was put to death by the Jews?… Who the hell knows what tribe they’re from these days anyway, right…
May I share an Old Testament Verse with you from Daniel 7:14 “And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a Kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should SERVE Him; his dominion is an Everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom shall not pass away, and His Kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” God the Father loves you so much that He sent Holy Sinless Jesus (His Holy Son) to earth to be born of a virgin.Then, to grow up and die on a cross for our sins. He was in the tomb for 3 days, then Father God raised Holy and Sinless Jesus Christ (Y’shua) to Life! He appeared to people and went back to Heaven. We must receive Sinless Jesus sincerely to be God’s child(John 1:12).After we get saved by grace through faith in Christ, if we truly love the Lord Jesus Christ, then we will obey Jesus(John 14:15). Mark 1:15 “And saying, the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: Repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Jesus said in John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. “There’s a real hell. It says in Revelation 21:8 “But for the cowardly, & unbelieving, & abominable, and murderers, & immoral persons sorcerers & idolaters & all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire & brimstone…” Please sincerely receive Holy Jesus & put your true faith and trust in Him today and please repent. Will you have a Real encounter with Holy Lord Jesus (Y’shua is His Hebrew Name) and stay in a Genuine relationship with Him daily please?
“Europe has not yet learned how to be multicultural. And I think we are going to be part of the throes of that transformation, which must take place. Europe is not going to be the monolithic societies that they once were in the last century. Jews are going to be at the center of that. It’s a huge transformation for Europe to make. They are now going into a multicultural mode, and Jews will be resented because of our leading role. But without that leading role, and without that transformation, Europe will not survive.” Barbara Lerner Spectre, founding director of Paideia, the European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden -2015
I am not a religious person, I just believe in loving creator of the universe, but the Jewish religion is one of the better ones, I believe, because it doesn’t try to force itself on people. Most religions however, are not woman friendly they were created by men for men and they oppress the freedom of women.
Judaism is based on the teachings of the Talmud ( oral Law), there is no such thing as ” oral Law”…a doctrine based not on the Torah but doctrines of Men( rabbis). This People who called themselves Jews,was not the true Judaean descents,these people were the Ashkenaz,Sons of Gomer! ( see.Genesis 10:3). They’re not from the tribe of Judah. They’re not the biblical Hebrew Israelites. So why on earth they call themselves Jews? See; Revelation 2:8-9 Revelation 3:8-9
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My favourite Judaism-themed joke: An Orthodox rabbi was asked whether or not it is permitted in the Law to ride in an airplane on the sabbath. The rabbi answered “Yes, but only if you keep your seatbelt on for the whole flight, because then you will technically be wearing the plane instead of riding it.”
It’s remarkable how many people in this comment sections can be so civil and polite from Jews, Christians, Muslims and non-Abrahamics while their replies are filled with aggressive mfers who can’t handle nice words and have to make it a battle of “My ReLiGiOn Is BeTtEr ThAn YoUrS” or “Religion is stupid and you’re stupid”
Great article! As an agnostic jew living in Israel I can definitely confirm most of what you said in the article. Although, I find two small mistakes. 1. When you wrote the Hebrew word for the tanakh the letters were flipped. Probably because your software does not support left to right writing. 2. The past participle form on yeet is yoten, not yeeted. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk
Hello! I’m Jewish and you got it pretty much right but I do have some nitpicks, so Yiddish has mostly gone out of use except for certain communities outside of Israel and a couple words still in use for ashkenaz Jews, the Talmud is actually a discussion and explanation on the Mishna which is a collection of laws past down through generations from Moshe, along with those books and many many others we understand how to follow the Torah and I should point out the a lot of the words in this article have Hebrew counterparts that are how most Jews actually refer to those things and a very very small nitpick when you talk about “kosher” you would use the word kashrut but overall you got it pretty right
I first got to learn about Judaism in college but only via my Muslim friends, who described Jewish people “unclean and unworthy of even mentioning”. Which got me extremities interested in Judaism and started studying about it. I made many Jewish friends online as well as here in India (kasol and manali). I must say I really like my Jewish friends their culture. You people are real example of resilience and persistence. Love from India❤️
I am teaching a world religions class and these articles were a HUGE help. All my students absolutely loved them. Do you have any plans to do a article on Christianity? Nowadays many people in the West don’t know as much about it as was once assumed. And even those who are familiar may have a vastly incomplete understanding of the basics. Anyway, thanks for these!
