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The importance of Rabbis in living life as a Jew

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The importance of Rabbis in living life as a Jew

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Rabbi means teacher in Hebrew. They lead religious services (Shabbat). The rabbi are seen as a counsellor, a role model and a teacher.

Rabbis are important because they make rules to prevent people violating the Torah. Rabbis set rules in their own community to help guide the Jews there. This means they tell them how to live and Jews always go to Rabbis for help.

Rabbis educate people in classes about 10 commandments etc.

Rabbis solve disputes regarding halakhah which is a Jewish law. When they complete their training they are given the semikhah which allows them to make these decisions. They are often who Jews go to so they can  solve such disputes.

Rabbis interpret G-d's word in the Torah to help solve the issues of today. For example whether or not contraception is acceptable to be used or if it goes against G-d's word.

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What does it mean to be a Jew today? What makes someone Jewish?

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What does it mean to be a Jew today? What makes someone Jewish?

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Chloe's Group
- Jew by birth must be born to a Jewish mother
- The principles and practices of Judaism does not make a person a Jew. But, those born Jewish do not lose that status because they cease to be observant Jews, even if they adopt the practices of another religion.
- Judaism is more like a nationality than like other religions, and being Jewish is like a citizenship.

FUN JOKE
Q:What makes me a Jew?
A:Ya mum

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The question "What does it mean to be Jewish?" has often been asked. I suppose you could invoke the old joke "Ask two Jews a question and you'll get three opinions" to better comprehend how different Jews would respond to this question, so when I weigh in here, I hope readers will forgive me if my opinions don't always accord with theirs.

But the question is legitimate and should be asked. Jewish people share a common heritage and are affected by many of the same issues today. They face a world in which their religion is part of their identity; no matter how far apart they are on the religious and political spectrums (not to mention any others), they share a common bond that unites them in terms of how they relate to each other and to the outside world.

So what does it mean to be Jewish? To me, it means the following:

● To believe in God. Divine affirmation is the foundation of Judaism. Everything else comes after.

● To observe Shabbat and the various yom tovim. What could be more meaningful, spiritual, and fulfilling - more Jewish - than practicing the religious aspects of Judaism?

● To lead an honorable life. Shouldn't we all aspire to become tzaddikim, righteous people?

● To keep kosher. Certain things just seem to go together, like lox and bagels, gefilte fish and horseradish - and being Jewish and keeping kosher.

● To do mitzvot. There are 613 mitzvot in the Torah, including the above. Carrying out mitzvot is part of our code.

● To carry on Jewish traditions. There's life after davening, and it's called Jewish culture. Chanukah gifts, hamantashen, and singing niggunim on Shabbat are just a few of the wonderful customs that have evolved from the religion and its people.

● To be proud of your Jewish heritage. Wear it on your sleeve - you're a member of a tribe that has nearly 6,000 years of history.

● To feel an immediate bond with fellow Jews. Have you ever felt like you can be anywhere in the world and if you find a fellow Jew, you feel an immediate kinship?

● To involve yourself in a community of Jews. As birds of a feather flock together, it's only natural for Jews to be immersed in a Jewish world - having Jewish friends, engaging in Jewish activities, living in Jewish neighborhoods.

● To feel a Jewish identity. Even if you're not as religious as you could or should be, what could possibly make you more Jewish than feeling Judaism is an indelible part of your soul, or that being Jewish is simply who you are?

● To feel a special connection to Jewish history. Who can feel the pain of Jewish persecutions, expulsions, and genocides more than a Jew? Who can feel the catastrophe of the Holocaust more deeply than a Jew?

● To take great pride in Israel. Do you get the chills when you hear "Hatikvah"? After 2,000 years of Jews living in the Diaspora as a weak, defenseless, persecuted people, what greater modern miracle could there be than the resurrection of the Jewish homeland?

● To place an emphasis on education. Jewish parents may be the original "tiger moms and dads." Perhaps that is why some professions are disproportionately populated by Jews.

● To feel empathy for the poor, oppressed, and downtrodden. You only have to consider how much we've suffered as a people to understand how this got into our DNA.

