Oct. 18, 2017
Winthrop University
Judaism has been described as a religion, a race, a culture, and a nation All of these descriptions have some validity The Jewish people are perhaps best described as an extended family
Their reasoning: at the time these laws were passed, people routinely spoke of the "Jewish race" or the "Italian race" as well as the "Negro race," so that is what the legislators intended to protect.
Dictionary definitions of a “Jew” include
So, what is it that Jews believe, and what are the basic precepts of Judaism? There are five main forms or sects of Judaism in the world today. They are
a short list of the traditional beliefs of Judaism would include the following:
Although Christians base much of their faith on the same Hebrew Scriptures as Jews do, there are major differences in belief:
The closest that anyone has ever come to creating a widely-accepted list of Jewish beliefs is Rambam's thirteen principles of faith. These principles, which Rambam thought were the minimum requirements of Jewish belief, are:
Undoubtedly the oldest fixed daily prayer in Judaism is the Shema. This consists of Deut. 6:4-9, Deut. 11:13-21, and Num. 15:37-41. http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/705353/jewish/The-Shema.htm
The Sabbath (or Shabbat, as it is called in Hebrew) is one of the best known and least understood of all Jewish observances. People who do not observe Shabbat think of it as a day filled with stifling restrictions, or as a day of prayer like the Christian Sabbath. But to those who observe Shabbat, it is a precious gift from G-d, a day of great joy eagerly awaited throughout the week, a time when we can set aside all of our weekday concerns and devote ourselves to higher pursuits.
Jewish holidays generally. Includes a list of all Jewish holidays and their dates for the next five years. Provides links to pages about each specific holiday.
Created by Dale Hathaway.