Judaism: A Culture and a People

Judaism is not just a religion

Judaism is a religion,
but it is also a culture
and a people.

A culture and a people

Judaism does not
represent any single
race, belief, or
viewpoint, let alone
values and politics.

The Torah
Torah means
teaching,
instruction, or law
and is commonly
known as the Law of
Moses.

Maps of Israel Over the Years

The map of Israel
changed many times
since Biblical Times.

Most people around Abraham

were polytheists
Monotheism was a
radical break with the
common philosophical
understanding of the
Divine at the time.

The Temple in Jerusalem

Worship was centered
on the temple in
Jerusalem.

The Western (wailing) Wall

Though the temple
was rebuilt, the
religion became more
and more what it
ultimately would
become, a religion of
synagogues, where
worship consisted of
study of Scriptures
without sacrifices.

The Bible is divided into three

sections
The Torah is the first
section, and includes
the first 5 books of the
Bible. The Prophets is
the second section,
and the Writings is the
third.

The Messiah
An important idea of
Biblical Judaism is the
concept of the
Messiah.

Kabbala: Jewish Mysticism

Kabbala is based on
finding deeper
meanings in the words
and letters of the Torah
that point to
metaphysical realities.

The Kabbalistic Tree of Life

Kabbala: a path of
meditation

Hasidism
Hasidism was a
devotional movement
that started in Eastern
Europe through the
teachings of the Baal
Shem Tov (Master of
the Good Name).

Jewish-Danish Children
Smuggled into Sweden
The Holocaust has had
a profound effect on
Christian-Jewish
relations and dialogue.

Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism
teaches full following
of the Law (Torah),
and is traditional in
theology, forms of
festival and worship.

Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism has
roots in the German
Enlightenment, and is
liberal in attitude, and
does not believe in
following the Law
legalistically.

Jewish Beliefs
No dogma is as
significant to most
Jews as participation
in the Sabbath
worship, festivals,
customs, and
observances
traditional to the
community.

Moses Maimonides, 1135-1204

A conventional
touchstone for Jewish
belief delineation has
been 13 principles of
faith put down by the
great medieval thinker,
Moses Maimonides.

Abraham Joshua Heschel

Abraham Joshua
Heschel (1907-1972),
celebrated the holiness
in all things and the
possibility of an
intense, passionate
relationship between
God and humans.

The Sabbath
The Sabbath
commemorates the
Lords day of rest after
the work of creation,
and is intended for the
rest and refreshment of
both body and soul.

Rosh Hashana: Happy New Year

Rosh Hashana is the
Jewish New Year and
is a celebration of the
creation of the world.
It is associated with
the sweetness of
life, symbolized by
honey and sweet
bread.

Passover
Passover is a
celebration of freedom
recalling the Exodus,
parting of the Red Sea,
receiving of the law at
Mt. Sinai, and entry
into the Promised
Land.

Chanukah
Chanukah
commemorates the
rededication of the
Temple in Jerusalem
in 165 B.C.E.

Bar Mitzvah: A Rite of Passage

The term means son
(bar) of the
commandment
(mitzvah). For a girl,
the term would be
daughter (bat) of the
commandment
(mitzvah).

A Religion of Action
Judaism is a religion
of action more than
beliefs.

Modern Jerusalem
In modern Israel, we
see some negative
issues arising.

The Letter of the Law

On an internal level,
the dark side of
Judaism has been in its
focus on the letter of
the Law rather than
the spirit of the Law.

Deborah, the Judge

On one hand, Jewish
women have been
celebrated in texts and
traditions as
charismatic
luminaries, heroines,
intellectuals, devoted
wives and leaders.

Tradition
It is the role of wife
and mother that takes
center stage for
women in traditional
Judaism; most
traditions regarding
women revolve around
her role in the home.

Jewish Wedding
This attitude even
comes out in modern
weddings, where the
father gives away
his daughter to the
groom.

The Marriage Contract

A woman could only
get a divorce if the
man agreed to give her
one. Pictured here is a
traditional marriage
contract, called a
Ketubah.

First Female Rabbi:

Sally Priesand
Today there are
women ordained as
rabbis and cantors in
Reform, Conservative
and Reconstructionist
Judaism.

Shekhinah
Shekhinah, which is
feminine, is the spirit
of God at the Sabbath,
also known as the
Sabbath Bride.

Center of Judaism
For a long time,
Judaism was centered
on the temple in
Jerusalem in the land
of Israel.