● To have a Jewish funny bone. You can relate to Jewish humor because you're laughing at yourself and other Jewish people you know - and, nu, do you think there's any shortage of Jewish foibles?

● To think in "Jewish ways." How do Jews think? Oy vey iz mir. We think the number 18 brings good luck, so we sometimes give gifts in denominations of 18, like $36 or $180. We try to ward off the evil eye after hearing compliments or wonderful news by saying " kenohora" or mimicking spitting by going "pooh-pooh-pooh." Oh, and there's the proverbial Jewish guilt, as well as our inimitable designation of " mishagas" to explain a panoply of crazy behavior with a Jewish edge. Is there such a thing as a Yiddishe kop? Suffice it to say that when you do something stupid, you're not using it.

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The question "What does it mean to be Jewish?" has often been asked. I suppose you could invoke the old joke "Ask two Jews a question and you'll get three opinions" to better comprehend how different Jews would respond to this question, so when I weigh in here, I hope readers will forgive me if my opinions don't always accord with theirs.

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 What historical events have shaped judasim?

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 What historical events have shaped judasim?

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Babylonian Exile
The Babylonian exile is the period in Jewish history during which a number of judahites of the ancient kingdom of Judah were captures in Babylonia. This event forfills a prophecey once predicted. This is proof for some jewish people that their faith is real.
The Shoah
The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was a genocide in which Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany and its collaborators killed about six million Jews
Rescued From Egypt Under Moses
Moses was a really important figure; he was the channel between God and the Hebrews. He received the ten commandments to give to the Hebrews
Lydia's Group

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The importance of the Torah in living life as a Jew

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The importance of the Torah in living life as a Jew

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-The Torah is the word of G-d which helps them to live a Halakhic life. e.g. The ten Commandments and the mitzvot
-The Torah teaches them about their ancestry and past historical events. e.g. Moses
-The Torah teaches them about how they should live their lives e.g. How to  celebrate their festivals and how to worship G-d and what they should and shouldn't eat.(kosher)

Evidence you could use:
'Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.' - From the ten commandments.

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Differences between Progressive and Orthodox Jews

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Differences between Progressive and Orthodox Jews

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Fathimah's Group

Torah- Orthodox Jews belive that the torah comes directly from god and that it canot be changed.Therfore all they can do is 'understand'it.Wheras reform Jews belive that the Torah is G-d inspierd and was writen by hebrews/Iralites(human biengs).

For Orthodox Jews women and men are separated and some women do not participate in some rituals.However, men and women sit together and women participate fully in the synagogue services, prayers and rituals for progressive Jews.

Orthodox Jews separate men and women during many services and rituals, this is to prevent them from mingling. vv

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The importance of Jewish traditions in living life as a Jew

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The importance of Jewish traditions in living life as a Jew

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Julia's Group

-  Jewish traditions are important in the life of a Jew because they remind Jews of what they believe.

-  They keep the young Jews involved with the religion because the traditions are fun. during the festival Purim Jews celebrate with Megillah readings, gifts and foods, charity, feasting and merriment. All fun things.

- They keep the Jewish religion strong and going on throughout many generations. the first Hanukkah celebration was during the second century B.C.

-In Judaism, life is marked by numerous special days in which adherents take time out of their everyday lives to stop work and focus on God and his mitzvot (commandments), including Sabbath services and holidays

-The history of Judaism is full of incredible stories, which, according to the Hebrew Bible, are important for Jews of all generations to remember. Because the purpose of most of the holidays and festivals in Judaism is to recall God's work in history, they are one of the most important aspects of the Jewish faith

-Observing holidays and festivals also has important social outcomes. They help to keep tradition alive, contribute to a sense of community and belonging, and ensure regular reflection and celebration

-The most important Jewish holy days are the Sabbath, the three pilgrimage festivals (Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot) and the two High Holy Days (Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur). For observant Jews, it is forbidden to work on any of these days.

http://chosenpeople.com/main/holidays-and-festivals/465-the-most-important-jewish-holidays-rosh-hashanah-and-yom-kippur

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/0/19150793

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Differences between Progressive and Orthodox Jews

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Differences between Progressive and Orthodox Jews

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Lucy's Group

Torah
Orthodox – God wrote the bible and handed it down to Moses at Mount Sinai. This information is for all time. They follow the Torah's every detail and don't set its teachings aside.