Other important Jewish texts, for those interested The Mishnah, compiling the rulings and laws of the Great Sanhedrin (parliament/high court) from 10-200 CE, later combined with Jerusalemite and Babylonian commentaries to form the Talmud. The commentaries of Rashi, 11th century rabbi in Alsace-Lorraine, explaining ambiguous statements in the Tanakh. The Mishneh Torah, a twelve-volume summary of basic Jewish laws, written by Moses Maimonedes in the late 12th century. The Shulchan Aruch, 16th century text explaining how Jewish law should be applied to everyday life.
I became very interested in Judaism after discovering and falling in love with Yiddish music three years ago. I am a Christian from Jordan, so as you can imagine, we sadly don’t get much interaction with Jews or Jewish culture because of the political situation. 🙁 Now i often listen to Yiddish music and Hebrew music. Sometimes I also listen to Ladino and Arabic Jewish music. I find Jewish music in general very beautiful. Especially in Klezmer music, there is something very unique about the melodies. I can only understand 30% of Yiddish music because I am an intermediate German speaker and Yiddish has a lot of German(ic) words. I am considering someday learning Yiddish so that I can understand the songs fully without having to read translations, and also to learn more about the rich culture that has produced these amazing songs. Thank you very much for making this great article! 🙂
Thank you so much for all of the educational religious content. I am an ex Jehovah’s and we were pretty narrow-minded I really want to broaden my horizons and learn more about other religions other than the one I was raised in. It’s very awesome. I just wish other people could take the time and just learn a little bit about other cultures and religions. It would at least make things a little better . PS out of all the religions I’ve learned from this website I feel like Sickisum is probably my favorite.
Only criticism: Jews are first and foremost an ethnic group. That’s the way it’s always been. Judaism mostly served as a culture, and only became a religion during the diaspora. Genetic studies have concluded that the 3 main Jewish groups (Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Mizrahi Jews) all descend from the same population that started in the Middle East (the Israelites). This can also be seen by the shared direct lineages amongst all 3 groups, furthered by the genetic connection to ancient samples from the Levant (Israelite and Canaanite). Over the last 2000 years (of the diaspora), very few individuals have converted to Judaism – so much so that the converted population is less than 1% of the total Jewish population – on top of that, conversion to Judaism is discouraged. Only in recent times has conversion and assimilation increased. This is one of the reasons that all 3 major Jewish groups are ethnically homogenous to some extent.
ah thank you. I grew up to Christianity, in a very religious christian country. Needless to say, such upbringing brought much close-mindedness. and ignorance. I hadn’t had one clue what Judaism actually is or any other religion (even though we had “religious education” in schools) and we mostly studied Bible without any foundation knowledge. Judaism seems like a very historically important move in belief, more so than Christianity. Now I need to find a article about Orthodoxy to see why do we hate our neigbouring country so much.
