World religions. Рахимбергенова М.Х. - 46 стр.

as Maimonides, as a being all-good, all-powerful (omnipotent) and all-wise           which is dedicated to preserving the worship of the one true God. Thus Judaism
(omniscient). The tendency of Jewish thought about God has been to be more           maintains the concept of the “Chosen people”, this is understood, however, to
reserved than Christian thinkers have been about our ability to know God. For        imply more of obligation than of privilege, namely the obligation to carry out
Maimonides we can know what God is not, but we cannot in any proper sense            the divine will, and to be a light to the gentiles, those who are not Jewish (kid-
know what he is.                                                                     dush ha shem, “sanctify the Name”).

                        The traditional faith of Judaism                                                               The holy days
    Although the Jewish faith has never been enshrined in an official creed, its           Judaism sanctifies everyday life, by means of many devices designed to
main outlines are sufficiently clear.                                                provide reminders of the individual’s relationship with God. It accomplished
                                                                                     this especially through the celebration of holy days, rites of passage, dietary
     – The world is not the product of mere chance, but is the deliberate crea-      laws, and the use of symbols in prayer.
tion of a Supreme Being, God.                                                              A prominent part in Jewish life is played by the holy days, days of special
     – There is only one God. This fundamental conviction is expressed               significance governed by special regulations, and marked by special customs
strongly in the Shema, a proclamation of faith: “Hear, o Israel, the lord our        and ceremonies. In general the holy days are derived from divine commands
God, the Lord is one”.                                                               contained in the Scriptures, but now understood without the animal sacrifices
     – God not only brought the universe into being, but also sustains it in exis-   originally commanded. (Many of the holy days were originally secular agricul-
tence at each moment.                                                                tural observances, predating the Biblical religion.)
     – God is not a material being, but spirit, that is, Mind and Will.                    The chief holy days are:
     – God is supremely wise, good, and powerful.                                          The Sabbath. In the Law, God singles this day out for special enforcement:
     – There is a natural moral law which is the expression of his will. To act      “Thou shalt keep holy the Sabbath day”. It is a day of rest, on which no work
contrary to God’s will is sin (het, aberah).                                         may be performed, and is in many respects the chief Jewish day of observance.
     – God has revealed his will additionally in the Torah.                          It is celebrated from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, and was probably derived
     – God acts constantly in human history, to guide and direct it according to     originally from the phases of the moon.
his purposes, and to provide spiritual and material blessing to man.                       Sabbath observance begins in the home, with a ritual lighting of candles
     – Because God is so far above men, however, there are severe limitations        shortly before sunset. A synagogue service takes place after this, on the Friday
on the extent to which men can comprehend him.                                       evening, and is followed by a ceremonial meal in the home. The principal ser-
     – In the end the Jewish people will somehow be vindicated and liberated         vice is traditionally conducted in the synagogue on the Saturday morning, and a
by God, in the Messianic Age, when a descendant of David will establish a per-       further one in the afternoon.
fect society.                                                                              Synagogue services cannot begin until a quorum, called a minyan, is
     – After death the individual will be judged by God, and rewarded or pun-        reached. This may sometimes result in the service starting later than the pub-
ished.                                                                               lished time. The traditional minyan consists of ten men.
                                                                                           The institution of the Sabbath, and with it of the week as the unit of work,
                                An ethnic religion                                   has been adopted throughout the world, and has had a far-reaching influence on
     Although Judaism is a monotheistic religion, and considers that its God is      human life. Prior to it, holidays from work, though sometimes frequent, were
the one true God of all men, it is also an ethnic or national religion, not a uni-   irregular.
versal one. In the ancient world, it is true, Judaism for some centuries had uni-          Rosh Hashanah. This is the Jewish new Year. Usually falling in Septem-
versalistic aspirations, for to the polytheistic culture of the Roman Empire it      ber, it commemorates God’s act of creation, and inaugurates a period of repen-
bore the message of a single God, coupled with high ethical ideas. But from the      tance. Work is prohibited, though not as stringently as on the Sabbath. The
time when the Empire converted to Christianity, Judaism has been content to be       regular synagogue service is conducted in the evening, and the main ceremonies
the religion of the Jewish people, and no longer aspires to be a religion for all    are held the following morning, marked by the blowing of the ram’s horn, the
mankind. It is focused on the unique identity of the Jewish people as that people    Shofar.

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