Judaism is a unique religion in the sense that it is one of the world’s oldest religions.
The history of Judaism dates back two thousand or far longer depending on one’s viewpoint. The destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem is what differentiates each viewpoint. Some believe Judaism to have begun with this obliteration, which brought about the end of the temple-based traditional religion and the extensive dispersion of the Jewish people to lands outside of Israel. Others believe Judaism to have begun over four thousand years ago with the Hebrew people in the Middle East. Abraham is considered the father of the Jewish faith because he is the first to have believed that there is but one God in a time when people worshiped many gods (United Religions Initiative, 2002).
University Synagogue in Irvine, California is a Jewish community “church” that was founded by sixteen Jewish men and women in 1987 and started as a havurah, which means a “small fellowship” in Hebrew. It began with nearly ten people and has grown to over six hundred members to date. In 2004, the havurah moved into the facility it is located in today and it is one of the fastest growing synagogues in southern California today. Cheryl Altman of University Synagogue tells of her Jewish faith as though she were speaking of God Himself. Speaking with her over the phone on June 17, 2015, she described some of the many Jewish holidays and traditions and the events to celebrate each with delight in her voice.
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Although the exact age of the Jewish faith is debatable, one thing is certain, it is a faith with an extensive, and at times tumultuous, history. Throughout the history of Judaism, Jewish people have faced ongoing persecution and discrimination. Despite these conflicts, the faith is alive, strong, and growing. Like many religions faced with adversity, Judaism has had to accommodate the ever-changing world to maintain their faith. One significant moment of change, the falling of the Second Temple, had the opportunity to destroy Judaism for good, but the Jewish people came together and reformulated their religion in order to save their faith.
The first religion to get founded was Judaism, nearly four thousand years ago. Judaism originated as the beliefs and practices of the people known as "Israel." There are records that this religion traces back from the God “Abraham”. Judaism is a religion based off the laws of the Torah, or the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The four main movements within Judaism today are Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist. Jewish citizens worship their religion in synagogues. Jewish religious leaders are called rabbis. These people oversee the many rituals and ceremonies involved in Jewish religious practice. The main Jewish symbols are, the Star of David, and, the Menorah. Women's role is very limited in Southwest Asia. Women were rarely in the forefront of public life. A wife could never divorce her husband but she could be divorced by her husband. Women were less important than men during
By religious belief, Jewish people trace their origin all the way back to Abraham, who spread the message of the Oneness of God. However, the documented origin of Judaism started with the conquest of Joshua in 1250 B.C. The presence of Jews in
Judaism is the religion and culture of the Jewish people. The word “Judaism” derives from the Greek Ioudaismos, a term first used in the Intertestamental Period by Greek-speaking Jews to distinguish their religion from Hellenism. The unifying principles of Judaism are an identity by covenant with God as His “chosen
Judaism was founded by Abraham, although Jews trace their history all the way back to Moses. Judaism history, beliefs, and traditions were recorded in the Hebrew bible as early as the 8th century B.C. and is considered one of the oldest religions that still exists today. There are 3 main branches of Judaism: Orthodox; Conservative; and Reform. Orthodox focuses on the traditional teachings of the Jewish law, while Conservative Jews allow a little bit of change to help them adapt to society. Then Reform Judaism believes that there should be a lot of change and adaptation to the modern world today. Additionally, Judaism is one of the three Abrahamic Religions. The Abrahamic Religions include Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. There are approximately 14 million people who identify themselves as Jews. Most of them live in the U.S. and Israel. The state of Israel was founded in 1948. Jews are the descendants of an ancient people called the Hebrews. The Hebrews’ country fell to a series of conquerors and the Jews scattered across the world. Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and they wandered the wilderness for 40 years, trying to get to the promised land,
As one of the largest religions in the world, Judaism has often been critiqued, assessed, analyzed and researched for hundreds of thousands of years. Judaism has helped establish a rich tradition and culture for the Jewish people. Throughout these hundreds of thousands of years the Jewish people have been able to rely on a stable sanctuary for prayer, community activities, and intellectual stimulation. This sanctuary is often named the Synagogue but takes on many other names such as the shul and the temple. Through the Synagogue the Jewish people have been able to continue to develop their culture, community affairs, and provide a safe intellectual home for all friends and followers of Judaism.
It has now been a full year since I began my position at Congregation Sinai. Thank you all again for an amazing first year. When I was interviewing I gave an adult education lesson on the destruction of the 2nd Temple. We have just completed the fast day Tisha B’Av. Tisha B’Av (9th of Av) is the date given by our sages for the destruction of both Temples, so again it feels like I have come full circle.
Over 14 million people affiliate themselves Judaism but few people truly understand what it actually means to be a Jew. The basic beliefs of this religion are built upon the Holy book the Torah which; are the first 5 books of the Old Testament. Many Jews trust and run their lives by this collection of books but others don’t find it credible resulting in the different denominations of Judaism: Reform, orthodox, conservative, and messianic. Despite all of the denominations of Judaism, all followers share the belief that there is only one God who is the creator of the universe and the source of all moral authority (Silfkin). The Jewish perspective of God, mankind, and the Tanakh define the worldview.
Point #2 – The destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in A.D. 70 fulfills Christ’s prophecy of perilous times.
Judaism, which began in the Middle East, is the oldest monotheistic religion. Abraham is typically known as the founder of Judaism and the first Jew. It is said that Abraham made a covenant with God and this began Judaism. Because of Judaism, Christianity and Islam all recognize Abraham as the first prophet, all three of these are considered Abrahamic religions ("Religion: Three Religions, One
Judaism began as early as 7th century BCE as the religion of the small nation of the Hebrews (which would later become the Jews). It was originally practiced by believing that there is only one God, known as
Since Judaism is so old, it has many important traditions, many of which are still practiced today. One of the first
Judaism is known to be a monotheistic religion, that is historic religion of Jewish people, which is said to be one of the oldest religions that fall under the monotheistic religion that believes in God, and that God is an all-knowing, all-powerful God that created the world as well as everything that is in it (Voorst,2013). Judaism foundation started in the original covenant made between Abraham and God, circa 1900 BCE, when Abraham was called to leave his home in Ur and travel to Cannan, which was later known as Palestine and Israel, the land which God promised to give to his descendants (Swartz,2005). Years later, there was a second covenant with Moses, who led the Jews out of slavery in Egypt, exodus back to the lands of Canaan. At Mt Horeb also known as Sinai, is where God gave the Jewish people the Ten Commandants as was as other rules to live by which are found in the Torah, as well as the first five books of the Bible, marking the beginning of Judaism as a structured religion (Swartz,2005).
Judaism is one of the oldest religions in the world. Jewish people have suffered persecution through the holocaust, they were left with nothing. No leader or land to call their own as everything was taken from them.
Almost all mankind is curious about knowing about the creation of the universe, but it remains mysterious. Although some might be convinced through the Bible or other scripture while others are still skeptical. Of world’s three monotheistic religions (that is, the belief that there is only one God), Christianity and Judaism share the most similarities and differences between the two religions in terms of history, beliefs, and practices. In fact, Christianity wouldn’t be originated if Judaism was not because they come from the same foundation. Judaism is one of the oldest world religions, dating its origin back in the 500s-400s BCE. During the time, Abraham followed God as he promised to make Abraham the father of a great nation. Through Old Testament and promises to Moses, David and the prophets it slowly reveals God’s plan. The people of Israel got a law through Moses and fulfillment of the promises become conditional on obedience to the law.