Different Forms of Judaism

1056 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Importance of Torah to the Jews

For this assignment, I interviewed a man named Sam Goldenhersh. He practices Judaism. There are different forms of Judaism. They are Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox. Sam is an Orthodox Jew. He is married and has four children, and one on the way, making him a caregiver. He is also a Rabbi for his faith.
When I asked Sam what the core beliefs of Judaism are, he immediately mentioned the Torah, which is composed of the first five books of the Bible. He said the Torah is God’s spoken word written down by Moses, and that he takes those words very seriously. He also spoke about the importance of both oral and written law. According to the website Judaism 101, there are two Torahs, the written and the oral (Rich). The Written Torah is what Sam described -- the first five books of the Bible. The Oral Torah is basically teachings in the Talmud and other writings. Sam also stressed the importance of Jewish belief in one God. Jews do not believe in the Holy Trinity that Christians believe in. Jews believe God is one and unique. According to Judaism 101, “God is incorporeal and eternal.” (Rich). When I specifically asked about the sacred texts of Judaism, Sam responded by referring again to the Torah and also to the books in the Old Testament. He said there were twenty-four books in their version of the Old Testament, as opposed to Christian versions, because they do not separate any books, such as Samuel. During my research I learned, in Judaism 101, “that Moses was the best prophet and all his prophecies were correct.” (Rich). This explains why Sam, who is orthodox, takes the Torah very seriously. Jews also believe that the Messiah has not come yet, and that they are still waiting for him to appear. Sam mentioned this briefly, but we ...

... middle of paper ...

...racy R. "Judaism 101: Kashrut: Jewish Dietary Laws." Judaism 101: Kashrut: Jewish Dietary Laws. N.p., 2011. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
Rich, Tracy R. "Judaism 101: Kosher Sex." Judaism 101: Kosher Sex. N.p., 2011. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.
Rich, Tracy R. "Judaism 101: What Do Jews Believe?" Judaism 101: What Do Jews Believe? N.p., 2011. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
"The Shabbat Laws." - Shabbat. Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center, 2014. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.
"What Is Passover and How Is It Celebrated?" - For Dummies. Dummies, 2014. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.
"What Is Rosh Hashanah?" - The Anniversary of the Creation of Adam and Eve, a Day of Judgment and Coronation, the Sounding of the Shofar . . . Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center, 2014. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.
"What Is Yom Kippur?" - The Holiest Day of the Year. Fasting and Atonement, Solemnity and Joy . . . Chabad-Lubavitch Media Center, 2014. Web. 09 Apr. 2014.

Show More
Related

  • History and Function of the Bar Mitzvah

    1423 Words  | 3 Pages

    Oxtoby, Willard Gurdon. "Jewish Traditions." World religions: western traditions. 1996. Reprint. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2011. 127-157. Print.

    Read More

  • Rosh Hashanah

    1496 Words  | 3 Pages

    This is the most significant time of the Jewish year, as it marks the chance for repentance and forgiveness in the eyes of God. During the High Holidays, Jews cleanse their souls and get the chance to start fresh with an unburdened conscience and the intention of doing better in the coming year (Layton, 2014). Before Rosh Hashanah begins, members of this Jewish tradition make amends for the wrong doing that may have occurred during the previous year. Rosh Hashanah allows for reflection and setting forth a path of ethical and spiritual purity for the New Year (Rosh Hashanah, 2014). The phrase Rosh Hashanah literally translates to "Head of the Year."

    Read More

  • Main Differences Between Different Types of Jews

    684 Words  | 2 Pages

    only ever be a male rabbi, and all of the service will be read in

    Read More

  • The Reform Movement: From Classical Reform to the Present

    1127 Words  | 3 Pages

    Judaism." Proc. of 1999 Pittsburgh Convention Central Conference of American Rabbis. A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism - CCAR. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

    Read More

  • Rosh Hashanah

    1076 Words  | 3 Pages

    birthday of the world. according to Jewish tradition, all peoples and nations are judged on Rosh Hashanah, not just Jews.

