Features of the religious beliefs of the ancient Jews. Briefly about Judaism

Hello friends. Are you interested in learning about the oldest religion in the world that has survived to this day? About its principles, foundations, commandments and secrets, about the history of development and stages of formation? Perhaps you want to go to Israel and take a tour of the holy places?

Or maybe you have heard the ridiculous opinion of the unenlightened that Judaism has common roots with Judas, who betrayed Christ? Or do you have other questions regarding this topic?

If yes, then we will satisfy your curiosity and after reading this article everything will become very clear.
Judaism- this is faith (religion) Jewish people. The term "Judaism" or "Jewish religion" is sometimes used. First, let's take a short historical excursion.

The word “Judaism” itself is derived from the term “tribe of Judah.” What is it? The fact is that the Israeli people “grew up” from the tribes of Israel (tribes) descendants of the sons of the patriarch Jacob. And he had them, not many, not few, but twelve! Four sons were born different women: two wives and their two maids (yes, this happens). The fourth son was Judah.

According to the Holy Scriptures, Judah played a special role in the formation of the Israeli people. His name formed the basis for the name of the religion and the entire Jewish people; in Hebrew and other languages this name sounds like “Jews.”

The history of Judaism spans more than three thousand years; this religion is considered the most ancient of those that have survived to this day. Judaism is a monotheistic religion, which means that its adherents believe in one God.

According to the science that studies religion, philosophy, culture and social development Jewish people, Judaica, in the entire history of the development of the Jewish faith, there are four large stages:

1) Biblical period (from the 20th to the 6th century BC).

At this time there was no writing or chronology, so all knowledge and religious concepts were passed on orally and were rather mythological in nature. Even when the holy book appeared, it was not yet called the Bible. This was the Judaism of priests and prophets.

2) Second Temple or Hellenistic Judaism. (from 6th century BC to 2nd century AD).

This stage began after the Jewish people returned to Palestine from Babylonia (where most of them were forcibly resettled). They were in Babylonian captivity from 598 to 539 BC.

It is widely believed among modern religious scholars that the Jewish faith is based on the principle of the union of God with the people of Israel, which he concluded on Mount Sinai in the era of Moses. The second stage of Judaism is considered bookish, unlike the first. At that time, sacrifices and other ancient rituals were still common.

The high priest who wrote down the scriptures was called Ezra (in Islam he is called Uzair). He recreated Jewish statehood on the basis of the law of the Torah (the law of Moses), wrote the holy book of Ezra.

During the Second Temple, so-called Messianic Judaism became widespread. Its tenets are based on the Jewish people's faith in the Messiah. When Yeshua (Jesus of Nazareth) appeared, tens of hundreds of Jews followed his faith. After Yeshua's death on the cross and his resurrection, this movement took hold of other nations, over time gradually transforming into Christianity, which had little in common with Messianic Judaism.

3) Talmudic (rabbinic or rabbinic) Judaism (2nd to 8th century AD).

After the Second Temple was destroyed, the Talmudic stage of the development of Judaism began. The rituals of sacrifice became obsolete and ceased.

At the core of this period was the belief that the main sacred text Judaism - The Written Torah (the Pentateuch of Moses and his Ten Commandments) also contains oral explanations and laws that were not written down and were passed down between generations by word of mouth. They were called by the Jewish people the Oral Torah (or Talmud). The Oral Torah is a kind of addition to the Written Torah (the main sacred scripture of Judaism).

4) Modern (from 1750 to the present time).

The main currents of modern Judaism originate from the times of rabbinism.
Currently, there are about fifteen million adherents of Judaism, of which about 45% are residents of Israel, about 40% live in Canada and the United States of America, the rest are mainly in Europe.

The main currents of modern Judaism are Orthodox, Reform and Conservative. So that these words do not remain hanging in the air as an empty sound, we will briefly explain the essence of each.

