Beasley, Cate, Goldstein,Hall, Pirtle

 God is the creator of all that exists; He is one, incorporeal (without a body), and He alone is to be worshipped as absolute ruler of the universe.  The first five books of the Hebrew Bible were revealed to Moses by God. They will not be changed or augmented in the future.  God has communicated to the Jewish people through prophets.  God monitors the activities of humans; He rewards individuals for good deeds and punishes evil.

 The Hebrew word mitzvot means "commandments" ( mitzvah is its singular form). Although the word is sometimes used more broadly to refer to rabbinic (Talmudic) law or general good deeds - as in, "It would be a mitzvah to visit your mother" - in its strictest sense it refers to the divine commandments given by God in the Torah

 A gezeirah is a rule instituted by the rabbis to prevent inadvertent violation of a mitzvah. For instance, it is a mitzvah to refrain from work on the Sabbath, but a gezeirah to avoid even the handling of any work instruments on the Sabbath.  A takkanah is a law instituted by rabbis that does not derive from the Torah. One example would be the lighting of candles on Hanukkah, a post-biblical holiday. Takkanot can sometimes vary by region: Ashkenazic Jews (who live in Christian nations) accepted a takkanah banning polygamy in c CE, while Sephardic Jews (who live in Islamic societies) do not follow such a law.  A minhag, which is "a custom that evolved for worthy religious reasons and has continued long enough to become a binding religious practice." An example minhag would be the custom of celebrating certain holidays a day longer in the Diaspora than in Israel. The term minhag is sometimes used in a broader sense, to indicate the general custom or way of a particular community. While these are not formalized or universal, it congregants are still encouraged to follow the community minhag.

 The 613 commandments: The Jewish philosopher Rabbi Maimonides made a list of the 613 commandments he found in the Jewish Bible, and they have since become a standard list of what God requires of Jews.  Kosher: The word "kosher" is the Anglicized form of the Hebrew kasher, which literally means "good" or "proper," but came to indicate an item "fit for ritual use." Kashrut thus means "fitness" for ritual use.  The Synagogue: The Jewish house of worship is a synagogue. The synagogue is a place where Torah readings, prayer and teaching take place

 Rabbi: It is imperative for the healthcare providers to understand the importance of the rabbi’s counsel to the orthodox Jew so that they can aid their patients with the challenges presented at the conclusion of life.  End of life decision making: While Judaism believes in the absolute sanctity of life it also recognizes the Bible verse “a time to live and a time to die” from the Book of Ecclesiastes.  Decisions: All decisions made by Orthodox Jews are consistent with the will of God as expressed by the Jewish law.  Who is the decision maker? Jewish families look to the Rabbi for his expertise in advising them with end of life decisions.  What do rabbis advise families regarding end of life care?: Many rabbis have ruled that its ok to withhold medical interventions from the terminally ill patient when there is no likely benefit to the patient, but others believe that preservation of life outweighs all other possibilities.  Artificial Nutrition and Hydration: Most all Orthodox rabbis agree on the fact that artificial nutrition and hydration should be provided to the patient even if other medical interventions are being withheld. Hydration and nutrition are basic needs and they believe these basic needs should be met.

 Beliefs about God-  Rabbinic Law and More Jewish Practices- /mitzvot.htm#rabbinic /mitzvot.htm#rabbinic  End of Life Care- 9kinzbrunner.pdf ntentid= kinzbrunner.pdf ntentid=33511

 On Preparation for death: hical_Wills.shtml:// hical_Wills.shtml  On Dying : tmlhttp:// tml  On Death and Burial: d_Mourning.shtml:// d_Mourning.shtml  On Making a Shiva Call: d_Mourning/Shiva/How_to_Make_a_Shiva_Call.shtml d_Mourning/Shiva/How_to_Make_a_Shiva_Call.shtml  On Shiva: d_Mourning/Shiva.shtml:// d_Mourning/Shiva.shtml  On Going to a funeral: Aspects/Going_to_a_Funeral.shtml:// Aspects/Going_to_a_Funeral.shtml  nd_Mourning_for_Interfaith_Families.shtml nd_Mourning_for_Interfaith_Families.shtml