Judaism GCSE Past Paper PDF

Eduqas GCSE Route B 3. Judaism Beliefs & Practices 1. Types of Jews & beliefs about God 2. The Shekinah, the Messiah 3. Covenant: Abraham 4. Covenant: Moses 5. Pikuach Nefesh & Free Will 6. Afterlife 7. The Synagogue 8. Prayer & Worship 9. Shabbat 10. Brit Milah/Bat & Bar/ Bat Mitzvah 11. Marriage & Mourning Rites 12. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot 13. Passover 14. Keeping Kosher JUdaism - intro Key Facts Types of Jews Oldest monotheis)c religion in the world. The Jews are Most Jews in Europe have descended either from Ashkenazi Jews, in Germany God's chosen people, bound to him by Covenants (Noah, and Eastern Europe, or from Sephardic Jews, in Spain and Portugal. Jews from Abraham, Moses, David) N.Africa and the Middle East are called the Mizrachim Jews. These diﬀerent groups of Jews may have diﬀerent tradiOons, because of their diﬀerent cultures Abraham's Covenant introduced circumcision as a sign of (eg Ashkenazi eat potato latkes on Hanukah, Sephardic Jews eat jam doughnuts). being God's people. The Mosaic Covenant is the most important one, as through Moses, Jews received laws from Secular Jews - do not believe in God or in the Jewish religion, but think of God (mitzvots) to follow. These show their faithfulness and themselves as Jewish by birth and by culture. They may be cicumcised, eat Jewish belonging to Godeg in diet, dress, observance of the foods and celebrate Jewish fesOvals, but in general, they follow modern fashion Sabbath, prayer. - Jewish rites of passage include and modern ways of life. They do not study Torah or aSend synagogue. Circumcision, Bar/ Bat Mitzvah, Marriage and Funeral ceremonies. Reform Jews - are modern Jews, who have adapted the tradiOonal ways to modern culture. They choose which mitzvots to follow. They may not believe in a Judaism is the mother of Chris)anity and Islam, and gave Messiah, or in an aTerlife. For them, the important thing is living a good life now the West ethical and moral laws, that have shaped Western on earth. They do not interpret the Bible literally, but in a more symbolic and civilisa)on. metaphorical way. Orthodox Jews - are tradiOonal Jews. Their way of life has changed very liSle from ancient days. They interpret the Torah literally (like ChrisOan Beliefs about God in Judaism fundamentalists do) and strictly keep the Biblical mitzvots about dress, observance of Sabbath. They dedicate a lot of Ome to studying Torah, have close- The God of Judaism is also the God of Theism: knit, family orientated communiOes, but are isolated from many aspects of the unique, omnipotent, omniscient, transcendent, non-material modern world (no TV, internet, liSle modern educaOon, few job opportuniOes). Spirit. This understanding of God in fact comes from the Jewish There is strict separaOon between the sexes. experience of God. But for Jews, the 4 characteris@cs below are the most important ones. God is One There is no other God but God. This is the ﬁrst Commandment. This belief is called monotheism (mono = one, theism – god). ONE Jews show this belief by: 1. saying the Shema prayer in the morning and in the evening. The Shema says: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One”. It emphasises the idea that God is one, and single. 2. not speaking God’s name out of respect – instead, they write G-d, and only refer to him as the LORD. Jews only refer to God by his characteris@ceg Father, Master of the Universe, God as Lawgiver Law-giver, Judge. - Jews believe God gave them rules and guidance about how to live, in the 613 3. not having any images of God - to show God is unique, and laws (Mitzvots) given through Moses. Some laws are moral laws, to build a just cannot be worshipped through anything in crea@on. and fair society. These show God's love for his people. - Other laws allow Jews to show their faithfulness by living in a par@cular way that pleases God- eg to follow dietary laws, ritual cleanliness laws, laws about God is the Creator dress, keeping the Sabbath. - The Torah begins with the Book of Genesis, of how God created the world. Jews believe that God created everything that exists, and humans were created in His image, and given a task, to care for the earth - Orthodox Jews take the crea@on stories as literally true. Reform Jews interpret them symbolically - God is the reason God as Judge why anything exists, and con@nues to exist, but Genesis is not a scien@ﬁc account. The Torah teaches that God hates sin and evil, and he punishes sin But God also - Jews do not work on the Sabbath, so as to appreciate rewards good deeds, and that He is merciful and compassionate, forgives evil Crea)on, and remember God as the Creator. Rosh Hashanah and sin, and does not punish humans as much as they might deserve. (Jewish New Year) speciﬁcally celebrates the crea@on of the world. On Judgement Day, or at the