Judaism

Where did the name “Jew” come from? When the Babylonians conquered Judea they referred to the people as Judah-ites. This later became shortened to Jews.

Sects of Judaism There are many different sects of Judaism The most popular are Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Non-religious

Major difference between Orthodox and Liberal Jews Orthodox Jews believe that the Torah was directly given to the Jews from “God” Liberal Jews believe that the Torah may have been Divinely inspired but influenced by man

Why do some Orthodox Jews wear all black clothes? They are in mourning for the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem (over 1,900 years ago)

Why do some Orthodox Jews have long hair growing from the sides of their forehead? A commandment in the Torah says “don’t round off the corner of your beard” Some Jews interpret this as to not cut that hair at all…

Reform Judaism The largest Jewish group in the U.S. Seat men and women together in synagogues Dropped dietary laws Has music in services Women are ordained as Rabbis

Conservative Judaism Follows some laws from the Orthodox Jews and some from the Reform Jews Were the largest Jewish group before the 1900s

Reconstructionist Judaism Believe that “God” is not a being but a natural, underlying moral and creative force of the universe, the force that creates order” Each generation of Jews must reinterpret Judaism to make it relevant for the time

Renewal Judaism Mixes traditional and feminist ideals Uses lessons from diverse spiritual traditions including those from Eastern philosophy Invites all Jews from every sect to celebrate together

Secular Humanist Judaism Follow the Jewish holidays, food, music, etcetera Minimize the role of “God” or any cosmic forces

monotheistic Believe in one “God”

God is not human He is not human nor does he have a human body

G-D Traditional Jews do not write the word “God” Ancient peoples believed that if you named something you had power over it

Other names for “God” “The Name” “Without End” “Not” “Lord” “Yahweh” “To Be” “I Am” “Almighty”

“It” There is no “it” in Hebrew Everything is masculine or feminine So “God” is often referred as “He” although he not a boy or a girl

“God” still speaks to Jews Many Jews believe that “God” continues to talk to Jews through relationships such as love and compassion.

Satan? Jews do not believe in a Satan They do believe that all humans have good and evil in them That evil is more like a shadow that light casts when it shines

The Torah The first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy

Sefer Torah Torah scroll Takes about a year to create Copied letter by letter Costs between $20,000 to $50,000 If damaged it is buried in a Jewish cemetery Is kept in a a cabinet in synagogues

The Hebrew Bible: The Tanach Contains 39 books The first 5 books of the Torah are the first 3 sections of the Hebrew Bible The other sections were collected over the last 2,000 years

The Talmud a record of discussions about Jewish ethics, law, customs and history.