Judaism as One of the Oldest Religions in the World - Essay Example

? Judaism Client's xx February Judaism Judaism is considered to be one of the oldest religions in the world, being the earliest of the three Abrahamic religions including Islam and Christianity (Abrahams, 2008). It is the religion of the Jewish people, and its teachings and principles are expressed and systematically communicated through “Tanakh,” or the Hebrew Bible. Judaism's “Talmud” further explores and explains the religion's teachings, principles, and ethics. According to history, Judaism started with the Covenant between the patriarch, God, and progenitor, Abraham, of the Jews (Abrahams, 2008). The religion is still in practice today and has influenced other world religions like Islam and Christianity. Unlike the other religions in the contemporary world, the central authority in Judaism does not lie in the hands of single individual or group rather in holy writings, traditions, and learned Rabbis who give meaning to those writings and laws of the religion. Judaism has existed for thousands of years already but it remains loyal and true to most of its religious principles (Abrahams, 2008). Among its principles, the most important is the belief in one, omniscient, all powerful, kind, encompassing God, who made the universe and continues to oversees it. The traditional Jewish faith states that the God who made the universe created a covenant with the Israelites, and disclosed his laws and teachings to Moses on Mount Sinai in both the Written and Oral Torah forms, and the Jews are the progenies of the Israelites. It is the study and the observance of God's laws and teachings, as indicated in the Torah and further explained in the Talmud, that the traditional practice of Judaism revolves (Abrahams, 2008). As mentioned, the most important teaching of Judaism is the principle of Monotheism, or Unity of God that serves as the foundation of the religion. The Jews' faith in their one God is more than just being part of their religion. It is a passion and an inspiration that gives them the power and strength to endure tribulations and death. Many people believe that woman are discriminated against in the religious practice of Judaism when Judaism points out that God has both masculine and feminine qualities. It is also said that both man and woman are created in the image of God. This misunderstanding of inequality in men and women is interpreted by the higher power of men up until this very century (BBC, 2012). Most religions commemorate, or celebrate, with certain traditions. As for the Jewish traditions, they have a collection of ritual objects. First is the Yarmulke. This is a small cap that reminds the Jews that they must always live by the words of God at all times and in all places. Next there is the Tefillin. This object is a small leather box that has straps attached that are worn on the left forearm and on the forehead. The inside of these boxes contain scriptures, including the Shema which are little prayers written in the Jewish language. Finally, the last traditional wear is the Tallit. The Tallit is a prayer shawl with fringes that remind them of the commandments of the Torah. They put it on before prayer and worship. Another tradition, and a less amusing ritual, is the Brit Milah. To us, that is a Circumcision. Every baby boy on exactly their eighth day of life is circumcised. They also have traditions known as, Bar Mitzvahs for boys, or Bat Mitzvahs for girls. There is also the Baby-naming Ceremony. This tradition is slightly different today, in which many families chose to do this in their own homes, rather then in the Synagogue. A lot of holidays are celebrated with Judaism and they are not the average holidays. One such holiday is called the Passover. This is simply a celebration of the Jewish nation. On this holiday, that takes place on the fifteenth day of the Hebrew month, a Passover Seder is performed. This is where the Jews tell the story of Exodus while they endeavor to transition their life condition from slavery to emancipation. The Passover is not just to celebrate the historical event, but it is to rejoice their freedom. Hanukkah is also a Jewish holiday, and is a more familiar one. This is a festival of lights in which they are similarly celebrating Jewish national survival and religious freedom. Another well-known event, but as for us, it is not considered a holiday, is the Holocaust Remembrance Day. This is a day of remembrance for the 17.5 million people, including Jews, who were captured and killed by the Nazis. Misconceptions about Judaism: Different people have different perceptions about various religions in the world. Judaism, since many people do not truly understand its principles and laws, is being misunderstood in different ways. One misconception about Judaism is that the religion revolves around living by the 10 commandments of God (Glustrom, 1989). Due to its strong Monotheism belief, some people think that being a Jew is mainly about following the 10 commandments, which is not true. The Torah contains about 613 commandments and the 10 commandments are just 1.63% of the total. Indeed, the 10 commandments are largely important due to their symbolic value; however, this does not mean that the Jews will be all covered just by following these 10 because the other commandments in the Torah are