Christianity

Variants In Judaism

What is a variant?

·         Two or more people or things that have slight differences in opinions. The three major variants or streams are Conservative, Orthodox and Reform (Liberal or Progressive)

Orthodox	Conservative	Progressive
Strict regulations in religion Men and women are separated to pray in synagogue Believe God wrote the Torah Synagogues are established by a group of Jews who gather their own funds Strict with dietary laws No marriage to people of other religions Speak Hebrew	Foster practice of traditional Judaism while embracing modernism Men and women sit together Believe Jewish laws can be changed Believe God’s will is made known to humanity through revelation	Less traditional Allowed to marry people of other religions Don’t believe the Torah was written by God Allow a contemporary life English language used in parts of religious service Accept people regardless of sexual orientation Relatively new Torah can adapt to times

·         Relaxed practice that fits in society- P

·         Individual praying and occasional conversation in service- P

·         Traditional beliefs but addressing contemporary needs- C

·         Men and women sit separately- O

·         Men and women sit together and participate fully in service, prayers and rituals- C/P

·         Women do not practice in all rituals- O

·         English used for service- P

·         Strict dress and dietary law- O

·         Always worship in Hebrew- O

·         Women can lead services and become rabbis- P

The Synagogue

Origins of the Name:

The synagogue is the Jewish equivalent of a church. There are several different terms to describe it: “shul” which emphasises study or “temple” (used by Reform Jews)

Functions of the Synagogue:

·         A house of prayer, worship and religious services

·         A place of study and education

·         Location for religious rituals

·         May be a “town hall”

·         Synagogues achieve funds through donations and annual membership fees (not necessary for worship in the synagogue)

·         Social Welfare agency

• Library of sacred Jewish texts

Organization Structure:

·         Are run by a board of directors

·         Manage and maintain the synagogue

·         They hire a rabbi

·         Services can be conducted without a rabbi, a lay person will take their place.

·         Rabbi provides leadership, guidance and education

·         Do not have a collection plate during service but instead collect money at weekday services which go to charity

·         Membership fees are paid annually to help the synagogue

·         Do not have to be a member to worship at the synagogue

·         Individual synagogues do not answer to any central authority

Ritual items in the Synagogue

·         Prayer services are performed in the ‘sanctuary’

·         Most important feature is the Ark, a cabinet in the wall that holds Torah scrolls

·         Also called the Aron Kodesh (holy cabinet)

·         Is placed to the front of the room, on the side in which Jerusalem is

·         Has doors and a curtain

·         Opening the door and curtain is done by a member of the congregation and is an honour

·         All people stand when it is open

·         In front of the Ark, is the Eternal Lamp, symbolizes the commandment to keep a light burning

·         Menorah (candelabrum) is also in the room

·         In the centre of the room is a pedestal called the bimah, torah scrolls are put in here so they can be read

·         Also used as a podium for services

·         Additional lectern called an amud

Kosher Menu

Breakfast:

-          Latkes

o   Known as potato cakes, and are a popular Kosher breakfast meal

o   Eaten a lot around the time of Hanukkah

o   Accompanied by scrambled eggs and sour cream

Lunch:

-          Fish roll with tomato, lettuce, cheese and beetroot.

o   Dairy and meat cannot be eaten together

o   Fish and cheese is acceptable

Dinner:

-          Chicken Broccoli Cashew stir-fry

o   1 kilo boneless, skinless chicken thighs

o   4 Tbsp. canola oil

o   4 Tbsp. peanut butter

o   3 Tbsp. honey

o   1 kilo broccoli

o   80 grams roasted cashews

1. Cut chicken thighs into cubes. Have a separate small bowl and mix oil, honey and peanut butter until it is smooth. Coat the chicken with this marinade. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
2. Prepare one large pot of ice water and one large pot of boiling water. Trim broccoli and remove outer leaves but don't break up into florets. Put the broccoli to the boiling water. Cover and boil for 3 minutes. Remove and immediately dip into the ice water. Drain and cut into florets.
3. Add chicken and marinade to a heated skillet. Stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add broccoli, and stir-fry for another 3 minutes. Take it from the heat and put in the cashews before serving

Kosher

-          Kosher= food which is allowed

-          Treyfah= food which is NOT allowed

-          All plants are kosher, but not all animals, birds or fish are

-          In Leviticus it says: “There are the animals which you are permitted to eat...anything which has a completely split hoof and chews the cud, this you may eat...”

