History

1800 BCE- Abraham (known as the father of Judaism) moved from Mesopotamia to Canaan under God's command. Abraham made a covenant with God.
1600 BCE- Many Israelites migrated to Egypt as a result of famine
-Taken into slavery until the 13th century BCE when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt
-Known as the Exodus
1200 BCE- The Jews returned to Canaan and settled the land
-A kingdom was established under Saul and continued under King David and Solomon (capital was Jerusalem)
-The nation split into the Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of Judah. They were both eventually conquered and the experiences were recorded in the Talmud
70 AD- The Roman army destroyed Jerusalem and the Jews were forced out of the area and into Mediterranean countries and other areas in southwest Asia. This is known as the Diaspora. Their lives didn't improve much as they suffered persecution and poverty.
During and after World War II- Organized murder of Jews. This is the Holocaust

http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/history.htm

ED

Shavuot

Shavuot commemorates the giving of God's commandments. Shavuot occurs seven weeks after Passover. It is the second of three major festivals. Agriculturally it commemorates the time when fruits were harvested. Historically it commemorates the time when the Torah was given at Mount Sinai. It is really important for the Jewish people to count the days in between Passover and Shavuot, because it helps them to tie the two together. Passover, was whent eh Jewish people were freed, but the giving of the Torah was what spiritually redeemed them from bondage/slavery. Work is not allowed during Shavuot. It is customery to stay up the whole first night of Shavuot. It is also customery to eat one dairy meal during Shavuot.

http://www.jewfaq.org/holidayc.htm

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Messiah

Messiah: The messiah is the "annoited one," a king that will be sent from God at the end of time. Belief in the messiah is a fundamental belief of traditional Judaism. It is believed that the suggestion of a messiah was brought out during the time of the prophets. It is said that the messiah will be a great political leader and a descendent of King David. He will know Jewish law and the commandments very well. He is said to be a profound military leader, a great judge, a charismatic leader, who will easily lead people in his ways. But most importantly, he is said to be a human being, not a god. It is also said that in every generation a human with the potential to be a messiah is born. It is said that the messiah will come at a time when he is most needed. When the messiah comes it is said that he will restore Jerusalem. These are all things believed by the Jewish people, but none of it is yet for sure known, becuase none of it has happened yet.

http://www.jewfaq.org/moshiach.htm

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Day of Antontment

Day of Antontment: The Day of Antontment is the final day of a ten day period of penitence. It begins with Rosh Hashanah. The Day of Antontment is the day that you make up for things you have done wrong and the day for making peace with the people that you have upset. This is the day the Jews try to become at peace with God. In order to do this they must ask for forgiveness and aknowledge the fact that there are changes that need to be made in their lives. For about a month before The Day of Antontment (Yom Kippur) there is a shofar blown in the synagogue. A shofar is a ram's horn, and it calls the Jewish people to make them think of the things that they need to ask forgiveness for on The Day of Antontment. Jews are given ten days before The Day of Antontment to put their lives in order and to think about who they need to apologize to and what they need to ask forgiveness for.



Living Religions: Judaism, By Cavan Wood



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History of Judaism

The religion is 4,000 years old. It gave birth to Christianity and Islam. It is a monotheistic religion that worships Adonai.

Judaism started with a group of people called Hebrews. They lived a nomadic life in what is now Iraq. Abraham is the first Jew and his son Isaac and Isaac's son Jacob are the 3 patriarchs or fathers of Judaism. Jacob had 12 sons and they became the leaders of the 12 tribes of Israel.

http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/history.htm

ED

Videos

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUNZITIJJRQ

www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2EYREPOTMQ

Kosher

The word kosher comes from kasher.  Kasher has to do with being a good ritual.  Being kosher is not a requirement of being Jewish but it is very popular.  If you obey this you cant eat many foods.  Some main foods you cant eat are pork, animals that die naturally, meats with dairy and grap/wine that isnt made under Jewish supervision.  The meat they can eat must be ritually slaughtered.  It is said to have health benfits.  

