Judaism Essay

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It is true to a great extent that interpretations of principal beliefs as they are expressed in sacred texts and writings influence the everyday life of adherents. This is evident across two variants of Judaism – Orthodox and Progressive. With several principal beliefs establishing a thorough relationship between the adherent and the faith, Judaism upholds belief in a divine creator, God, a covenant with God and the moral law prescribed by God as important in dictating the way Jews must live out their lives.
A quintessential principle in the Jewish tradition is a belief in one God, who is the only divine being and creator of all living things. The monotheistic faith holds God as a power who is and will always be. God’s presence in the world forms the most fundamental part of Jewish beliefs, in that adherents must endeavour to demonstrate and be observant of God’s teachings in their everyday lives. A “community of faith” for the Jewish people is brought together by a common belief in God and the strict adherence of the halachah, the commandments grounded in the Torah. The halachah, supported by the 613 positive and negative mitzvot ensure Jews are guided into a relationship with their God, with the specific commandment being “The Lord and Lord alone is our God”. This is especially important for Orthodox Jews who are the most traditional in their methods of worship and adherence. Orthodox Jews believe the halachah and the 613 commandments to be binding upon them, and that only through strict fundamental adherence can an individual truly understand God’s teachings. Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain of the Maidenhead Synagogue discusses the beliefs of Orthodox Judaism in regards to the halachah; “Its laws are considered immutable, and de...

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... Six days you shall labour and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of the Lord your God; you shall not do any work...” On the Sabbath, an Orthodox Jew will attend Sabbath prayer service at the synagogue and not engage in work of any kind, including using light switches or opening doors. Adversely, Progressive adherents do not always attend the synagogue and may ignore the restrictions entirely. Therefore, the divinely inspired moral law affects the everyday life of adherents through consistent practice of the commandments.
Henceforth, it can be seen that Judaism as a monotheistic, transcendent religion holds three specific principal beliefs as an important influence in the lives of Jews who are both Orthodox and Progressive, as a way of ensuring that a connection with God is maintained, and proper standards of behaviour are rewarded with happiness.

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