Orthodox Judaism

The centerpiece of Orthodox Judaism is Halakha. So, halakha is a set of laws and rules of Jewish law that regulates the life of Jews in all respects (family, religious, social and cultural). These are the laws that are contained in the Torah and Talmud and which representatives of Orthodox Judaism strictly and tirelessly follow. Halakha also contains legal decisions and rabbinic laws that dictate rules of conduct.

These laws are divided into five main groups:

these are the laws of the Written Torah, interpreted in accordance with the Oral Torah;
laws whose basis is not in the Written Torah, but they were also received by Moses (Moshe) on Mount Sinai;
laws that were derived by sages based on the analysis of the Written Torah;
the laws that the sages established in order to protect the Jews from violating the laws of the Written Torah;
injunctions of the sages designed to regulate the life of Jewish communities.

The development of Halakha continues to this day; it is believed that the Torah contains answers to absolutely all questions that arise before the Jewish people.

Orthodox Christians oppose any innovations in religion.

Reform Judaism (sometimes called Progressive or Modern Judaism)

In contrast to the teachings of the Orthodox school, representatives of Reform Judaism advocate innovation and renewal. Progressive Judaism emerged in nineteenth-century Germany. Its adherents believe that the old ethical commandments should be preserved, and the ritual ones should be abandoned. Which is what was done. The ritual of the divine service underwent reformation, namely: the service was conducted on German, the shofar (ritual horn) was no longer blown, ritual clothing was not required during prayer, women were recognized as equal to men in all religious matters.

According to reformists, religion should develop and improve, thus adapting to the spirit of modernity. Justice, mercy and respect for loved ones are the path followed by the movement of Reform Judaism.

Conservative Judaism

Conservative Judaism arose in Europe, or more precisely Germany, several decades later than Reform Judaism. This is “something in between” (so to speak) between orthodox and reformist views. Its adherents are supporters of the idea of compromise between traditional religious teachings and modern ones.

The ideas of Conservative Judaism, however, are much “softer” than Orthodox Judaism. For example, representatives of sexual minorities are allowed to ordain as rabbis. You can even have same-sex marriages. That's it, friends! So much for the conservatives!

The main ideas of this movement are the following:

Halacha is recognized as the main guide for life;
TO modern culture the attitude should only be positive;
The foundations of the Jewish religion are not given fundamental importance.

Commandments of Judaism

The Torah contains not ten commandments as in the Bible, but six hundred and thirteen! Of these, two hundred and forty-eight (the number of bones and organs in the human body) commandments oblige one or another action, and three hundred and sixty-five commandments (this, as you guessed, is the number of days in a year) prohibit!

We will not list them all, but we will list the most interesting, unusual and ridiculous ones (and there are some among them):

“The husband must remain with his wife during the first year of marriage,” like this; in the second and subsequent years of marriage, it is apparently not necessary to stay.
“If you bought a Jewish slave, you must marry her or marry your son.”
“Buy a Jewish slave.” Paying attention to the previous commandment, it turns out that there are absolutely no options.
"Do not settle in Egypt."
"Don't scratch your body."
“In the seventh year it is necessary to stop cultivating the land.”
“Give up everything that grows on the earth in the seventh year.”
“If a man’s body is found in a field and it is not known who killed him, the head of the heifer must be broken.” (Just in case, let’s clarify that the heifer is, most likely, a cow).
“For those who committed intentional murder, six cities of refuge must be allocated.”
In addition to this, there are also such as: do not shave with a blade, do not cast spells, do not tell fortunes, do not practice magic, do not wear women's clothing and for women men's and a number of other commandments.

Symbols, attributes, traditions and holy places

The main attributes of Judaism are:

shofar (ritual horn, it is blown during services in the Synagogue - the center of the religious life of the Jewish community);
poison (this is the name of the pointer for reading the Torah);
Tanakh (holy scripture);
a mug intended for washing hands;
candlesticks;

Symbols and traditions of the Jewish faith:

shema - a prayer that consists of four quotations from the Pentateuch;
observance of Shabbat - in Judaism this is the seventh day of the week on which one must abstain from work;
kashrut is a set of rules governing attitudes towards food and other areas of life;
wearing a kippah is a Jewish national headdress, a small cap covering the top of the head, it symbolizes humility and admiration before the Lord;
the Star of David is a Jewish symbol depicted on the flag of Israel, which is a six-pointed star (two equilateral triangles superimposed on each other, one angled down, the other angled up);
The seven-branched Menorah, a golden lamp, is the oldest symbol Judaism and the religious emblem of the Jewish people;
the lion is a symbol of the tribe of Judah.

