JUDAISM by Pravin K. Shah
Founded:
Judaism began about 3,700 years ago in Canaan, now Palestine and Jordan.
Founder:
Abraham is the father of the Hebrew people (Jews). God established His covenant with Moses who emancipated the enslaved Jewish tribes from Egypt.
Sects:
Jews are divided into Orthodox, Conservative and Reform sects with other regional and ethnic divisions.
Major Scriptures:
The basic source of Jewish belief is the Hebrew Bible (called the "Old Testament" by Christians), especially its first five books, called the Torah or the Pentateuch. The Torah was traditionally regarded as the primary revelation of God and his law to humanity; it is considered as valid for all time. Its laws were clarified and elaborated in the oral Torah, or the tradition of the elders, and were eventually written down in the Mishnah and Talmud. Jewish literature on legal, ethical, philosophic, mystical, and devotional is virtually endless.
Adherents:
About 14 million worldwide; over half in the U.S.
Goals:
The goal of Judaism lies in the strict obedience to God which can alleviate the plight of the individual and of society, bringing rewards in the future life when the Messiah will come to overthrow evil and reward the righteous in God's kingdom on the earth, the Day of the Lord. The soul thereafter will enjoy God's presence and love forever.
Path of Attainment:
Man has two impulses; good and evil. He can either follow God's law or rebel and be influenced by Satan, who caused God's creation to go astray. To follow God's law is the highest morality, possible through obedience to the Torah, which pleases God. One must follow justice, charity, ethics and honesty, being true to the one true God, Yahweh.
Synopsis:
The religion of the Jews is inseparable from their history as a people. By far the most profound characteristic of Judaism is its strict monotheism. The Jews hold an unshakable belief in one God and one God only, whom they call Yahweh, from whom all creation flows.
Much of the Torah traces the ancestry of Abraham through Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and finally to Moses, the foremost of God's prophets in Hebrew history. It was Moses who gave Judaism the Ten Commandments and established the religious laws and traditions.
The Jewish people consider themselves a chosen people apart from all the other peoples of the earth by virtue of their covenant with Yahweh. They do not believe that they were chosen for any special privileges but rather to bring God's message to humanity by their example.
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