end of life, Jews believe that God will judge humans on all their ac@ons. A^er death, there are no more chances to say sorry to God, so a^ethe Jewish New Year, there is a period of 10 days, before the great feast of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), when Jews can repent and make up for any sins commi`ed. The Shekinah The Shekinah is God's presence on earth. It is referred to as "she", to dis7nguish it from God himself, who is believed to be completely transcendent. It shows something of God's glory. Jews experienced this during the Exodus - when they leO Egypt, God's Presence accompanied them as a pillar of cloud by day, and as a pillar of ﬁre by night, guiding them on their way, and res7ng over the Temple, with its tablets of Stone Importance of the Shekinah (inside the Ark of the Covenant) - as an experience of God, the - no-one except Moses would enter the Temple when the Shekinah was over it. Shekinah strengthens faith in God, and His presence brings hope Later, when King Solomon built a permanent stone Temple in the Land of Israel, - the Shekinah shows God's the Shekinah was believed to dwell within it. AOer the Temple was destroyed, faithfulness, as it remained with and Jews went into exile, the Shekinah was believed to have gone into exile the Jews, even in exile with them. - it connect Jews' experience of God today, with experinece of Jews Today, the Shekinah can be experienced by Jews, when they feel or recognise God's presence - in experiences of truth, love, jusHce, beauty, wholeness and in Exodus 7mes, when the awe. experience of the Shekinah was ﬁrst seen and felt. The Jewish Scriptures The Torah THe Tanakh THe Mishnah THe Talmud The ﬁrst 5 books of the The Jewish Scriptures are in 3 The Mishnah is the As later Rabbis reﬂected on Jewish Scriptures, parts. The Tanak is the name collec7on of teachings, the MISHNAH (Oral Law), believed to hav been given to the whole Jewish giving further guidance their discussions and wriVen by Moses. Scriptures, ie all 3 parts about how to keep the commentaries became together. The Torah is the Mitzvots in the Torah. It wriVen down as the Genesis, Exodus, ﬁrst part. was originally passed Talmud. It oOen contains Deuteronomy, Levi7cus, down orally, and was stories, helping people to Numbers. The other two parts are: called the ORAL LAW. understand the meaning of The Prophets - all the When this teaching was the Mitzvots. They contain all the wri7ngs by and about the wriVen down, it became prophets eg Jeremiah, Amos known as the Mishnah. The MIDRASH is similar The WriHngs - mostly wisdom to the Talmud - but it is the wri7ngs, like Proverbs, the collec7on of rabbinic Story of Job. commentaries about the whole of the Jewish The Messiah TENAKH - ie commentaries ORthodox beliefs: about other scriptural texts, not just about the Laws/ Orthodox jews believe and expect the coming of a Messiah. Torah/ Mishnah. - the Messiah will be a descendant of King David - he will be a poli7cal ruler, who will bring world peace - a Messianic Age of peace - he will rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem - he will judge humanity and bring the world to its end. "Messiah", or Meshiach, in - Maimonides included belief in the coming of the Messiah as one of the 13 Principles of Hebrew, means "the Anointed Jewish faith. One". reform Beliefs: Kings and prophets were Reform Jews have varying degrees of belief in the coming of a Messiah. anointed in Biblical 7mes, and - some believe that a Messiah will come, but that he will not be a supernatural ﬁgure, this showed that they had a only a normal person, though an inspira8onal role model. special task or mission from God to fulﬁl. - other Reform Jews do not believe in a Messiah at all. They believe that making the world a place of peace and prosperity is our responsibili8ty. They say that there have been too many false Messiahs, so belief in a Messiah is dangerous and unhelpful. - the Torah does not speak of the Messiah in clear terms. There is no indica8on of who the Messiah might be, or when he will come, if he does. Perhaps he will come when the world needs him most, because the world has fallen so much into sin, or because the world is so good. Covenants A Covenant is a life-changing commitment, of Covenant with Noah: God promises He one person to another. Marriage is a will never destroy crea8on or humanity covenant. So is the rela7onship between God again by water. A rainbow is the sign and remembrance of this promise. and His people. It involves promises of responsibiilty and faithfulness on both sides. In return, Noah must oﬀer worship and sacriﬁce to God, and live free of sin. God made Covenants with his people, and even with His whole crea7on, through Noah, Abraham, Moses and David. They diﬀered, only in what God expected STORY OF Abraham His people to do. Abram and his wife Sara ea dy a very old ma n u n a b le to h were Abram wa s alr h ave children Covenant with Abraham when God appeared to him, and for "a Abraham: God PROMISES Abram told him to leave his family originally, his name was that He would sh ow him " Abram, which means 1. Abram will be blessed: he have many descendants land "man of greatness". 