What is Judaism?

Answer 1

The following are answers from members of the WikiAnswers community.

Answer 1: Community Participation

While there are many answers about "belief," it is important to note that Judaism began as a people and our Jewish identity is preserved through participation in the Jewish community. You aren't born with any beliefs, yet you are born Jewish (if your mother was a Jew).

Albert Einstein is a good example of a person who was clearly "Jewish" but did not attend synagogue regularly and had little "religious observance".

Answer 2: Adherence to the Divine Law

Following the laws of the Tanakh, Mishnah and Gemarah (Talmud), without exception.

Note: Judaism does not include those who believe in Christ as the messiah.

Commentary on Answer 2

Not True. Messianic Jews believe that Jesus was the Son of God. Other Jews do not like to recognize that Messianic Jews still practice Judaism, but the fact remains that they are under the umbrella of Judaism.

Commentary on Commentary on Answer 2

The Jewish people believe that the messiah is a human being who will save the Jewish people from their enemies and establish the Kingdom of God (on earth). All other nations will acknowledge the One God of Israel and there will be peace in the world. The Jews do not accept Jesus as the Messiah because he did not save the Jewish people from the Romans or being peace to the world. Traditionally, both Jews and Christians have viewed Messianic Jews as fully Christian.

Answer 3: Religion of Judea, Defined by Differences with Neighbors

Judaism is derived from Judea, and is the monotheistic religion of the Jews. The people/Nation of Judea and Israel share a belief system that was consecrated, sanctified, and set apart from the Canaanite nations and Egypt in the ancient world. These belief systems still continue today and all Jews or Israelites are called upon to set themselves apart for holiness and sanctification, and to repudiate those cultures that are antithetical to this. The ancient neighbors of Israel were extremely debauched, immoral, unethical, deathly, and perverse (Leviticus ch.18); and so the people of Israel/Jacob were called to create a kingdom of life, heaven, peace on earth, as set forth in the Torah. They segregated themselves and set themselves apart and only revere God as their divine Deity. God is the power of the universe, its energy, its strength, and is very very very good. God's name YHVH means "IT IS" or "HE IS" in Hebrew, signifying the Eternal Power that always is, was, and will be. He is a creative force in all BEING and was provoked to wrath and death with the surrounding ancient cultures at the time of the birth of the nation of Israel. This is Judaism as best explained in brief. It is one the world's oldest religions, with almost 4000 years of history.

Answer 4: Faith

Belief in the Jewish faith.

Answer 5: Radical Monotheism, Divine Laws, and Beliefs

Judaism is a radically monotheistic faith, by which I mean that we believe that not only is there only one Deity, but that He cannot be divided into components. By contrast, you, I, or anything else, can be divided--into mind and body, systems, emotions, memory, etc.

Judaism believes that God, wishing to have a nation on earth totally dedicated to studying and obeying His Law, chose Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob, Leah, and Rachel to be the founders of this nation, due to their monumental personal moral greatness.

Some centuries later, after the nation which had descended from these great people went through the necessary historical preparations, He sent His servant, Moses, to free them from Egyptian slavery; and, as the greatest prophet the world would ever know, to be the conduit through which He would give His Torah to the nation at Mount Sinai.

This Torah, comprising both the 5 Books of Moses--the Written Torah--and the equally divine Oral Torah, which explains how to apply the laws briefly stated in the Written Torah, was to be the path in life which the nation as a whole, and every individual member of the nation, would follow in order to serve Him and know Him to the fullest extent of human ability.

Judaism teaches us that, at an undisclosed future date known to God (but which we very much hope is soon), He will send His servant, the fully human Messiah, to usher in a Utopian era when all of mankind will come to know Him fully. In that era, all evil and falsehood will vanish forever.

Answer 6: Secular Life Informed by Jewish Values

While Judaism can be all of the above, there are other interpretations of Judaism. Judaism can also be considered a secular way of life informed by Jewish cultural traditions. This separates Judaism from its purely religious roots, and can be celebrated either within or without the worship element, but maintains the wealth and value of Jewish history.

This movement (for example, humanistic Judaism, or secular Judaism) sees the Jewish culture as dynamic. It attempts to remain relevant to a changing world, while retaining the rich intellectual tradition and customs derived from the Torah and Jewish history, among other sources.

Atheistic Judaism goes one step further, maintaining many of the customs of Judaism without a belief in the religious element. Atheistic Jews may believe in the moral codes of the Torah, and may believe in the historical events of the Torah (or they may not), but they do not believe it represents a religious truth. Again, this is an attempt to reconcile traditional culture with a modern world.

Most proponents of these movements would still claim they are practicing a form of Judaism by keeping their past and history alive. Typically, though, they must still be Jewish.

Answer 7: Faith

It is a religious belief that many people believe in. Any types of people can choose this religion. For example: carpenters, fashion designers, police, etc. So any one can believe in it.

Commentary on Answer 7

Calling Judaism a "religious belief" makes a couple of implications that are inaccurate. Any person born of a Jewish mother is born Jewish. A person who is born Jewish but does not carry any specific belief or follow the majority of Jewish laws is still Jewish. On the other hand, a non-Jew who "believes" in the tenets of Judaism and follows Jewish Law does NOT become Jewish unless or until they take part in a formal conversion involving a course of study, mikveh (ritual bath), and circumcision for a male (a token cut is required if the male has already been circumcised).

It is also notable that one does not need to be Jewish or follow Jewish Laws to be considered righteous. If "belief" or wanting to follow the law is the ONLY reason/s for seeking conversion, they would need to be encouraged to follow the laws even as a righteous Gentile.

