Judaism's Communal Orientation

According to an essay written by Tracey Rich and published online at JewFAQ.org, Jews are a nation but not in the modern sense meaning a territorial and political entity. Jews are a nation in the ancient sense meaning a group of people with a common history. In common use, the word Jew is used to refer to all of the physical and spiritual descendants of Jacob, Abraham and Isaac. The word Judaism refers to the beliefs of Jews. Judaism as a religion is communally-oriented. Prayers are stated in the plural, and Jews are expected to pray in communal groups.

1. Relationship with God and the Torah. The Torah is the primary document of Judaism. Torah, which means "teaching", is God's revealed instructions to the Jewish People. It teaches Jews how to act, think and even feel about life and death. Jews usually belief that all of the following statements are true about their relationship with God:

Prayer must be directed to God alone and to no other

Moses was the greatest of the prophets

The Torah which are the first five books of the Old Testament (the first five books of the Bible) and the Oral Torah now documented in the Talmud and in other writings were given to Moses

God knows the thoughts and deeds of men

God will reward the good and punish the wicked

The true Messiah will come to save the world from sin

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Category: Philosophy - J