2. He and his descendants will have a land of their Abraham wandered as a Abraham had own nomad for 25 years, a child by his Sarah his wif sl 3. Abram's name will be great. He will be the father of believing God would fulﬁl p e did not thin ave-girl, as ossible for he k it was many na7ons. His promises r to bear chil was called Is dren. He 4. God will be faithful to all Abram's descendants, and hmael - Fath er of the Ara be their God. bs God appeared to Abraham as three men, and repeated his promises about Abraham having In return, Abram must remain faithful to God, and live a son with Sarah. Sarah laughed - so God said blamelessly. the son would be called Isaac - laughter. The SIGN that God has made this covenant and these promises, is that 1. Abram's name (Man of Greatness) is changed to Abraham (Father of many na7ons). 2. The sign, for Abraham's descendants to remember this Covenant by, is the sign of CIRCUMCISION. All Jewish men must be circumcised in their foreskin, and so carry this sign in their ﬂesh, which is life-long. Babies must be circumcised at 8 days old, before a What made Moses the minyan (group) of 10 Jewish men. Greatest Jewish Prophet? Story of MOSES - Maimonides calls Moses "the father of s saw s w a s When he was a man, Mose all the prophets" (Moshe Rabbenu) in o s e bre w Je w is h p arents, M o try a slave-driver bea7ng a He Born to iver, t slave. He killed the man, an d his 13 Principles of Faith. a b a s k e t on the r h's edict e from put in fro m Pharoa killed. then realised he had to ﬂe - God chose Moses to free the Hebrews e h im and sav w ish baby b oh's oys Egypt, as the killing showed out of Egypt v e all Je ra. to ha o ut by Pha p as disloyalty to the Egyp7ans ﬁ s h ed - Moses was given God's power to He was o brought Egypt. him u g h er, w h perform miracles: 10 plagues, par7ng of d au ce of Moses had to stri er o w n s on, a Prin ke Egypt with the Red Sea, gave the Hebrews water h 10 plagues, before Pharaoh s fou nd wo rk in the Sin ai ﬁnally gave in. Th and manna in the desert. Mose e 10th plague, e out on Death of the Firstbor desert as a shepherd. Whil n, killed - Moses was given the Commandments un tai n on e da y, he saw a Pharaoh's own so the mo n. The Hebrews by God, which are the basis of Jewish ing up. were spared, if they bush burning ,but not burn put a lamb's religion sp ok e to him fro m the bu sh, blood on the door God posts. telling him to bring the He brew - Moses spoke with God "face to ip him slaves out of Egypt, to worsh At the Burning Bush, God face...as a man speaks with his friend". on that mountain. revealed to Moses that he Moses' in7macy with God was unique. The Hebrews were chased by was to be known as "God of - Moses led the Jewish people to the your Fathers" and "I am Promised Land, fulﬁlling the promises Pharoah, ,up to the shore of the Red Who I am". This mysterious Sea. There the sea parted for them, to made by God to Abraham. name shows God is beyond cross, but the Egyp7ans were drowned. human deﬁni7on, or human In the desert, God looked a^er them, by names. God is pure Being, providing manna from heaven, and water from a rock. Covenant with Moses We will obey ! God called Moses up to Mount Horeb, in Sinai. There God spoke to Moses in a thick cloud. Moses came back down the mountain a;er 40 days. He had in his arms the Two Tablets of the Ten Commandments, and in his mind, all the other 603 laws that God wanted his people to follow (= Wri7en Torah) - and how they were to be followed (= Oral Torah/ Mishnah). Moses sacriﬁced a bull, and sprinkled the bull's blood on all the people, as a sign that they, on their part, were ready to commit to following them. The Written Torah: The ORal Torah the 613 Mitzvots (MISHNAH) The Torah contains all the mitzvots Jews must follow, so as & talmud to ﬁnd closeness to God. Following the mitzvots is a sign of belonging to God's chosen people. The mitzvots of the WriIen Torah may not always 10 of these mitzvots are the Ten Commandments. They are be clear how to follow. So Moses also taught how moral laws. Other mitzvots are religious laws, or laws about they should be kept. Moses' teaching was hygiene, marriage, food, keeping Sabbath etc. remembered orally, and called the Oral Torah. It was eventually wriIen down as the Mishnah. 