Answer 8: Religion, Philosophy, and Way of Life of the Jewish People

Judaism is the monotheistic religion of the Jews, having its spiritual and ethical principles embodied chiefly in the Hebrew scriptures and the Talmud.

Judaism is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people. Originating in the Hebrew Bible (also known as the Tanakh) and explored in later texts such as the Talmud, it is considered by Jews to be the expression of the covenantal relationship which God developed with the Children of Israel. According to traditional Rabbinic Judaism, God revealed his laws and commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of both the Written and Oral Torah. This was (much later) challenged by the Karaites, a movement that flourished in the medieval period, retains several thousand followers today and maintains that only the Written Torah was revealed. In modern times, liberal movements such as Humanistic Judaism may be non-theistic.

Answer 9: Historical Continuity of Tradition

Judaism claims a historical continuity spanning more than 3700 years. It is one of the oldest monotheistic religions, and the oldest to survive into the present day. The Hebrews / Israelites were already referred to as Jews in later books of the Tanakh such as the Book of Esther, with the term "Jews" replacing the title "Children of Israel." Judaism's texts, traditions and values play a major role in later Abrahamic religions, including Christianity, Islam and the Baha'i faith. Many aspects of Judaism have also directly or indirectly influenced secular Western ethics and civil law.

Answer 10: Ethno-Religious Group with Various Beliefs

Jews are an ethno-religious group that includes those born Jewish and converts to Judaism. In 2017, the world Jewish population was estimated at 14 million, of whom about 40% reside in Israel and 40% in the United States. The largest Jewish religious movements are Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism. A major source of difference between these groups is their approach to Jewish law. Orthodox Judaism maintains that the Torah and Jewish law are Divine in origin; eternal and unalterable, and should be strictly followed. Conservative and Reform Judaism are more liberal, with Conservative Judaism generally promoting a more "traditional" interpretation of Judaism's requirements than Reform Judaism. A typical Reform position is that Jewish law should be viewed as a set of general guidelines rather than as a set of restrictions and obligations whose observance is required of all Jews. Historically, special courts enforced Jewish law; today, these courts still exist but the practice of Judaism is mostly voluntary. Authority on theological and legal matters is not vested in any one person or organization, but in the sacred texts and the many Rabbis and scholars who interpret these texts.

Answer 11: Judaism is Defined by Traditional Judaism

The question was What is Judaism, not Who is a Jew. Traditional Judaism is the contents, beliefs, attitudes, and commands that are in the Written and Oral Torah.

Answer 12: Vows to Live By Divine Law

Judaism is the religion of the Jews. However, Judaism begins with a community (the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). It is not until the encounter with God at Mount Sinai when the Nation of Israel shaped a religion by accepting and vowing to live by God's commandments ... One is born a Jew and it is with participation among the Jewish Community in which a Jewish identity is maintained (rather than ritual observance).

In Judaism, the messiah is a human being who would save the Jewish people from their enemies and establish the Kingdom of God (on earth). All other nations would acknowledge the One God of Israel and there would be peace in the world ... The Jews do not accept Jesus as the Messiah because he did not save the Jewish people from the Romans or being peace to the world.

Answer 13: Ethno-Religious Group

Judaism is typically considered to be an ethno-religious group. It has certain elements that are common to all ethnicities, such as a common language, a common ancestry, particular customs of association, and a view of common historic nationhood. It also has certain elements that other religions share, such as a belief in the existence of divine beings (angels) and a God, specific Divine mandates, houses of worship, and holy scriptures.

Ethno-religious groups, unlike other common religions, prevent a person from converting out. In the Jewish case, this is because the ethnic component of Judaism ties a person to Judaism regardless of what they believe. This is as opposed to a religion per se, like Christianity, where failure to believe in the Christ makes a person a non-Christian. And in contrast to ethnicities per se, a person can acquire an ethno-religious status through integration with the community. In the Jewish position, this is because the religious component of Judaism accepts conversion. This is as opposed to a pure ethnicity, such as Italian. A person cannot convert to Italian, however much he may like spaghetti and pizza or speak Italian.

Answer 14

Judaism is a religion that has a belief in one God. The Torah is the religious text used in Judaism.

The Final Word

as the astute reader may observe, largely as a result of a tradition of intellectual inquisitiveness, one notable characteristic of Judaism is a considerable variety of opinions :)
It began as the religion of the small nation of the Hebrews, and through thousands of years of suffering, persecution, dispersion, and occasional victory, has continued to be a profoundly influential religion and culture.

Answer 2

All the hundreds of mitzvoth (commands), principles and beliefs of the Torah.

Though it may have an associated culture and one or more associated languages, the traditional definition of Judaism is the observance of the Torah, which is why dictionaries define Judaism as "the religion of Moses." In this sense, the word "Torah" is meant in its wider meaning, which includes the Tanakh, the Talmud, and other classical Jewish texts.
The philosophy of Judaism is that this world is a purposeful creation by God, in which all people are tested concerning their use of free-will. We possess a soul which lives on after the body dies and is held responsible for the person's actions. Anyone who is worthy, Jewish or not, can merit reward in the afterlife.
For fuller detail, see the Related Links.Link: The basic beliefs of Judaism

Link: The practices of Judaism

Link: The principles of Judaism

Link: The ethics of Judaism

Link: How Judaism began

Link: The texts of Judaism

Answer 3

A Jew is an adherent of Judaism. Sometimes, a Jew is defined as a person whose mother is/was Jewish. Other times, people who converted to Judaism are also considered Jews.