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In Judaism
What is Judaism?
The following are answers from members of the WikiAnswerscommunity. Answer 1: Community Participation While there are many answers about "belief," it is important tonote t…hat Judaism began as a people and our Jewish identity ispreserved through participation in the Jewish community. You aren'tborn with any beliefs, yet you are born Jewish (if your mother wasa 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 themessiah. 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 stillpractice Judaism, but the fact remains that they are under theumbrella of Judaism. Commentary on Commentary on Answer 2 The Jewish people believe that the messiah is a human being whowill save the Jewish people from their enemies and establish theKingdom of God (on earth). All other nations will acknowledge theOne God of Israel and there will be peace in the world. The Jews donot accept Jesus as the Messiah because he did not save the Jewishpeople from the Romans or being peace to the world. Traditionally,both Jews and Christians have viewed Messianic Jews as fullyChristian. Answer 3: Religion of Judea, Defined by Differences withNeighbors Judaism is derived from Judea, and is the monotheistic religion ofthe Jews. The people/Nation of Judea and Israel share a beliefsystem that was consecrated, sanctified, and set apart from theCanaanite nations and Egypt in the ancient world. These beliefsystems still continue today and all Jews or Israelites are calledupon to set themselves apart for holiness and sanctification, andto repudiate those cultures that are antithetical to this. Theancient neighbors of Israel were extremely debauched, immoral,unethical, deathly, and perverse (Leviticus ch.18); and so thepeople of Israel/Jacob were called to create a kingdom of life,heaven, peace on earth, as set forth in the Torah. They segregatedthemselves and set themselves apart and only revere God as theirdivine Deity. God is the power of the universe, its energy, itsstrength, 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 wasprovoked to wrath and death with the surrounding ancient culturesat the time of the birth of the nation of Israel. This is Judaismas 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 webelieve that not only is there only one Deity, but that He cannotbe 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 earthtotally dedicated to studying and obeying His Law, chose Abrahamand Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, and Jacob, Leah, and Rachel to be thefounders of this nation, due to their monumental personal moralgreatness. Some centuries later, after the nation which had descended fromthese great people went through the necessary historicalpreparations, He sent His servant, Moses, to free them fromEgyptian slavery; and, as the greatest prophet the world would everknow, to be the conduit through which He would give His Torah tothe nation at Mount Sinai. This Torah, comprising both the 5 Books of Moses--the WrittenTorah--and the equally divine Oral Torah, which explains how toapply the laws briefly stated in the Written Torah, was to be thepath in life which the nation as a whole, and every individualmember of the nation, would follow in order to serve Him and knowHim 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 ofmankind will come to know Him fully. In that era, all evil andfalsehood will vanish forever. Answer 6: Secular Life Informed by Jewish Values While Judaism can be all of the above, there are otherinterpretations of Judaism. Judaism can also be considered asecular way of life informed by Jewish cultural traditions. Thisseparates Judaism from its purely religious roots, and can becelebrated either within or without the worship element, butmaintains 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 relevantto a changing world, while retaining the rich intellectualtradition and customs derived from the Torah and Jewish history,among other sources. Atheistic Judaism goes one step further, maintaining many of thecustoms of Judaism without a belief in the religious element.Atheistic Jews may believe in the moral codes of the Torah, and maybelieve 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 modernworld. Most proponents of these movements would still claim they arepracticing a form of Judaism by keeping their past and historyalive. Typically, though, they must still be Jewish. Answer 7: Faith It is a religious belief that many people believe in. Any types ofpeople can choose this religion. For example: carpenters, fashiondesigners, police, etc. So any one can believe in it. Commentary on Answer 7 Calling Judaism a "religious belief" makes a couple of implicationsthat are inaccurate. Any person born of a Jewish mother is bornJewish. A person who is born Jewish but does not carry any specificbelief or follow the majority of Jewish laws is still Jewish. Onthe other hand, a non-Jew who "believes" in the tenets of Judaismand follows Jewish Law does NOT become Jewish unless or until theytake part in a formal conversion involving a course of study,mikveh (ritual bath), and circumcision for a male (a token cut isrequired if the male has already been circumcised). It is also notable that one does not need to be Jewish or followJewish Laws to be considered righteous. If "belief" or