JUDAISM

GROUP 3
ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS
1. Judaism
2. Christianity
3. Islam

O They all trace their origins to the great

patriarch Abraham and his descendants.
 JUDAISM
1. Sacred Scriptures
2. Beliefs and Doctrines
3. Worship and Observances
4. Subdivisions
 SACRED SCRIPTURES
1. TANAKH OR MIKRA– the Hebrew Bible; the
authority, guide, and inspiration of the
many forms of Judaism

Three Principal Sections

1. Torah
2. Nevi’im
3. Ketuvim
 TORAH
O The foundational text Torah (“Teaching”) is
composed of the first “Five Books” or the
Pentateuch.
O Moses is believed to author this book with the
divine instruction at Sinai.
O Includes Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
and Deuteronomy.
O Also narrates the history, religious statues, and
moral regulations for individuals and the society,
ceremonial rites and creations stories by
Yahweh, and the origin and growth of mankind.
 NEVI’IM
O Which means Prophets.
O Subdivided into Earlier Prophets, Later
Prophets, and twelve minor prophets.
O Served as spokesperson who criticize the
hypocritical practices of Jewish rituals.
O Chosen by God to preach his message to the
people.
 KETUVIM
O Or the “Writings” from the third section of
the Tanakh.
O Contains works on poetry, temple ritual,
private prayer, philosophical explorations,
and other canonical works.
 SACRED SCRIPTURES
2. TALMUD– or the “Oral Torah” which means
study

O It contains all studies and interpretations of

the Torah done by Jewish rabbis or teachers.
O It contains materials of law and moral
codes.
 TALMUD
O The oral law was compiled and written down
as MISHNAH or a restatement of the law by
a respected opinion.

GEMARA— is the additional strand of

commentaries in Jerusalem and
Babylonia about the Mishnah.
—includes legends, folklores, and
sayings.
 TALMUD
O The book of law.
O Contains 63 tractates.
O Also a fountain of religious thought and
inspiration similar to the Pentateuch.
BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES
O For the Jews, there is one everlasting God
who created the universe in its entirely and
remains the master of it.
O Human beings are created by God who
provided them the capacity to decide what is
right and wrong, and gave them the freedom
and responsibility for their own actions.
O For them, all human beings are created
equal.
BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES
O Regarding to one’s Jewishness, a Jew is
someone whose mother is Jew, some
sectors also recognize the children of Jewish
fathers as Jews, too.
O Jews can not lose one’s technical status by
converting to another religion but loses the
religiosity emanating from his Jewish
identity.
O To convert to Judaism, you must undergo
numerous rituals.
BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES
ARTICLES OF FAITH
The minimum requirements of Jewish
belief is listed on the thirteen principles of
faith by Moshe ben Maimon (aka Rambam or
Moses Maimonides).
BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES
JEWISH PRINCIPLES OF FAITH
1. God exists.
2. God is one and unique.
3. God is incorporeal.
4. God is eternal.
5. Prayer is to be directed to God alone and to
no other.
6. The words of the prophets are true.
BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES
7. 7 Moses’ prophecies are true, and Moses was
the greatest of the Prophets.
8. The Written Torah and the Oral Torah were
given to Moses.
9. There will be no other Torah.
10. God knows the thoughts and deed of men.
11. God will reward the good and punish the
wicked.
12. The Messiah will come.
13. The dead will be resurrected.
BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
These are a set of absolute laws given
by God to Moses at the biblical Mount Sinai
that shall govern the life of every Israelite.
These laws are twice mentioned in the
Hebrew Bible, particularly, in Exodus and in
Deuteronomy.
BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES
Inscribed on two stone tablets, these
commandments present God’s complete and
enduring standard for morality.
These include instructions to venerate
only one god, to honor one’s parents, and to
observe the Sabbath as a holy day. It also
include idolatry, infidelity, murder, theft, and
deceit.
BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES
613 MITZVOT – are the laws found within the
Torah that guide Jewish people in their daily
living.

O Traditionally, there are 248 positive and 365

negative commandments within the Torah
that includes laws about the family, personal
hygiene, diet, as well as duties and
responsibilities to the community.
WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES
O The Jewish community utilizes a lunar
calendar with twelve months, each
beginning at the new moon of 29 or 30
days.
O Festivals and Sabbath commences and
terminates at dusk (or sunset).
O The Jewish calendar is followed in
observance of festivities, holidays, and
community and family celebrations.
WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES
1. SABBATH— or Shabbat is the most
important day in the Jewish calendar.
— commemorates God’s
completion of the creation of the
universe and his rest after the six-day
toil.
WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES
2. THE DAYS OF AWE

TISHRI– the seventh month in the

ecclesiastical year of the Jewish
calendar.
O The first ten days of Tishri are called the
“Days of Awe” (Yamim Noraim). The first two
days comprise the New Year (Rosh
Hashanah) and the tenth day as the Day of
Atonement (Yom Kippur).
WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES
O ROSH HASHANAH marks the start of the ten-
day period of penitence leading to the YOM
KIPPUR and distinguished from other days
by blowing a ram’s horn trumpet (shofar) in
the synagogue and eating apples dipped in
honey which is symbolic for a sweet new
year. Using the shafar, a total of one
hundred notes are sounded each day.
WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES
O YOM KIPPUR is the most sacred and solemn
day in the Jewish calendar that brings the
period of repentance to its conclusion.
O The eve of the day is called KOL NIDREI (all
vows) which are the opening words of a
prayer.
WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES
3. PILGRIMAGE FESTIVALS (SHALOSH
REGALIM)

