Jewish Practices-GCSE AQA Revision

Definition: A house of assembly, where Jews meet for prayer,worship & study.

Outside of a Synagoue:

• usually rectangular
• most have stained glass windows
• all have Star of David symbol

Important for Jews because...

• Centre of Jewish Community                                                                                                                                             
• Social  Centre
• Place for Prayer & Study
• Focal Point of Jewish Festivals/Rites
• Place of Charitable Work

Inside a Synagogue...                                               The Ever-Burning Light (ner tamid):

• Usually Rectangular                                               Shape of star of David                                                                                            Oil Lamps but now-Electricity 
• 3 sides facing inwards towards Bimah                   Never unlit          
• 4th side has the Holy Ark                                       In front/above Ark 
• Seat for Rabbi,Pulpit(Sermons are delivered)       Symbolises God's Presence
• Decorative Patterns
• A seat for the Chazzan (singer)                            The Reading Platform (Bimah):                                                                                                                                                                    The Ark (Aron Hakodesh):                                   Raised Platform
• Holiest place in synagogue                                    Torah is read from here
• Where scared Torah scrolls are kept
• Represents the Ark of the Covenant (original)
• Front of Synagogue (facing Jerusalem)

Orthodox Synagogues:                                            Reform Synagogues:

• Person leading service-back to congregation        Person leading service faces Congregation 
• Services are in Hebrew & No Singing                    Services Hebrew & Own Language & Singing
• Men/Women-sit separately                                    Everyone sits together          
• Rabbis-all male                                                      Rabbis-Male/Female
• People arrive late & catch up at own pace            Shorter services & Set Time
• Services longer than Reform                                 Most men + Some women -Kippah
• Men cover heads with Kippah                               No daily services- just celebrates      
• Married women-scarf/hat                                      Shabbat/Festivals
• Hold daily services & Shabbat/Festivals

The Amidah- Standing Prayer/18 Blessings

• Weekdays- centre of all Jewish Prayers
• Prayed in Ssilence,whilst standing + facing Jerusalem
• First 3 blessings-Praise God
• Middle 13 blessings-request God's Help
• Final 3 blessings- Thank God

Teffilin: Black Boxes with Leather Straps

• Strapped onto several parts of the body
• Worn during morning services- apart from Shabbat/Festivals

Tallit:Large rectangular Shawl made from wool,cotton/sythentic fabrics

• Contains strands-Tzitzit
• Tzitzit-Black/Blue
• Worn to fulfill Biblical Precept
• Worn during morning services

Shabbat: A Jewish Holy Day of the week-a day of spiritual renewal

• Friday Sunset- Saturday Sunset

Special to Jews because

• They can relax and it's a gift from God
• Time to worship God
• Reminder of Covanent between God & Jewish People

Getting Ready for Shabbat...

• Do all the cooking, cleaning & shopping in advance(such work is prohibted on Shabbat)

During Shabbat...

• Synagogue holds Friday evening/Ssaturday Morning service (45mins)
• On Sat Morning, Curtains of Ark opened-reveals Torah
• Congregation stand
• Symbolises when Israelites standing bottom of Mt.Sinai,when Moses returned with 10 C's

• Husband attends the Synagogue Service
• Then, blesses his family & Sing hyms to Angels

Friday Evening:

• Eat a meal- best food of the week/central feature for family
• Food is heated specifically & husband blesses food-wine drunk-wash hands
• Then 2 loaves of Challot cut & sprinkled with salt & shared

Saturday Evening- Havadalah:

• Special Plaited Candle lit & Spice Box passed round
• Wine is blessed and it marks end of Shabbat & Beginning of Week

Mezuah: a small box that contains a hand-written scroll of verses from the Torah

• Fixed to a doorpost
• reminder to Jews the words of the Shema& to live the day in a way that shows you're loving God with all your heart, soul & strength.
• a Sofer writes the verses in the Mezuzah
• Slighlty tilted & points to the room
• Shows a sign of God's protection on the family

Tenakh:

• consists of 24 books (old testament in Christianity)
• Grouped in 3 main parts
• The word Tenakh is formed from taking the 1st of Hebrew names for each of these 3 parts:
• Torah-bases of Jewish Law
• Nevi'im-expanded laws
• Ketuvim- 11 books-poetry,stories, advice, historical accounts,etc.

Talmud:

• Oral Law
• For early Jews, teachings for how to interpret the Torah & apply it's rules to life
• pased from generation to generation by word/mouth
• Danger that teachings to be alterted so Rabbi Hanassi brought all the laws together in 1 document-The MISHNAH
• This caused debate so dicussions were written down-Gemara
• Mishnah + Germara = Talmud

An event which may have some significance,which often occurs more than once, like a tradition.