wanting tofollow the law is the ONLY reason/s for seeking conversion, theywould need to be encouraged to follow the laws even as a righteousGentile. Answer 8: Religion, Philosophy, and Way of Life of the JewishPeople Judaism is the monotheistic religion of the Jews, havingits spiritual and ethical principles embodied chiefly in the Hebrewscriptures and the Talmud. Judaism is the "religion,philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people. Originating inthe Hebrew Bible (also known as the Tanakh) and explored in latertexts such as the Talmud, it is considered by Jews to be theexpression of the covenantal relationship which God developed withthe Children of Israel. According to traditional Rabbinic Judaism,God revealed his laws and commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai inthe form of both the Written and Oral Torah. This was (much later)challenged by the Karaites, a movement that flourished in themedieval period, retains several thousand followers today andmaintains that only the Written Torah was revealed. In moderntimes, liberal movements such as Humanistic Judaism may benon-theistic. Answer 9: Historical Continuity of Tradition Judaism claims a historical continuity spanning more than 3700years. It is one of the oldest monotheistic religions, and theoldest to survive into the present day. The Hebrews / Israeliteswere already referred to as Jews in later books of the Tanakh suchas the Book of Esther, with the term "Jews" replacing the title"Children of Israel." Judaism's texts, traditions and values play amajor role in later Abrahamic religions, including Christianity,Islam and the Baha'i faith. Many aspects of Judaism have alsodirectly or indirectly influenced secular Western ethics and civillaw. Answer 10: Ethno-Religious Group with Various Beliefs Jews are an ethno-religious group that includes those born Jewishand converts to Judaism. In 2017, the world Jewish population wasestimated at 14 million, of whom about 40% reside in Israel and 40%in the United States. The largest Jewish religious movements areOrthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism. A majorsource of difference between these groups is their approach toJewish law. Orthodox Judaism maintains that the Torah and Jewishlaw are Divine in origin; eternal and unalterable, and should bestrictly followed. Conservative and Reform Judaism are moreliberal, with Conservative Judaism generally promoting a more"traditional" interpretation of Judaism's requirements than ReformJudaism. A typical Reform position is that Jewish law should beviewed as a set of general guidelines rather than as a set ofrestrictions and obligations whose observance is required of allJews. Historically, special courts enforced Jewish law; today,these courts still exist but the practice of Judaism is mostlyvoluntary. Authority on theological and legal matters is not vestedin any one person or organization, but in the sacred texts and themany 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. TraditionalJudaism is the contents, beliefs, attitudes, and commands that arein the Written and Oral Torah. Answer 12: Vows to Live By Divine Law Judaism is the religion of the Jews. However, Judaism begins with acommunity (the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). It is notuntil the encounter with God at Mount Sinai when the Nation ofIsrael shaped a religion by accepting and vowing to live by God'scommandments ... One is born a Jew and it is with participationamong 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 Jewishpeople from their enemies and establish the Kingdom of God (onearth). All other nations would acknowledge the One God of Israeland there would be peace in the world ... The Jews do not acceptJesus as the Messiah because he did not save the Jewish people fromthe Romans or being peace to the world. Answer 13: Ethno-Religious Group Judaism is typically considered to be an ethno-religiousgroup. It has certain elements that are common to all ethnicities,such as a common language, a common ancestry, particular customs ofassociation, and a view of common historic nationhood. It also hascertain elements that other religions share, such as a belief inthe existence of divine beings (angels) and a God, specific Divinemandates, houses of worship, and holy scriptures. Ethno-religious groups, unlike other common religions, prevent aperson from converting out. In the Jewish case, this is because theethnic component of Judaism ties a person to Judaism regardless ofwhat they believe. This is as opposed to a religion per se, likeChristianity, where failure to believe in the Christ makes a persona non-Christian. And in contrast to ethnicities per se, a personcan acquire an ethno-religious status through integration with thecommunity. In the Jewish position, this is because the religiouscomponent of Judaism accepts conversion. This is as opposed to apure ethnicity, such as Italian. A person cannot convert toItalian, however much he may like spaghetti and pizza or speakItalian. Answer 14 Judaism is a religion that has a belief in one God. The Torah isthe religious text used in Judaism. The Final Word as the astute reader may observe, largely as a result of atradition of intellectual inquisitiveness, one notablecharacteristic 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. ( Full Answer )