Holy places:

At an altitude of seven hundred and seventy-four meters above sea level, the Temple Mount rises above the old city of Jerusalem (this is a quadrangular area enclosed by high walls), and it goes approximately that far underground. Currently, active excavations are underway there. The First and then the Second Temple were located on the Temple Mount. According to Jewish belief, a Third Temple will be built there in the future. Currently, Muslim religious buildings are built there - the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock (these are the third most important Muslim shrines).
The Western Wall (its other names are Western Mountain or A-Kotel) is the most important shrine of the Jewish faith. It is located around the surviving western slope of the Temple Mount. According to legend, wishes written on a piece of paper and left in the Western Wall will certainly come true. Every year pilgrims from all over globe leave their deepest wishes with faith and hope, awaiting their fulfillment. So, if you are going to visit Israel, formulate your wishes correctly in advance, because they tend to come true!

If, dear readers, this article has only fueled your interest in the Jewish religion, ancient customs, and shrines.

If you want to know even more, delve into history, and perhaps trace the connection of Judaism with Christianity and other religions, we advise you to read books, which you can easily order by simply following the appropriate links:

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Judaism is one of ancient religions world and the oldest of the so-called Abrahamic religions, which, in addition to it, includes Christianity and Islam. The history of Judaism is inextricably linked with the Jewish people and extends back centuries, at least three thousand years. Also, this religion is considered the oldest of all those that proclaimed worship to one God- a monotheistic cult instead of worshiping pantheons of various gods.

The emergence of faith in Yahweh: a religious tradition

The exact time when Judaism arose has not been established. The adherents of this religion themselves attribute its appearance to approximately the 12-13th centuries. BC e., when on Mount Sinai the leader of the Jews, Moses, who led the Jewish tribes from Egyptian slavery, received Revelation from the Almighty, and a Covenant was concluded between the people and God. This is how the Torah appeared - in the broadest sense of the word, written and oral instruction in the laws, commandments and requirements of the Lord in relation to his fans. Detailed description These events are reflected in the book of Genesis, the authorship of which is also attributed to Moses by Orthodox Jews and which forms part of the written Torah.

A scientific view of the origins of Judaism

However, not all scientists are ready to support the above version. Firstly, because the very Jewish interpretation of the history of man’s relationship with God includes a long tradition of honoring the God of Israel before Moses, starting with the forefather Abraham, who, according to various estimates, lived in the period from the 21st century. to the 18th century BC e. Thus, the origins of the Jewish cult are lost in time. Secondly, it is difficult to say when the pre-Jewish religion became Judaism proper. A number of researchers attribute the emergence of Judaism to much later times, right up to the era of the second Temple (mid-first millennium BC). According to their conclusions, the religion of Yahweh, the god professed by the Jews, was not monotheism from the very beginning. Its origins lie in the tribal cult called Yahwism, which is characterized as a special form of polytheism - monolatry. With such a system of views, the existence of many gods is recognized, but veneration is given to only one - one’s divine patron based on the fact of birth and territorial settlement. Only later did this cult transform into a monotheistic doctrine, and thus Judaism appeared - the religion that we know today.

