A student contacted me about gaining information about Judaism from a local rabbi for a college course she was taking. She interviewed me and asked some well-thought questions. She came equipped with many queries about the practices of Judaism. I share the first few below:
1. How has religion shaped your life?
Judaism has influenced my life in more ways than I can enumerate. It is the filter through which I see and hear all things. I continually ask myself in every situation, ‘Is this what Judaism demands?’ ‘Is this what God wants?’ When I see a young man playing a guitar on the sidewalk with his guitar case open, I ask myself, what does my tradition demand of me? Or, when I am insulted by unkind words or am the object of slander, what does the Torah tell me to do? How do I react? As the Jewish faith has an opinion and instruction about every facet of life it always be asked, 'what is the Jewish approach to this issue?'
As both Judaism and God care intimately about how we interact with one another and the world there is nothing that is removed from the gaze of Tradition. We matter. Other people matter. The welfare of the world matters. For all these reasons we must act in accord with Torah.
2. What are the challenges, if any, to practicing this particular religion?
Judaism is a demanding religion. It is not simply for the synagogue or religious events. It is breathing, eating, talking, walking, business....all. If there is an Omniscient, caring God He does not only pay attention to us when we pray. The eye of the Holy One is always peering at us and wants us to make the correct choices. Ever since the exile from the Garden of Eden we have been burdened with the responsibility of making choices.
It is not always comfortable to be doing the right thing....especially when society is going in the opposite direction. Yet, Judaism teaches through the many examples of the prophets that we are often called upon to make a moral stand. We are supposed to speak for those who have no voice or for those who have lost the power of their voice. We are charged to speak, sometimes yell, on their behalf.
And then there is bias, hatred, antisemitism.... That is an ever-present challenge. Still, hatred must never stand in the way of doing the right thing.
3.What are the important holidays and traditions of this religion?
This is a very long answer. There are many holy days that dot the year. Look at a Hebrew calendar and there are major holy days, minor remembrances and small festivals that have through time blossomed into large, meaningful events.
Perhaps the most important of all the holy days is the most frequent one: the Sabbath. It is God's day when He stopped the Creation process. It is our day when we reconnect with the Maker and the universe. Of course, Tabernacles (Sukkot), Pentacost (Shavuot) and Passover (Pesah) are also highly important. Each of them contain elements of historical events (the passage through the Sinai wilderness, the anniversary of the Receiving of the Torah and Liberation from slavery) as well a natural events (fall harvest, spring harvest and planting season) in addition to holy time of connection between the Jewish people and God. Then, in a separate category, comes the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashannah and Yom Kippur. Each one is unique with its many symbols of foods, shofar, study, and prayer and vital to the lifeblood of Judaism.
4. What Bible do the Jews use? Does it go by another name?
Our Bible is the same as your Old Testament. While the order may vary slightly it is the same text. We have other names for it in Hebrew but we call it Bible in English.
In our understanding we divide the Bible up into three sections. They are the Torah, the Prophets (Neviim in Hebrew) and the Writings (Ketuvim). If you take the first consonant from each of the three Hebrew words you have the Hebrew word for the Bible, Tanakh.
5. What is the Torah? How many books does it have?
Torah is the Hebrew word for Pentateuch (penta as in pentagram, pentagon, five). Torah is the 5 books of Moses, or the first five books of the Bible. The word Torah means Law or Instruction.
Often times, the word Torah is used to convey the idea of a God-given message. For this reason Jewish people might say “This is Torah” when they are referring a Law.
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