Judaism

Judaism The religious view which I have studied is Judaism. Judaism is the oldest monotheistic faith- the first religion with believers who worshiped one God alone. However, Judaism is not a simply a religion. A Jewish person is someone with a Jewish mother. Judaism stresses descent rather than religion; Jews are born rather than made. The Jewish people believe they are descended from an ancient Semitic tribe that lived in the land of Canaan. A Bar mitzvah is when a boy s 13 years old, he has a bar mitzvah ceremony to mark his entry into adulthood. They boy is called up in synagogue to read from the Torah for the first time. Friends and relatives attend to hear him read, and a celebration usually follows. I believe in Rabbis, they are teachers who study the Torah and apply it to daily life. They also lead services in synagogue and conduct weddings and funerals. Rabbis do community work, visit the sick and bereaved, and advise on spiritual matters. I also believe in circumcision, it is the removal of the foreskin from the penis. Boys are usually circumcised when they are eight days old and a celebration is held afterward. Circumcision marks the boy’s entry into the covenant between God and the Jewish people. A synagogue exists in every Jewish community. Its origin is not quite clear, but it seems that the synagogue became a place of worship after the destruction of the second temple in 70CE. Modern synagogues are places of worship for the faithful, who can attend formal services up to three times a day. They are also a place for studying Judaism; there are usually classrooms. Most synagogues also have a hall that is used for celebrations and community events. Jewish people call the Hebrew bible the Torah. In the narrow sense, the Torah is the first five books of the Christian Bible- the Old Testament- plus Nevi’ im (prophets) and Ketuvim (holy writings). Called the written Torah, or Tenakh, it includes the history of the Jews and their moral and legal code. The word “Torah” can also include the whole body of holy teachings that explain the Bible and guide Jews in their daily lives. These teachings are known as the oral Torah, or Talmud. In conclusion, today there are Jews living all over the world and their lifestyles are incredibly diverse. http://www.jewishmag.com/28mag/bris/bris.htm http://judaism.about.com/od/barandbatmitzvah/Bar_Mitzvah_and_Bat_Mitzvah.ht