All about Judaism

People often wonder why that person dresses differently, or why he or she can't do the same activities as you, why they eat different portions and kinds of food. Well that is probably cause the practice different religions than you do. one of the religions that really stick out in doing things differently is the religion of Judaism. That's what you will be learning about while reading this blog.

Founder/number of followers
Judaism is a religion founded by either, Abraham or Moses, in 2000 B.C. in Palestine. Today there are about fourteen million followers in the religion of Judaism thorough out the world. mostly found in Judea, the middle east, and in Europe, and partially in the USA. (right: is the star of david which represents the Jewish faith.)

Sacred Texts
The religion of Judaism follows the book called the Torah. "Torah" refers to the Five Books of Moses, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. But the word "torah" can also be used to refer to the entire Jewish bible or even the whole body of Jewish law and teachings. To Jews, there is no "Old Testament." The books that Christians call the New Testament are not part of Jewish scripture. The so called Old Testament is known to us as Written Torah or the Tanakh. The Judaism religion has many holidays. (the picture to the right is of the holy book of Torrah)

Religious Holidays
Chanukkah Remembers the rededication of the Temple after it was defiled by the Greeks by Alexander the great. People would recognize this by the lighting of the 9 candles. Chanukkah is probably one of the best known Jewish holidays, not because of any great religious significance, but because of its proximity to Christmas. Shabbat, it is a precious gift from God a day of great joy eagerly awaited throughout the week, a time when we can set a side all of our weekday concerns and devote ourselves to higher pursuits. In Jewish literature, poetry and music, Shabbat is described as a bride or queen, as in the popular Shabbat hymn Lecha Dodi Likrat Kallah. During a Sabbat, At about 2PM or 3PM on Friday afternoon, observant Jews leave the office to begin Shabbat preparations. The mood is much like preparing for the arrival of a special, beloved guest: the house is cleaned, the family bathes and dresses up, the best dishes and tableware are set, a festive meal is prepared. In addition, everything that cannot be done during Shabbat must be set up in advance: lights and appliances must be set, the light bulb in the refrigerator must be removed or unscrewed, so it does not turn on when you open it, and preparations for the remaining Shabbat meals must be made. Yom Kippur is a Day of Atonement. A day set aside for fasting, depriving oneself of pleasures, and repenting from the sins of the previous year. Passover (Pesach) begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the first of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance. The primary observances of Pesach are related to the Exodus from Egypt after generations of slavery. This story is told in Exodus. (top left: is a picture of a jewish manora used during chanukkah. bottom left: is a picture that represents the yom kippur. middle right: is a picture representing shabbat.)

Rituals
Jews Practice many rituals and customs just like many other religions through out the world, a major custom that Judaism practices and celebrates is a Bar or Bat mitzvah. "Bar" means son. "Bat" means daughter in Hebrew and Aramaic. A Jewish boy automatically becomes a bar mitzvah upon reaching the age of 13 years, and a girl upon reaching the age of 12 years. Bar mitzvah is simply the age when a person is held responsible for his actions and minimally qualified to marry. A bar mitzvah is incorporated into an ordinary sabbath service, and many of the people present at the service may not be involved in the bar mitzvah. Gifts are given.

Dress/clothing
Jews worship the Torah. in the Torah it says that it commands them to wear tzitzit which are fringes. tzitzit are today are all white. the fringe on them used to be dyed with a blue dye. check out this website for images!

Hierarchy/organization
Jewish hierarchy is similar to the hierarchy of Catholicism. Judaism is ran by the Rabbi who is the teacher and decision maker of the religion law. Followed by the Rabbi is the Chazan. His job is to lead the congregation in prayer. Following the Chazan is the Gabbai, who Volunteer who assists with Torah readings. Below him is the Kohein who is the Descendant of Aaron, the original High Priest. Next, Levi, Descendant of the biblical Levites. The Rebbe, The leader of a Chasidic communith. and the lowest person in the hierarchy is the Tzaddik, A righteous person with spiritual power.