9. What is Judaism?

Religiously Literate

With so many religions in the world it can be hard to keep up with what everyone believes. Religiously Literate is here to help! Join Jay and Ryan on this episode as we learn about one of the most influential religions in world history.

In this episode, we discuss Judaism, including an overview of history, general beliefs, rituals, and holidays.

SHOW NOTES:

Key terms:

Rabbi: Jewish clerical leader
Mohel: Jew trained to carry out circumcision of Jewish boys
Tanakh: Hebrew Bible composed of three parts (Torah, Ketuvim, and Nevi'im)
Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
Ketuvim (The Prophets): Joshua, Judges, I Samuel, II Samuel, I Kings, II Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi
Nevi'im (The Writings): Psalms, Job, Proverbs, Ruth, Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, I Chronicles, II Chronicles
Mishnah: interpretations and applications of the laws
Talmud: authoritative writings that consist of the Mishnah and the Gemara
Mitzvot: Commandments followed by Jews
Bar/Bat Mitzvah: coming of age ceremony for Jewish boys/girls
Chuppah: wedding canopy
Ketubah: Jewish wedding contract
Shiva: week long mourning period for Jewish first-degree relatives
Rosh Hashanah: Jewish New Year
Yom Kippur: Day of Atonement
Hanukah: Festival of Lights
Passover: Jewish holiday commemorating the exodus from Egypt
Seder: ritualized meal on Passover that helps explain the Exodus story
Aggadah: text recited with the seder to explain the Exodus story
Kosher: "fit to eat," also refers to Jewish dietary laws

Bar Mitzvah video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsS0K8FjKLA

Temple that may have held he Ark of the Covenant discovered: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7810225/Biblical-home-Ark-Covenant-discovered-Israel.html

Cohn-Sherbok, Lavinia, and Dan Cohn-Sherbok. Judaism: A Short History. Reissued. Oxford: Oneworld, 1999.
Vaughn, Lewis. Anthology of World Religions: Sacred Texts and Contemporary Perspectives. (2017) Oxford University Press: New York.

Music used in this episode includes “City of Jewels” by Destiny & Time as well as from https://filmmusic.io, "Lachaim" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com) License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)