1.
The three functions of a synagogue are a House
of Assembly, a House of Study, and a House of Prayer.
2.
Synagogues either have a curtain or divider
called a mehitzah or an upstairs balcony to separate the men from the women. On
the eastern wall is where you will find the ark. The ark is where the Torah
scrolls are stored when not in use. They are decorated in many ways and are
have many different shapes and sizes. The Torah scrolls are covered by cloth
mantles. They are handwritten by a trained scribe on parchment made from a
kosher animal. It must be written with no mistakes, the letters must be clear
and the writing should not be faded. If there is a problem with the Torah it cannot
be used until a scribe corrects it. The Ten Commandments are in the Torah.
3.
A rabbi is a teacher of Judaism qualified to
render decisions in Jewish law. To become a rabbi is a long process. You have
to go to college, know Hebrew and spend a year in Israel, graduate and start as
an intern and have a small congregation. A rabbi is a clergyman in the since
that he is a religious figure in the Jewish church. Rabbis are the spiritual
leaders and teachers of the Law.
4.
The Shabbat is a day of joy where the Jews can
set aside weekday concerns and devote themselves to higher pursuits. It is consider
a day of rest and spiritual enrichment. The Jewish Shabbat day is Saturday but
it begins at sunset Friday until nightfall on Saturday.
5.
The Torah is the Old Testament in the eyes of a
Christian, but the Torah could also be considered the five books of Moses. The
Talmud is the Oral Torah. It is a tradition explaining what the scriptures mean
and how to interpret them and apply the Laws.
6.
Orthodox: These Jews follow Jewish law exactly
how it is laid down in the Torah and Talmud. They believe God gave Moses the
whole Torah on Mt. Sinai and that it had not changed.
Reform: They believe that the Torah is valuable culturally and
philosophically, but was not delivery by God all at once. Instead it was
developed over centuries. They believe Judaism must continue to evolve and that
each individual is free to decide what to believe. Worship services are said in
contemporary languages instead of Hebrew.
Conservative:
This movement came from tension between the Orthodox and Reform Jews. They
believe that the sacred Jewish writings did come from God, but humans also were
apart of it. They also believe Jewish law must adapt and be obeyed.
Zionist: Are the people that are apart of the secular movement that
called for Jews to resettle in their homeland, which was then called Palestine.
7.
Hebrew is a member of the Canaanite group of
Semitic languages. It was the language of the early Jews
8.
Yiddish was the primary language of Ashkenazic
Jews. It is found throughout eastern and central Europe. It is one of the Germanic
languages and is written in Hebrew characters.
9.
Mazal Tov- Congratulations; Shalom- Hello, Peace, Goodbye; Mitzvah- commandment or any good deed
10. Brit
Milah: it is the ceremony of circumcision. On the eighth day of a boy’s life he
is circumcised fulfilling the covenant with Abraham.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah: It is a coming of age ceremony when a child reaches the
age of legal majority in the Jewish community. They have full responsibility
for their deeds and upholding the commandments.
Jewish Marriage: God pairing people. Marriage is considered natural and
desirable because it provides companionship and security.
11. Rosh
Hoshanah: it is known as the Jewish New Year
Yom Kippur: Day of Atonement, or a day to atone for the sins of the past
year Hanukah: eighth day festival
of rededication, or the festival of lights Passover: it represents the
beginning of the harvest season in Israel and is also related to the Jews
exodus from Egypt
12. The
coming of age ceremony is called a Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
13. There
are many different branches of Judaism.
14. I
was circumcised when I was a baby.
15. Everyone
can have and touch the Holy Bible. And it isn’t stored inside an ark.
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