Judaism

Judaism is the smallest of the major religions, with 15 million followers, the Jews,
mostly in the USA (5.7 million) and in Israel (5.6 million). Through history, Jews
have moved to a lot of different places but they developed a strong community
sense and the diaspora (spread) is helpful to each member. It is the oldest
monotheistic faith, as it appeared in 2000 BCE in Sumeria.

Born in Ur, Abraham (the father of nations) is both a patriarch and a prophet.
Under the order of Yahweh (God the Eternal), he had to leave everything, to
reject all other gods, to found a new nation in Canaan (the promised land). After
7 years of quest in the desert, they finally found this land; by this time, Abraham
had 2 sons: Ismael (founder of Islam) and Isaac. To prove Abrahams faith, God
asked him to sacrifice Isaac, and, when he did so, the angel Gabriele stopped
him and ordered him to kill a lamb instead.
Then Isaac lived in Canaan. One day his son, Jacob, fought with someone
unknown and won. After that, he was called Israel (the one who fought with god)
and his 12 sons created the 12 tribes of Israel. Because of starvation, some Jews
went to Egypt where they lived happily. But shortly, Pharaoh decided to enslave
them. By 1200 BCE, to limit the population, he ordered to kill all the boys of the
Jewish families. Therefore Moses (saved from water) was picked up by Pharaohs
daughter. As an adult, he decided to save the Jews of Egypt and to lead them
back to Israel. After the 10 wounds of Egypt, Pharaoh let them go. Then Moses
split the Red Sea in half and the Jews stopped at mount Sinai (Exodus), where
God gave to Moses the tables of law, that contain their code of conduct
summarized in the 10 commandments, for example: you shall not kill, you shall
not steal, honor your father and mother and asked the people to build the Ark
of Covenant to transport them. After 40 years of wandering, the Jews of Egypt
finally arrived in Israel.
During the 10th century BCE, the 12 tribes of Israel decided to unite together: it
is the time of Kings. Among them, David is the symbol of union (on his shield,
the maguen David (star), is still on the Israelian flag) and his son, Salomon,
developed prosperity and built the Great Temple of Jerusalem to contain the ark
of covenant, with the tables of law. The wailing Wall in Jerusalem is the ruin of
the western wall of Solomons temple and is still a very important place of
pilgrimage.

Through its long history, Judaism has become a very codified religion, with 613
rules to follow. These laws are written in the Torah (TaNaK). This sacred book is
composed by the Genesis (creation of the world), the Exodus (exit of Egypt), the
Leviticus (divine instructions), the Numbers (laws and tribes) and the
Deuteronomy (Moses speeches). The Talmud, the other important book, contains
the explanations of the Torah.
During all their life, Jews must respect multiple rituals. At birth, boys are
circumcised. At 13-14, girls (Bat-Mitsvah) and boys (Bar-Mitsvah) become Jewish
adults. Only the men can pray. Marriage is an obligation. At their door stands the
Mezuzah and inside is the Menara (7 branches candlestick). Daily, Jews must eat
casher (suitable) food with clear restrictions, pray 3 times a day, respect the
Shabbat (resting time) from Friday evening to Saturday evening and go to the
synagogue for the Amida (prayer). Men wear tefillin, kippa and tallit to pray. All
these actions are meant to protect the Universe from the Divine Anger.
All these gestures arent easy to observe and, by the time, 3 major branches of
Judaism have formed : Orthodox who only believe in the words of God,
Conservatives who think that some rules should be updated and Reformists who
want a complete update of Judaism.
However, festivals are universal. The earliest one is Rosh Hashanah (September),
the New Years Eve ; next theres Yom Kippur, a 25-hour period of fasting used to
forgive ; a bit later comes Succoth where people construct small houses to
commemorate the 40 years of wandering in the desert ; in December, Hanukkah
symbolizes the successful reconquest of Jerusalem ; a while later, Pessah is
about the escape from Egypt and lasts 8 days. Finally comes Shavuot which is
the gift of the Torah.

Hadrien Renault Word count:

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