The Torah

          Torah means teaching and refers to the five books of mosses- Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers ad Deuteronomy. The Conent of these are:

-        Genesis- The origins of the universe

-        Exodus- Moses- Mt Sinai

-        Leviticus- Leviticus is the handbook to the priest

-        Numbers- In the wilderness

-        Deuteronomy- repeating of the law, Mosses encouraging the new generation to maintain the principles and faith.

·        A torah scroll is made from sheets of parchment, which is made from the skin of a kosher animal.

·        It is written by hand in Hebrew by a professional scribe, called a Sofer. Hebrew is read right to left.

·        A Sofer takes at least one year to write out the Torah and it is his duty to make sure that the text is analysed accurately

·        He is not allowed to write from memory. He must copy from a book of the Torah, and keep checking for mistakes. Letters must not be smudged or touch another letter.

·        If the Sofer makes a mistake, he scrapes off the letters using a glass tool.

·        The most sacred word that he writes is the Hebrew name for God. He cannot correct this- he must start the whole sheet of parchment again. The sheet with the error on it is buried in a Jewish cemetery.

·        Each sheet is sewn together and wound around the wooden rollers.

·        It has a velvet cover called a mantle.

·        A silver breastplate is hung on the front of it, like the one worn by high priests in biblical times. This is decorated with Jewish symbols.

·        Bells are attached so people hear it being carried around the synagogue

·        There is also a silver pointer called a yad

·        The yad is used as a pointer which prevents the scroll from being spoiled by oils and dirt from fingers.

·        When the Torah is not being used, it is kept in a special cupboard at the front of the synagogue, called an ark.

·        This reminds Jews of the Ark of the Covenant in which Moses and his people carried the Ten Commandments.

Core Beliefs

There are 13 main beliefs that Jews believe in. They Include:

-        God exists

-        God is one and unique

-        God is eternal

-        Prayer is to God only

-        The prophets spoke the truth

-        Moses was the greatest of the prophets

-        There will be no other Torah

-        God will reward the good and punish the wicked

-        The Messiah will come

-        The dead will the resurrected

Behind The News- Judaism Questions

1.      What language do the Jewish people speak?

The Jewish people speak Hebrew.

2.      How do the Jewish people read Hebrew?

The Jewish people read Hebrew from right to left.

3.      Why is Israel important to the Jewish people?

Israel is significant to the Jewish people as it is the Promised Land.

4.      When was the present state of Israel formed?

The present state of Israel was formed after the Second World War in 1948.

5.      What makes it unique in the world?

Israel is unique in the world as it is the only Jewish state/ country.

6.      Who is the chosen prophet of Judaism?

The chosen prophet in the Judaism faith was Abraham.

7.      What do the Jewish people believe God thinks of their people?

The Jewish people believe that they are chosen by God.

8.      How do the three main religions different in their view of Jesus?

Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God whereas the Jewish believed that he was a prophet.

9.      Why do the Jewish people not celebrate Christmas?

The Jewish people do not believe that Jesus was the son of God therefore they do not celebrate Christmas.

10.   What festival do they celebrate instead?

The Jewish people celebrate the light festival; Hanukkah.

11.   What event is celebrated at his festival and what is the significance of the number 8?

Hanukkah is celebrated at this festival and lasts for 8 days. This is because when there was only enough oil for the candle to burn for one night, somehow it burned for 8.

12.   What is the name of the sacred text of the Jewish people?

The sacred text of the Jewish people is the Torah.

13.   How is their text similar to the Christian bible?

It is the old tertamet of the Christian Bible.

14.   How many commandments do the Jewish people have to follow

The Jewish people have to follow 613 commandments.

15.   What if the name of the leader of a Jewish religion?

Rabbi is the name of the leader of the Jewish religion.

16.   What is a Tallis?

  The Tallis is prayer shawl.

17.   What is a Tefillin?

A Tefillin is a leather box of which the Jewish men strap to their arms.

18.   What is a kippah?

The Kippah is the skull cap that the Jewish people wear.

19.   What is the word used to describe the food Jewish people can eat?

The word used to describe the Jewish diet is Kosher; inability to eat dairy and meat if they are combined.

20.   Why is a cheeseburger not kosher?

The cheeseburger not Kosher because it contains meant and dairy.

21.   Where is the only Kosher McDonalds?

The only Kosher Mcdonalds is in Israel.

An Introduction to Judaism

Origins

·        Judaism is one of the three prophetic monotheistic religions on the world; the other two are Christianity and Islam.

·        It is prophetic as there were numerous prophets who predicted the coming of a Messiah monotheistic as they believe in one God- mono (one) theology (belief/ study of God)

History

·        Jews are an ancient people of around 3000 years old; their history is told in the bible and is traced back to Abraham of around 1900 BC (before common time era).

·        The Jews have been known as Jews, Israelites and Hebrews. (Jesus was a Jew however the Jews accept Jesus as a wise man, but nit the chosen Messiah as Christians believe, hence Judaism predates and heavily influences Christianity, but is not part of Christianity).

Abraham

·        Abraham is one of the first recorded leaders of the Hebrews in the Bible. He was a wealthy man who was called by God to leave his land and move from Ur to Canaan, or Israel as it is known today.

·        Abraham heard the call of the lord to stop believing in Pagan Gods (like God of wind, God of Mountains etc) and he followed God’s request and led his people from Mesopotamia to Canaan. This journey is recorded in the book of Genesis. We can map his journey here:

http://www.biblemap.org/#Haran

·        Who is Abraham?

Abraham is the founder of the Jewish faith.

·        What did Abraham believe? How was it different to the people of the time?

Abraham believed in a single God whereas others believed in Pagan Gods.

·        What do you think a Covenant is, what covenant did god make with Abraham?

A Covenant is an agreement made between two parties. Abraham’s agreement with God was to free his people from slavery and to deliver them to the promised land of Israel.

·        What sacrifice was Abraham requested to make? Why did god ask this of Abraham?

Abraham was to sacrifice his son, Isaac, to God as a test of his loyalty and faith towards God.

·        Search the site for the word patriarchs. What does this mean?

A patriarch is a spiritual and physical founder of the Jewish religion.

·        Answers from http://www.Jewfaq.org