Orthodox Judaism
There is great variation in the ways orthodox Jews practice their religion, and in what they believe. Many of the variations depend on cultural factors, as Jews are scattered all over the world. However, the basic tenets of the religion are all rooted in monotheism (belief in only one supreme God). The principles of the religion also include a firm belief in the Torah (Hebrew Bible) as being the word of God. This means interpreting the Torah in a manner that impacts daily life choices and lifestyle, including the observance of Kosher dietary habits and the Sabbath day. The practice of Orthodox Judaism emphasizes ritual and tradition, family and community life.
Life is sacred, but there are no hard rules about when life begins. Regarding abortion, "even among Orthodox Jews it may be construed as 'a personal matter," ("What do Orthodox Jews think about abortion and why?" 2000). Some would permit abortion under certain circumstances, and others outright. However, it seems that most if not all Orthodox Jews strongly believe that abortions are preferable to the death of the mother. Thus, abortion is "not only permissible but mandatory" when the mother's life is in danger (Donin, 1991, p. 141). Regarding what happens after death, there is also a lack of clear consensus. Orthodox Jews are not obsessed with the
However, "Judaism firmly believes that death is not the end of human existence," (Rich, 2011). Orthodox Jews may believe in heaven and hell, or they might believe in reincarnation (Rich, 2011).
3. Rituals and traditions are central to Orthodox Jewish life. Male births are always accompanied by a circumcision ceremony called a bris, performed exactly eight days after the birth. A rite of passage called a bar mitzvah accompanies passage from childhood to adulthood. In Orthodox Jewish practice, only the boy receives this rite, whereas many non-Orthodox Jews also perform the ritual for female children. In Orthodox Jewish tradition, marriages are considered part of the fundamental social order, and the express purpose of marriage is procreation (Donin, 1991). The Jewish calendar is a lunar one, and cultural/religious holidays are celebrated regularly, about once per month. All holidays and the Sabbath begin at sundown. Lighting candles is often a component of Jewish holiday celebrations. The Sabbath is strictly observed, beginning with the ritual lighting of candles just before sundown on Friday, followed by an evening meal including bread.
4. There are a few specific health-related rituals in Orthodox Judaism. Ultra-Orthodox Jews might perform ritual cleansing rituals regularly in accordance with the Torah (Donin, 1991). This includes anything from the mikvah ritual bath to the meticulous cleaning under the nails. Jewish dietary law is strictly Kosher, which is rooted in health practices related to the sanitation of meat production. Although performed more for cultural and religious…
The guide to practice is sometimes ambiguous, for example, Rashi, the great medieval teacher, implies in one case that the fetus has no rights, but then elsewhere seems to imply the opposite (Berke pp). However, no Jewish source accept abortion for the purpose of birth control or sterility, which is a practice that "cheapens human life" and public morality (Berke pp). Abortion continues to be a highly contentious issue in
Orthodox Judaism considers itself the most authentic experience of Judaism dating itself back to the source of Judaism as stated in the Torah and keeping the Torah as it believes it was transmitted form Sinai. Orthodox Judaism is a hybrid of opinions and these will be described in the following essay. To better understand Orthodox Judaism, too, we have chosen the synagogue Congregation Shaare Zion as example and illustration of
Jews in Concentration Camps As early as 1933, Nazis were sending people to concentration camps most of them being the Jews. The concentration camps were confinements where Jews were forced to go to, tortured and forced to work. The camps were for the undesirable people according to the Nazis and they were; democrats, socialists, homosexuals, prisoners and Jews and during the war the camps held soviet prisoners of war and slave
A young Orthodox Jew may consider him or herself "orthodox," but no longer feels the need to read and write exclusively in Hebrew (Singer 2008). The demands of modern U.S. society have put a strain on many Orthodox Jews, but others see these demands and cultural or social responsibilities as opportunities to continue to redefine what it means to be a young Orthodox Jew in American society. A major motivator
Jews and Jewish Religion Judaism is one of the revealed religions of the world and like Islam and Christianity; this religion also endorses the concept of monotheism. Being one of the oldest monotheist religions, Judaism has a long history but throughout this history, its basic beliefs, traditions, sacred texts and rituals have remained more or less the same. Monotheism in Judaism Like Christianity and Islam, Judaism is one of the most well-known monotheist
Yiddish as a first language in Ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, compared to the use of local vernacular (for example, Hebrew in Israeli-Based Jews, or English in London and New York-Based Jews): in Hasidic Jews, the use of Yiddish is widespread, whereas in other Jewish groups, the local vernacular is more common. This paper discusses the reasons behind these differences, and looks at the functions that Yiddish serves in these Hasidic Jew
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