Map of the Place where Judaism started
Abraham was the first Jew. He lived in Canaan, or what is now Israel.
Piece of Jewish Scripture
The following is read as a part of Sabbath prayers.
The Prayer for peace
May we see the day when war and bloodshed cease (may the day come when war and killing stop)
when a great peace will embrace the whole world
Then nation shall not threaten nation (there would be peace between countries and nations)
and humankind will not again know war. (there will not be wars)
For all who live on earth shall realize
we have not come into being to hate or destroy (we weren't made to be killers)
We have come into being
to praise, to labor and to love. (we were made to work together and cherish each other)
Compassionate God, bless all the leaders of all nations
with the power of compassion. (God who cherishes love, tell all leaders of the power of loving and not killing
Fulfill the promise conveyed in Scripture: (Fulfill the promise you speak of here)
"I will bring peace to the land,
and you shall lie down and no one shall terrify you. (you shall live in a peaceful land)
I will rid the land of vicious beasts (I will make sure you're safe)
and it shall not be ravaged by war." (and there will be no wars)
Let love and justice flow like a mighty stream. (may love and justice be spread everywhere)
Let peace fill the earth as the waters fill the sea. (May peace be plentiful)
And let us say: Amen
May we see the day when war and bloodshed cease (may the day come when war and killing stop)
when a great peace will embrace the whole world
Then nation shall not threaten nation (there would be peace between countries and nations)
and humankind will not again know war. (there will not be wars)
For all who live on earth shall realize
we have not come into being to hate or destroy (we weren't made to be killers)
We have come into being
to praise, to labor and to love. (we were made to work together and cherish each other)
Compassionate God, bless all the leaders of all nations
with the power of compassion. (God who cherishes love, tell all leaders of the power of loving and not killing
Fulfill the promise conveyed in Scripture: (Fulfill the promise you speak of here)
"I will bring peace to the land,
and you shall lie down and no one shall terrify you. (you shall live in a peaceful land)
I will rid the land of vicious beasts (I will make sure you're safe)
and it shall not be ravaged by war." (and there will be no wars)
Let love and justice flow like a mighty stream. (may love and justice be spread everywhere)
Let peace fill the earth as the waters fill the sea. (May peace be plentiful)
And let us say: Amen
For as long as I can remember, this has been my favorite prayer. We read it in English at my synagog so everyone can get it's meaning. Never the less it's still a little complicated so I choose to break it down for you guys. (Translation in italics.)
Festivals and Traditions
Bar and Bat Mitzvah
When Judaism started, coming to age wasn't that big of a deal. Yet now, mostly in America, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs are a great part of the culture. My own Bat Mitzvah is this June and I have a lot to prepare for. In each ceremony the young adult in which the celebration is around, has to prepare many, many contributions. I myself have to prepare a haft-torah which is an accompany to the torah, a Bat Mitzvah project. It's also quite an honor to take part in a tradition that has been apart of my family for generations. That's what makes it worth it.
Yom Kippor
A celebration of commemorating all the times we hurt people and messed up in the past year. We do this by fasting, and making life not as beautiful so that we can be better for the new year. The story that goes with this holiday, is that God writes our future down at the start of the new year, and on Yom Kippor God seals our future for the new year. To have a good year you want to feel that you did hurt someone in the past year and feel bad for it.
Rosh Hashanna
Rosh Hashanna or "head of the year" is the Jewish new year. Unlike Yom Kippor which comes right after, Rosh Hashanna is a holiday symbolizing the sweetness of the new year, and your promise to be better in the coming year, a lot like the solar calendar new year. One thing you do while celebrating Rosh Hashanna you eat apples and honey, and a round challah (a Jewish bread) to commemorate the sweetness and roundness of years and time.
Passover (Pesach)
Passover is the holiday that reviews the story of how Moses led the Jews out of Egypt. It's called Passover, for it's said that when God sent an angel to kill the first born of each family, the Jews put lamb blood on their doors so that the angle would "passover" them without killing the first born male animal or human. During this holiday, Jews don't eat leavened bread to show that they, like their forefathers wouldn't have enough time to have leavened bread, before they left Egypt.
Chanukah
Chanukah itself is the most popular Jewish holiday to Non-Jews, but one of the least important to Jews. On Chanukah we celebrate the victory of the Maccabees against the Greeks over power of Israel, and the one's days worth of oil lasting for eight days. Chanukah is celebrated for eight days, in which you light candles on a menorah for Chanukah, play dreital, and eat oily foods such as donuts or lakkahs.
Signs/Symbols/Dress of the Jewish people
Star of David: Coat-of-arms of King David, the second king, and arguably the best king of Israel, and now a symbol for all Jews. This symbol is so important to the Jewish people, that it's on Israel's flag.