Family: For Jews,family life is v.important

where Jewish faith is preserved & passed onto the next generation

certain events in life of the family are celebrated with religious events/Rites of Passage

Because...they involve moving from one phase of life to another

4 Rites of Passage:

1) Birth-naming-Cicumcision-Redemption of 1st Born son

2) Coming of Age-Bar Mitzvah/Bat Mitzvah

3) Marriage-The Betrothal-The wedding

4) Death-Mourning-The Funeral

Naming:

• Boys-named at Circumcision & Girls about a month after birth by Father,formally
• Both Boys & Girls are blessed 1st Shabbat after birth

Brit Milah (Circumcision):

• Removal of the foreskin from penis for religous reasons
• important for Jews-recalls covenant between God & Abraham + life long membership with God

Redemption of 1st born Son (Pidyon Ha-Ben):

• Orthodox give small amount of money 31 days after birth
• To redeem him from temple service
• 5 silver coins given to Kohen
• Prayers said that the child may enter into Torah+Marriage+Good Deeds

• Bar Mitzvah-Boys-means Son of Commandment-when you're 13 yrs old
• Bat Mitszvah-Girls-means Daughter of Commandment-when you're 12 yrs old
• Usually first Shabbat after 12th/13th Birthday
• May attend preparation classes
• Boys wear tallit for the 1st time
• May lead a prayer in the service/read from Torah/make a speech(at start)
• Father thanks God for bringing son to maturity
• Then you can have a celebratory meal/gifts
• For Reform Jews, Girls' Bat Mitzvah is celebrated with the same importance as a Boys'
• but Orthodox do a small family meal + maybe some gifts

There are two steps to a Jewish Marriage...

The Betrothal: Means 'made holy' or 'set aside'

• Legal Status in Jewish Law- can't be broken unless by Divorce/Death
• Traditionally year bfr Wedding
• During this year,couples won't live together
• You have to sign a contract, called, Ketubah

The Wedding:

• Takes place in Synagogue/Elswhere (not on Shabbat/Festivals)
• Led by Rabbi & held under a Chuppah(Canopy-symbolises Couples' Home)
• The bride circles the groom
• recite blessings over wine
• Groom places Ring on bride
• Rabbi Recites 7 blessings & a short speech
• Groom breaks a glass-shos destruction of Temple,Jerusalem(hardship in joy)
• Then,a merry wedding reception afterwards!!!

• When a Jew is dying, their family members visit them-so they won't die alone.
• The dying person tries to make final confession & recites Shema,if able
• After the death, close family tear clothes
• The Funeral happens quickly as possible...
• most Jews are buried usually within 1 day
• Bfr Burial someone stays with body
• Then, its washed carefully & wrapped in Linen + tallit for men
• A corner of Tallit-removed-toshow it will no longer be used in this life
• Body is placed in a simple coffin-to show-all are equal in death
• Doesn't take place in a synagogue since its a place for the living
• No flowers because they are a sign of life
• A service is held (20mins)
• Coffin is lowered and family members take turns to shovel dirt onto the grave
• Offer Condolences & Wash Hands
• A tombstone is placed-Jewish Law so person is remembered

Festival celebrated to mark the start of Jewish New Year (2 days)

10 Days beginning with Rosh Hashanah then ends with Yom Kippur/Days of 'Awe'

• A time Jews think seriously about their lives,then ask God for forgiveness for their sins & make decisions for the new year
• R.H isn't always celebrated in Jan because -Leviticus 23:24 (see Key Quotes Booklet)
• Origins:The anniversary of the day God created Humans + Universe
• Blowing of Ram's Horn- announce Day of Jugement
• Buy Fruit you've not eaten for a while and have lots of good food
•  Till Yom Kippur...

Holiest + Most Important Day of the Jewish Year

Because it is a day of atonement for sins + when God seals the Book of Judgement

Jews expected to amend relationship with people the 10 days before Yom Kippur

Celebrated in Britian...

• no work
• no makeup/perfume
• wear white-purity symbol
• Jews fast for 25 hours
• most time in Synagogue
• General confession of sins-as a community not individually
• During Final service,Ark opens-last chance for repentance

Service ends with blessing

Holiest + Most Important Day of the Jewish Year

Because it is a day of atonement for sins + when God seals the Book of Judgement

Jews expected to amend relationship with people the 10 days before Yom Kippur

Celebrated in Britian...

• no work
• no makeup/perfume
• wear white-purity symbol
• Jews fast for 25 hours
• most time in Synagogue
• General confession of sins-as a community not individually
• During Final service,Ark opens-last chance for repentance

Service ends with blessing

Holiest + Most Important Day of the Jewish Year

Because it is a day of atonement for sins + when God seals the Book of Judgement

Jews expected to amend relationship with people the 10 days before Yom Kippur

Celebrated in Britian...

• no work
• no makeup/perfume
• wear white-purity symbol
• Jews fast for 25 hours
• most time in Synagogue
• General confession of sins-as a community not individually
• During Final service,Ark opens-last chance for repentance

Service ends with blessing

Holiest + Most Important Day of the Jewish Year

Because it is a day of atonement for sins + when God seals the Book of Judgement

Jews expected to amend relationship with people the 10 days before Yom Kippur

Celebrated in Britian...

• no work
• no makeup/perfume
• wear white-purity symbol
• Jews fast for 25 hours
• most time in Synagogue
• General confession of sins-as a community not individually
• During Final service,Ark opens-last chance for repentance

Service ends with blessing

Holiest + Most Important Day of the Jewish Year

Because it is a day of atonement for sins + when God seals the Book of Judgement

Jews expected to amend relationship with people the 10 days before Yom Kippur

Celebrated in Britian...

• no work
• no makeup/perfume
• wear white-purity symbol
• Jews fast for 25 hours
• most time in Synagogue
• General confession of sins-as a community not individually
• During Final service,Ark opens-last chance for repentance

Service ends with blessing