Judaism is the oldest Abrahamic religion, which is around 4,000 years old. There are almost 15 million followers of Judaism. The followers are called Jews. It is a monotheistic religion. Torah is the most important holy book of Judaism. The laws and teachings of Judaism come from it, some of the other important ones are written in the Mishnah, the Talmud, and some other books.
- Basic beliefs of Judaism:
Thirteen Principles of Faith
Maimonides was a famous Jewish preacher during the 12th century. His list of thirteen main beliefs of Judaism, called the “Principles of Faith include the following:
- God is the Creator and the Ruler of the world.
- There is only one God, and He is immortal.
- God has no physical form and is spiritual.
- God is eternal.
- Only God can answer people’s prayers and people should only pray to Him.
- The sayings of the Prophets are true.
- Moses was the paramount of the Prophets.
- God gave the Torah to Moses.
- God will not change the Torah and there will not be another Torah.
- God knows the thoughts and actions of people.
- God punishes and rewards people for the things they do.
- The Messiah will come.
- God will make dead people live again when He decides to.
The three basic beliefs of Judaism include:
- Monotheism
- Identity
- Covenant (an agreement between God and his people).
- One God:
The main teachings of Judaism are about God, that there is only one God and that God is Yahweh. He created the universe and he controls it. He is everywhere, and is eternal and He knows everything. Judaism teaches that God allows people to choose what to do which is known as “free will.”
· Religious books
Torah and Mitzvot and Talmud:
Jews believe that God tells them in the Torah the way of life that they must follow. And to keep God’s commandments, actions are more important than beliefs and beliefs must be made into actions.
These actions are called “mitzvot” and sometimes they are called commandments, laws or rules.
Talmud
Rabbinic Jews believe that there is another part of the Torah besides the five books of Moses. It is called the Oral Torah (Mishnah) it’s a guide to follow the laws written in the 5 books.
· The Land of Israel:
The Land of Israel is sacred in Judaism. Jews believe that God made the Earth from Mount Moriah in the capital of Israel, and He is always nearest to this land. The Jews believe their history as a nation begins with Prophet Abraham. As in the Torah God tells Abraham to leave his country and promises Abraham and his offspring a new home in the land of Canaan. Which is now called the Land of Israel. It is named after Abraham’s grandson, Jacob (Israel) the “Land of Israel” is named after him.
- Life Style:
Kashrut (Jewish food laws):
Jews who follow the religious rules called “kashrut” they only eat specific types of food that are prepared following special rules. Foods that the Jews can eat are known as kosher foods. Traditional Jews are very cautious about kashrut, however liberal Jews are not so concerned about kosher, although they might follow some rules.
· Shabbat:
One of the directives is to keep the Jewish Shabbat, which starts every Friday at sunset and ends on Saturday night. Shabbat is a day of rest to thank God for making the universe.
- Kinds of Judaism:
Most Jews in Europe for a very long time, believed in the same basic things about Judaism, however today there are three different kinds of Judaism:
- Conservative Judaism
- Reform Judaism
- Orthodox Judaism.
There are also other kinds with a smaller number of people, such as:
- Reconstructionist Judaism,
- Karaite Judaism.
Each group has its own practices according to which it follows and understands the Jewish laws.