History of Yahwism

As already mentioned, God Yahweh is the national God of the Jews. Their entire culture is built around him and religious traditions. But in order to understand what Judaism is, let us briefly touch on its sacred history. According to Jewish belief, Yahweh is the only true God who created the entire world, including solar system, the earth, all its flora, fauna and, finally, the first couple of people - Adam and Eve. At the same time, the first commandment for man was given - not to touch the fruits of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But people violated the divine command and were expelled from paradise for this. Further history is characterized by the oblivion of the true God by the descendants of Adam and Eve and the emergence of paganism - gross idolatry, according to the Jews. However, from time to time the Almighty made himself felt, seeing the righteous in the corrupt human community. Such was, for example, Noah - the man from whom people again settled on the earth after global flood. But Noah’s descendants quickly forgot the Lord, starting to worship other gods. This continued until God called Abraham, a resident of Ur of the Chaldeans, with whom he entered into a Covenant, promising to make him the father of many nations. Abraham had a son Isaac and a grandson Jacob, who are traditionally revered as patriarchs - the ancestors of the Jewish people. The last one - Jacob - had twelve sons. By God's providence it happened that eleven of them were sold into slavery by the twelfth, Joseph. But God helped him, and over time Joseph became the second person in Egypt after Pharaoh. The family reunion took place during a time of terrible famine, and therefore all the Jews, at the invitation of Pharaoh and Joseph, went to live in Egypt. When the royal patron died, another pharaoh began to brutalize Abraham's descendants, forcing them to do hard work and killing newborn boys. This slavery continued for four hundred years until God finally called Moses to free his people. Moses led the Jews out of Egypt, and at the command of the Lord, forty years later they entered the Promised Land - modern Palestine. There, waging bloody wars with idolaters, the Jews established their state and even received a king from the Lord - first Saul, and then David, whose son Solomon built the great shrine of Judaism - the temple of Yahweh. The latter was destroyed in 586 by the Babylonians, and then rebuilt by order of Tire the Great (in 516). The second temple lasted until 70 AD. e., when it was burned during the Jewish War by the troops of Titus. Since that time it has not been restored, and worship has ceased. It is important to note that in Judaism there are not many temples - this building can only be one and only in one place - on the temple mount in Jerusalem. Therefore, for almost two thousand years, Judaism has existed in a unique form - in the form of a rabbinic organization led by learned laymen.

Judaism: Basic Ideas and Concepts

As already mentioned, the Jewish faith recognizes only one and only God - Yahweh. In fact, the true meaning of his name was lost after the destruction of the temple by Titus, so "Yahweh" is simply an attempt at reconstruction. And she did not gain popularity in Jewish circles. The fact is that in Judaism there is a ban on pronouncing and writing the sacred four-letter name of God - the Tetragrammaton. Therefore, from ancient times it was replaced in conversation (and even in Holy Scripture) with the word “Lord.”

Other important feature is that Judaism is the religion of purely one nation - the Jews. Therefore, it is a rather closed religious system, which is not so easy to get into. Of course, in history there are examples of the adoption of Judaism by representatives of other nations and even entire tribes and states, but in general, Jews are skeptical about such practices, insisting that the Sinai covenant applies only to the descendants of Abraham - the chosen Jewish people.

Jews believe in the coming of the Moshiach - an outstanding messenger of God who will return Israel past glory, will spread the teachings of the Torah throughout the world and even restore the temple. In addition, Judaism has a belief in the resurrection of the dead and the Last Judgment. In order to righteously serve God and know him, the people of Israel were given the Tanakh by the Almighty - the sacred canon of books, starting with the Torah and ending with the revelations of the prophets. The Tanakh is known in Christian circles as the Old Testament. Of course, Jews categorically disagree with this assessment of their Scripture.

According to the teachings of the Jews, God cannot be depicted, therefore in this religion there are no sacred images - icons, statues, etc. Artistic art is not at all what Judaism is famous for. We can also briefly mention the mystical teachings of Judaism - Kabbalah. This, if we rely not on legends, but on scientific data, is a very late product of Jewish thought, but no less outstanding. Kabbalah views creation as a series of divine emanations and manifestations of a number-letter code. Kabbalistic theories, among other things, even recognize the fact of transmigration of souls, which distinguishes this tradition from a number of other monotheistic, and especially Abrahamic, religions.

