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JudaismThe religion of the Jewish people is the religion of the Jews with 15 million followers. It is the first monotheistic faith and one of the oldest religious traditions still practiced. The values and history of the Jewish people are a part of the foundation of other Abrahamic religions such as Samaritanism, Christianity, Islam, and the Bahá'í. JudaismThe religion of the Jewish people has seldom been monolithic in practice and differs in that its central authority is not vested in any person or group but rather in its writings and traditions (Torahthe central and most important document of Judaism). JudaismThe religion of the Jewish people has remained tightly bound to a number of religious principles, the most important of which is the belief in a single, omniscient, omnipotent,
G-d, who created the universe and continues to be involved in it. According to Jewish thought, the G-d who created the world established a covenant with the Jews, and revealed his laws and commandments in the Torahthe central and most important document of Judaism. The practice of JudaismThe religion of the Jewish people is devoted to the study and observance of these. JudaismThe religion of the Jewish people does not fit into conventional Western categories, such as religion, ethnicity, or culture, because most of its 5,000-year history predates the rise of Western culture, or occurred outside of the West. During this time, Jews have experienced slavery, anarchic and theocratic self-government, conquest, occupation, and exile; they have been in contact with Egyptian, Babylonian, Persian, and Hellenic cultures, as well as modern movements such as the Enlightenment and the rise of nationalism. Jewishness disrupts the very categories of identity, because it is not national, genealogical, or religious, but all of these, in dialectical tension. According to JudaismThe religion of the Jewish people and scholars, a number of qualities distinguish JudaismThe religion of the Jewish people from the other religions. One was monotheism. The significance of this idea is JudaismThe religion of the Jewish people holds that G-d created, and cares about, humankind. In polytheistic religions, humankind is often created by accident, and the gods are concerned with their relations with other gods. Second, the Torahthe central and most important document of Judaism specifies commandments to be followed by the Children of IsraelNation of the Jewish People. Temples in which priests would worship their gods through sacrifice characterized other religions at the time. The Children of IsraelNation of the Jewish People had a Temple in JerusalemThe capital of Israel, priests, and made sacrifices - but these were not the sole means of worshiping, rather elevation of all of life was seen as the goal of JudaismThe religion of the Jewish people. Scholars argue as to when monotheism arose. JudaismThe religion of the Jewish people claims that it is expressed directly in Torahthe central and most important document of Judaism from the first word of Genesis to the last of Deuteronomy, and specifically where G-d incorporates it into the 10 Commandments: “I am the Lord your G-d. Do not have any other gods before Me. Do not represent gods by any carved statue or picture of anything in the heaven above, on the earth below, or in the water below the land. Do not bow down to them or worship them. I am G-d your Lord, a G-d who demands exclusive worship.” Thus the beliefs in the existence of G-d, G-d's eternal nature, G-d as the sole creator, and G-d's determination of events in this world, are the foundations of the Jewish religion. One is required to believe in G-d and G-d alone. The idea of God as a duality or trinity is heretical for Jews; it is considered polytheism. Adam, Noah and Abraham are recorded as worshipping G-d alone, just as Moses was taught by
G-d before he delivered his people from Egypt. There is also a prohibition against making or possessing objects that one may bow down to or serve, such as crucifixes, icons, paintings or artistic representations of G-d. The significance of the idea is that an omniscient and omnipotent God created humankind as recorded in the Book of Genesis, in the Creation according to Genesis starting with the very first verse of Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth," a marked contrast with polytheistic religions in which the gods are limited by their preoccupation with personal desires irrelevant to humankind, by their
