judaism

Among The Oldest Surviving Religions

Judaism is considered to be one of the four oldest surviving religions on earth. Judaism is a monotheistic religion, i.e., Judaism believes in the existence of one God.

What is Judaism?

The term Judaism is derived from the Hebrew term Yehudah or Judah – the fourth son of Jacob and Leah and the founder of the Israelite tribe. Judaism is the religion of the Jews. Judaism signifies the faith, the philosophy and the way of life of the Jews. Judaism considers Abraham to be the founder of the religion and patriarch of the Jews. Judaism has a background history of almost three thousand years. However, the number of followers Judaism commands is small compared to other religions. Judaism commands the following of twelve million strong Jews (roughly estimated).

A Religion of Rituals

What makes Judaism stand apart is the fact that it comprises of so many ancient rituals that have passed on to the present times. Some of the Judaism rituals are

• Havdala – celebrating the separation of Sabbath and other holidays from the other working days
• Kiddush – celebrating the sanctification of Sabbath and other holidays
• Ritual washing – to purify oneself
• Bar and Bat mitzvah – coming of age of the children to follow the commandments
• Kaparot- celebrating the Atonement
• Rosh Hashanah - celebrating the new year
• Hanukkah – celebrating the festival of lights
• Purim – commemorating the deliverance of the Persian Jews

Diversification in Judaism

Like other religions of the world, Judaism has diversified into sub sects. These include:

• Orthodox Judaism – they prefer to adhere to the customs as prescribed in the book of Torah
• Conservative Judaism - this movement arose in Germany. The basic idea was to conserve the rich, cultural tradition of Judaism. This movement is also known as Masorti Judaism
• Reform Judaism – this movement have sprouted in the US, UK and elsewhere. The basic principle is to combine the ancient Judaism with the modern day culture and to make Judaism compatible in today’s world

Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Being monotheistic religions, all three religions have a deep connection among them. The founder of Christianity, Jesus himself was a follower of Judaism. In a way, Judaism led to the birth of Christianity. Judaism and Islam share many things in common. Both Islam and Judaism consider Abraham to be their patriarch. Islam’s many practices, teachings and philosophies are largely based on Judaism. Islam considers the followers of Judaism to be the “people of the book”. Judaism on the other hand considers the followers of Islam to be the “righteous people of God”. The holy city of Jerusalem has for long been and still is the only city to be pilgrimage site to all three religions - Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

The tradition continues…….

Judaism with its ancient rituals and scriptures has mesmerized people across the world. Jewish artists have now taken to the art of designing Judaica (Jewish gifts and objects) where they intend to keep alive the tradition of Judaism.