    Read More

  • American Judaism: Orthodox to Reform and Everything between

    1801 Words  | 4 Pages

    Orthodox Judaism considers itself the authentic bearer of the religious Jewish tradition and believes highly in the preservation of tradition. It is also the oldest form of Judaism. In the United States it is estimated that today approximately 21% of Jews identify themselves as Orthodox (United Jewish Communities, 2003). The essential principle of Orthodox Judaism is Torah min Hashamayim, which mens that the Torah and all its commentaries and interpretations are divinely revealed (Einstein& Kukoff, 1989, p. 151). According to Orthodox Judaism because all the laws and traditions of Judaism are of direct and divine origin, they must be followed by all Jews.

    Read More

  • Judaism And Judaism: The Differences Between Judaism And Christianity

    1523 Words  | 4 Pages

    When Jesus walked on this earth over 2000 years ago, there was a division among the Jews on wither or not He was the true Messiah that He claimed He was. The Jews believed that He was not the true Messiah because of many substantial and vital distinctions between Judaism and Christianity. It must be remembered that Christianity emerged from Judaism, but not on a straight line. To say that the two religions are completely different would be a complete misstatement. There are similarities that will be discussed as we learn together, along with many differences that separate these two great religions of the world. It is my intention not to judge one over the other, but to explain that everyone has their own beliefs and that belief should be respected

    Read More

  • Comparing Judaism And Christianity

    1015 Words  | 3 Pages

    Both Christianity and Judaism are religions that have some relationship between them as much as they also have differences. Judaism and Christianity developed on the basis obeying God, on adherence to his rules and fulfillment of God’s will is a duty of a Jewish or Christian person, both religions fall into the rule deontological category.

    Read More

  • History of Judaism

    2136 Words  | 5 Pages

    Littman, Robert and Pasachoff, Naomi E, Concise History of the Jewish People, Rowman & Littlefield, 2005

    Read More

  • Rites of Passage: The Journey to Adulthood

    1118 Words  | 3 Pages

    Mail, A.S. (1997). An Exploration of the Impact of the Israel Experience upon Bar/Bat Mitzvah Students: Rites of Passage for Progressive Jewish Teenagers. Journal of Progressive Judaism. Nov97, Issue 9, pg59-82.

    Read More

  • Judaism vs Christianity

    629 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many similarities and differences between Judaism and Christianity. Some of these are their religious beliefs, Jesus, heaven and hell, original sin, the trinity. This therefore leads the two religions to follow different paths of worship even if they worship the same god.

    Read More

  • The Ten Principles Of Judaism

    639 Words  | 2 Pages

    Judaism, a religion of the Jews, is one of the most popular religions in the world. In a graph it is shown at 0.2%. Most of the Jews live in either Israel or the United States. Since Judaism is a popular religion, it is often considered as the same as Christianity. Judaism has vast range of beliefs and customs that are the DNA for the religion, but they too like many other religions have gone through many struggles because of what they believe.

    Read More

  • Judaism vs. Islam

    1159 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although both religions believe in monotheism, Judaism is based on an absolute deity called Yahweh. The beginning of the Jewish religion and the creation of the world is told throughout the Tanakh or the Hebrew Bible. And the Jewish teachings are known as the Torah. However, the five books of Moses are taught to be the most sacred books of all the scriptures. Just like Muslims, Jews believe that there was prophets that God sent to spread his word, but they do not stand on the belief that just one prophet heard revelations. They belief that all the prophets heard them and there teachings can be found in the Bible. The Jews feel that history begins the same way as the Muslims with the creation of the world by God, but after this they tend to veer off from the Islamic beliefs. They believe that God sent “patria...

    Read More

  • Compare and Contrast Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    Human beings have always been curious about the meaning and purpose of life. Religions try to answer the curiosity people have about there being a higher source, typically identifying this greater domination as God. Some beliefs teach that there is only one G-d this is defined as a monotheistic religion. Some examples of monotheistic religions are Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Although each sect has a different perspective on teachings and beliefs they have one common thread; the belief in a singular deity.

    Read More

  • Similarities of Judaism, Islam, and Christianity

    980 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many religions today that people worship and adapt into their daily lives are their creed. Some may have a lot of gods, while some only have one god. But three of these religions are considered as the major religion practiced by most people in the world today. Although different in some senses in terms of history and other teachings, they all have things in common that most of their followers do not seem to realize. The similarities are very important to understand each religion better and be able to determine which parts they vary. In this paper, I like to discuss the similarities found in the three major monotheistic religions of Judaism, Islam and Christianity.

    Read More

More about Different Forms of Judaism

Open Document