The Torah
Comprised of five books:
1. Genesis / "Origins" / Beirishit
- God creates the world.
- Eve eats the apple.
- Cain kills Abel.
- God changes his mind about humanity and decides it would be a good idea to flood the world, save for Noah and his babes.
- Humans build the Tower of Babel, only to have it (and many, many languages) scattered about the world.
- Many of these stories have to do with God creating a covenant with the Patriarch of a specific generation. There's a lot of wandering, exile, and redemption.
- "God's disappointments"
2. Exodus / "The Road Out" / Shemot
- Physical and spiritual birth of Israel as a nation
- Dichotomies of enslavement and being set free, of having revelations and more wandering around aimlessly in the desert
- Hosts fundamental laws and the rules governing national worship
- Israelites escape from Egypt
- Continuation of Genesis
- The story of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac; God chooses this family to be the forebearers of the Israelites (God's chosen people)
- While Genesis was grounded in myth and legend, Exodus begins tales of history founded in faith.
3. Leviticus / "Laws of the Levites" / Vayikra
- Sometimes seen as "inaccessible" in modern times
- Known formally as Torat Kohanim ("instructions for the priests")
- Proper worship of God in Israel
- The Israelites' question at the time of its writing was: How do we best express our loyalty to God?
- First seven chapters discuss society's sacrifices to the Lord
- Chapters eight to ten are on how to officiate ceremonies properly, lest you face the wrath of God
- Leviticus 11 (along with Deuteronomy 14) covers dietary restrictions
- Chapter twelve to fifteen are all about purity, atoning for sins, etc.
- Chapter sixteen covers Yom Kippur (see Holidays below)
- Leviticus chapters seventeen to twenty-five is the kicker: The Holiness Code
- Family Relationships, improper sexual behavior, etc.
4. Numbers / "The Census" / Bamidbar
- Narrative, legislation, archival records
- Covers the years of the Israelites wandering in the desert
- Four main sections
- First covers the laws created at Mount Sinai
- Second goes through the early days of the wandering in the desert
- End of old leadership (Miriam, Aaron)
- Eleazar and Joshua are the new leaders who will bring the Israelites into Canaan
- The third section is the Book of Balaam. Balaam tried to sabotage Israel as they entered into the Promised Land, but God put words of blessing into his mouth instead.
- In the second section, the boundaries of the Promised Land are set, and land is distributed.
5. Deuteronomy / "Second Law" / Devarim
- A.k.a., Sefer Devarim, short for (Sefer) ve’eleh hadevarim, “(The Book of) ‘These are the words,'” taken from the opening phrase of the book.
- Consists of five personal/reflective discourses/poems by Moses, and two narratives about his final acts before he died
- The first discourse discusses exclusive loyalty to God, and advocates for monotheism.
- Deuteronomy talks about in Israel, living in harmony with God and each other, and pursuing justice and righteousness (considered to be the core of Deuteronomy).
- Another section accentuates centralized worship, avoiding excessive sacrifice (beginnings of non sacrificial synagogue worship), and studying God's word.
- Incredibly important to Judaism. Religious life based around the study of the Torah, monotheism, and many rituals stem from Deuteronomy.
- Kiddush (a prayer of sanctification) on the Jewish Sabbath day (Shabbat)
- Tradition of blessing God after every meal
- Mezuzot's on doorposts
- Phylactery (tefillin): a small leather box containing Hebrew texts on vellum, worn by Jewish men at morning prayer as a reminder to keep the law.
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-torah/
Origin story of the Torah?
Long and short of it is: Moses went up to Mount Sinai, where God dictated the Torah to Moses. Moses then wrote down all he was told, thus giving us the Torah.
1. Genesis / "Origins" / Beirishit
- God creates the world.
- Eve eats the apple.
- Cain kills Abel.
- God changes his mind about humanity and decides it would be a good idea to flood the world, save for Noah and his babes.
- Humans build the Tower of Babel, only to have it (and many, many languages) scattered about the world.
- Many of these stories have to do with God creating a covenant with the Patriarch of a specific generation. There's a lot of wandering, exile, and redemption.
