Aryeh Goodman - Basic Facts About Judaism

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BASIC FACTS ABOUT JUDAISM


INTRODUCTION Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. Judaism tells us what we should and should not do as it is written in the Torah.  It has been alive for thousands of years. During that time, Jews have moved to many different places and rules have been changed a bit. However, the main ideas of Judaism have never changed. 


JUDAISM HAS THREE MAIN IDEAS God  Israel  Torah 


GOD 

The first basic idea of Judaism is the belief that there is only one God. Abraham, the first Jew, realised that there is only one God and that He created the world and everything that is in it. Abraham then told this to his people, who became the Jewish people. This was the beginning of Judaism.


ISRAEL 

Another very important part of Judaism is the Land of Israel. One of the first stories in the Torah tells us how God told Abraham to leave his home and go to the land of Canaan (Israel used to be called ‘Canaan’. It has also been called ‘Zion’).


TORAH 

In all the lands Jews have lived in through thousands of years, they have kept their idea of God. The way they did this was to carry a book with them, which contains stories and laws. This book is called the Torah.


TYPES OF JUDAISM SYMBOLS Star of David  Western wall  Synagogues  Menorah 


STAR OF DAVID 

The Star of David, also know as the Magan David (Shield of David), has been a symbol associated with Judaism for centuries. A stone bearing the Star of David in a synagogue in the Galilee dates back to the 3rd century. It is believed to have been used as a decorative design.


WESTERN WALL 

The Western Wall is the most holy place accessible to the Jewish people because of Muslim control of the Temple Mount. Known in recent centuries as the “Wailing Wall,” this was built by Herod the Great as the retaining wall of the Temple Mount complex.


SYNAGOGUES 

The synagogue is the center of the Jewish religious community: a place of prayer, study and education, social and charitable work, as well as a social center.


MENORAH 

The menorah, also called the “golden lampstand” or “candlestick,” stood at the left side of the Holy Place. It was hammered out of one piece of pure gold. Like for the laver, there were no specific instructions about the size of the menorah, but the fact that it was fashioned out of one piece of pure gold would have limited its size.


WHO I AM.. 

Aryeh Goodman is a Jewish religious teacher who provide the brief knowledge about the Judaism and spiritual in New Jersey.



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