What is Judaism all about?

Question

I've just realized that I know next to nothing about Judaism!! So could someone perhaps explain the basic beliefs and such of Jews?

Thank you for your time.

Answer 1

There is a story that our rabbis tell us in the Day School the story goes something like this.
There was one time a convert who wanted to become Jewish. He went to Rabbi Akiva and asked him, "Rabbi can you teach me entire Jewish faith while I stand on one foot." Rabbi Akiva looked at him and replied, "treat your neighbors the way you want to be treated; the rest are just laws and commentaries. Now go home and study the rest."

Answer 2

A very basic explanation of what Judaism is.

Judaism is the oldest of the three greatest monothesitic religions, and is the parent religion for Christianity and Islam. The Jewish people all believe that they are God's choosen people and the descendants of Abraham. The Jewish community also believes that there is only ONE true G-d {YHWH), who is the creator and ruler of the world. According to a biblical passage, G-d {YHWH) apperaed before Abraham and said, "Go from your country....to the land of that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you.. and by you shall all the families of the earth be blessed." Centuries later, G-d {YHWH) is recorded as saying, "You shall be my own possesion amon all nations. You shall be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." This meaning that the Jewish people are called to a special relationship with G-d {YHWH), and a great role in the relationship with mankind.

Answer 3

My fellow brother
Judaism was the first religion that appeared on earth on the land of Egypt. God was contacting Moses a lot to protect Moses from his enemies and to anyone who wanted to kill Moses.

Unfortunately the Jews at that time wanted to have everything detailed and they didn't do what god told them to do at once, but no, they kept on asking questions like why do we have to do this and why not them, etc. When the state of Israel has been created the Jews said that their country was the chosen country by god. But this is not true, the Jews changed their religion by writing and adding stuff by their own and they say to themselves we have to follow what we say and that what we have written is right.

To say it in a short matter they were greedy and they always wanted to do anything they wanted, even if god refused.

Peace upon the Christians, the Jews, and the other religions.

Answer 4

The basic laws of Judaism are the laws of Moses; Exodus 20-Deut.27. There are other 'do's'; but that is a little more detailed.

Answer 5

What is Judaism, and who or what is a Jew? Depending upon whom you talk to, or the selection of books you read, you will come away with very different answers to this most provocative question. Is Judaism simply a religion? Is it a cultural identity or just an ethnic group? Are Jews only a clan of people or are they a nation?



According to the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary a “Jew” is: 1a: a member of the tribe of Judah b: Israelite 2: a member of a nation existing in Palestine from the 6th century B.C. to the 1st century A.D. 3 : a person belonging to a continuation through descent or conversion of the ancient Jewish people 4 : one whose religion is Judaism.



According to rabbinical Judaism, a Jew is one who has a Jewish mother, or one who has formally converted to Judaism. Leviticus 24:10 is often cited to give this belief credibility, although the Torah makes no specific claim for this tradition. Some rabbis say that it has nothing to do with what that individual actually believes. These rabbis tell us that a Jew does not need to be a follower of Jewish laws and customs to be considered Jewish. In fact, a Jew can have no belief in God at all and still be Jewish based on the above rabbinical interpretation.



Other rabbis make it clear that unless the person follows the precepts of the Torah and accepts the “Thirteen Principles of Faith” which Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, one of the greatest medieval Jewish scholars) so clearly expresses, he cannot be a Jew. Although this person may be a “biological” Jew, he has no real connection to Judaism.



In the first book of the Torah, Genesis 14:13 teaches us that Abram, commonly recognized as the first Jew, (his name was later changed to Abraham) was described as a “Hebrew.” The name “Jew” comes from the name Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob, and one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Apparently the name “Jew” originally referred to those who were only a member of the tribe of Judah, but when the kingdom was divided (Israel in the north and Judah in the South) after the reign of Solomon (1 Kings, chapter 12) it referred to anyone in the kingdom of Judah which included the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi. Today, many believe that a Jew is anyone who is a physical descendant of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, regardless of which of the original twelve tribes they descend from.



So what is it that Jews believe, and what are the basic precepts of Judaism? There are five main forms or sects of Judaism in the world today. They are Orthodox, Conservative, Reformed, Reconstructionist and Humanistic. The beliefs and requirements in each group differ dramatically; however, a short list of the traditional beliefs of Judaism would include the following:



God is the creator of all that exists; He is one, incorporeal (without a body), and He alone is to be worshipped as absolute ruler of the universe.



The first five books of the Hebrew Bible were revealed to Moses by God. It will not be changed or augmented in the future.



God has communicated to the Jewish people through prophets.



God monitors the activities of humans; He rewards individuals for good deeds and punishes evil.



Although Christians base much of their faith on the same Hebrew Scriptures as Jews, there are major differences in belief: Jews generally consider actions and behavior to be of primary importance; beliefs come out of actions. This conflicts with conservative Christians for whom belief is of primary importance and actions tend to be secondary.



Jewish belief does not accept the Christian concept of original sin (the belief that all people have inherited Adam and Eve's sin when they disobeyed God's instructions in the Garden of Eden).



Judaism affirms the inherent goodness of the world and its people as creations of God.



Jewish believers are able to sanctify their lives and draw closer to God by fulfilling mitzvoth (divine commandments).



No savior is needed or is available as an intermediary.



Beliefs about Jesus vary considerably. Some view him as a great moral teacher. Others see him as a false prophet or as an idol of Christianity. Some sects of Judaism will not even say his name due to the prohibition against saying an idol's name.



The Jews are often referred to as God's chosen people. This does not mean that they are in any way to be considered superior to other groups. Biblical verses such as Exodus 19:5 simply imply that God has selected Israel to receive and study the Torah, to worship God only, to rest on the Sabbath, and to celebrate the festivals. Jews were not chosen to be better than others; they were simply selected to receive more difficult responsibilities, and more onerous punishment if they fail.



The 613 commandments found in Leviticus and other books regulate all aspects of Jewish life.



The Ten commandments, as delineated in Exodus 20:1-17 and Deuteronomy 5:6-21, form a brief synopsis of the Law.



The Messiah (anointed one of God) will arrive in the future and gather Jews once more into the land of Israel. There will be a general resurrection of the dead at that time. The Jerusalem Temple, destroyed in 70 CE, will be rebuilt.

Answer 6

Read the OT of the bible, and you'll know what they're about.

Thats basically what their Torah is, the 1st 5 books of the OT.

OT= Old Testament