Jewish Culture
By ; Ashley Wright
Deuteronomy 4:15: “Take very good care of yourselves.”
“In spirituality, the searching is the finding and the pursuit is the achievement.” Dr. Abraham J. Twerski
“Don’t be afraid of discovering that the ‘real you’ may be different than the ‘current you.’” Rabbi Noah Weinberg
“One question is always relevant: How can I use this to move forward?” Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller.
The Jewish Culture
-Jews in America have wide variation in their adherence to rituals. Some practices may be strictly adhered to, while others might be ignored.
-Many, Orthodox Jews "keep kosher" which generally means that they don't eat pork or shellfish, and they don't mix dairy with meat.
-Some cultural taboos to be aware of in the Jewish community incorporate the aspect of physical touch. Jewish laws state "Any physical contact between males and females during the day of menstruation and for a week after is forbidden."
-They believe in one all powerful God.
-God communicated the commandments to Moses on Mount Sinia, they are written in the torah.
-Commandments, obligations, duties, and commitments to religion have priory over rights and pleasures.
-Sanity of life over rides nearly all religious obligations. Therefore, the sick are exempt from any normal fasting requirements.
HealthCare Beliefs...
-Diet practicing Jews will only eat kosher foods. Foods that conforms to the passer, all grain foods are divided. Ask your patient if he or she is on the diet.
-Modesty is an important facet in the Jewish community. Protect your patients privacy to the best of your ability.
-The nurse or healthcare provider should facilitate the observation of religious practices or rituals, but they should never attempt to participate in them unless asked.
-When providing care, ask before you touch the opposite sex. Orthodox Jews do not touch the opposite sex unless it is their spouse or family members.
-Jews close connection to heating, both as patients and healthcare providers, is ancient and rooted in both theology and history. In ancient times, and still in some today, the idea of medical treatment was anathema, even heresy.
Orthodox Jewish beliefs -
Orthodox Judaism is the branch of Judaism that has the strictest adherence to traditional Jewish practices and beliefs.
-Strict and traditional interpretation of the torah, laws and commandments.
-The Torah is divine and unelectable.
-Following of the code of Jewish laws.
-Orthodox Judaism's religious observations include daily worship, traditional prayers study of the Torah, dietary laws, and gender segregation in the synagogue.
Conservative Jewish beliefs -
-Conservative Jews wish to conserve the traditional elements of Judaism while also allowing for reasonable modernization and rabbinical development.
-The teachings of Zacharias Frankel (1801-1075) form the foundation of Conservative Judaism.
-Conservative Jews observe the Sabbath and dietary laws, although some modifications have been made to the latter.
-In practice, the majority of people who come to join Conservative synagogues only follow the laws rarely. Most do follow most of the laws some of the time but only a minority follow most to all of the laws all the time.
Reform Jewish beliefs -
-Sees revelation as interpreted by the individual in a dialog between Jewish history and contemporary wisdom.
-Reform Judaism affirms the central tenets of Judaism - God, Torah, and Israel. Even as it acknowledges the diversity of Reform Jewish beliefs and practices.
-Reform Jews accept the Torah as the foundation of Jewish life containing God's ongoing revelation to our people and the record of our people's ongoing relationship with God.
-Reform Judaism is the most liberal of the mako movements within Judaism today. It started in the 1800s in Germany during the emancipation and encouraged the examination of religion with an eye toward rationality and egalitarianism.