JUDAISM:JEWISH CIVILIZATION

My Group Members are:

Madiha SaeedIqra AzmatJavairia AkramHira GulBushra MehmoodMinhal Azfar

Is this a religion?

Is this a race?

Is It a Culture or Ethnic Group?

or

the Jews a Nation?

what is Judaism?

Judaism has two meanings: the civilization of the Jews And it can also mean the religion of the JewsDictionary Definition: the religion developed among the ancient Hebrews that

stresses belief inGod and faithfulness to the laws of the Torah. the religion of the Jewish people. the monotheistic religion of the Jews, having its ethical, cere

monial,and legal foundation in the precepts of the Old Testament and in the teachings and commentaries of the rabbis as found chiefly in the Talmud.

The word judaism is a noun

introduction

• “A 4000 year old tradition with ideas about what it

means to be human and how to make the world a

holy place”

(Rabbi Harold Kushner, To Life)

• A “covenant relationship” between God and the

Hebrew people

• A celebration and sanctification of life

• A faith, a people, a way of life…

JEW?

Geographical area:

Red line show covered area of Judaism all over the world.

According to a study by Hebrew University's Professor Sergio DellaPergola:

“the global Jewish population reached 13.75 million in the past year, with an increase of 88,000 people”

About 43% of the world's Jewish community lives in Israel making Israel the country with the largest Jewish population.

Population:

Graphical representation of population of jews among different parts of world:

JEWS HISTORY

• THE TERM "JEW" IS DERIVED FROM THE NAME OF JACOB'S FOURTH SON, JUDAH—YEHUDAH.

Who was the Abraham?

Promised land:

God gave Abraham and his family the Land of Israel as a laboratory where his descendants are supposed to create the nation that’s the model for the world.

According to Tanakh, It is a land that God has promised Israel. In their book it is declared to Abraham, “To your descendants I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.” God later confirms this promise to Abraham’s grandson Jacob, “Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Great Sea on the west.”

All of the land include israel, all of the land of the Palestinians, some of Egypt and Syria, all of Jordan, some of Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Israel currently possesses only a fraction of the land God has promised.

MAN O SALWA:

•Man o salwa was the food from the heaven

provided by Allah.•It was provided to the Jews in the era of Hazrat Moosa(a.s). •Later jews refused to eat same kind of food daily and they asked the Moses for some kind of earthly crops.

Culture:

Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people, defined by everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts.

Jewish culture is the international culture of the jews. the people named for the Kingdom of judah, study of Jewish texts, practice of community charity, and Jewish history.

CUSTOMS AND BELEIFS:

Wedding:

 A custom is something that's traditionally done. It is an activity.Here are some traditions of jews:

This day is considered a personal Yom Kippur for the groom (in Hebrew chatan) and bride (kallah), for on this day all their past mistakes are forgiven as they merge into a new, complete soul. the chatan and kallah not to see each other for one week preceding the wedding.The wedding ceremony takes place under the chuppah (canopy), a symbol of the home that the new couple will build together. It is open on all sides.

DEATH:

After a person dies, the eyes are closed, the body is laid on the floor and covered, and candles are lit next to the body. The body is never left alone until after burial, as a sign of respect.

When a close relative (parent, sibling, spouse or child) first hears of the death of a relative, it is traditional to express the initial grief by tearing one's clothing. The tear is made over the heart if the deceased is a parent, or over the right side of the chest for other relatives.

. Belief is something people think. This thinking may be right or wrong

Beliefs:

Jewish Beliefs about God:

In Judaism, ultimate reality is a single, all-powerful God. It is this belief that made the Jews unique among other ancient peoples. The Jewish people worship YHWH, the sacred name of God as revealed to the prophet Moses in the Torah.

Beliefs about the Messiah:

Many of the world's religions have hope in a future heroic figure who will rescue the righteous, judge the wicked, and restore peace to the world (Krishna in Hinduism, Maitreya in Buddhism) In Judaism, this figure is the Messiah.

Beliefs about afterlife:

The creation of man testifies to the eternal life of the soul. The Torah says, “And the Almighty formed the man of dust from the ground, and He blew into his nostrils the SOUL of life” (Genesis 2:7). On this verse, the Zohar states that “one who blows, blows from within himself,” indicating that the soul is actually part of God’s essence. Since God’s essence is completely spiritual and non-physical, it is impossible that the soul should die.

The primary holy book of the Jewish faith is known as the Torah, which comprises the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.The sacred writings of Judaism are found in the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, known as the "Tanakh." 

Belief on Book:

Beliefs about Heaven:

Gan Eden: Heaven:In Judaism, the eternal destination for the righteous is Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden). It is generally described as a place of great joy and peace. 

Beliefs about hell:Genion is the postmortem destination of unrighteous Jews and Gentiles. In one reference, the souls in Genion are punished for up to 12 months. After the appropriate period of purification, the righteous continue on to Gan Eden. The wicked endure the full year of punishment then are either annihilated ("After 12 months, their body is consumed and their soul is burned and the wind scatters them under the soles of the feet of the righteous.