Eternal Light: This light that is kept on at all times in a temple or synagog, is a symbolism for the light that led the Jewish people from Egypt to Israel.
Tallit: This prayer shall shows the wearers ties to God and to the ten commandments and the torah.
The tree of life: This is a symbol because it's a metaphor for the torah and so much more.
Torah: The torah is very, very important to a lot of Jews. It doesn't just show our holy writing but it symbolizes our promises with God, and our being the Jewish people.
Teachings/Beliefs
The Ten Commandments
The following are the first 10 rules of the torah. The torah contains a lot of rules but these are the most famous.
- God is your God.
- God is your only God.
- You shall not use God's name in vain.
- You must observe Shabbat (the sabbath) and other holidays.
- Honor your parents, teachers, and elders.
- You shall not murder.
- You my not commit adultery.
- Do not steal.
- Do not bear false witness.
- You may not be jealous of ones possessions.
Women and Children
One of the main things I dislike about the textbook, is that it gives close to none of the correct information about how women are treated. Is this really how we want to teach our children. Today a kid was amazed that I will have a Bat Mitzvah, thinking that only men get to have a ceremony such as this. The reason why the book is kind of right is because it states the thoughts and beliefs of how women are treated by the Orthodox standards. You might have seen Orthodox Jews, they are the ones with the curly locks near each ear. These are the Jews that have strict rules about two gender dancing and only having the women come to synagog. These are the ones that state that only men can have a Bar Mitzvah. I am a reconstructionest Jew, which means that I believe the the religion should progress over time. My stand is quite clear, I believe men and women are equal and should be treated that way in and out of synagog, Jew and Non-Jew. My congregation has even added the names of the matriarchs of the torah to prayers that had only stated patriarchs.
Rulers of Jews
The following is a list of Biblical Matriarchs and Patriarchs
Abraham and Sarah: First Jews
Issac and Rebekah: Next Generation of Jews
Jacob and Rachel and Lea : Jacob would later change his name to Israel
Joseph: Had great power in Egypt
Moses and Aaron: Brought the Jews out of slavery in Israel
David : Second and arguably the best king of Israel
Timeline of the Jewish people
The History of the Jewish People : 1500 BC- 63 BC
Circa 1500 BC: Moses leads the Jews out of Egypt
Circa 1450 BC: Israelites concur Canaan under Joshua(who took over after Moses died outside Canaan)
Circa 1000 BC: King Solomon(the third king of Israel) builds the First Temple
Circa 920 BC: Israel is split into Israel to the north and Judah to the south
Circa 700 BC: Jews enter the Babylonian captivity
Circa 600 BC: Jews return to Israel and Judah
Somewhere between 600 BC and 333 BC: Jews are under Persian rule
333 BC: Alexander the Great conquers Persia, the Jews are under influence of the Greeks
63 BC: The Romans conquer Israel
Circa 1450 BC: Israelites concur Canaan under Joshua(who took over after Moses died outside Canaan)
Circa 1000 BC: King Solomon(the third king of Israel) builds the First Temple
Circa 920 BC: Israel is split into Israel to the north and Judah to the south
Circa 700 BC: Jews enter the Babylonian captivity
Circa 600 BC: Jews return to Israel and Judah
Somewhere between 600 BC and 333 BC: Jews are under Persian rule
333 BC: Alexander the Great conquers Persia, the Jews are under influence of the Greeks
63 BC: The Romans conquer Israel
Sacred sites of the Jewish people
Sacred Places in Israel ( The First and Second Temples)
1. The western wall, the ruins of the temples
2. The First temple (built by King Solomon)
3. The Second temple ( the replacement for the First temple was destroyed)
2. The First temple (built by King Solomon)
3. The Second temple ( the replacement for the First temple was destroyed)
Names of the Place of Worship for Jews
1. Temple
2. Shul
3. Synagog
2. Shul
3. Synagog
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_history#The_diaspora
http://salmanspiritual.com/peace_prayers.html
http://www.uri.org/kids/world_juda_sacr.htm
http://www.jewfaq.org/10.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_the_Bible#Abraham_to_United_Monarchy
http://www.ambrosevideo.com/resources/documents/Jewish%20American%20Timeline%20for%20A%20History%20of%20Jewish%20American%20Achievement.pdf
http://salmanspiritual.com/peace_prayers.html
http://www.uri.org/kids/world_juda_sacr.htm
http://www.jewfaq.org/10.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_the_Bible#Abraham_to_United_Monarchy
http://www.ambrosevideo.com/resources/documents/Jewish%20American%20Timeline%20for%20A%20History%20of%20Jewish%20American%20Achievement.pdf