Commandments in Judaism

The commandments of Judaism are widely known in world culture. They are closely connected with the name of Moses. This is truly the true ethical treasure that Judaism brought to the world. The main ideas of these commandments come down to religious purity - worship of the one God and love for him and to a socially righteous life - honoring parents, social justice and integrity. However, in Judaism there is a much more expanded list of commandments, called mitzvot in Hebrew. There are 613 such mitzvot. This is believed to correspond to the number of parts human body. This list of commandments is divided into two: prohibitive commandments, numbering 365, and imperative commandments, of which there are only 248. The generally accepted list of mitzvot in Judaism belongs to the famous Maimonides, an outstanding Jewish thinker.

Traditions

The centuries-old development of this religion has also shaped the traditions of Judaism, which are strictly observed. Firstly, this applies to holidays. Among the Jews they are timed to coincide with certain days of the calendar or lunar cycle and are designed to preserve the memory of the people about any events. The most important holiday of all is Passover. The command to observe it was given, according to the Torah, by God himself during the exodus from Egypt. That is why Passover is timed to coincide with the liberation of the Jews from Egyptian captivity and the passage through the Red Sea into the desert, from where the people were later able to reach the Promised Land. Also known is the holiday of Sukkot - other important event, which celebrates Judaism. Briefly, this holiday can be described as a remembrance of the Jews' journey through the desert after the exodus. This journey lasted 40 years instead of the initially promised 40 days - as punishment for the sin of the golden calf. Sukkot lasts seven days. At this time, Jews are required to leave their homes and live in huts, which is what the word “Sukkot” means. Jews have many others important dates, celebrated with celebrations, special prayers and rituals.

In addition to holidays, there are fasts and days of mourning in Judaism. An example of such a day is Yom Kippur - the day of atonement, prefiguring the Last Judgment.

There are also a huge number of other traditions in Judaism: wearing sidelocks, circumcision of male children on the eighth day of birth, a special kind of attitude towards marriage, etc. For believers, these are important customs that Judaism imposes on them. The basic ideas of these traditions are consistent either directly with the Torah or with the Talmud, the second most authoritative book after the Torah. Often it is quite difficult for non-Jews to understand and comprehend them in the conditions modern world. However, it is they who shape the culture of Judaism of our day, based not on temple worship, but on the synagogue principle. A synagogue, by the way, is a meeting of the Jewish community on a Sabbath or holiday for prayer and reading the Torah. The same word also refers to the building where believers gather.

Saturday in Judaism

As already mentioned, one day per week is allocated for synagogue worship - Saturday. This day in general - sacred time for Jews, and believers are especially zealous in observing its statutes. One of the ten basic commandments of Judaism prescribes keeping and honoring this day. Breaking the Sabbath is considered a serious offense and requires atonement. Therefore, not a single devout Jew will work or generally do anything that is forbidden to do on this day. The holiness of this day is associated with the fact that, having created the world in six days, the Almighty rested on the seventh and prescribed this to all his admirers. The seventh day is Saturday.

Judaism and Christianity

Since Christianity is a religion that claims to be the successor of Judaism through the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Tanakh about the Moshiach on Jesus Christ, the relations of Jews with Christians have always been ambiguous. These two traditions especially moved away from each other after the Jewish conclave imposed a herem, that is, a curse, on Christians in the 1st century. The next two thousand years were a time of enmity, mutual hatred, and often persecution. For example, Archbishop Cyril of Alexandria expelled a huge Jewish diaspora from the city in the 5th century. The history of Europe is replete with such relapses. Today, in the era of the heyday of ecumenism, the ice has gradually begun to melt, and dialogue between representatives of the two religions is beginning to improve. Although among broad layers of believers on both sides there is still distrust and alienation. Judaism is difficult for Christians to understand. Key Ideas christian church are such that the Jews are charged with the sin of the crucifixion of Christ. Since ancient times, the Church has represented Jews as Christ-killers. It is difficult for Jews to find a way to dialogue with Christians because for them, Christians clearly represent heretics and followers of the false messiah. In addition, centuries of oppression taught the Jews not to trust Christians.