- "God's disappointments"
2. Exodus / "The Road Out" / Shemot
- Physical and spiritual birth of Israel as a nation
- Dichotomies of enslavement and being set free, of having revelations and more wandering around aimlessly in the desert
- Hosts fundamental laws and the rules governing national worship
- Israelites escape from Egypt
- Continuation of Genesis
- The story of Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac; God chooses this family to be the forebearers of the Israelites (God's chosen people)
- While Genesis was grounded in myth and legend, Exodus begins tales of history founded in faith.
3. Leviticus / "Laws of the Levites" / Vayikra
- Sometimes seen as "inaccessible" in modern times
- Known formally as Torat Kohanim ("instructions for the priests")
- Proper worship of God in Israel
- The Israelites' question at the time of its writing was: How do we best express our loyalty to God?
- First seven chapters discuss society's sacrifices to the Lord
- Chapters eight to ten are on how to officiate ceremonies properly, lest you face the wrath of God
- Leviticus 11 (along with Deuteronomy 14) covers dietary restrictions
- Chapter twelve to fifteen are all about purity, atoning for sins, etc.
- Chapter sixteen covers Yom Kippur (see Holidays below)
- Leviticus chapters seventeen to twenty-five is the kicker: The Holiness Code
- Family Relationships, improper sexual behavior, etc.
4. Numbers / "The Census" / Bamidbar
- Narrative, legislation, archival records
- Covers the years of the Israelites wandering in the desert
- Four main sections
- First covers the laws created at Mount Sinai
- Second goes through the early days of the wandering in the desert
- End of old leadership (Miriam, Aaron)
- Eleazar and Joshua are the new leaders who will bring the Israelites into Canaan
- The third section is the Book of Balaam. Balaam tried to sabotage Israel as they entered into the Promised Land, but God put words of blessing into his mouth instead.
- In the second section, the boundaries of the Promised Land are set, and land is distributed.
5. Deuteronomy / "Second Law" / Devarim
- A.k.a., Sefer Devarim, short for (Sefer) ve’eleh hadevarim, “(The Book of) ‘These are the words,'” taken from the opening phrase of the book.
- Consists of five personal/reflective discourses/poems by Moses, and two narratives about his final acts before he died
- The first discourse discusses exclusive loyalty to God, and advocates for monotheism.
- Deuteronomy talks about in Israel, living in harmony with God and each other, and pursuing justice and righteousness (considered to be the core of Deuteronomy).
- Another section accentuates centralized worship, avoiding excessive sacrifice (beginnings of non sacrificial synagogue worship), and studying God's word.
- Incredibly important to Judaism. Religious life based around the study of the Torah, monotheism, and many rituals stem from Deuteronomy.
- Kiddush (a prayer of sanctification) on the Jewish Sabbath day (Shabbat)
- Tradition of blessing God after every meal
- Mezuzot's on doorposts
- Phylactery (tefillin): a small leather box containing Hebrew texts on vellum, worn by Jewish men at morning prayer as a reminder to keep the law.
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/the-torah/
Origin story of the Torah?
Long and short of it is: Moses went up to Mount Sinai, where God dictated the Torah to Moses. Moses then wrote down all he was told, thus giving us the Torah.
Other Major Texts of Judaism
The Tanakh is the Hebrew Bible, which contains the books of the Christian Old Testament. They are, however, in a slightly different order with some differences.
The Talmud, or the "Oral Torah," are "a collection of rabbinical writings that interpret, explain, and apply" the teachings of the Torah.
The Midrash is comprised mostly of rabbinical sermons compiled between the 4th and 6th centuries.
The Responsa is a vast collection of answers to very specific questions in Jewish Law.
The Septuagint is an early Greek translation of the Jewish Hebrew Bible
The Sefer ha-Zohar (Book of Splendor) is "the central text of Kabbalah, the mystical branch of Judaism."http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/texts
The Talmud, or the "Oral Torah," are "a collection of rabbinical writings that interpret, explain, and apply" the teachings of the Torah.
The Midrash is comprised mostly of rabbinical sermons compiled between the 4th and 6th centuries.
The Responsa is a vast collection of answers to very specific questions in Jewish Law.
The Septuagint is an early Greek translation of the Jewish Hebrew Bible
The Sefer ha-Zohar (Book of Splendor) is "the central text of Kabbalah, the mystical branch of Judaism."http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/texts
Thirteen Principles of Judaism
1. Belief in the existence of the Creator, who is perfect in every manner of existence and is the Primary Cause of all that exists.