equally important. Another misconception about the Jews is the direct contradiction of their Monotheism belief, that God is their only God, from people's accusation that the Jews are actually the ones who killed Jesus Christ. History tells us how the Jews were accused of the death of Jesus Christ, and up to today there are still some people who believe in this notion. Hence, some people perceive that the Jews are hypocrites for claiming that they live by the words of one God when in fact they are the accusers and killers of Jesus Christ. Turning back the hands of time, the Jews were indeed the accusers of Jesus Christ; however, it is unfair to blame all the Jews for what happened. There may be some Jews who participated in Jesus Christ's crucifixion, but there were multitudes of other Jews who were and still are believers of God. Some people also misunderstand the Jews' principle on the subject of hell. Some people think that Judaism does not believe in hell (Glustrom, 1989). Although the religion does not have a clear and well-defined doctrine about the subject of hell, it does have the idea of hell as communicated in the Talmud. Judaism has the notion of punishment in the afterlife and this is mentioned many times in Talmud. Moreover, its concept of Gehinnom, the term for hell as indicated in the Rabbinic literature, actually corresponds to the concept of hell. Some people also think of Jews as judgmental and disapproving of other people, specifically the misconception that religious Jews look down to non-religious Jews as less holy (Glustrom, 1989). Such misconception is, in fact, a contradiction to the belief and practice of Judaism that is founded on their concept of their kind, caring, and loving one God. The Jews do not judge rather they respect the choices of their brothers and of other people. According to its Talmud, “how do you now your blood is redder than his; maybe his blood is redder than yours.” This text simply denotes the Jews' principle on equality and being respectful of the world and all forms of life. How People's Misconceptions About Judaism Can Be Altered by Attending a Service: Attending a Jewish liturgy will certainly help people understand what Judaism really is and change most of the misconceptions that they have about the religion. The heart of the Jewish liturgy is the reading of Torah, consists of the laws of God as revealed to Moses. Every service, they read and study a section of the Torah to further contemplate on the laws of God. If people will only take the opportunity to attend a Jewish service, they will have the chance to listen to the principles and teachings of Judaism. By listening to the readings of Torah, people will have a better understanding of the Jews' practices and way of living. They will be enlightened more about the religion, and their questions about Judaism will be answered. Education is the best way to alter people's understanding of Judaism, and this can be achieved through attending a Jewish service. Why Misconceptions Are Common and How Misconceptions Can be Minimized: Speaking of education, it is usually the lack of education that leads to various misconceptions of people about other people's religion. Since we have no, or maybe limited, knowledge about other religious beliefs, people tend to hold a view or opinion about other faiths that is incorrect. Due to people's preconceived notion of certain things, religion in particular, it is common for us to hold conceptual misunderstandings of other religions. These preconceived notion may come from the stories of our ancestors, our own tradition, practices, hearsay, or the information and ideas that the media and our society as a whole supply the people with. One of the most effective step that can be taken to minimize misconceptions people have about other religions is education. I keep on mentioning education because I believe that it is the only way that can accurately correct the various misunderstandings that people have about religions not their own. Before we believe in anything we are told about or hear, we must be responsible for undertaking our own research and investigation of the subject. If we are told that, for instance, Judaism is a difficult religion in terms of its principles and teachings, we must not immediately believe in it. Instead, we must investigate and find out whether or not Judaism is truly a difficult religion and what makes it one. We need to be critical and careful about our perceptions on religions because it is not fair to judge other people based on an inaccurate information. Conclusion: Through research and investigation, our knowledge of the world's religions will increase and will allow us to be more accepting and less judgmental of other people's faith. Judaism may be difficult for other people to understand, but judging the religion based on the common misconceptions people have about Judaism is certainly not fair. Therefore, we must educate ourselves about Judaism and other world religions to have more understanding of people's different faiths. References Abrahams, I. (2008). Judaism. Cambridge: Forgotten Books. BBC. (2012). Judaism. Retrieved February 16, 2012, from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/. Glustrom, S. (1989). The myth and the reality of Judaism. 82 misconceptions set straight. West Orange, NJ: Behrman House, Inc. Read More