Practices and Rituals:

The Mitzvot:The Hebrew word mitzvot means "commandments" (mitzvah is its singular form). Although the word is sometimes used more broadly to refer to rabbinic (Talmudic) law or general good deeds, in its strictest sense it refers to the divine commandments given by God in the Torah. 

The Synagogue:The Jewish house of worship is a synagogue. The synagogue predates the destruction of the Second Temple, but it became central to religious life after the Temple was lost. The synagogue replaces ritual sacrifice with Torah readings, prayer and teaching.

Keeping Kosher: Jewish Dietary Laws:One of the most well-known Jewish religious practices is that of eating kosher foods. The laws of kashrut (Jewish dietary laws) may be puzzling or meaningless to the outsider, but they have held great meaning for the Jewish people throughout their history. Not only are they an opportunity for obedience to God, they also strongly contribute to Jewish unity and identity.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah:The Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebrates a young person's entry into the adult Jewish community. Although these observances are not prescribed by written law, they have become important religious traditions over the last 450 years. Typically, during the celebration, the young person recites a blessing over the Torah, reads the Haftorah or Torah portion for that week and then offers a speech or scholarly comment.

SYMBOLS :

Star of David:

Also known as "the Shield of David," this hexagram has been used as a symbol in Judaism since the 17th century. The symbol may have derived from the use of protective amulets that pre-date the 17th century. A blue-colored Star of David is presently displayed on the flag of Israel.

Menorah:

Menorah is the oldest symbols of the Jewish faith, a seven-branched lampstand used in the Temple. It is lit in the Sanctuary every evening and cleaned out every morning, replacing the wicks and putting fresh olive oil into the cups.

The nine-branched candelabra associated with Hanukkah is also menorah in Judaism. The eight left and right branches mark the eight-day holiday, while the middle candle is often called "the helper," which is used to light the other branches.

This symbol, commonly seen on necklaces and other jewelry and ornaments, is simply the Hebrew word Chai (living). Some say it refers to the Living God; others say it simply reflects Judaism's focus on the importance of life.

Chai:

The hamesh hand or hamsa hand is a popular motif in Jewish jewelry. The design commonly has an eye in the center of the hand or various Hebrew letters in the middle.An eye is thought to protect against the evil eye.

Hamesh Hand:

Shofar:

Tefillin are two small black boxes with black straps attached to them; Jewish men are required to place one box on their head and tie the other one on their arm each weekday morning. 

Tefillin:

A shofar is an instrument made from the horn of a ram or other kosher animal. It was used in ancient Israel to announce the New Moon.

Holy Days:

Elul

RoshHashanah

YomKippur

SimchatTorah

Sukkot

RoshHashanah

YomKippur

SukkotSimchatTorah

Elul

Holy Days:

The month of Elul is the sixth month of the year on Hebrew Calendar, which is the preparation of High holy days , Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.  It is a summer month of 29 days. Elul usually occurs in August–September on the Gregorian calendar.Their belief is that "All the month of Elul, before eating and sleeping, a person should look into his soul and search his deeds, that he may make confession."

Elul:

The shofar is blown every morning from the first day of Elul until Rosh Hashanah to call people together.

Rosh Hashanah:Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. The Biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah. It is the first of the High Holy Days which usually occur in the early autumn of the Northern Hemisphere. Rosh Hashanah is a two-day celebration, which begins on the first day of Tishrei.

The day is believed to be the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman, and their first actions toward the realization of humanity's role in world. They eat their symbolic foods such as apples dipped in honey to evoke a "sweet new year".

Yom Kippur:

Yom Kippur also known as Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year for the Jewish people. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jewish people traditionally observe this holy day with an approximate 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services. Yom Kippur occurs on the 10th day of Tishri.

Sukkot:Beginning five days after Yom Kippur, Sukkot is named after the booths or huts in which Jews are supposed to dwell during this week-long celebration. According to rabbinic tradition, these flimsy sukkot represent the huts in which the Israelites dwelt during their forty years of wandering in the desert after escaping from slavery in Egypt. The festival of Sukkot is one of the three great pilgrimage festivals of the Jewish year.

Simchat Torah:Simchat Torah is a celebratory Jewish holiday that marks the completion of the annual Torah reading cycle. Simchat Torah literally means "Rejoicing in the Law" in Hebrew.The Meaning of Simchat TorahThroughout the year, a set portion of the Torah is read each week. On Simchat Torah that cycle is finished when the last verses of book are read.  

So, if we take a over view of judaism we

conclude that it is a religion and Judaism is

the mother-faith from which Christianity

and Islam developed. All three date back to

Abraham, who discovered the one, true,

invisible God. At Mount Sinai, several

centuries later, Moses and the Israelites

received the Torah (teaching), which

revealed the way God wished to be served.

Belief in one God, as taught by Moses, is

the basic principle of Judaism.