Halakha

Jewish rituals are important to Jews as they celebrate the life of a new Jewish person. The purpose of a initiation ritual is to welcome them into the community. Judaism has several rituals such as circumcision. A Bar Mitzvah is boy ritual and a Bat Mitzvah is a girl ritual. A Bar/Bat Mitzvah is referred to in a Torah. A Torah is a law that God revealed to Moses in the first 5 books of the Hebrew scriptures. One of the rituals are being classified as a Jewish adult. The purpose of this ritual is…

In different religious cultures all around the world, there are particular events in children’s lives that mark their entrance into adulthood. In my Catholic faith experience, I underwent this coming-of-age process through my Confirmation, which took place in May of my junior year. After studying Catholicism in religion class for eleven years and growing personally in my faith, I was finally considered an adult member of the Church. Several of my friends experienced their coming-of-age years…

What They Believe The Hasidim’s are part of the traditional Orthodox Jews. They accept that the Torah, the five books of Moses, is the literal word of God, and that must carry out this word which is held all the meaning and purpose to life. They follow the 613 commandments found in the Torah. Some of these The commandments include such things as charity, not mixing wool and linen, following a strict kosher diet, not working on the Sabbath, and following the laws of sexual relations, to…

1. The religion I was given was Jewish Orthodox and I chose the Argentinian nationality. 2. A term many of us have heard about is “kosher” however, not everyone is familiar with this term. This term is found in Judaism and it is a dietary law based upon the Torah. There are three essential parts to this term. The first part begins with the food itself. The animals and vegetables that may be consumed must fall under all of these requirements; for starters, the animal must be four-footed, have…

I identify as a white Jewish and straight male. More Specifically, in terms of my culture, I am a Modern Orthodox Jew. Additionally, I deeply resonate with my American identity as well. As I grew up in the Orthodox Jewish community, I learned that men were responsible to ensure that the needs of their home were taken care of. Men were supposed to go to work each day and make sure that things were paid for. Although it was not uncommon for women to work, typically the jobs Orthodox Jewish mothers…

At the international convention of Agudas Yisrael in Vienna in August 1923, Rabbi Meir Shapiro introduced two revolutionary ideas to the Jewish world. The first was daf hayomi – the study of one page of the Talmud daily and in unison by Jews throughout the world. His second great idea was to make a universal yeshiva in Poland, one that would be different from other yeshivas. Not only would the students be top quality inside and out, but their building would be too.Yeshivas in Europe, for all the…

The Cairo Genizah or “Sacred Trash” is the collection of 300,000 manuscript of Jewish literary collected from the storeroom of Ben Eza Synagogue in old Cairo, Egypt. Genizah in Hebrew means hide away or keeping aside, like Janaza (means burial) in Arabic is derived from Persian word ganj denotes a treasure. These manuscripts dated from 870 CE to 19th century, contain approximately 1000 years of information about the Jewish communities of Cairo (Schechter). Genizah contains the largest…

Hasidic Judaism is a Jewish religious group in the 18th century. Although, this was more modern times; there was history within this religious group. Hasidism first began in the 12th century. A person may wonder, “What is the modern version of Hasidism?” First, Modern Hasidism was established in Poland by a master named Israel Ben Eliezer. One may recognize him known as “Master of the Good Name.” Throughout centuries, Hasidism has spread throughout parts of the world. Hasidic Judaism may seem…

Kosher, Halal and Vegetarian are each food groups or classifications that have played significant roles in three unique religions. Each having a controlling effect on the practicing religious community it relates to. The link between religious belief and the regulations on specific foods continues to be a divisive issue. Over time the demands of religious or spiritualist groups on the range of acceptable food has both created and divided communities. With some sighting that such restrictions are…

I had to adapt and embrace a culturally different environment when I attended my friends bat mitzvah. Jewish people have their own unique traditions that are shown at different levels. Some choose to embrace Judaism more than others. One way to embrace the Jewish culture is by having a bat mitzvah (girls) or bar mitzvah (boys). This celebration is intended to celebrate the becoming of a teenager. The child gets to have one when they are turning thirteen years old. When I took part in attending…