JudaismAPD6

=Judaism =



History
According to the Jewish people, Judaism was founded by Abraham. Abraham created Judaism around the year 1800 BC after the destruction of the temple and the exile of Judah. The Jewish people believe in only one God. They believe his name is YHWH, or Yahweh. He has no body or physical features. He is also neither male nor female. God is eternal. He is all knowing and all powerful. The Jewish believe they are Gods chosen people.

Beliefs
One of the main beliefs of Judaism is there is only one God. They also believe the Ten Commandments are rules from God sent to Moses and the Jewish people to follow. Ten Commandments: -You shall have no other gods before me. -You shall not make for yourself a carved image--any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. -You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain -Remember the Sabbath day and keep it Holy -Honor your father and your mother -You shall not murder -You shall not commit adultery -You shall not steal -You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor -You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's



<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">There are also three branches to the Jewish belief. They are Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative. Orthodox Jews are the strictest of all the branches. They separate the men from the women. They follow a strict kosher-dietary, which means no pork or crawling seafood (shrimp, crab, lobster, etc.), and no mixing of milk and meat products. The Reform Jews are the most liberal and adapt traditional ways to more modern times. Like the other branches of Judaism, they use the Torah as an authoritative.They do not believe in the coming of a Messiah, but rather in the period of time that God will rule. Conservative Jews are somewhere between Reform and Orthodox. Like Orthodox, they keep dietary laws and emphasize Hebrew, the Jewish language. <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Like the Reform Jews, they favor in the tradition of families sitting together in services and seek to interpret ancient laws for modern life and education.

Spiritual Places
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Jewish services are held in a place called a Synagogue. The Synagogue is the center of the Jewish community. It is a place of prayer, study and education, social and charitable work. It is also used as a social center. <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">The Jewish religion began in Israel when God told Abraham that there is only one true God. Israel is often referred to as the Promised Land because of Gods promise to give the land to the descendants of Abraham. Judaism is practiced all throughout the world with about 12 million followers. Judaism is mainly practiced in Israel and the United States.

Sacred Writings
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">The Tanakh is the main sacred text. It is an acronym of Torah (Law), Nebi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). It contains the same writings as the Christian Old Testament, but in a slightly different order and with other minor differences. <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">The Torah is one of the sacred writings in the Jewish religion. It contains the Five Books of Moses. They are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.It is usually written in a scroll made from kosher animal parchment. <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">The Nebi'im consists of twenty-one books about narrative and prophecy. <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">The Ketuvim has thirteen books. They include wisdom literature, prophecy, and stories. <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">One of the symbols of Judaism is the Mezuzah. It is a metal, plastic, or wooden container holding Scripture quotations. They are put on the doors of homes or gates following instructions of Deut. <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Another symbol is the Star of David. It is a six point star used on the shield of King David. <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">He wrote many the Psalms in the Bible.

Spiritual Leaders
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">The religious leader of Judaism is the Rabbi. He is the teacher of the Torah. They have no more authority to perform rituals than any other adult male member of the Jewish community. A Rabbi is sufficiently educated in halakhah and tradition to teach the community and to answer questions and resolve disputes regarding halakhah.



Traditions & Holidays
<span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Chanukah, or Hannukah, is a festival of lights celebrated in December commemorating the defeat of the Syrian Greeks by the Maccabes in 165 B.C. and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem. A tiny container of oil was found in the Temple and it burned for eight days. A menorah is used to hold eight candles to represent the eight days the oil burned. One candle is lit each night of Chanukah. Children receive one gift each night and play games. <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. Rosh Hashanah literally means "head of the year."Ushering in a period of high holy days for reflection and repentance. During this holiday, a shofar (ram's horn) is sounded. <span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console',Monaco,monospace;">Bar Mitzvah (boys) and Bat Mitzvah (girls) are ceremonies held when the child reaches the age of 13. It brings the child into adulthood through various rituals.