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

HC

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



HC

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

ED

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

BJ

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

HC

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

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

HC