7 Dimensions of Judaism
By: Lindsey Brierre, Fallon Gerald, Mary Catherine Reinschmidt, Lily Rennhoff, Grace Bienvenu, Lilly LaPlace, Caroline Kurzweg, Julia Baronet
Mythic
Experiential
The Haggadah is the recitation of the events of the Exodus as well as a meal of traditional foods that symbolize those events. The Haggadah is recited during the celebration of the Passover.
The Creation Story found in the book of Genesis in the Torah tells the mythical narrative of God creating the world in six days and resting on the seventh - this is where the Sabbath/Shabbat comes from
Judaism is a very traditional religion; followers connect with God through the customs and celebrations of their ancestors
The covenant, an agreement established between God and the ancient Israelites, assured that the Israelites and their ancestors would be the Chosen People if they obeyed the Law. Judaism is based on the continual fulfillment of that promise
Judaism is based on thousands of laws, or mitzvot, but it is not meant to be an overly restrictive or legalistic religion
Kabbalah is Jewish mysticism and it teaches that God can be best known through love and can be found by looking inward
Experiential
- Jeremiah was called to be a prophet, he thought that he was incapable of speaking for God but God assured him that he would succeed
- God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai promising that if the Israelites would keep the Covenant by obeying the Law they would be God’s “treasured possessions”
- Jews are challenged to live as a "holy nation" or a good and righteous people
- Since the Covenant is between God and the people, Judaism emphasizes group identity
Doctrinal
Outside Sources
"Today in Judaism." Chabadorg RSS. Web. 20 Jan. 2016. <http://www.chabad.org/>.
"Judaism 101." Judaism 101. Web. 20 Jan. 2016. <http://www.jewfaq.org/index.shtml>.
"The Seven Dimensions of Judaism." North Ridge UMC. Web. 20 Jan. 2016. <http://www.northridgeumc.org/education/flyers/TheSevenDimensionsofJudaism.pdf>
Material
The Shema ("Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone") is Judaism's most basic theological statement and is recited at least twice daily, usually in the morning and evening prayers
The Hebrew Bible, commonly called the Tanakh, contains three sections: the Torah, the Prophets (Nevi'im), and the Writings (Ketuvim).
The Torah, also called the Pentateuch, refers to the first five books of the Bible that are believed to have been revealed by God on Mount Sinai to Moses, who is thought to be the author of the Torah
The Mishnah contains teachings formulated and translated orally by rabbis about how to interpret the Written Law. It is regarded as a sacred text and often referred to as the "Oral Torah"
The Talmud, based directly on the Mishnah, presents a grand scheme of interpretation of God’s will along with thousands of rabbis' teachings on ethics, philosophy, customs, history, and more
Synagogue
centers for prayer, study, and fellowship
building designs may vary
all synagogues contain a scroll of the five books of the Torah encased in a box called an ark
Western Wall
last remnant of the Second Jewish Temple built by Herod the Great
Jews in Israel gather here to pray
Hebrew Bible
contains all of the books of the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings
Jerusalem
place of pilgrimage and worship for Jews
sacred city for Jews within Israel
Ritual
Bar/bat mitzvah
coming of age ceremony
age 12 for girls and 13 for boys
Circumcision
happens on the eighth day of a boy’s life
Sabbath or Shabbat
nightfall Friday until night fall Saturday
a day of prayer and devotion, no work
Rosh Hashanah
Jewish new year celebrating the creation of Adam and Eve
focuses on the relationship between God and the people
Yom Kippur
Holiest day of the year
day of atonement
abstain for 26 hours
Passover
commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt
lasts eight days
passover dinner takes place on the first night of passover
Ethical
Social
The Torah stands forever in Judaism’s central code of holiness; it contains 613 laws, the most famous being the Ten Commandments
The Halakha is the collective body of Jewish laws that come from the Written and Oral Torah; includes the 613 mitzvot (commandments), as well as laws from rabbis and from customs
- Mitzvot from the Torah include commandments such as a ban on murder and incest as well as a call to say grace after meals and to rest on Sabbath/Shabbat
- Mitzvot from the rabbis are split into three categories: gezeirah, takkanah, and minhag
- A gezeirah is a law created to prevent Jews from breaking a Torah mitzvah (ex: prohibition on holding implements used to work on the Sabbath so that Jews cannot be even tempted)
- A takkanah is a law created for public welfare that is unrelated to Torah mitzvot (ex: public Torah readings every Monday and Thursday)
- A minhag is a law that comes from customs (ex: a second day added to many holidays comes from ancient times when there was confusion over which day was the holiday)
The community of believers is concentrated mostly in the state of Israel
The state of Israel was created in Palestine in 1948, in the wake of the Holocaust
Hebrew is the state language and Judaism is the official religion
The statehood of Israel is controversial because in the process of becoming a state, the Israelis have displaced thousands of Palestinian Arabs, entered into various wars with Palestinian factions, and enforced incredibly harsh laws on the Palestinians still living on that land
Zionism began in the late 1800s as a movement to return Jews to Jerusalem but today it is mainly viewed as support for the state of Israel
Diaspora: Jewish peoples who live away from their homeland, the Promised Land (i.e., any Jew who lives outside of Israel)
Reform Judaism holds that being Jewish and being completely involved in modern society are compatible and therefore is relaxed in observance of Jewish traditional practices
Orthodox Judaism holds that, despite changes in society, Judaism should change very little and therefore is deeply traditional
Hasidic Judaism emphasizes personal relationships with God and the community rather than strict observance of the Torah's mitzvot
Ethical
Kindness is an important part of Jewish law and should be extended to all people, Jewish or gentile, and animals; charity or "tzedakah" is also a very important duty of all Jewish people
Gossip and slander are serious sins in Judaism, even if it is true, and there are extensive laws regarding improper speech
Kashrut is the body of Jewish laws pertaining to diet and requires that food meet certain standards often called "kosher" - mainly describes how to prepare animal meat
Sex is permissible only within marriage; procreation is not the only reason for sex, its purpose is to reinforce the loving bond between husband and wife
- Sex is regarded as the woman's right, not the man's
- Birth control (but only specific forms) is permitted when pregnancy would pose a medical risk to the mother
Abortion is not only permitted in certain cases but is mandatory if a mother's life is in extreme physical or psychological danger due to the unborn child
- An unborn child is considered "potential human life" until the majority of the body has emerged from the mother's, at which point it cannot be killed
- A mother's life is valued more than the "potential human life" of an unborn child