Unit 3Lesson 1- Judaism
Central Beliefs
Jewish Culture
• Central beliefs of Judaism
• Jews believe:
• God appointed them to be his chosen people and
they are supposed to set an example of holiness and
ethical behavior in the world
• Jews act the way they do because it is part of their
central beliefs and their holy books tell them to act that
way
Central Beliefs
• Belief in one God
• monotheism
• worlds first monotheistic religion
• Jews believe they are Gods chosen people
• Abraham, Moses and other leaders
Central Beliefs
• Justice and Righteousness
• kindness and fairness when dealing with others
• everyone deserves justice
• give aid to those who need it (poor, the sick, orphans)
• fair in business dealings
• behave properly
Central Beliefs (Jews believe that…)
• Belief in Law
• God gave them religious and moral laws to follow
• Most important= 10 Commandments
• Don’t:
• murder
• steal
• lie
• Mosaic law
Central Beliefs
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Sabbath on Saturdays
• holy day
• rest and spiritual enrichment
• eating traditional Sabbath
meals
Being Kosher
• dietary laws (what the Torah
says you can and can’t eat)
• pork
• how you kill an animal
• no unnecessary suffering
Jewish Texts
• The Torah and the Talmud
• most sacred Jewish texts
• where most of their laws are recorded
Synagogue
• Jewish house of worship
• Rabbis
• religious teachers/leaders
Mainly located in:
How did Judaism Spread
• Think back to our previous lesson. How do you think
Judaism spread?
Sects (Sections)/Denominations
• Branches within Judaism:
• Messianic Judaism
• openly recognizes Jesus as the messiah
• practices both worlds
• Orthodox Judaism
• takes the word of the Torah very literally
• Sabbath guidelines
• Eating kosher
• Hasidic Jews are a branch within orthodox
Recap
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Name a few of the central beliefs of Judaism
What is the most sacred Jewish text?
What is a Jewish house of worship called?
Where are the two places Jewish population is
concentrated?
Traditions/Holy Days
• Help Jews connect with their past and celebrate their
history
• Hanukkah
• Passover
• Rosh Hashanah
• Yom Kippur
• Bar/Bat Mitzvah
• You and your group will be given one of these holy days/
“holidays” to research. I will pick a group who will present
this information to the rest of the class. Please note: not
all groups will present, I will be choosing who will do this
so please, make your work QUALITY.
Presentation Guidelines (PowerPoint,
Keynote, Prezi)
• What is the background and history of this holiday/holy
day
• Why is it celebrated?
• How long does it last?
• Are there any special activities or dress for the
occasion?
• What is the “traditional” holiday/holy day fest or foods (if
any).
• What are the customs, rituals, and traditions of this
holiday?