-          Animals must also be killed in a special manner and have all the blood removed before the meat can be eaten by Jews.

-          Jews may only eat animals and birds that have been killed by the Shechitah

-          This is killing the animals by slitting the throat with a very sharp knife

-          This has been shown to be painless to the animals, as causing pain to living things is against the Jewish law

-          The theory is that the sharp knife cuts the carotid so that the animals loses consciousness before they are able to feel pain

-          All vegetables and fruit and dairy products are kosher

-          Kosher: chicken, sheep, cow, fish with fins, goat

-          Non-kosher: pig, rabbit, camel, eel, most birds

-          Jews who keep kosher kitchens do not eat meat and dairy meals together

-          Separate sets of crockery, cutlery and cooking utensils are used. After eating meat strict Jews will wait several hours before eating dairy.

-          Foods which contain neither meat nor milk, fruit or vegetables may be eaten wit either meat or vegetables

Torah Scribe

Jewish Festivals

Rosh Hashanah:

-          Jewish New Year, the first high holidays which is the Day of Awe celebrated 10 days before Yom Kippur

-          Falls once a year during the month of Tishrei (September)

-          They observe the sounding of the shofar, which is the rams horn trumpet, the shofar is  not blown if the holiday falls on Shabbat

-          Lasts 1-2 days

-          One of the main reasons the apple is used is because of its sweetness. Coupled with the added sweetness if the honey, it is symbolic of the ultra-sweet year they hope God will grant them.

Sukkot:

-          The Festival of Sukkot begins on Tishri 15, the fifth day after Yom Kippur. It is quite a drastic transition, from one of the most solemn holidays in our year to one of the most joyous.

-          This festival is sometimes referred to as Zeman Simkhateinu, the Season of our Rejoicing. Sukkot lasts for seven days.

-          Sukkot has a dual significance: historical and agricultural. The holiday commemorates the forty-year period during which the children of Israel were wandering in the desert, living in temporary shelters. Sukkot is also a harvest festival

Yom Kippur:

-          Yom Kippur means ‘Day of atonement’. It is a day of trying to make up for your sins

-          It is the most Holy day in the Jewish Calender

-          Anyone who is over the age of bar/bat mitzvah is expected to fast all day

Hanukkah:

-          Hanukkah is a celebration of Jewish people gaining freedom. It is the most well known Jewish festival, but not the most significant as it is not written in the Torah.

-          It is celebrated for eight days and nights.

-          It begins on the 25^th of the  Jewish month of Kislev (late November/December)

-          In Hebrew the word “Hanukkah” means “dedication.”

-          Some of the Hanukkah traditions include: lighting the hanukkiyah, spinning the dreidel and eating fried foods.

-          Jews celebrate Hanukkah in replace of Christmas because they do not believe the Jesus is the Messiah.

-          Hanukkah means “Festival of Lights.”

Passover:

-          Passover begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the first of the three major festivals with both historical and agricultural significance. Agriculturally, it represents the beginning of the harvest season in Israel, but little attention is paid to this aspect of the holiday.

-          The primary significance of Passover is to commemorate the story of Exodus, in which ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt.

Tu B’Shevat:

-          Tu B'Shevat is a minor Jewish holiday known for the New Year for trees. Tu B’Shevat It occurs on the 15^th day of the Hebrew month.

-             This holiday lasts from sunset of the first day through up until sunset of the next day.

Shavout:

-          Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks.

-          It is also known as Hag Matan Torateinu (the Festival of the Giving of Our Torah).

-          Shavuot is not tied to a particular calendar date, but to a counting of 7 weeks from Passover.

-          Work is not allowed on Shavuot.

-          They stay up the entire first night of Shavuot and study Torah, and then pray as early as possible in the morning.

Shabbat:

-          Shabbat is the day of rest

-          “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that He had done.”

-          Exodus tells Jews to “keep the Sabbath day holy

-          Shabbat begins on sundown Friday and ends on sundown the next day

-          Religious services are held on Friday night and Saturday morning. The family usually attends these

-          At night, they study the torah or talk before going to bed

Omer Period:

-          Omer means a measure of grain that was once offered at the temple of Jerusalem

-          They give this to God as a way of saying thanks for the good harvest

-          The period of Omer is between Passover and the festival of Shavuot

-          It lasts for seven weeks

-          It is a period of mourning because during this period many years ago a rabbi and many of his students died of the plague