Wow this is very well researched! I’m impressed! Most times I see people get a lot of nuances wrong, but you did very well! Besides for the תנ״ך being written backwards, which many mentioned already, I just also wanted to comment abt the kosher laws, there’s also a whole other world of kosher concerning mixing meat products and dairy products which you didn’t even mention Also you didn’t get this wrong per say but ppl may misunderstand when you talk abt yiddish. yiddish is mostly german from like 600 years ago or something (idk the exact number) and has a bunch of slavic and other lang’s influences too; hebrew only makes up a small percentage of words. You didn’t say otherwise, but also ppl could understand you meant it’s basically hebrew. Also most orthodox jews I’d say don’t see the exile as having ended in 1948 when israel was established, only when the messiah comes does the exile end according to them. Again, I loved the article! Great work! Just wanted to comment a couple things
Hi! I’m a religious Jew and I was a little apprehensive to watch this to be honest, and I have to say I’m impressed! It’s not perfect but that would be impossible 😂. My favorite part is how you made it clear that you were barely scratching the surface of our religion! Well done and think you so much! Keep up the great work!❤️❤️❤️
This is so well done! You do a great job showing the variety of Judaism 🙂 I grew up in an area of the US that was about a 50/50 split between Christians and Jews, and I have definitely learned a lot from my neighbors; especially the idea that a lot of Jews aren’t sure about what happens next, as in an afterlife, but trust enough in the relationship with God that their people have had for thousands of years to follow the laws and make a better world.
Orthodox Jew here. You did a great job!! Just one point that you missed. The Talmud is a combination of the Torah Shebal Peh (the oral Torah given to Moses on Mount Sinai and passed down from generation to generation, equally important in Orthodox Judaism to the Tanakh or “Torah she’ biksav”) and the written Torah. The laws are dictated by a combination of these two forms of Torah, and a combination of logical arguments and “mesorah” or laws given to Moses determine the halacha or “laws” that Orthodox Judaism abides by. Overly complicated, but it wouldn’t be Judaism if it wasn’t 🤣
orthodox jew here and this is great. just a couple of minor things- god didn’t “take a deserved rest” on the seventh day, he imbued in creation the idea of rest and cessation from productivity. related to this the category of action that is forbidden is better rendered as “creative activity” than “work” which brings us to my next quibble- the activities you described as discouraged are not merely discouraged but outright forbidden secondly, we still consider ourselves to be in exile today, even those of us living in Israel. The exile will be over with the arrival of moshiach
I’m Jewish, and let me tell you – there are so many Jewish communities varying in size from tiny to giants. I have so many diverse Jewish friends – Yemeni, half Indian half Russian, Argentinian, Ethiopian, Marocain and so many more. I myself come from an Azeri Russian family and have relatives in the US and Russia. My favorite thing about Judaism is how no matter where you travel to in the world – you’ll probably meet another jew – and start a conversation about something ❤️
Lad, You did a cracking job here. I’m often looking for teaching resources for children and adults both in and out of the community and often an otherwise great article will have to be ditched becuase of misunderstood or botched details that are either misleading or problematic. But you, sir, dodged every single laser of our complex and confusing religion. Well done! Have liked, subscribed and will share. Mazels R
I was surprised to see so much on modern judaism, is that going to be a running theme with these going forward? I would be very interested in a section on that being a permanent addition, particularly for the more niche faiths going forward. (I know so much about modern Celtic Pagan practice because I am one (specifically welsh reconstructionist), but that’s just shown me how complicated that situation can be, particularly for faiths where there is no consistent line of worship, where the chain gets cut at some point and the people who come along after have to piece it all back together. Learning about how other minority faiths handle worship these days would be very interesting~!)
I just found your website through your Zoroastrianism article in my recommendations yesterday and I have to say that I’m super impressed at how well you explain these religions! Every article I have seen so far has had people from the religious groups discussed in the article praising how well explained everything is, and now, as a Reform Jew I guess it’s my turn. Aside from some minor pronunciation issues, this is an amazing summary that shows you have a strong understanding of Judaism, and this will hopefully help others learn about my religion as I have about others.
Great article, you did a great job at getting so much into it! If I may, I’d like to mention few corrections/ additions: it is ‘613 mitzvot’, not 613 mitzvah (mitzvah is the singular, mitzvot is the plural). Since the Hebrew day starts the evening before the Gregorian day, Shabbat starts on Friday at sundown and ends and hour after sunset on Saturday. I have just found your website and I am loving it- subscribed!
