Judaism Case

Religion is an essential component to an individual’s life. It provides them with answers to some of lifes profound questions as well as a sense of identity and security. Religion has four fundamental areas of which is made up of; beliefs and believers, sacred texts, ethics and rituals and ceremonies. Judaism is an example of a type of religion. It originated in the Middle East and has over 13.1 million followers. Judaism like all religions has the four fundamental areas making up the basis of the religion.

Modern Judaism has four branches of believers; Orthodox, Reform, Conservative and Progressive. Orthodox believers have a modern outlook however their practices of Judaism are very strict in tradition. Many Orthodox Jewish communities have not been exposed to the contemporary society and therefore the practice of their practice of faith has changed very little over time. Reform Judaism is seen to be a negotiation between ancient and contemporary religious traditions. Reformist’s concentrate on ethical teachings, rather than Moses’ religious writings; moral values take precedence over religious ritual. Conservative Judaism is commonly known as the middle ground. It represents a mixture of both Orthodox and Reform Judaism. The three key principals of Conservative Judaism are the unity of Jewish people, the continuation of religious tradition and maintaining of Jewish scholarship. They do not strictly abide by Orthodoxy; women and men sit side by side in the synagogue and women and girls are able to read from the Torah and celebrate their Bat mitzvah. Progressive Judaism encompasses tradition however tries to make their religion purposeful in today’s world. There teachings derive from the Laws set by Moses. Progressive Judaism has a strong emphasis on ethical teachings and rebuilding the world. Apart from the four distinct strands of Judaism, the commonality between the four is that they all believe in one God and the importance of law. The mitzvot is 613 commandments in the Torah, which justifies what people believe to be right or wrong. Jewish people also have a strong belief in the covenant; their relationship with God.

The Hebrew Scriptures is the most important sacred text to the Jewish faith. Mostly written in Hebrew, the Hebrew Scriptures are divided into three sections; the Torah, the Nevi’im, and the Ketubim. The Torah is the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy). Here is where the foundation for the Jewish faith is laid. Genesis describes creation of the world as well as the covenant between God and his people. Exodus establishes the Ten Commandments. These Ten Commandments where given to Moses on Mount Sinai by God. They provide Jewish people with guidelines for their behaviour. The next section is the Nevi’im which is about the prophets. It is a combination of historical recall and religious tradition. This is the longest section of