1 One I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. eg WriIen Torah Mitzvot = "Keep the Sabbath day } 3 about God UNIQUENESS of GOD holy"... and "The Sabbath is a Day of Rest...do no 2's abused Do not take the name of the Lord in vain. work". But what is work? 3 my knees Keep the Sabbath Day holy HOLINESS oF GOD Mishnah/ Oral Torah explains this - no work 4 front door Honour your Father and Mother FAMILY means you can't carry, can't tear, can't build, can't } 5's alive Do not kill SAVING LIFE travel etc 7 about others sexy 6 Do not commit adultery FAMILY sUcky 7 Do not steal JUSTICE Rabbis spent a lot of Ume discussing Moses' 8 tell tales Do not bear false witness TRUTH teachings. Their discussions were wriIen down as 9 don't pine Do not covet your neighbour's wife BEING the Talmud. The Talmud gives further CONTENT understanding about the mitzvots. 10 don't whine Do not covet your neighbour's goods BEING CONTENT Mitzvah Day These commandments protect VALUES that are held in greatest important in Judaism - as in most civilised socieUes: family, truth, Since 2008. A day of doing mitzvots as good jusUce, saving life, being content, & respect of God. deeds, rather than out of duty or as laws. NB Protestant Bibles have 4 commandments about God, and 6 about others (join *Care for others eg visit elderly the last two up together) * Care for the poor eg feed homeless * Care for the environment eg compost waste Importance of the ten Part of "Ukkun olam" - the antude that Jews are Commandments called by God to help heal and perfect the world. - Basis for civilised socieUes - eg UK law: murder, the; is illegal. Not diﬃcult to keep for a person of good will. 3 mo\va\ons for doing good deeds: - These laws protect important values & rights eg truth, jusUce, Tikkun olam - to do good deeds for the healing & family, right to property, right to life. perfecUng of the world - Way for Jews to show their faithfulness to God & the Covenant Tzedakah - to do good deeds because it is right and just to do so. A "tzadik", is a righteous man. BUT some may be diﬃcult to keep eg. Gemulit Hasadim - to do good deeds for no - Diﬃcult not to covet in materialisUc society, with media adverUsing. return, but purely out of kindness. - Diﬃcult not to work on the Sabbath, if you have shi; work. Diﬃcult to keep God's name holy, if rouUne expression OMG - For a non-religious person, laws about God are not relevant - If living in mulU-faith society with many diﬀerent religions that have diﬀerent "names" for God, diﬃcult to know which name of God should not be used. Definition: Pikuach Nefesh is setting Pikuach Nefesh aside certain mitzvots, for the sake of saving life. Evidence that life has maximum priority for Jews: - God is the creator of life. Humans are Examples of using P.Nefesh: made in his image. Therefore human life Mitzvot: To keep the Sabbath day rest, by not working, must always be protected. travelling, switching on electricals, carrying etc. Situation: someone has fallen ill and needs to go to - The Torah says: "God's people will live hospiral. by the Torah, not die by it". So none of P.Nefesh would allow the Sabbath mitzvots to be the mitzvots can be more important broken, so that an ambulance could be called, the than saving life. person's belongings aarried etc - whatever is necessary, to save their life - the Torah is described as the "Tree of Life" - obeying Example 2: the mitzvots is life-giving, Mitzvots say that a dead body must not be disturbed. as it encourages good deeds, P.Nefesh says that it is allowable to disturb the body to which help the world. obtain their organs for organ donation, to save another person's life (assuming the deceased had wanted to do - Jews do not have a strong belief in the this). Messiah or in the afterlife: rather they believe it is more important to live life to 3 mitzvots must NEVER be broken, even for pikuach the full, and to make the world better for nefesh: everyone. - not to worship another God - not to kill - not to commit adultery/ incest Jewish beliefs about Free Will Are Jews free, if they feel obliged to keep all the Mitzvots? Are they free, if they believe God created everything as it should be? Masters of our own House Jews believe that God made humans Jews believe we have complete control, or beings with free will. mastery over ourselves. We are "Masters of our own Proof from the Torah: house". - God gave Adam and Eve the command not - This is what a Rabbi told the man who wanted to know to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good how to deal with his bad thoughts. He said he had the and Evil. So that means they had a choice choice about leQng them in - as he is Master of his own about doing it - free will. house. - When Moses gave the Commandments to - jews do not believe in the Devil, or in Original Sin. the Jews on Mount Sinai, he told them to - Jews believe we have equal inclinaGons to choose "choose" to keep them (=life) or to refuse between good or bad - we are not more corrupted to keep them (=curse, death) towards evil. - God made human beings "in his image" God as Creator ie. raGonal and free, not like animals who