Judaism
Class Project - World Cultures - Walsh Middle School
What is Judaism?
People that follow the belief of Judaism are called Jews. One key belief of Jews are that they believe that there is only one God. They call him YHWH (Yahweh). Jews believe that they must follow Gods 10 commandments. The 10 commandments are, you shall have no gods before me, you shall not make idols, you shall not take the lords name in vain, remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy, honor your father and your mother, you shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor, and you shall not covet. A special tradition of Jews is Bah Mitzvah. It marks a girl's "coming of age". A Bar Mitzvah is the "coming of age" for boys. Some Jews only eat kosher foods and no pork. The most common place of worship for Jews is the Synagogue. The Synagogue is also a place to study. The main religious leader in Judaism is the Rabbi. Rabbi means teacher, literally. The Holy Book for Jews is the Torah. It refers to the first five books of Moses. Those books are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. Holy days for Jews are Rosh Hashana, Yom Kipper, and Pasover. Rosh Hashana is the Jewish new year. Yom Kipper is the Day of atonement which includes: Fasting, prayer at the Synagogue, and some other works are forbidden. Holy cities and places are Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed, and Tiberias. The common figure between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam is Abraham. He has history with all three religions at least one time. All three religions are also monotheist religions.
Synagogue
The building where a Jewish assembly or congregation meets for worship.
Rabbi
A Jewish scholar or teacher. Sometimes studies Jewish law.
Star of David
A six sided star and religious symbol for Jews.
Bar Mitzvah
A Bar Mitzvah is a boy's "coming of age".
Torah
The Holy Book of the religion Judaism.
Jerusalem
The most important city for the religion Judaism.