Judaism today

Modern Judaism is a fairly large (about 15 million) religion. It is characteristic that at its head there is no single leader or institution that would have sufficient authority for all Jews. Judaism is spread almost everywhere in the world and consists of several denominations that differ from each other in the degree of religious conservatism and the peculiarities of their doctrine. The strongest core is represented by representatives of Orthodox Jewry. The Hasidim are quite close to them - very conservative Jews with an emphasis on mystical teaching. Following are several Reform and Progressive Jewish organizations. And on the very periphery there are communities of Messianic Jews who, like Christians, recognize the authenticity of the messianic calling of Jesus Christ. They themselves consider themselves Jews and, to one degree or another, observe the basic Jewish traditions. However, traditional communities deny them the right to be called Jews. Therefore, Judaism and Christianity are forced to divide these groups in half.

Spread of Judaism

The influence of Judaism is strongest in Israel, where about half of all the world's Jews live. Another approximately forty percent comes from countries North America- USA and Canada. The rest are settled in other regions of the planet.

Judaism is the monotheistic national religion of the Jews. Followers of Judaism call themselves Jews. When asked where Judaism arose, both historians and theologians answer the same: in Palestine. But to another question, when did monotheistic ideas arise among Jews, they answer differently.

According to historians, until the 7th century. BC the Jews had a different religion. It is called the Hebrew religion. It originated in the 11th century BC. along with the emergence of classes and the state among the Jewish people. The ancient Hebrew religion, like all other national religions, was polytheistic. Historians believe that monotheistic ideas among Jews formed into a religion only in the 7th century. BC during the reign of King Josiah in Judah (Southern Palestine). According to historians, not only the century, but also the year of the beginning of the transition of Jews from the Hebrew religion to Judaism is known from sources. It was 621 BC. This year, King Josiah of Judah issued a decree prohibiting the worship of all gods except one. The authorities began to decisively destroy traces of polytheism: images of other gods were destroyed; sanctuaries dedicated to them were destroyed; Jews who made sacrifices to other gods were severely punished, including death.

Gods in Judaism

The history of the ancient Jews and the process of formation of religion are known mainly from the materials of the Bible, its most ancient part - Old Testament. At the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. Jews, like the related Semitic tribes of Arabia and Palestine, were polytheists, believed in various gods and spirits, in the existence of a soul that materializes in blood. Each community had its own main god. In one of the communities, this god was Yahweh. Gradually the cult of Yahweh comes to the fore.

A new stage in the formation of Judaism is associated with the name of Moses. This legendary personality, however, there is no reason to deny the possibility real existence such a reformer. According to the Bible, Moses led the Jews out of Egyptian slavery and gave them the Covenant of God. Some researchers believe that the reform of the Jewish religion is connected with the reform of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Moses, who may have been close to the ruling or priestly circles of Egyptian society, adopted Akhenaten's idea of one God and began to preach it among the Jews. He made some changes in the ideas of the Jews. Its role is so significant that Judaism is sometimes called mosaicism, for example in England. The first books of the Bible are called the Pentateuch of Moses, which also indicates the significance of the role of Moses in the formation of Judaism.

Basic Ideas of Judaism

If we briefly summarize the main ideas of Judaism, we get the following list:
Man was created by God, in the image and likeness of his Creator
God is the source of Love, Grace and Supreme Justice, he has absolute Reason and Omnipotence
Life is a dialogue between the Lord and an individual (or an entire people)
Man is an immortal spiritual being, capable of endless development and self-improvement.
People, regardless of race, are equal before the Lord, everyone is given free will
The Jewish people have a special mission - to convey Divine truths to the rest of humanity
Gentiles must observe only the seven laws of the sons of Noah, and Jews must fulfill mitzvot, consisting of 613 prescriptions
The spiritual principle dominates over matter, but the material world must also be treated with respect
After the coming of the Messiah (Mashiach), a new kingdom and peace will come throughout the entire earth
At the end of days the dead will rise again and live again on earth in the flesh

The sacred book in Judaism is the Torah, which is also called the Pentateuch of Moses. The text of the Torah is very difficult to understand, so theologians and theosophists for many centuries created commentaries on the main book of the Jews.