Some people say that because God created everything, & have to follow their animal natures. knows everything that will happen, there is no freedom. Proof from sin: Things are what they are. If you are sick, it is your fate, - Jews believe that they can be judged for because that is what God planned. their sins. But also that they can repent and - but Jews reply that God also created medicine: just ask God for forgiveness - in the 10 day fast because things have been made in a certain way, doesn't of Yom Kippur. This proves they had free mean that we don't have the freedom to change them. will (to sin) and free will (to reject sin). “This world is like a lobby The Afterlife before the Olam Ha-Ba. Prepare yourself in the Olam Ha Ba lobby so that you may enter the banquet hall.” (Mishnah) In general, Jews don’t focus too much on the a6erlife, but on living a good life, in this life. The teachings in the Torah about the a5erlife are not very clear. Living a good life, will also be a - there are no speciﬁc teachings about the a6erlife prepara=on for the life to come. - there are some references to a place called "Sheol" - a shadowy place, which literally means "going down". There is only one a6erlife, which is to be in the Presence of God. (no Maimonides believed that the soul that lives on spiritually separate heaven or hell). Those who a6er death in a second life, in the presence of God. prepared themselves well, will enjoy it. - everybody is resurrected for Judgment Day. Those who are Those who didn't, or lived badly, won't. judged worthy, are given an addi=onal life: Olam Ha Ba. The others, die a second death, and do not live any more. Nahmanides believed the same, the resurrec=on would only be for those who receive Olam Ha Ba straight away (no second death). Rabbis disagreed with each other if everybody would be resurrected, or just a few. If it would be during or a6er the Messianic Age. And if there would be a Day of Judgement, or if that happened every year on Rosh Hashanah. Orthodox Jews DO believe in the ResurrecFon. - some think it includes the resurrec=o of the body. Therefore Who resurrects? Everybody, or they would not cremate the body, or donate organs. only some? - Others think it is just the soul, which "rests under the wings of the Shekinah". Do they resurrect during the Messianic age, or a5er? Is there a Day of Judgement? Does the body resurrect? Does the soul live on forever? Or just memories of their good deeds? Reform Jews DON'T believe in the ResurrecFon - some do not believe that there is a soul that lives on.References to resurrec=on have been removed from Reform Jewish prayer books. Doing good acFons in this life is more important than thinking aobut - some think that what lives on, is just the memory of the good what might happen a5er death. deeds they have done. - some believe in reincarnaFon: that God gives some souls a second chance at life, to fulﬁl all the mitzvots. The Synagogue: Features & Function Menorah: a reminder of Ner tamid: the eternal the 7 s@ck candelabra in ﬂame, perpetually burning, the Jerusalem Temple. as it did in the Jerusalem Temple Star of David: a symbol of Judaism, usually displayed Aron Hadokesh: the Ark on the wall. (cupboard) where the Torah scrolls are kept. Tablet of Ten Commandments: usually Bimah: the pla>orm where displayed on the wall. the Torah is read, or chanted, by a cantor. Faces Men vs. Women's seaHng the congreta@on. area: in an Orthodox There may be a separate synagogue, women and men sit pla7orm for the Rabbi's apart, with a dividing par@@on, sermon. or above in the gallery. A synagogue is a reminder of the Temple in Jerusalem, which was destroyed by the Romans in AD70. Its destruc@on meant that Jews no longer had anywhere to go to perform the sacriﬁces s@pulated in the Torah. Instead of the sacriﬁces, the Rabbis declared that following the Torah would be the central part of the religion. Each synagogue faces Jerusalem. It contains reminders of the Temple eg menorah, Ark with the Torah scrolls, ner tamid. Prayer takes place 3 @mes a day in the synagogue, like the 3x sacriﬁces used to be done in the Temple. Only some Jews aOend daily prayer (a minyan of 10 men must be present). Most Jews only go the the Synagogue once a week, for the Shabbat service. That is when the whole Jewish community gets together. Functions of a Synagogue Worship in the Synagogue 3 choices of Shabbat service: Fri evening, Sat morning (longest), or Sat aUernoon. Beit Teﬁlah - House of Prayer - led by a Rabbi. Beit Knesset - House of Assembly (mee@ngs, - readings from the Torah, the HalUorah (prophets) community discussions) - a sermon by the Rabbi Beit Midrash - House of Study - prayers: Shema, Amidah, Kiddush blessing at the end - music: Orthdox only have chan@ng; Reform use instruments & prerecorded singing. Jews oUen call a synagogue "Shul" (school, as a place of