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Judaism and the Jewish Community
Daily Life:
Torah and Synagogue |
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Additional Information |
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Hebrew is written from right to left. |
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The word Torah is usually translated as ‘teaching’, i.e., wisdom to be passed from generation to generation. It comes from a root meaning “direction”, so also has the sense of “law”. The word is used both for the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (“Five Books of Moses”), for the parchment scrolls on which they are written, and also more generally for the entire body of Jewish study. |
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The Orthodox tradition is that Moses wrote down the exact word of G-d as it was revealed to him on Mount Sinai in the year 1312 BCE. Alongside this, Moses was given further explanation of the written Torah, known as the ‘oral law’, which was initially passed down orally, but was written down during the exile following the destruction of the Temple, when the rabbis feared that the tradition might otherwise be lost. (See “The Basic Sources and Beliefs of Judaism” above) |
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Jewish people do not use the Christian term “Old Testament” as there is no Jewish “New Testament” from which to distinguish it. The correct way to refer to what Christians call the “Old Testament” in English is the “Jewish Bible” or “Hebrew Bible”. |
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The Torah contains the history of the Jewish people, starting with a description of the creation of the world, up to the time the Jews returned to live in Israel as a large nation following the Exodus from Egypt and the giving of the Torah. |
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According to tradition, there are 613 laws in the Torah (not just the famous ten!) but Judaism does not expect non–Jewish people to observe these, with the exception of the “Seven Noachide Laws” – setting up a legal system, and prohibitions of idolatry, blasphemy, murder, sexual immorality, theft, and eating flesh from live animals. |
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Judaism is not simply a set of beliefs and practices, but a way of life. (The general term for Jewish law is “halachah”, which literally means “moving” or “proceeding”) Some of these rules concern our relationship with G-d, while others, concern our relationships with other people, including obligations to community and wider society, social cohesion, relations with other groups, environment, etc. |
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There is no essential distinction between “ritual” and “ethical” obligations so far as the nature of the obligation is concerned. The halachah about, for example, how to treat others, what it is permissible to eat, Sabbath and festival observance, agricultural law, and what to do if people get hurt or property gets damaged are binding because they are mandated by the Torah, not because ethics is “rational”. |
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Portions of the Torah are read out loud to the community on Shabbat and festivals in synagogue in a weekly cycle over a full year. Orthodox and Masorti Jewish communities also have public Torah readings on Monday and Thursday mornings as well. |
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The most fundamental declaration of faith in Judaism is the Shema, a passage of the Torah that declares the uniqueness of G-d and our obligation to serve Him “with all our heart, all our soul, and all our physical being” (Deuteronomy 6). It is recited in morning and evening prayers, and traditionally by (or with) people on their deathbed. |
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Jewish people traditionally fix a mezuzah on the doorpost of all rooms in their home in fulfilment of the commandment in the Shema,“You shall write them upon the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” This is a small parchment on which the Shema has been handwritten and is often contained in a decorative case. |
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The Shema is also contained in tefillin, small leather boxes that are strapped around the head and arm for morning prayer (traditionally by men but also by women in some communities) in fulfilment of the commandment in the Shema,“You shall bind them on your hand and … between your eyes …’”. |
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Torah text (including mezuzot and tefillin) is so important that when it becomes too old or damaged to be used, the parchment is buried as a sign of respect, rather than just being thrown away. |
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A Torah scroll is written entirely by hand, so it takes about a year for a scribe to write. Each of the 304,805 letters is inscribed with a quill pen on one of 43 panels of parchment using specially prepared ink. If you unroll a Torah scroll it’s about the same length as a football pitch. |
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To avoiding touching the scroll, the person reading from the Torah uses a pointer called a yad (meaning “hand”), as it shaped like a small hand pointing. |
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Jewish people can pray anywhere clean, not just in a synagogue. |
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There are traditionally three Jewish prayer times each day: Shacharit (morning), Minchah (afternoon), and Ma’ariv (sometimes called Aravit) (evening). There is an extra prayer service between Shacharit and Minchah on Shabbat (Sabbath). The exact timing for the prayer services varies according to season as they are scheduled according to daylight hours. |
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Prayers are traditionally in Hebrew but all prayers in all languages are acceptable! |
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Suggested discussion questions and activities |
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Many rabbis throughout Jewish history have disagreed about how to interpret Jewish law. However, they always argued ‘for the sake of heaven’, meaning that they really cared what G-d wanted, not what they personally wanted. One famous argument was about how a mezuzah should be fixed onto a doorpost – Rabbi Rashi said it should be attached vertically and Rabbi Tam said it should go horizontally. The compromise is that most Jews fix their mezuzahs on a diagonal slant. What personal disagreements have you had that could be solved by compromise? Which world problems could be solved by compromise? |
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Do you think it’s possible to disagree totally with someone (as the Rabbis writing the gemara did) and still maintain a friendship and mutual respect? |
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How do people who do not follow a faith and have a divinely inspired text to guide them know what is right and wrong? |
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Can there be an absolute answer to any moral question – an answer that is true for all times and all places? |
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The mezuzah on the doorposts of Jewish homes reminds people passing in and out to have faith in the one, all powerful, G-d. What message would you put on your wall at home that you think is worth remembering every day? |
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If you wrote a list of ten commandments for everyone to follow today, what would they be? |
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Do you think it is easier for Jews to keep Torah laws that seem logical and fair, or should faith mean that all Torah laws are seen as equally important? |
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Additional Resources |
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