Judaism: Beliefs and teachings Flashcards
(28 cards)
What does the Shema affirm belief in?
Shema (statement of belief) affirms belief in one God
What does the belief in one God mean?
It means that there was one creator, who is indivisible and complete
How did God make the world?
ex nihilo (from nothing) in His way and not dependent
Where is the creation story found and what does it say?
- Book of Genesis
- six days of creation and the seventh day resting
Give examples of when God gave laws
- Adam - not to eat from the tree
- Noah - after the flood
- these laws are spiritual and ethical code of practice
What do the 613 laws cover?
- combine the Seven Laws of Noah, the Ten Commandments given to Moses and others
- cover all aspects of life, both spiritual and material actions
What does the Tenakh show?
-gives examples of people disobeying God’s laws and how God punished them
What do the Jews believe from the Tenakh?
-they believe that God will judge everyone, resulting in punishment and reward
What does the Shechinah show?
-expresses how God is involved in the world - Humans cannot see God but people have said they felt his presence
Give a quote showing the Shechinah
‘the earth shone in His glory’
How the nature of God influences Jewish people?
- following the law is to please and serve God
- all aspects of their lives are ruled by God - examples tallith is a constant reminder of God’s laws
- God has and will punish people for not following his laws
What does God see the Jews as?
-his treasured possessions
As they are chosen people, what do they have to do?
- brings with it responsibility
- serve God through laws
Why do Jews believe they will always be the chosen people?
-an everlasting covenant
Abraham’s covenant
- God promised Abraham land and descendants
- Abraham would only worship One god and be obedient of him
- symbol: circumcision of male babies
Why is Abraham so important?
- first covenant connected the Jews to God before the Torah was written
- tested ten times
- founding father of Judaism
- circumcision of all males unites the children of Israel
- For Jews, Abraham is a role model of belief and worship of their one God
Moses’s covenant
- people promised to follow the laws
- God would continue to give people his blessings as his chosen people
- symbol: Sabbath day
Why is Moses so important?
- laid down the laws that bind all Jews to God
- by observance they continue to serve God
Mitzvot
- 613 laws
- govern all aspects of Jewish life - to build a better person and more harmonious society
Ten Commandments
- condensed version of the 613 mitzvot
- following these commandments, it builds society as it sets the baseline of moral behaviour
- four laws concern God and other six concern relationships
Mitzvot between Humans and God
- Jews believe God gave Moses - Halakah - ‘path one works’ - by following these laws they are doing what God wants
- Rabbis add to it to keep it up to date
- six constant mitvots - know there is God, don’t believe in other Gods…
- encouraged to believe in God as well as know Him in his mind and to love Him
- mitvots bring Jewish people closer to God
Mitzvot between Human and Human
- laws relate to actions towards each other
- guiding principle
- act of serving God is fulfilled by acting responsibly
Free will and the 613 mitzvot
- without free will, actions don’t have religious nor moral value
- in the Torah, God has a role in determining what humans do but it is also clear that they choose what they do
- reward and punishments follow
- sometimes they can’t control what happens but they can control their reaction to it
Free will
- orthodox Jews follow the mitzvot strictly
- reform Jews believe that the mitzvot is open to interpretation