Who founded Judaism

It is generally accepted that the founder of Judaism is Moses (“he who was rescued from the water”). The prophet of Judaism managed to unite the scattered tribes of Israel into a single people. He is also famous for carrying out the exodus of Jews from Egypt, where they lived as slaves.

During the time of Moses, the people of Israel increased in numbers so much that the ruler of Egypt gave the order to kill all newborn Hebrew boys. The mother of the future prophet saved the baby from death. She placed the child in a wicker basket and entrusted it to the waters of the Nile. Pharaoh's daughter discovered this basket and wanted to adopt the sleeping baby.

Moses grew up and noticed how his fellow tribesmen were oppressed in every possible way. One day, in a fit of anger, he killed an Egyptian overseer, and then fled the country to the land of Midian (a semi-nomadic city mentioned in the Koran and the Bible). Here he was called by God, who appeared to Moses in the form of a bush engulfed in flames, but not burning. God revealed his mission to Moses.

Name: Judaism (from the tribe of Judah, which gave its name to the kingdom of Judah)
Time of occurrence: 853 BC
Founder: Moses
Holy books: Tanakh, Talmud

Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people. There are three historical periods in the development of Judaism: temple (the period of the existence of the Jerusalem Temple), Talmudic and rabbinic.

Along with belief in God, Judaism includes religious, historical, ritual and national elements. Sources of modern Judaism: Tanakh (written Torah) and Talmud (oral Torah). The Torah is also called the Pentateuch of Moses, as it contains five books received by Moses from the Lord God on Mount Sinai.

The most famous symbol of Judaism is the six-pointed Star of David.

The Tanakh is called the Hebrew Bible, describing the creation of the world and man. The Talmud is a collection of laws. Beliefs, ethics, customs and social aspects Judaism is set out in the Torah.

Judaism gives higher value behavior than religion. However, there are fundamental principles which all Jews share is the belief in the only real God to whom every person can turn. God is spirit, an absolute being. God is the Creator of all things at all times, he is constantly effective Force, he is universal, he rules the whole world.

God established not only natural law, but also moral laws. God gives eternal life. He is all-good, holy, just. God is man's helper. He is a savior, a deliverer from sins and vices - pride, selfishness, hatred and lust. God himself is the creator of both light and darkness. In the fight against evil, the Jew is supported by his faith in God. According to Judaism, man is created “in the image and likeness of God,” and everyone is responsible to God themselves. Everything is predetermined by God, but at the same time man has free will to make moral choices. Judaism recognizes immortality human soul and believes that all people, regardless of religion or nationality, are equally children of God.

Knowing God in Judaism implies knowing that God rules the world and man should strive to follow the right way which God revealed to people.

Jews believe that at a certain time the dead will be brought back to life in the flesh and will live again on earth. “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awaken, some to everlasting life, others to everlasting contempt and disgrace” (Dan. 12:2). In order to gain salvation, for “the righteous of all nations will have an inheritance in the world to come,” it is necessary to fulfill the commandments of the sons of Noah, namely:

renounce idolatry;
abstain from incest and adultery;
do not shed blood;
do not take God's name in vain;
do not create injustice and lawlessness;
don't steal;
Do not cut parts from a living animal.

Judaism opposes asceticism and is optimistic about the future of this world, where God invites us to establish his kingdom. Jews believe that God, out of all the nations of the world, chose the Jewish people to play a central role in the salvation of mankind by accepting Revelation. And thanks to the consciousness of their chosenness, the Jewish people were able to survive in conditions when they more than once lost their national and political identity.

Love for God is an integral part of man. If a person has sinned by action or inaction, he can always repent and will be forgiven.

The basic commandment is “Love your neighbor as yourself,” since everyone is a child of God. This is the Jewish concept of human brotherhood under one God.

Other directions:

Orthodox Judaism | Jewish community Orthodox Judaism - common name several movements in Judaism, whose adherents, from historical...

