Intro
There are many different religions around the world. I have chosen to blog about Judaism. The reason I chose Judaism is because one of my best friends is Jewish and I went to her Bat-mitzvah and it was interesting to go to and experience their customs and beliefs.
Founder
The founder of Judaism was the Hebrew leader Abraham. Judaism was founded by him in Israel around 2000 BC. Abraham was the first Jew. He is the father of all Jewish people. The Jewish people believe he is a symbol of trusting and obeying god. He was also one of the three Patriarchs of Judaism. Abraham's faith in one god was tested when God commanded him to sacrifice his son Isaac. He was about to fulfill God's commandment and sacrifice his son when the Angel of God stopped him. His faith in God has been a model for all future generations of Jews.
Adherents(followers)
To this very day Judaism has about 14 million adherents or "followers". Judaism has spread all around through Israel, Europe, and the well known USA. All of these followers worship the same god as Christians.
Sacred Texts
The two main sacred texts are the Tanakh and the Talmud. The Tanakh consists of the same books as the Christian Old Testament but in slightly different order and with other minor differences. The Tanakh should not be referred to the Old Testament in the context of Judaism but accepts the New Testament. It contain 39 books in all and is also called the Jewish Bible or the Hebrew Scriptures. The Talmud is a collection of rabbinical writings that explain, apply, and interpret the Torah scriptures. It was written between the second and fifth century and is also known as the Oral Torah and the Written Torah.
Religious Holidays
Just like every other religion, Jewish people have holidays too. You might have heard of Hanukkah and you might have learned about Pesach, also known as the Jewish Passover. Rosh Hashanah means "head of the year" and is known as the Jewish New Year. It is the day that the year number changes, but is celebrated different from secular celebrations. Rosh Hashanah is solemn and holy time and occurs on the first and second days of Tishri. Other holidays they celebrate are Yum Kippur which is the day of Atonement, Sukkot- the Festival of Booths, Tu B'Shevat- New Year for the Trees, and Purim- a joyful spring holiday that is sometimes nicknamed "the Jewish Halloween" or "the Jewish Mardi Gras".
Rituals/Customs
The Sabbath is the Jewish holy day and every week religious Jews observe it and keep its laws and customs. Sabbath begins at nightfall on Friday and ends until nightfall on Saturday. So it lasts about 25 hours. God commanded the Jewish people to observe and keep the Sabbath holy as the fourth of the Ten Commandments. Jews often call this day Shabbat which is Hebrew for Sabbath and which comes from the Hebrew word for rest.
Clothing
Like every religion, there is a particular traditional clothing Jewish people wear, but not as an every day outfit. They were a Kippah/Yarmulke also known as a skull cap. Women have the option to wear this or can wear some other wrap or hat as long as the head is covered. A Talliat is worn on the upper body as a prayer shawl. Also worn, is a Tefilin which is a small leather box with long leather straps attached.
