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Jews
believe that there is a single God who not only created the universe,
but with whom every Jew can have an individual and personal relationship.
They believe that God continues to work in the world, affecting
everything that people do. The Jewish relationship with God is a
"covenant" relationship.
A
Jew is someone who is the child of a Jewish mother, and who has
not adopted another faith. Someone
who isn’t born a Jew can convert to Judaism, but it is not
easy to do so.
| Judaism
Means Living the Faith |
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| Orthodox
Jews |
Almost
everything a Jewish person does can become an act of worship. Because
Jews have made a bargain with God to keep his laws, keeping that
bargain and doing things in the way that pleases God is an act of
worship.
A religious
Jew tries to bring holiness into everything they do, by doing it
as an act that praises God, and honors everything God has done.
For such a person the whole of their life becomes an act of worship.
The
fundamental beliefs of Judaism are:
There is a single, all-powerful God, who created the universe and
everything in it.
God has a special relationship with the Jewish people, cemented
by the covenant that God made with Moses on Mount Sinai, 3500 years
ago.
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| Jewish
worship |
A Synagogue
is a meeting place for Jewish people, where they can read their
Holy book, the Torah and pray. Men and women usually sit separately
(except in Progressive Synagogues, where all sit together).
Men
are required to cover their heads. In most cases worship takes place
in Hebrew and so it may not be possible for non-Jewish people to
understand what is said.
The
prayer books used in worship are often in Hebrew and English. At
a Progressive Synagogue the service is largely in English.
Religious
leader
The religious leader of a Jewish community is called a Rabbi. Unlike
leaders in many other faiths, a rabbi is not a priest and has no
special religious status.
| Three
Times a Day.. Three ways to pray |
Jews
are supposed to pray three times a day; morning, afternoon, and
evening.
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Seven branched candlestick |
Praying
regularly enables a person to get better at building their relationship
with God. There
are three different sorts of prayer, and Jewish people use all of
them. These
are prayers of thanksgiving, prayers of praise, and prayers that
ask for things.
Jews
believe that God will take action in response to prayer.
The
Jewish prayer book is called a 'siddur' and drawn from the writings
of the Jewish people across the ages. It contains the wisdom of
great thinkers, and some of the most beautiful Hebrew poetry.
Spending
time with these prayers enables a Jewish person to absorb the spiritual
teachings of the Jewish people.
Much
of Jewish prayer consists of reciting the written services aloud
in synagogue. It’s also an act of togetherness with Jewish
people who are doing the same all around the world.
The Torah or Hebrew Bible (which Christians call the Old Testament)
- at least one copy of the Torah, in Hebrew, is kept in every synagogue
in the form of a hand-written parchment scroll.
The Talmud - a compendium of law and commentary on the Torah applying
it to life in later and changed circumstances.
One
day each week is set aside as the Sabbath, (in Jewish circles it’s
usually called "Shabbat").
Every week religious Jews observe the Sabbath, the Jewish holy day,
and keep its laws and customs.
The
Sabbath begins at sunset on Friday and lasts until sunset on Saturday.
During Sabbath work and chores like shopping and cleaning should
be avoided.
The
Pilgrimage Festivals
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| Orthodox
Jews at wailing wall, Jerusalem |
These
commemorate the journey of the Jewish People from Egypt to the Holy
Land.
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Passover, or Pesach: This spring
festival marks the escape from captivity in Egypt.
·Shavuot:
This festival marks the time that the Jews received God’s laws
at Mount Sinai.
·
Sukkot—The Feast of Tabernacles:
Sukkot commemorates the years that the Jews spent in the desert
on their way to the Promised Land, and celebrates the way in which
God took special care of them under impossible conditions.
Sukkot
ends with the festival of Simchat Torah. The day marks the end of
each year’s cycle of reading the whole Torah, and the start
of the next cycle.
Other Festivals
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Purim - marks the defeat of
an attempt to wipe out the Jews by Haman. He was defeated by Esther,
and the story is told in the Book of Esther.
·Hanukkah
- is the 'Festival of Lights'. It's celebrated by the lighting of
candles and the preparation of traditional potato cakes. Although
it is often seen today as a symbol of the survival of the Jewish
people, in Christian countries where Christmas is the major festival,
Hanukkah has become the Jewish equivalent with presents given to
children.
See
Jewish festivals and holy days calendar
Places
of worship in Birmingham
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What are your personal experiences of living with your faith
in Birmingham? 