2. The belief in G‑d's absolute and unparalleled unity.
3. The belief in G‑d's non-corporeality, nor that He will be affected by any physical occurrences, such as movement, or rest, or dwelling.
4. The belief in G‑d's eternity.
5. The imperative to worship G‑d exclusively and no foreign false gods.
6. The belief that G‑d communicates with man through prophecy.
7. The belief in the primacy of the prophecy of Moses our teacher.
8. The belief in the divine origin of the Torah.
9. The belief in the immutability of the Torah.
10. The belief in G‑d's omniscience and providence.
11. The belief in divine reward and retribution.
12. The belief in the arrival of the Messiah and the messianic era.
13. The belief in the resurrection of the dead.
Why "G-d" instead of "God?" God's name must be treated with the highest degree of respect. However, it is against Jewish Law to erase the name of God once written, so they substitute it with G-d so as to dispose of the written name without disrespecting God.
2. The belief in G‑d's absolute and unparalleled unity.
3. The belief in G‑d's non-corporeality, nor that He will be affected by any physical occurrences, such as movement, or rest, or dwelling.
4. The belief in G‑d's eternity.
5. The imperative to worship G‑d exclusively and no foreign false gods.
6. The belief that G‑d communicates with man through prophecy.
7. The belief in the primacy of the prophecy of Moses our teacher.
8. The belief in the divine origin of the Torah.
9. The belief in the immutability of the Torah.
10. The belief in G‑d's omniscience and providence.
11. The belief in divine reward and retribution.
12. The belief in the arrival of the Messiah and the messianic era.
13. The belief in the resurrection of the dead.
Why "G-d" instead of "God?" God's name must be treated with the highest degree of respect. However, it is against Jewish Law to erase the name of God once written, so they substitute it with G-d so as to dispose of the written name without disrespecting God.
Prayers and Blessings
Tefilah, or Prayer There is a prayer for everything you can possibly think of. There are prayers to be recited before enjoying any material pleasure (eating, wearing new clothes, etc); prayers to recite before performing any mitzvah (commandment, such as washing hands, lighting candles); prayers to recite when you see something out-of-the-ordinary (a king, a rainbow, a proposal); prayers to recite when something good happens; prayers to recite when something bad happens; prayers the moment you wake up; prayers before you go to bed…
Yep. Prayers for everything.
Prayers are meant to become ritual practice. Kavanah is the mindset for prayers that is achieved when prayers are recited regularly, and in Hebrew. Most Jewish prayers are expressed in the first person plural, "us" instead of "me," which brings to light that all Jews share a common faith; in this way, prayers are recited on behalf of all Jews.
Birkat Ha-Mazon - "Grace after meals"; one of the most important prayers in Judaism.
Berakhah, or blessings, are similar to prayers, but are used most often for thanking God for new clothing (blessing the clothes), or for blessing food.http://www.jewfaq.org/prayer.htm
Yep. Prayers for everything.
Prayers are meant to become ritual practice. Kavanah is the mindset for prayers that is achieved when prayers are recited regularly, and in Hebrew. Most Jewish prayers are expressed in the first person plural, "us" instead of "me," which brings to light that all Jews share a common faith; in this way, prayers are recited on behalf of all Jews.
Birkat Ha-Mazon - "Grace after meals"; one of the most important prayers in Judaism.
Berakhah, or blessings, are similar to prayers, but are used most often for thanking God for new clothing (blessing the clothes), or for blessing food.http://www.jewfaq.org/prayer.htm
Jewish Holidays
They all have to do with food. Most have to do with eating inordinate amounts of it (one holiday consists of getting absurdly drunk), but Yom Kippur is one Holiday in which you fast for 25 hours.
Passover celebrates the deliverance of the Jewish people from slavery in Egypt.
“For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before G‑d” – Leviticus 16:30
Yom Kippur is considered the holiest day of the year, and the day on which we are closest to God and the essence of our own souls. Typically occurs in October/September. "Chanukah [Hannukah] commemorates the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after a group of Jewish warriors defeated the occupying mighty Greek armies. It is an eight-day festival of light that begins on the eve of the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev, and celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, of purity over adulteration, of spirituality over materiality." Shofars are Jewish religious artifacts made of Ram's horn and often used during religious celebrations. http://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/article_cdo/aid/102911/jewish/What-Is-Hanukkah.htm |