OK if that is true then i think i would much rather just be Jewish?

Question

I have Ordered a Tanakh and it should be coming in a few weeks.

So until then what can you tell me about the Basic beliefs/practices of the Jewish people?

I already know the Kosher laws, but other then that?

Answer 1

Rabbi Hillel was asked to summarize Torah in one sentence. He said this:

Do not do unto others that which is hateful to yourself. All the rest is commentary. Now go and study.

Answer 2

Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. According to their sacred literature, especially the Tanakh and Talmud, the religion of ancient Israel and their descendants, the Jews, is based on a covenant between God and Abraham (ca. 2000 BCE) and the renewal of the covenant with Moses (ca. 1200 BCE). It is one of the first recorded monotheistic faiths, and it is one of the oldest religious traditions still practiced today. The values and history of the Jewish people are a major part of the foundation of other Abrahamic religions such as Christianity, Islam, as well as Samaritanism and the Bahá'í Faith.

Judaism has seldom, if ever, been monolithic in practice (although it has always been monotheistic in theology), and differs from many religions in that its central authority is not vested in any person or group but rather in its writings and traditions. Despite this, Judaism in all its variations has remained tightly bound to a number of religious principles, the most important of which is the belief that there is a single, omniscient, omnipotent, omnibenevolent, transcendent God, who created the universe and continues to be involved in its governance. According to traditional Jewish belief, the God who created the world established a covenant with the Jewish people, and revealed his laws and commandments to them in the form of the Torah. The practice of Judaism is devoted to the study and observance of these laws and commandments, as written in the Torah, as well as those found in the Talmud. As of 2006, adherents of Judaism numbered around 14 million followers,[1] making it the world's eleventh-largest organized religion.

Answer 3

Look at my name! Born, raised, and very proud of it!!!!! It's a great religion for many reasons. The one thing that we believe in a lot is helping others (doing a Mitzvah). It is written that if you save 1 person it's as if you have saved the world. Contarary to what others may think they know about the jewish religion everything we pray about is about peace and loving others. Most people who are not jewish that we know LOVE attending services with us because they are so beautiful. We had an exchange student live with us for 6 months who did not believe in G-d or religion but came to services with us and truely loved it. She kept Passover for a week with us and even asked to go to services with us on numerous occassions. I know a lot of people who were raised Catholic but converted and are very jewish now. The basic beliefs and practices vary greatly depending on if a person is VERY religious (Orthodox) or not (Reformed). There are other denominations in between as well. E-mail me if you want because there is a lot that I can talk about (Too much for here). Welcome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shalom!!!!!!!!!!!! P.S. The person above me has a lot of facts but they are NOT true for all jews. A lot of what she has said has some basis but is also incorrect in many ways.

Answer 4

You should really check out the Crash Course in Jewish History for some background ...
http://www.aish.com/literacy/jewishhistory/

And get to know the Noahide laws (the sheva mitzvot b'nei Noach)
http://www.highcouncilofbneinoah.org/Home.aspx

Good luck with your learning.

Answer 5

hey dude u cant just decide that you want to be jewish and convert. the jewish beliefs and religion are very complex. there are 613 commandments in the Torah that apply to numerous different things. in order to become jewish you need to study and get the help of a good rabbi and then convert properly....why do u want to do that anyways??here are some of the things i know...i had to look up the jewish year...

proper religious jewish woman cover their hair in respect to their husbands...complicated to explain....

they must wear skirts that go below the knees and shirts that go below the elbows, kind of to make it so that a jewish man sees her beauty and not the inapropriate show off of her body...

dairy and meat should not be eaten together or touch each other. in religious families the eating utensiles of both food groups do not touch each other at all. there are seperate coubards.there is a deep meaning for this, which i cannot recall....

there is the weekly celebration of the sabbath, the day that G-d rested after creating the world and all that is in it.

Jews write G-d, not the other way, with the o in it. this is to avoid the earasing or destroying of the 'name', which is a sin. the person above me did not....im guessing hes not jewish? or proper enough to know that...my christian teacher knew that....

G-d does have a name, but it is never to be spoken out of the context of prayer. i said it accidentally once cause i was proud that i knew 5 of the words in a prayer and my dad told me why i shouldnt say it and that G-d would dismiss it because i did it as an accident while learning.

Many of the things, including sept.11...are written in the complex Torah scrolls, that were given to the jewish ppl thousands of years ago. which are very hard to read as they are written in the old hebrew that only high rabbis can understand. nowadays the reformed hebrew is used. it was created to try to get jews to reform from the proper way...

the jews go by the jewish calender, which right now is in the year 5767. yes...before the christians began recording dates after jesus....who was himself jewish...which i find amusing...lol.

all jewish holidays are followed and celebrated according to the jewish calendar, with specific times that certain rituals are to be done.

during the sabath, no electricity is to be used. if needed light can be left on before the sunset on friday night, but cannot be turned off or on again until sunday night, sunset. cars cannot be driven also. best dress to be worn when attending religious prayers at a proper synagogue.

a jewish man must wear a yarmakah on top of his head to symbolize that he believes that G-d is above man.

there are the 10 commandments, properly reffered to as Aseret ha-D'vareem, that apply to all jews. there are seven that apply to non jews too...

the 10 are:
1) You must have total belief in G-d and that He is the creator of the universe, and is not a thing of any kind or shape, and that He is one.
2) You shall NOT worship an Idol of any kind ie:statues, as this is a way of worshipping something other than G-d
3)You shall not swear, or take G-d's name in vain
4)You must observe all of the sacred days, especially the sabbath, and all jewish holidays
5)You must honour your father and mother, as they brought you into this world
6)You shall not murder or bring any physical harm to another being.
7)You shall not commit adultry(today known as cheating/sleeping with another man...)
8)You shall not steal. this includes kidnapping and other forms of theft such as deception and unethical practices
9)You shall not bear false witness to your neighbor, or in other words, harm a person through lies.
10)You shall not covet(be jealous) of your neighbors possessions.

those are all the info i can tell u now...yes i am jewish...sorry its sooo long...most of it came from my memory of what my dad taught me and what i have read in jewish teachings...i believe all of it but i am unable to be religious....so yeah...hope this doesnt blow u away...lol.

Answer 6

They only teach traditions also, learn the true worship as written.

ISAYAH 2:2-6
2. It will come to pass in the last days, that the mountain; promotion, of The House of Yah­weh will be established in the chief of the nations, and will be raised above all congregations; and all nations will eventually flow to it.
3. And many people will go and say; Come, and let us go up to the mountain of Yahweh, to the House of the Father of Yaaqob, and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths. For the Law will depart from Zion, and the word of Yahweh will depart from Yerusalem.
4. He will judge among the nations, and will rebuke many people; they will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.

http://www.yahweh.com/

Answer 7

try http://www.beingjewish.com/

if you read it all and still think you would like to convert, then you should try reading the books "This Is My God" by herman woukk and "Becoming a Jew" by maurice lamm which as far as i know are the best and most informative books on the topic.