Sheol is meant to be the “grave” or “where the dead sleep”. It’s thought that after death, every soul goes to Sheol and rests/sleeps until the day of the Judgment of the Lord, meaning bad as well as good people, go to Sheol when they die. There is no “Heaven” prize land or “Hell” punishment land. Only the deep sleep of death until the Resurrection.
enjoy this immensely thank you so much I’ve been practicing Chassidc you all my life And you hit the nail on the head. Which is a lot more than I could say for most people. Thank you for posting I’m going to share with my friends. PS: You got the Tanach (תנ”ך) backward, Ironically you spelled the C word 😂
I’m muslim but respect all kind, jews and Muslims have same religious father ‘Ibrahim’ his two sons Ishaq(As) father of Israel 🇮🇱 and Ismail (As) the father of Muslims🇸🇦. And there is more similarity between Jews and islam. They believe one ALLAH(god), they believe last messenger but Jews not belive Muhammad. (Sa). They are fasting for the Allah (GOD).
As a muslim, It’s crazy to see the similarities. And I thought christianity was interlinked with Judaism. It clearly isn’t. Muslims have more in common with Jews! I respect it. One God with no children. Just follow what Abraham pbuh said and what moses said and we good. Then obviously there’s a difference when it comes to our prophet. But looking at the religion that Muhammad (saw) preached, its not too different. One God, the almighty. Do charity, don’t be arrogant, forgiveness etc… why is there so much conflict between the two????? Like we both worship 1 God, why can’t we just get along. We even slaughter the meat the same like???? Well the world is finished.
Great article, but you may want to add the ‘Laws of Noah’ or “Noahide Laws” which according to Jewish tradition, apply to the rest of humanity. We feel that the redemption, and an end to suffering, war, starvation and disease may be hastened if and when all of humanity can concur with the “laws of Noah.” There are seven laws of Noah that were given to all of humanity after the Great Flood. Thanks for the great article!! Also you refer to 613, a plurality of commandments as one “mitzvah” but the plural of MITZVAH should either be MITZVOS, MITZVOT, or MITZVAHS. The word MITZVAH refers only to one commandment. There are 613 MITZVAHS. Thanks for the great comment. Keep up the good work. בס״ד
Most Jewish people are taught that Jesus is only for Gentiles. This sentiment isn’t surprising. Growing up, a lot of Jewish people are taught that Jesus is only for Gentiles. Moreover, if a Jewish person decides to follow Jesus, the Jewish community considers them converts to Christianity. At one point in history, such people were considered apostates—lost to the Jewish community, or even to their own families. For a Jewish person to consider faith in Jesus, he or she must consider the social stigma they will face from friends, family, and the larger Jewish community. Would a rabbi ever agree to marry them? Would they ever be allowed to make aliyah? Would they be prohibited from joining a synagogue? These are the implications many Jewish people face when considering Jesus. Jewish followers of Jesus acknowledge the cultural obstacles and painful historical facts surrounding his identity, but there are still many reasons that drive them to believe that he is the Messiah. First and foremost, most people who come to follow Jesus, Jewish or not, have a personal encounter with God that changes their lives. As a result, Jewish people who have this experience can’t help but passionately embrace both their faith and their heritage. Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or serif shall ever pass away from the Torah. Recognize that Jesus was born to Jewish parents, was raised in a Jewish home in Israel, observed the Torah, and taught the nation of Israel as a rabbi. His teachings were not an attack on Judaism, but rather an authoritative, intelligent interpretation of the Torah and a critique of a religious system that was corrupt during his day: “Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets!
Great article, just wanting to point out that I think it is confusing that you start the article saying that Judaism is a religion, and then on the minute 10 you say that it is much more than a religion. People are often confused about Judaism because they are taught that it is a religion, while in fact it is a people, a nation, with its culture, religion, language and native land.