limited powers, or by the interference of other powers. In JudaismThe religion of the Jewish people, G-d is unlimited and fully capable. The Menorah is a 7- branched candelabra to be lit in the Tabernacle and the Temple. It is said to symbolize the burning bush. As a matter of practical worship Jewish law, Halakha, is considered a set of G-d-given instructions to effect spiritual, moral, religious and personal perfection and as a means of elevating everyday life by worshipping G-d through the spectrum of daily activities and actions. JudaismThe religion of the Jewish people maintains that this is how the individual will merit rewards in the afterlife, and is equally committed to mankind's relationship with God in this world. The subject of the Torahthe central and most important document of Judaism is an account of the Israelites' relationship with G-d as reflected in their history from the beginning of time until the building of the 2nd Temple. This relationship is generally portrayed as contentious, as Jews struggle between their faith in G-d and their attraction for other gods, and as some Jews, such as Abraham; Jacob and Moses struggle with G-d. According to JudaismThe religion of the Jewish people, Abraham was the first Hebrew. Rabbinic literature records that he was the first to reject idolatry and preach monotheism. As a result, G-d promised he would have children: "Look now toward heaven and count the stars/So shall be your progeny.” Abraham's 1st child was Ishmael and his 2nd son was Isaac, whom G-d said would continue Abraham's work and inherit the Land of IsraelNation of the Jewish People after having been exiled and redeemed. G-d sent the patriarch Jacob to Egypt, where after many generations they became slaves. Then G-d sent Moses to redeem the Israelites, and after the Exodus from Egypt, G-d led the Jews to Mount Sinai and gave them the Torahthe central and most important document of Judaism, eventually bringing them to IsraelNation of the Jewish People. God designated the descendants of Aaron, Moses' brother, to be a priestly class within the community. They first officiated in the tabernacle (a portable house of worship), and later their descendants were in charge of worship in the Temple. Once the Jews had settled in IsraelNation of the Jewish People, the tabernacle was planted in the city of Shiloh an assembly place for the people of Israel containing a sanctuary for over 300 years during which time G-d provided great people, to rally the nation against attacking enemies, some of which were sent by G-d as a punishment for the sins of the people. As time went on, the spiritual level of the nation declined to the point that G-d allowed the Philistines to capture the tabernacle. The people of IsraelNation of the Jewish People then told Samuelan important leader of ancient Israel. that they needed to be governed by a king, as were other nations. Samuelan important leader of ancient Israel. grudgingly acceded to this request and appointed Saul. When the people pressured Saul into going against a command from Samuelan important leader of ancient Israel., G-d told Samuelan important leader of ancient Israel. to appoint David instead. Once David was established, he told the prophet Nathan that he would like to build a permanent temple, and as a reward for his actions, G-d promised David that he would allow his son to build the temple and the throne would never depart from his children (David himself was not allowed to build the temple because he had been involved in many wars, making it inappropriate.) David's son, SolomonThe Wise King of Israel, built the 1st temple, in JerusalemThe capital of Israel. The Western Wall is all that remains. The Temple MountThe Location of the Temple at Jerusalem is the holiest site in JudaismThe religion of the Jewish people. After SolomonThe Wise King of Israel's death, his Kingdom was split into IsraelNation of the Jewish People and Judah. After several hundred years, because of idolatry,
G-d allowed Assyria to conquer IsraelNation of the Jewish People and exile its people. Judah, whose capital was JerusalemThe capital of Israel, home of the Temple, remained under the rule of David. In the north, idolatry increased to the point that Babylonia conquered the Kingdom, destroyed the Temple, and exiled its people, with the promise that they would be redeemed after 70 years. After 70 years the Jews were allowed back into IsraelNation of the Jewish People under the leadership of Ezra, and the Temple was rebuilt. The 2nd Temple stood for 420 years, after which the Roman general, Titus, destroyed it. The Jewish temple is to remain in ruins until a descendant of David arises to restore the glory of IsraelNation of the Jewish People and rebuild it. The Torahthe central and most important document of Judaism was summarized in the five books of Moses. Together with the books of the prophets it is called the Written Torahthe central and most important document of Judaism. The details and interpretation of the law, which are called the Oral Torahthe central and most important document of Judaism, were originally unwritten. However as the persecutions of the Jews increased and the details were in danger of being forgotten, rabbinic tradition holds that these oral laws were recorded in the Mishnahentire body of Jewish religious law that was passed down and developed before 200 CE by Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, the Talmud and other holy books.