www.religionfacts.com/judaism/practices/kosher.htm

BJ

Sabbath

The Sabbath is the Jewish day of rest. The day means rest and it is about relaxing and being with family. This day takes place on saturday, where the week starts anew. The rules are much stricter for the sabbath than any other jewish holiday. Jews are not supposed to work, cook, clean, and many other things. One quick interesting fact is that jews are not supposed to drive and that is why most jewish homes are within walking distance of the synagogue. However, this old practice is not in effect anymore, and jewish people can leave where they please.
http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/holidays/shabbat.htm

OL

Yarmulke

The Yarmulke is the skullcap worn by Jews during prayer. It is worn to show respect for God and to show that the wearer is a servant of God. It is not a commandment, but more of a custom.

http://www.havurahgroup.org/definitions.htm

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Branches Of Judaism

The three main branches of judaism are Conservative Judaism, Orthodox Judaism and Reform Judaism. Conservative Jews believe that the Torah comes from god and the people. The main ideas are from god and the humans helped pass it on and made it useful. They go by halakhah (Jewish Law).  But they believe that they should be slightly changed to go along with things today. Orthodox Jews believe that the torah was given to Moses at Mount Sinai by God. They also go by halakhah but believe it should me modern. Reform Jews believe that the Torah was written by the jewish people. They do not accept halakhah. But they still go by similar morals and values.  Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism are both practiced by about 1.5 million Jews in the United States.


http://judaism.about.com/od/denominationsofjudaism/Branches_of_Judaism.htm

www.religionfacts.com/judaism/denominations.htm

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Passover

Passover is a Jewish Holiday commemorating the Exodus (escape from 400 years of slavery) from Egypt. The Holiday also marks the start of the Harvest Season. Passover is considered one of the most well known holiday's of the Jewish religion, because of its relation to Christianity. Passover begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan (March-April). It is the first of 3 Jewish festivals. Passover involves the removal of chametz (anything made from the five major grains, wheat, rye, barley, oats, and spelt). Traditional Jews also remove rice, corn, peanuts, and beans. The day before Passover fisrtborn males participate in a minor fast, commemorating the fact that they didn't die in the plague. Before Passover people clean their homes very well, in order to clean the entire home of Chametz.

Picture: Sader Plate

http://www.jewfaq.org/cgi-bin/search.cgi?Keywords=passover

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/holidaya.html#Seder

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Bat Mitzvah

A Bat Mitzvah is a the day a girl becomes a woman in the eyes of the jewish community. Bat mitzvah literally means "daughter of the commandment." During the ceremony there are four blessings, three made by family member and one made by the bat mitzvah herself. The bat mitzvah picks a section from the torah and reads it to the entire congreation of friends and family. Boys go throught the same tradition only they are called a Bar Mitzvah, "son of the commandment."
http://www.jewfaq.org/barmitz.htm

OL

Torah

The Torah is the Jewish bible and contains two components: The Written Torah and the Oral Torah. The Written Torah has the Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Oral Torah contains the Mishna and Talmud. The Torah in general teaches about the covenant and contains the fundamental principles of faith: hope, justice, love, purity, thanksgiving and virtue. The Torah was revealed to Moses by God and is a guide to the relationship between man and God. It is also used in many practices and rituals.

http://www.israelipalestinianprocon.org/glossary.html

ED

Talmud

The Talmud is the Jewish library of oral law and tradition. It is a record of traditional disscussions about Jewish law, ethics, customs and history. The Talmud contains two parts, the Mishnah (written part of the oral law) and the Gemara (which discusses the mishnah and other subjects).

http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/religion/judaism/terms.html

ED

Synagogue

A synagogue is the place of worship for Jewish people. It is a place of prayer, study, and social and charity work. Services are held and conducted at a synagogue.

