What is Judaism?

Judaism is a monotheistic religion that emerged among the ancient Hebrews. Those who practice Judaism believe in one god that revealed himself to  Abraham, Moses, and the Hebrew prophets, as well as through Scriptures and rabbinic traditions. Judaism is the complete way of life for Jewish people, and consists of law, theology, and traditions.

Brief History of Judaism

Judaism's origins can date back more than 3500 years. This religion is rooted in the ancient eastern region of Canaan. Judaism emerged from the beliefs and practices of the people known as “Israel”. What is considered classical Judaism did not become until the 1st century CE. Judaism traces its origins to the covenant that God made with Abraham and his ancestry—that God would make them  sacred people and give them land. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share this Abrahamic heritage and are often referred to as being Abrahamic religions. This means that they all claim descent from the practices of the ancient Israelites and the worship of the “God of Abraham”. The primary individuals of Israelite culture consist of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the prophet Moses, who received God’s Torah at Mount Sinai.  Judaism evolved from a religion concentrated  in religious practice in the two great temples, to rabbinic Judaism and religious worship and education in synagogues.

Ashkenazi Judaism

(The form of Judaism represented in Fiddler on the Roof)

Jewish people who lived in the Rhineland valley/in neighboring France before their migration eastward to Poland, Lithuania, Russia, after the Crusades. Large numbers of these Jewish people resettled in to western Europe, where they assimilated, like they did in eastern Europe, with other Jewish communities, after the 17th-century persecutions in eastern Europe. Thus, all Jewish people who had claimed the “German rite” synagogue ritual were named Ashkenazim to differentiate them from Sephardic (Spanish rite) Jews. Ashkenazim differ from Sephardim in their dialect of Hebrew, cultural traditions, in synagogue cantillation, in their large use of Yiddish (until the 20th century), and highly in synagogue liturgy. 

Now, Ashkenazim make up more than 80% of all the Jewish people in the world. All Reform and Conservative Jewish congregations align with the Ashkenazic tradition.

Ashkenazi Traditions

Observance of Pesach (Passover): the refraining from  consuming  legumes, grain, millet, and rice  during the 8 days of Passover. Passover is one of the three pilgrimage festivals which honors Israelites' escape from slavery in Egypt. Pesach starts on the 15th day of the Hebrew month.

Ashkenazi Jewish people mix and eat fish and milk products wheras some Sephardic Jews refrain from doing so.

Ashkenazim are more permissive toward the use of wigs as a hair covering for married and widowed women, rather than just shawls/head scarfs.

In terms of Kashrut for meat, Ashkenazi are less strict than Sephardi Jewish people. Meat products that are okay for the Ashkenazi and deemd as kosher may be rejected by Sephardic.

Ashkenazi Jewish people often name newborn children after dead family, but not after living relatives

Ashkenazi tefillin have some differences from Sephardic tefillin. In the Ashkenazic rite, the tefillin are wound towards the body, not away from it. Ashkenazim traditionally don tefillin while standing, where other Jewish people typically do so while sitting down.

Ashkenazic traditional pronunciations of Hebrew are different from other groups.

The prayer shawl is worn by most Ashkenazi men after marriage, but western European Ashkenazi men wear it from Bar Mitzvah on.

Shabbat

(Hebrew word for Sabbath)

Shabbat is a day of rest that is observed by Jews from sunset on Friday until nightfall on Saturday. The holiness of Sabbath is a long standing tradition and serves as a reminder of their eternal covenent with god. In the Torah, the claim for Sabbath is listed in the the first two chapters of the Book of Bereishit (Genesis): God worked six days at creating the world on the seventh he ceased working,  he blessed the day, and then claimed it to be holy.  Shabbat is the most important practices observed in Judaism and is the only ritual that is instituted in the Ten Commandments. Shabbat is used as a day to recognize the Jewish freedom from slavery in Egypt. There are several practices that are forbidden on Shabbat. Traditionally, "melachah" or "work" is permitted, but what that entails varies. The meaning of "melachah" is only mentioned in the Torah when referencing Shabbat and holidays, and the meaning of what "work" is has been concluded to be types of work that were needed to build the sanctuary.


Jewish Wedding Traditions

Prior To The Ceremony


During The Cereomony

The ceremony ends when the groom, or sometimes both the bride and the groom, shatters a glass in lieu of the Temple’s destruction. After, the newly married couple spends a small amount of time together in yihud, or alone, and then continues to the wedding feast.