World Religions

Introduction to World Religions Study Guide

©2018 Achieve Page 52 of 96 6.3 Jewish Religious Texts There are two main religious texts in Judaism: • Tanakh Torah Nevi’im (prophets) Ketuvum (scriptures) • Talmud (classic rabbinic literature) Mishnah – Oral, political, and civil laws Gemara – One of the most important non-biblical books 6.4 Jewish Ethics The halakhic tradition guides Jewish ethics. There are other moral principles and central Jewish virtues. The major values are justice, truth, peace, loving-kindness (chesed), compassion, humility, and self-respect. A specific Jewish ethical practice is the practice of charity (tzedakah) and to refrain from negative speech (lashon hara). The idea of the proper ethical practices regarding sexuality and many other issues are of dispute among Jews. Jews believe that human free will is fundamental. The concept of original sin is rejected; every person has the ability to choose good or evil. Prayers Traditionally, Jews recite prayers called Shacharit, Mincha, and Ma’ariv three times a day, and on the Shabbat and holidays, a fourth prayer is added. Amidah is at the heart of each service. The declaration of faith is called Shema. The Shema is a recitation of a verse that is from the Torah. The Shema is a central prayer to Jewish life. Prayers are recited alone or in a communal group. If they are recited in a communal group, a quorum of 10 adult Jews, called a minyan, must be present. In Orthodox and a few Conservative Temples, the Jews state that a minyan must be male. In other practices of Conservative and Reform Judaism, the count can include females. Jews also recite prayers during the day based on the service or act they are performing. Upon awakening, the Jewish custom is to pray before eating or drinking different goods and after eating a meal. Different Jewish denominations practice diverse types of prayers, including texts, the use of musical instruments, the frequency of the prayers, and the number of prayers recited at various times.