library.thinkquest.org/C004351F/Glossary.htm

ED

Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year and it celebrates the anniversary of the creation of the world. It coincides with the new moon that will be full on or soon after, the autumn equinox. Therefore it is celebrated in September or October. It occurs on the first and second days of Tishri (the seventh month of the Jewish year). Yom Kippur occurs ten days after Rosh Hashanah. The shofar (shown above) is blown in synagogue during Rosh Hashanah. It is blown to alert people of the coming judgement.

www.jewfaq.org/holiday2.htm


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Reform Judaism

Reform Judaism is a form of Judaism that the most liberal Jews follow. They do not follow the Talmud strictly, but adapt the historical forms of Judaism to the modern world by changing the practices and rituals.

rj.org/whatisrj.shtml

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Rabbi

A rabbi is a person who is trained in Jewish law, ritual and tradition and ordained for leadership of a Jewish congregation. They conduct religious services, aid at Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, perform marraiges and funerals and study Hevrew scriptures. They are seen more as a teacher rather than a priest. They are also the chief religious offical of a synagogue. They can be female or male.

wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=rabbi

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Monotheism

Jews believe there is one God. They also think that God wants everyone to get a long with each other and God judges them by their behavior. They also feel that they can each have their own individual relationship with God. Because God has done so many things for the Jews they feel they must obey God's laws and must try to bring the religion into all parts of their lives.

www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaism/mono.html

www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism

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Menorah

The menorah is used during Hanukkah. It has seven places for candles. During the holiday they light one candle at night with the servant candle. Then the next day they light two. On the seventh night all of the candles are lit. The candles are lit from right to left because it has to do with their determination for religious freedom.

www.zeek.net/i/menorah.jpg

www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism

BJ

Yom Kippur

Yom Kippur is also called the "Day Of Attonment."

People belive that yom Kippur is a day to reflect on the sins made form the past year. The day is spent in synagouge in prayer. along time ago ancestors saved the tenth day of the seventh month to get rid of their sins of the past year and start anew

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Hasidism

Hasidism is a form of Jewish Mysticism, it originated in Poland. The first master of Hasidism was Israel ben Eleazer (1700-1760), he was the master of the divine name. According to the Patterns of Religion Book, The Hasidic beliefs: "God is mystically present in all things, there is joy in all aspects of life, one must follow a "righteous man," and one must study the Torah."

Patterns of Religion

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Matzo

Matzo is a thin unleavened bread eaten during Passover. It is made from flour and water. It is then cooked very quickly. This is what the Jews ate when they were traveling from Egypt. The passover book, haggadah, explains the story from when they traveled form Egypt. In the book there is a Hebrew rhyme. Each word in the rhyme symbolizes an action. One of the words is Matzah. At this point they say a prayer to the matzo and then eat a little. Also, during the Passover meal it is eaten at three different times. Eating it is suppose to make them think of the journey their past relatives took from Egypt. During Passover a game is played with the children to keep them in the traditions. They hide a piece of matzo and the children have to keep it until they are given a reward.

http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen/images/refimages/bread/types/matzo_500.jpg
www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/
http://www.jewfaq.org/

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Judaism

Judaism is the religion of Jewish people, it is traced back to the times of Abraham in the year 2000 BCE, and it started in Isreal. Judaism is most practiced in the United States, by 6 million people, followed by Isreal where it is practiced by 5 million people.

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Hanukkah

Hanukkah is an eight day festival (November-December) commemorating the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrians and the rededication of The Temple in Jerusalem. Hanukkah is also known as the Festival of Lights. During the eight days of Hanukkah people who practice Judaism light on candle on their menorah each night, until all eight have been lit. the story of Hanukkah is that Channah and her seven sons were brought before the King, because he had outlawed the practice of Judaism and Channah and her seven sons were caught practicing Judaism, so the King tortured each individual boy and put them in a fire, Channah threw herself from a roof and died as well. So the eight candles that are burned on Hanukkah are in memory of Channuh and her seven sons.

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article_cdo/aid/429014/jewish/Channah-and-her-Seven-Sons.htm

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