Reform – God didn’t write the bible. He inspired it but humans wrote it. Since the Torah, there have been further revelations. The Torah must be interpreted so that it is relevant to modern day life.

Commandments
Synagogue
Orthodox - Men lead worship. Only men can be Rabbis or read from the Torah. Men and women sit separately during worship.

Reform - Men and women have an equal role in worship. They can sit together in worship. Both men and women can be Rabbis.

Men and Women
Orthodox - Women have a sacred role, they bear children, take care of the home and are responsible for their children's Jewish upbringing. The woman passes on the Jewish values. Women are obliged to do some duties.

Reform - They treat women more equally

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How do Jews live their lives today? What guides them?

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How do Jews live their lives today? What guides them?

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Beatrice's group
There a lot of things that guides Jews lives for example:

The Torah- By looking in the Torah they can get advice for their daily lives. The word Torah has various meanings in English. These include: teaching, instruction and law. For Jews the Torah means all of these.  It is the first part of the jewish bible.

Rabbi- A Rabbi educates Jews on the Tenakh. They often settle disputes between Jews according to Jewish law.

Mishnah- Oral Torah. Gives information about ethical issues including marriage, forbidding divorce etc

Parents/relatives- If they have relatives who are Jew, they might be influenced by them. They might give advice on how to live out the religion.

Jews live their lives by:

-Doing daily prayers, at certain times throughout the day
-This is important since it builds a stronger relationship with G-d
-The Jews keep G-d's laws
-by doing this throughout the day, they are bringing holiness into their daily lives (as Jews seek to bring holiness into every aspect of their lives)

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The importance of Rabbis in living life as a Jew

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The importance of Rabbis in living life as a Jew

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Natasha's Group

- Educated and Teaches
- Judges on disputes according to Jewish laws
- Interprets God's word in relation to ethical issues today to advise Jews eg. contraception

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The importance of the Torah in living life as  a Jew

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The importance of the Torah in living life as  a Jew

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-Torah means instruction

-The Torah contains 10 commandments to instruct  Jews on how to follow God's will

-It teaches Jews about the ancestory (Moses in Egypt)

-Other mitzvot gives Jews guidance on how to live their lives (eg. What foods are/ aren't kosher and when special festivals should be celebrated and how they should be celebrated.)
-It teaches Jews about faith (eg. Babylonian exile)
Tanya's Group

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What historical events have shaped Judaism? How?

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What historical events have shaped Judaism? How?

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Lydia's group

Rescued from Egypt under Moses- given 10 commandments

The Shoah

Babylonian exile

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The different types of Jews in Judaism with a brief outline

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The different types of Jews in Judaism with a brief outline

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Orthodox

-Men and women sit separately in Orthodox synagogues and women do not participate in some of the rituals

-More traditional

-follow the Torah word for word

-believe the Torah is relevant today

-Synagogues are established by groups of Jews who raise their own funds and construct their own buildings

Orthodox Judaism believe that the Written and Oral Torah are of divine origin, and represent the word of G-d.

Orthodox Jews make up around 10% of the Jewish community in America.

Reform

-BElieve in the torah word for word
-equality for women in all aspects of Judaism.
-Reform Jews are also committed to the full participation of gays and lesbians in synagogue life as well as society at large
-http://www.reformjudaism.org/what-reform-judaism

Ultra-orthodox

- Ultra-orthodox Jews are the most traditional

Conservative

- Conservative Jews are a traditional group

- Independent of Reform and Orthodox Jews yet still falls halfway between both

-Conservative Judaism also known by Hebrew word 'Masorti', which means 'traditional'-

-International organisation is Masorti Olami, the World Council of Conservative/Masorti Synagogues.-

-They see Israel as the birthplace and deathbed of the Jewish people-

Believe that Hebrew is the key to Judaism, as the Torah is written in this language

-The new generation should see the Torah with the upmost importance

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/subdivisions/conservative_1.shtml

Progressive

Secular

secular Jews change the jewish rules/beliefs with their own preferences, attitudes, and beliefs.

Mizrachi, Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews

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Ellen's Group