study) THE PRAYERS Shema: the central declara@on of faith. "Hear, O Israel. The Lord Your God. The Lord is One." - provide basic religious educaHon: and prepare Amidah: for bar mitzvah, learn hebrew - the core prayer in every worship service. - social events: bar/ bat mitzvahs, wedding - It is a series of 18 blessings, including praise of God, thanksgiving and requests. recep@ons, par@es. Kosher meals provided. - It is said by each individual standing, in silence, with movements (3 steps forwards & back - provide meals: eg weekly lunch club (kosher (entering/ leaving God's presence), bowing down, bowing to both sides, standing on @ptoes, like meals) angels. - acHvity clubs: , support groups for people with - Reform Jews leave out references to resurrec@on or to the Messiah. disabili@es, advice groups, care and shopping services Kiddush: blessing said over a cup of wine aUer the service - talks and lectures Importance of praying in a synagogue Diﬀerences in Orthodox Synagogues - Jews are a covenant people, coming together shows that God chose them as a whole people, - men & women sit separately not as individuals. Synagogue has beOer focus on prayer, as more religious atmosphere & rituals, - Rabbis only male no distrac@ons eg as at home. Music and Rabbi's sermon help to explain Torah teachings. - minyan only for men - women do not touch Torah or read from it, or lead Problems synagogues face today: any prayers - dwindling, ageing congrega@ons. Can't aﬀord to pay for a rabbi. Synagogue may need to be sold. - only chan@ng, not instruments - if fewer synagogues, harder for old people to get to. - vandalism and an@-semi@c aOacks on synagogues Prayer and Worship Importance of Prayer at Home Religious Items in the Home For Jews, prayer is part of everyday life. It deepens their covenant relaConship with God. Jews pray individually, but Mezuzah: on front doorposts of house, and also in community, when a minyan has to be present. A every door except bathroom. Top points inside the whole secCon of the Talmud (Rabbi's teachings) is about room. Contains a kosher animal skin parchment prayer. scroll with Shema wri=en on it. Jews touch it and kiss their ﬁngers - reminds them to live according Prayer has 3 main func=ons for Jews: to praise God, to to words of Shema. thank God, to ask requests of God. Pushke box: In every home, there is a box for - SHEMA is the key prayer. "Hear, O Israel, the Lord Our charity donaCons. Giving to the poor is not God. The Lord is One". considered an act of kindness in Judaism, but - MODEH ANI is prayed on waking up, "I oﬀer you thanks, ah act of jusCce - tzedakah - it is what the for you have mercifully restored my soul within me. Your poor are owed. faithfulness is great." and they also pray on going to bed - BLESSINGS are said for almost every acCvity or event eg seeing something unusual (a rainbow), for an event The Chumash: is extracts from the Torah, that should (something good or bad happens), and before perfoming a be read each day - most Jews cannot aﬀord a handwri=en mitzvot, for success. Torah. Some extracts may be read for special events eg if someone is sick. Most prayers can be found in the siddur (Jewish prayer book) and the prayers are oRen said in Hebrew, as this is considered to be the holy language. Siddur: prayer book with prayers for home, Shabbat, and for synagogue eg the Shema, the Amidah, the Modeh Ani. It also contains extracts from the Talmud, which are the Religious Clothing Rabbis explanaCons of Torah texts. Considered holy, must (worn in synagogue worship) not touch the ﬂoor, or quickly picked up and kissed. Tallit: the prayer shawl, with 4 corners. On each corner are tzitzits: 5 knots and 8 strings that symbolise the 613 commandments given by God to Moses, that Jews must obey. The tallit is worn in synagogue services. - there are 2 types: a larger one, worn as a prayer shawl, or a smaller one worn all day by Orthodox Jews under their everyday clothes. Should women be allowed to wear religious clothing? YES Torah: speaks of wearing a tallit, but does not menCon it must only be worn by men. Talmud: gives an example of a woman wearing a teﬁllin (a daughter of King Saul) Mainmonides: said women could wear one if they wanted to, but must not say a blessing when doing so. Teﬁllin: are boxes with leather straps. One teﬁllin is bound Women should be free to do whatever men can do. to the upper arm, poinCng to the heart, & wrapped down to the middle ﬁnger. The other is placed on the forehead. The NO: boxes contain texts from the Torah. They are worn by boys Mishnah (Rabbis commentary on Torah): says women and men during synagogue prayer, aRer their Bar Mitzvah. (slaves and minors) are "exempt" from saying the They remind Jews to serve God with their mind with good Shema and wearing a teﬁllin. thoughts, and with their heart by acts of compassion and The Torah forbids men