How to Make Judaism Part of Your Life

Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people, a socio-ethnic community stretching back several thousand years. During its long and rich history, Judaism has developed into many forms, expressing itself in everything from folk culture to high literature, mysticism to philosophy, radical reform to ultra-orthodoxy, and ritualism to rationalism. Despite these diverse developments of Jewish culture and the variety of "host cultures" in which Jews lived, the Hebrew Bible gave an unchanging basis to their faith and community.
Though small in number (currently around 13 million worldwide), the Jewish people and their scriptures have exerted great influence on the development of religion in the West. In North America there are three major Jewish groups or movements: Reform, Conservative and Orthodox Judaism, plus several smaller groups.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Hebrew Bible
• Jewish history books

Basic Tenets

1. The Hebrew Bible has three sections. The Torah (the five books of Moses), the Nebi'im (Prophets), and Kethubim (Writings) are together known as "Tanak". The Torah is the primary scriptual authority; it includes an account of creation, the earliest history of the Jewish people, their laws, mores, religious doctines, and covenant with God.

2. God has a special covenant with the Jewish people, a covenant which took shape with Abraham and was later consolidated with Moses, who received the Law.

3. The world is God's creation. Just as he "rested" after six days of work, so must his people avoid labor on the Sabbath.

4. Time is linear - creation has a beginning and an end. God guides human life towards its proper end.

5. Human beings have but one life. Early on, Jewish thinkers were not preoccupied with questions of the afterlife. Today most religious Jews expect a Day of Judgement, when God will raise all humans to life for judgement. A minority of Jews contend that that the soul is judged right after death.

Getting Involved

6. Visit the places which are sacred or formative for Judaism, starting with Jerusalem and the rest of Israel. Next, consider visiting some of the concentration camps scattered through Eastern and Central Europe. If Europe is too far, try the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, in Washington, DC.

7. Research your family's roots, make a family tree, or plan a trip to the places your ancestors lived.

8. Create a book list which will improve your knowledge of your tradition.

9. Join a Synagogue and get to know the Jewish community in your area.

10. Meet with likeminded people to learn and discuss Judaism. In addition to the Synagogue, check for classes, groups and departments of Jewish Studies at universities in your area and on the web.

11. Learn how Jews deal with the life-changing events they encounter, including birth, adulthood, marriage, and death.

12. Introduce rituals into your daily life. Parts of your daily routine take on a higher meaning when you think of each of them as a ritual rather than repetition. If you choose to observe traditional daily rituals, you'll have the added beauty of sharing a daily rhythms with your ancestors; you'll play a small part in a song of all ages.

13. Identify which aspects of Judaism are most important to you, and live by them. Choose practices and guidelines for living that are closest to your heart, your experiences, and your religious community.

14. Celebrate the Jewish holidays and festivals. The importance of the litergical calendar cannot be underestimated; it establishes community and the primary rhythms of life.

Jewish Holidays and Festivals

15. Commemorate Passover (Pesach) in late March or April. Its origins lie in a spring festival of thanksgiving for the birth of lambs and a sprouting of grain. With the liberation of the Jews from Egypt (described in Exodus) , Passover became more charged with the idea of group renewal and liberation. Soon the primary feature of Passover was the Seder Feast, as narrated in the Haggadah. Today, contemporary examples of injustice, enslavement and liberation are often incorporated into the Seder.

16. Celebrate Shebhuoth (Shavuot) - also known as Pentecost - fifty days after the Seder Feast. It began as a celebration of the year's first wheat harvest, and was expanded to give thanks for the giving of the Law at Sinai.

17. Celebrate Rosh Hashanah or New Year's Day in September or early October. It is followed by the Days of Repentance, and on the tenth day is Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and fasting. Five days later comes the eight-day Succoth (the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles), which originated in thanks for the fruits of autumn, but was extended to give thanks for God's provident goodness during Israel's wanderings.

18. Don't forget Hanukkah (December) and Purim (February-March), both festive holidays which are not directly based on Mosaic traditions.

Tips & Warnings

• This eHow is a very brief introduction to a few of the practical aspects of a tradition that is both ancient and living. It is not comprehensive, nor is it sectarian. Instead, it includes a few core teachings and some suggestions on how you might begin incorporating Judaism into your life.