THREE PILGRIMAGE FESTIVALS

1. Pesach (Passover)
2. Shavuot (Weeks or Pentecost)
3. Sukkot (Tabernacles)
PILGRIMAGE FESTIVALS
1. PESACH– is an eight-day festival that
originally marked the beginning of the
barley harvest.
-- commemorate and recreate the
Exodus of Jews from Egypt.
-- the story of Exodus is narrated to
the children by the head of the family
PILGRIMAGE FESTIVALS
2. SHAVUOT— is a two-day festival that
originally celebrates the wheat harvest
but now is being held to commemorate
the revelation of the Torah to Moses at
Mount Sinai.
3. SUKKOT— is a nine-day festival
commemorating the autumn harvest
and the forty years of Israelites’ stay in
the desert.
WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES
4. OTHER IMPORTANT DAYS

1. Hanukkah
2. Purim
3. Independence Day of the State of Israel
OTHER IMPORTANT DAYS
1. HANUKKAH – “The Festival of Lights” or
“Feast of Dedication”
-- commemorates the victory
of Jewish fighters against the Seleucid
Empire.
2. PURIM -- “Feast of Esther”
— celebrates the deliverance of the
Jews during the Persian Empire.
JEWISH MONTHS AND FESTIVALS

Nisan (March or April)

14 – Passover Eve
15-21 Passover
Iyyar (April or May)
5 -- Israel’s Independence Day
Sivan (May or June)
6, 7 – Shavuot
JEWISH MONTHS AND FESTIVALS

Tishri (September or October)

1 – Rosh Hashanah
10 – Yom Kippur
15 – Sukkot
21 – Hashanah Rabbah
22 – Shemini Atzeret
23 – Simchat Torah
JEWISH MONTHS AND FESTIVALS

Kislev (November or December)

25 – Hanukkah begins up to the second of
Tebet (December or January)
Adar (February or March)
14 – Purim
WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES
5. HALAKHA -- “the path that one walks”
-- these are Jewish religious laws
derived from the “Written Torah” and “Oral
Torah” including the 613 mitzvot.
-- this instructs Jewish people
what to do in the morning, what foods to eat,
what clothes to wear, who to marry, and how o
observe Sabbath and holy days.
WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES
6. SYNAGOGUES – these are Jewish temples
of worship, instructions, and community
fellowship that contains separate rooms
designed for specific activities, such as praying
and studying.

O The central feature at the platform and the

holiest spot inside a synagogue is the ark
where the Torah scrolls are kept.
 SUBDIVISIONS
SUBDIVISIONS OF JUDAISM

1. Reform
2. Orthodox
3. Conservative
4. Hasidism
5. Kabbalah
 SUBDIVISIONS
1. REFORM JUDAISM -- Liberal or Progressive
Judaism
-- the most liberal expression of
Judaism that subjects religious laws
and customs to human judgement.
2. ORTHODOX JUDAISM – the most traditional
of modern Judaism that adheres to the
authority of the entire Torah as given to
Moses by God at Mount Sinai.
 SUBDIVISIONS
3. CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM – seeks to
conserve the traditional elements of
Judaism while at the same time
allowing for modernization that is less
radical than Reform Judaism.
 SUBDIVISIONS
4. HASIDISM or HASIDIC JUDAISM – emerged
in Germany during the twelfth century
-- Largely a spiritual movement
that gives prime importance to asceticism and
experience as a result of love and humility
before God.
5. KABBALAH -- attempts to penetrate deeper
into God’s essence itself.
 SUMMARY
O The origin of the Jewish people are the
beginning of Judaism are recorded in the
first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the
Pentateuch.
O Judaism has three notable founding figures
or patriarchs, namely, Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob. These biblical patriarchs are the
physical and spiritual forebears of the
Jewish People
 SUMMARY
O Judaism is anchored upon God’s revelation
to Abraham that he is the Creator and ruler
of the universe, and that he loves his
creatures and demands righteousness from
them.
O The Jewish people have been called the
“people of the Book” in reference to the
Hebrew Bible (Tanakh or Mikra) that is
divided into three principal sections, namely
Torah, Nevi’im, and Ketuvim.
 SUMMARY
O Jewish beliefs and doctrines are manifested
in the Articles of Faith, in the Ten
Commandments, and in the 613 mitzvot or
laws.
O Jewish holidays are special days observed to
commemorate key events in Jewish history
and other events that depict the special
connections with the world, such as
creation, revelation, and redemption. These
include Sabbath, Days of Awe, and
pilgrimage festivals.
 SUMMARY
O Synagogues are Jewish temples of worship,
instruction, and community fellowship.
O At present, the three major denominations
of Judaism are Reform, Orthodox, and
conservative Judaism.
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