Beliefs
Judaism is one of the longest
lasting and oldest religions on Earth. Premodern Hebrew did not include
words such as Judaism or religion. The premodern Jews followed the Torah,
which was God's set of
instructions to Israel. It mandated a way of life and world view called
Halakhah, derived from the Hebrew word meaning "to go", "way",
and "path". It constituted a cultural system that included
the importance of individual and communal existence. It is a system
of sanctification (being set aside for a sacred purpose) where all are
brought together under God's rule. Christianity was one of the many
competing
Jewish ideologies, as well as Islam. Because of this the three religions
remained in the same culturalsphere. Christianity and Islam would have
an impact on the subsequent history of Judaism.
Many principles of this religion are disputed. It is by no means a concrete
religion, many people believe different things are more important than
others. Some people that are Jewish barely practice the religion, but
are still considered part of the faith by many.
The closest anyone has come to creating a widely accepted list of Jewish
beliefs is Rambam's thirteen principles of faith. They are basic, and
are still disputable among other Jews.
Rambam's 13 Principles of Faith
1. God exists
2. God is one and unique
3. God is incorporeal
4. God is eternal
5. Prayer is to be directed to God alone and to no other
6. The words of the prophets are true
7. Moses's prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets
8. The Written Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) and Oral Torah (teachings
now contained in the Talmud and other writings) were given to Moses
9. There will be no other Torah
10. God knows the thoughts and deeds of men
11. God will reward the good and punish the wicked
12. The Messiah will come
13. The dead will be resurrected
While Christians believe there is a New and Old Testament, Jews don't
follow the New Testament. Their holy book is the Old Testament, the
Written Torah.
The Jews believe that Moses was the greatest of all of the prophets.
He was born in the year 2368, or 1400 BC, in Egypt. When Moses was born,
the Pharaoh was ordering that all male children born to Hebrew slaves
be drowned in the river. Moses' mother hid him for three months, and
then put him on a small ark and placed him in the river where the Pharaoh's
daughter bathed. She found him and adopted him. He continued to feel
compassion towards his own people, though. When he was about 40 years
old, Moses saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, and ended up killing
the Egyptian. He was forced to leave Egypt. Soon after its said that
God told Moses to lead the Hebrew people from slavery, and he did so.
He spent the rest of his life writing the five books that make up the
Torah, and the first five of the bible, based on God's dictation to
him.
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