1. Understanding World Religions
Chapter Seventeen
Jewish Faith and Practice
© 2011 Irving Hexham
© 2011 Irving Hexham

2. Jewish Faith and Practice
Source: Manuscript of Maimonides. Singer, Isidore, The Jewish Encyclopedia, New York and London, Funk & Wagnalls company, In the public domain. © 2011 Irving Hexham
A medieval copy of a page from the writings of the Jewish philosopher Maimonides.

3. Jewish Faith and Practice
Source: The Sefirot. Singer, Isidore, The Jewish Encyclopedia, New York and London, Funk & Wagnalls company, In the public domain. © 2011 Irving Hexham
Mysticism played a key role in medieval Judaism as this diagram of the divine attributes shows.

4. Jewish Faith and Practice
Source: Christian and Jewish scholars disputing Singer, Isidore, The Jewish Encyclopedia, New York and London, Funk & Wagnalls company, In the public domain. © 2011 Irving Hexham
Throughout the middle ages Christian and Jewish scholars engaged in a continual dialogue. In places like Spain Muslims were also sometimes involved.

5. Jewish Faith and Practice
Source: Rabbi. Singer, Isidore, The Jewish Encyclopedia, New York and London, Funk & Wagnalls company, In the public domain. © 2011 Irving Hexham
Scholarship has always played a role in Jewish life. This medieval miniature shows the Rabbi Gamaliel with his students.

6. Jewish Faith and Practice
Source: 5 Traditional penance. Singer, Isidore, The Jewish Encyclopedia, New York and London, Funk & Wagnalls company, In the public domain. © 2011 Irving Hexham
Penance plays a key role in both Christianity and Judaism. This print shows the followers of the false Messiah Sabbatai Zevi doing penance after they learnt of his conversion to Islam.

7. Jewish Faith and Practice
Source: Family law divorce. Singer, Isidore, The Jewish Encyclopedia, New York and London, Funk & Wagnalls company, In the public domain. © 2011 Irving Hexham
Family life was always very important within Judaism, yet unlike most Christians communities Jewish ones allowed for divorce. The above print shows divorce proceedings.

8. Jewish Faith and Practice
Source: Mar Mitzvah. Singer, Isidore, The Jewish Encyclopedia, New York and London, Funk & Wagnalls company, In the public domain. © 2011 Irving Hexham
After marriage the coming of age ceremony, or bar mitzvah is one of the most important of Jewish rituals. Until recently this rite of passage was restricted to males. Today many Jewish communities have instituted a bat mitzvah for women.

9. Jewish Faith and Practice
Erfurt’s “Small Synagogue” photo by Irving Hexham. © 2011 Irving Hexham
The Jewish synagogue in Erfurt, Germany, is one of the oldest in the region. Although attacked by the Nazis the building survived and has been restored.

10. Jewish Faith and Practice
Entrance to the ancient ritual bath photo by Irving Hexham. © 2011 Irving Hexham
Ritual bathing for purification, rather like Christian baptism, plays an important role in Jewish life. These medieval stairs in the Erfurt synagogue lead to the women’s bath.

11. Jewish Faith and Practice
Source: Feast of Tabernacles. Singer, Isidore, The Jewish Encyclopedia, New York and London, Funk & Wagnalls company, In the public domain. © 2011 Irving Hexham
Many Jewish rituals are elaborate affairs like those connected with the Feast of Tabernacles, seen above. In this ritual Jewish families more into temporary accommodation for the duration of the festivities.

12. Jewish Faith and Practice
Small prairie Synagogue. Photo by Jeremy Hexham. © 2011 Irving Hexham
Synagogues come in many different styles. The above photos shows a small one on the Western prairies.