Judaism
Judaism is one of the oldest
religions that is still prevalent today in the world, and is the oldest Abrahamic religion. Its
history is rich with stories of the work of god, and how he has helped his
followers. It is extremely prevalent in today’s society, even showing its face
in pop culture. A good example is the popular television series Southpark [Project MUSE] Regardless of how it is perceived in popular
culture it can obviously be seen by anyone, regardless of what walk of life
they come from that Judaism is extremely interesting and is well worth studying
if you wanted to gain insight into one of the many cultures of the world. One
way of going about this is to apply Ninian Smart’s aspects of religion “Religious
teaching and doctrine”, as well as “Sacred Stories, Sacred Symbols, and
Rituals”
It’s core beliefs and
teaching can be quickly be summarized with the thirteen principles of faith as
told by Rabbi “Moshe ben Maimon”[Jewfaq]
- G-d exists
- G-d is one
and unique
- G-d is
incorporeal
- G-d is
eternal
- Prayer is to be directed to G-d alone and to no other
- The words
of the prophets are true
- Moses' prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets
- The Written Torah (first
5 books of the Bible) and Oral Torah (teachings
now contained in the Talmud and
other writings) were given to Moses
- There will
be no other Torah
- G-d knows
the thoughts and deeds of men
- G-d will
reward the good and punish the wicked
- The Messiah will
come
- The dead will
be resurrected
Summarising over these
principles you can see that there is a strong focus on God and the way he does
things to his followers. This is because that unlike other faiths, there is not
a focus on the abstract. Instead Judaism focuses on the relationship between
god and mankind, god and the Jewish people, and the Jewish people and their
holy land [Jewfaq].
Their Doctrine, or ways to
worship and pray can traditionally summarized as a system in where Jewish
followers are meant to pray three times a day. In the morning, the afternoon,
and in the evening. Of course this is up for interpretation depending on which
sect this is talking about. [BBC] They are also supposed to pray in a synagogue
and wear appropriate attire. This can range from robes such the tallit, to good
clothing, such as in the reformist branch of Judaism.
To move onto the stories aspect of their faith you can look at their holy books. The Torah is their holy book and contains all of their sacred stories. It’s knowledge is vast and can be used to better educate the followers of Judaism quite well.[BBC] From this you can derive the holy days of the Jewish calendar.[Chabad]. Some examples of these would be Sukkot, The feat of the tabernacle that celebrates the years the Jewish people wandered the dessert, Purim, the feast held to celebrate the wife of king Ahasuerus who prevented a massacre, and Passover the commemoration of the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. [BBC]
Judaism is also host to a
grand multitude of sacred symbols that many Jews hold very dear. Some examples
of these are the Tallit, the Mezuzah, and the Kippah,[waupkin].
The tallit is a four cornered garment that is worn during prayers. It has fringes called Tzizit on each corner. These fringes remind Jewish people of the commandments of the lord. [Waupun]
The Mezuzah is a symbol that
is attached to the right side of the doorstop in a room. Inside there is a
small piece of parchment that contain the first two paragraphs of the
shema.prayer. [Waupun]
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The Kippah, or
Yarmelka as it is referred to by some is a cap that is worn on the head by
Jewish men and women. This may vary depending on the sect of Judaism though. It
is meant to symbolise that all human beings are beneath and dependent on God. [Waupun]
In the end all these things
shape how I view Judaism. My world view is one of peace and compassion for my
fellow man/woman. Judaism grasps these things very well in that it does not
promote violence between people, and it gives some a way of living good
prosperous lives. I am extremely interested in learning more on the topic and
will be pursuing further research.
References
(n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2015.
(n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2015, from http://www.myjewishlearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/torah1.jpg
(n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2015, from
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/49/Star_of_David.svg/2000px-Star_of_David.svg.png
Jewish Objects and Symbols. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5,
2015, from http://www.waupun.k12.wi.us/Policy/other/dickhut/religions/14 Jewish
Symbols.html
Judaism. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2015, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism
Judaism 101: Torah. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2015,
from http://www.jewfaq.org/torah.htm
May, 2015 - Jewish Calendar. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5,
2015, from http://www.chabad.org/calendar/view/month.htm
Project MUSE - American Judaism in Popular Culture
(review). (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2015, from
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/ajh/summary/v094/94.1-2.abrams.html
What are the main Jewish festivals? (2012, September
13). Retrieved May 5, 2015, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/0/19150793
.
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