What Are the Sacred Practices in Judaism?

Judaism makes heavy use of textual study, but demands action within the world as part of its sacred practices.

Judaism is an ancient religion which, though always claiming a relatively small number of adherents, has an enormous influence. Judaism is a major source for Christianity and Islam. It is a monotheistic religion, and understands the relationship of Jews to God as being mediated through a covenant God made between him and the people of Israel. The task of the Jews is to actualize God's presence in the world through the actions called mitzvot, or commandments. These actions remind the Jew of the presence of God, to increase the amount of righteousness in the world, and to publicize the existence and glory of God to the world. The mitzvot encompass every facet of life, allowing Jews to imbue everyday activities with sacredness.

Study

One of the principal sacred practices in Judaism is Torah study. This involves study of not just the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, but of a host of Jewish legal, philosophical and ethical literature. Acquisition of this type of knowledge is, in itself, a religious act and one of the sacred practices of Judaism.

Kashrut

Eating is one of the most basic biological activities Judaism elevates to the level of the sacred through the discipline of kashrut, when Jews may eat only certain species of, and then only after they slaughtered the animal in a manner designed to minimize their suffering. They may not eat the meat alongside dairy products, and a Jewish authority must supervise most foods to make sure that taithful observe these rules.. This has the effect of creating a mindfulness about the food that is being eaten, and a constant awareness of the commandments and their link to God.

Prayer

Jewish prayers occurs three times a day, in the morning, afternoon and evening. During morning prayers, male Jews (and in some communities, females) don a set of leather boxes (containing parchment with scriptural verses) and straps known as tefillin, and the fringed prayer shawl called a tallit. Prayer is a central sacred practice augmented by the teaching that Jews should say a series of blessings during the day, acknowledging God for a wide range of phenomena . They also say blessings over foods they ate, and recite a longer series of blessings and psalms after any meal. Daily prayer and the act of blessing various natural phenomena and occurrences serve to make the basic activities of living life into sacred practices.

Sabbath

Among the best known sacred practices of Judaism is the keeping of the Sabbath. Scripture, most famously as part of the Ten Commandments, but elsewhere as well, commands rest on the Sabbath. Rest does not simply mean not doing one's job; Sabbath rest means abstaining from all forms of creative work, including gathering things, lighting fires, traveling too far, writing and a host of other practices detailed in the literature. It is also a time of family and community togetherness and joy. Observing these rules makes simply living through this time a sacred practice, one of those most fundamental to Judaism.

Good Deeds

Through good deeds, charity and a sensitivity to the needs of others, Judaism teaches that it's possible to invest the world with a greater holiness. Thus helping others and giving charity become sacred practices.

References

• "Jewish Literacy"; R. Joseph Telushkin; 1991
• "Sinai and Zion"; Jon D. Levenson; 1985
• "The Jewish Way"; R. Irving Greenberg; 1988
• "The World's Religions"; Huston Smith; 1991