7 Dimensions of Judaism

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