and women from wearing kindness. clothing normally associated with the other gender. Teﬁllin and tallit are tradiConally for males. Kippah/ Yarmulke/ Skull cap: is worn by Jewish men. It Women are drawing a=enCon to themselves by doing represents the authority of God over them, and a sign of something nomrally not done. respect for God. Jews disagree on whether is should be worn all the Cme, or just during prayer. Shabbat Shabbat in the Home Shabbat starts a few minutes before sunset on Friday The Importance of the Shabbat evening, and lasts un/l sunset on Saturday evening. It is a duty and an obliga/on for Jews to observe the Sabbath rest because of the 3rd commandment: "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy" The woman of the house lights the Shabbat candles, and This involves 2 ac/ons: remembering the meaning of the Sabbath, welcomes in the presence of the Shabbat. and keeping it holy by taking part in prayer, and res/ng. The father usually aAends synagogue, and when he returns, the family sit down to a special meal. The Meaning of the Shabbat: Meal begins with a blessing over two loaves of challah 1. Celebrates Crea/on of the World in 6 preceding days (braided loaf) 2. Celebrates God's rest, and giH of rest to humans 3. Celebrates God freeing Jews from slavery of work for Egypt The kiddush prayer over a cup of wine is said, and parents bless their children. What "res9ng" means - Talmud speciﬁes 39 ac9vi9es associated with work, that must The family sit down to a kosher meal. not be done eg.carry/ push/ pull, cook, tying, tearing, light or put out a ﬁre, write, build, destroy, plant, sort. On Saturday, there is breakfast. The family may walk to - this means that on the Shabbat, Jews are not allowed to turn the synagogue. There is another meal at lunch. The family electriciy on or oﬀ, must do all their cooking and cleaning before rest. May visit friends, if local. hand, and cannot drive. - any of these ac/vi/es may be broken for the sake of Pikuach The end of the Shabbat is celebrated on Sat.evening: the Nefesh havdallah (=separa/on) candle is lit, to symbolise the diﬀerence, or separa/on, between the Shabbat and the Jews will not travel outside of an erev - an area marked out (eg rest of the week. by zip wires) within which they can walk or carry. A glass of wine is passed round, for everyone to sip from, as well as a sweet-smelling spice box - hope for a sweet Shabbat in the Synagogue week ahead. Jews are a covenant people: they need to come together in prayer, to show this. Some Jews aXend synagogue 3x a day, but most Jewish males (and females) aXend only the Shabbat weekly service. In the synagogue service there will be: - Torah readings - HaGorah readings, from the Prophets - A sermon from the Rabbi - The Shema will be said - called the "stan ding prayer" - The Amidah prayer will be said - There may be singing or chan/ng - is said by each person silently and - A kiddush blessing aHer the service concludes the individually - usually in Hebrew celebra/on. - involves several ac9ons eg bowing, Men will wear religious clothing for the Shabbat service (and bending knees, taking 3 steps forward or women may too, in a Reform synagogue). back (enter or leave God's presence), looking leH and right, standing on /ptoes - involves 18 blessings (praise of God, thanksgiving, requests). Ends with prayers for peace Diﬀerences between Reform and Orthodox Jews in celebra9ng Shabbat - Reform synagogues will have prayers in the local language as well as in Hebrew - Reform Jews remove any men/on of Resurrec/on and the Messiah from the Amidah prayers - Reform Jews may have recorded or accompanying music - Orthodox only chan/ng - Reform Jewish women may wear religious clothing Brit Milah & Brit Bat Brit Milah = "Covenant of Circumcision" - a Jewish baby boy is circumcised, to show his full membership of the Jewish people, as part of Abraham's Brit Bat covenant (Abraham was given the command by God to circumcise all his household) - at 8 days old - a naming ceremony celebrated at home for girls - a minyan must be present, tradi?onally only men a@end - only celebrated by Reform Jews the ceremony - includes prayers praising and thanking God as creator. - can be done at home, in the synagogue or in a hospital by EARLIER - in the synagogue: a Mohel (or female Mohelet) The baby girl will already have received her Hebrew name at a special synagogue service - the child is placed on a cushion on an empty chair - on the ﬁrst synagogue service aLer her birth (symbolises presence of Elijah's spirit) and then on the lap of - father would have read the blessing before and aLer a sandek (godparent) the Torah reading - the girl's hebrew name was announced in public - the child is given his Hebrew name (Jewish iden?ty, to be used in synagogue and formal occasions eg marriage). Debate: is brit milah unethical? The baby cannot - the service ends with a Kiddush, to honour and bless the give consent to a permanent opera?on on his parents. body. Does it go against their human rights, or do parents have the right to make such decisions? Bar / Bat Mitzvah Bar Mitzvah = "Son of the Commandments" Bat Mitzvah = "Daughter of Worth" - at age 13, marks personally entering the Covenant - can be one year earlier than boys, as girls mature faster with God - considered a Jewish adult, with addi?onal responsibili?es - now has responsibility of keeping Torah laws for for keeping Torah laws & keeping kosher. himself. - can now form part of a minyan, in Reform synagogues - considered a Jewish adult - preparing for her bat mitzvah means learning to read - can now wear teﬁllin, can read in synagogue Hebrew text The Bar Mitzvah Ceremony The Bat Mitzvah Ceremony - boy has to recide a blessing and read a porOon of - girl has to rread a porOon of TaNaK (from the 'Wri?ngs') in Torah in Hebrew in front of the congrega?on Hebrew in front of the congrega?on - the father than reads out a statement to thank God - the text is about the virtues of a good Jewish woman Party aLerwards. Party aLerwards. ALer bar mitzvah, boy gets involved in doing some charity events. ALer bat mitzvah, girl gets involved in doing some charity events. Bat Chayil: Orthodox girls do not have a bat mitzvah. Instead, they have give a presenta?on on what they have learnt about Judaism, and say a prayer. Girls cannot be part of a minyan in Orthodox judaism. Meaning & Importance of Marriage in Judaism Jewish Marriage - consecrates the couple to each other (kiddushin comes from kiddush, to make holy) - fulﬁls Torah that "a man will be united with his wife, and they shall “Kiddushin” become one ﬂesh". The Talmud says that "Any man who has no wife lives without joy, without blessing, without goodness" (Talmud) - a mee>ng of soulmates, a spiritual union. The couple walk down the aisle to stand under a shelter with 4 sides, called a Chuppah, which represents the home they will build together. Ketubah: the bride is given a legal document, signed by the groom, Under the Chuppah, the bride that he will support her circles round the groom 7 >mes, throughout the marriage. It is to symbolise breaking down any publically read out later under the barriers, and the love that they Chuppah & remains bride's will build for each other. Explain the importance of the ketubah. "Nisuin: : Seven further blessings are said that ﬁnalise the marriage. The couple share a sip of kiddush wine for blessing on the commitment they are making to The groom places a ring on the bride's each other. index ﬁnger declaring to all present: "Behold you are consecrated to me according to the rituals of Moses and Israel". The groom stamps on a glass, as He also reads out the promises he is a reminder that marriage is making to her, from the Ketubah. fragile (like the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed). Also as a symbol of the sexual union. Orthodox Jews - diﬀerences - do not allow same-sex marriage. Do not allow marriages with people of other faiths. Couple fast day before wedding. Only Party and celebra>on. The couple are groom gives bride a ring. The couple do not see each other the whole of the congratulated with shouts of "Mazel Tov"! week before (Reform: only the night before). Male rabbi conducts the ceremony. Mourning Rituals (Death) Dying person: tries to spend last moments saying Mourning periods: the Shema & confessing sins (to God). SHIVA: week following burial. Mourners stay in their homes. May make small rip in clothes to show their loss. Visitors bring food for the Burial is organised by chief mourner - the onan. A close rela>ve (as nothing is to be taken away from the mourning burial society (Chevra Kadish) takes care of preparing family). Say Kaddish prayer. Sit on low stools. No mourning allowed the body - wrapped in a tallit. Burial happens quickly, on Shabbat. within one or two days. SHLOSHIM: one month following shiva. Do not shave or have Vigil:the body is not leU alone, as made in the image haircuts. Do not wear new clothes. Do not go to par>es. of God. Mourners take turns to sit with the body. ONE YEAR aUer the death, place a tombstone on the grave. Burial: coﬃn is plain and simple, so no dis>nc>on between rich and poor. Buried not cremated but YAHRZEIT: Every year aUer, cermeony with prayers to remember buried as Torah says "From the soil you came, to soil dead. Candle burns for 24hrs. Leave stones on the tombstone (as you shall return". Kaddish prayer said at graveside. Abraham buried Sarah under pile of stones) (about God's greatness & for peace). Sephardic Jews may walk round coﬃn 7x, and call on angel of mercy to accompany the person's soul. Festivals 1: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot Importance of Fes

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