The question of religion and faith will always excite human minds. Interest in the nature of humanity and its Creator has not faded since the dawn of the human era. It is believed that the Jewish people are recognized as God's chosen ones and closest to our Creator, and the capital of Israel, Jerusalem, is the capital of three religions: Christianity, Judaism and Islam. So what kind of faith do the people called chosen by God have and what do they believe?

What do Jews believe?

According to this religion, God singled out the Jewish people as a people of preaching, with its mission to convey to everyone on Earth their destiny.

Despite their exclusivity, the Jewish people were subjected to long persecution and troubles, and they believe that their troubles on Earth will end with the coming of the Messiah.

The Jewish faith is based on ten principles:

The doctrine of the creation of all people on Earth by God according to his own principle and likeness;
Acceptance of God not only as a creator or creator, but also as a father in relation to man;
The life of every person or people is accepted as his dialogue with God;
The principle of exceptional value human life and human;
Acceptance of the equality of every person before God;
The Jewish people have a sacred mission - to convey Divine truths to every person;
Observance by all Jews of 613 basic commandments, and by non-Jews 7 laws;
The principle of the superiority of the spiritual over the material;
Belief in the coming of the Messiah;
The teaching that at some point all the dead will be resurrected and begin to live again on Earth.

What commandments do Jews keep?

Just like Orthodox believers who keep the Ten Holy Commandments, Jews also have laws that they must follow. Total of them six hundred thirteen, three hundred sixty-five of which are prohibitive - for every day of the year, and two hundred forty-eight - prescriptive.

For non-Jews, Judaism offers seven commandments, by observing which everyone can enter the Kingdom of Heaven along with the Jews:

Prohibition of blasphemy;
Prohibition of theft;
Prohibition of bloodshed;
Prohibition of idolatry;
Prohibition of incest;
Prohibition of eating meat cut from a living creature;
Demand for the establishment of a fair legal system.

Sacred literature of Judaism

Like every religion, the religion of the Jews also has pillars on which the entire religious history of the people, their teachings and laws are attached. In Judaism, the main scripture is the Tanakh, which includes:

Teachings of the Torah, whose creator is considered to be the prophet Moses;
Naviim- twenty-one books of chronological and historical content;
Ketuvim is a collection of thirteen books that include a variety of religious genres.

The Tanakh is an analogue of the Old Testament among the Orthodox people, containing information and knowledge about the origin and development of the Jewish people, Divine commandments and laws, as well as the main features of the origin of Judaism, which led to the formation of Islam and Christianity.

Like believers of other religions, Jews religiously observe the religious precepts described in the Tanakh, hoping to experience the Grace of God at the end of their lives.

Varieties of Judaism

Having an extensive and ancient history, the religion of the Jews developed in various directions, differing in culture, traditions and even dialects.

On at the moment Judaism has the following varieties:

Ashkenazi and Sephardi. Jews of the Western and Eastern traditions, respectively. Their difference is that the development different cultures- The West and the East had a significant influence on the interpretation of the Tanakh, the pronunciation of words and culture as a whole, as a result of which this division occurred;
Jews from different regions. The traditions of the way of life of different regions also influenced the course and development of the Jewish religion;
Worldview division. According to the degree of permissibility, Judaism is divided into liberals, conservatives and Orthodox;
Popular trends. All over the world, in different countries Judaism has adopted several common branches: Hasidism, Litvaks, religious Zionists, anti-Zionists and many others.

Who can practice Judaism?

Becoming a Jew occurs in two ways: being born a purebred Jew, or making the transition to Judaism - undergoing Giyur. This is what distinguishes the Jewish religion from other national religions: it is not only inherited by right of blood, but is also ready to accept anyone who wishes.

However, achieving acceptance into Judaism is not at all easy. Anyone who wants to convert to the main Jewish religion is dissuaded for a very long time, testing the firmness of his intentions and perseverance. And only a person who has shown the necessary determination can turn to the desired religion.

Jews are the oldest nation currently existing. There are legends about its exclusive purpose and many treatises have been written. That is why the question of the religion of this people, its traditions and beliefs will never be fully revealed. However, at the moment, the question: “What is the faith of the Jews?” we can give a definite answer - Judaism.