Essay On Orthodox Judaism

930 Words2 Pages

Congregation Shaaray Tefilah 971 NE 172nd St, Miami, FL 33162
Judaism (305) 651 – 1562
The background of Orthodox Judaism traces back to towards the end of the eighteenth century as a reaction to the events that were taking place around this time. The age of Enlightenment was one of these events, followed by Jewish emancipation. The results of these events were a society reformed by the use of reasoning and the rights of the European Jews being expanded in many nations. Orthodox Judaism was produced as an outcome of the many upcoming branches of Judaism. “Orthodox Judaism views itself as the continuation of the beliefs and practices of normative Judaism, as accepted by the Jewish nation at Mt. Sinai and codified in successive generations in an ongoing process that continues to this day. While all orthodox movements are similar in their beliefs and observance, they differ in the details that are emphasized and in their attitudes toward modern culture and the State of Israel. Modern Orthodox tend to be a bit more liberal and more Zionistic” (Katz). The first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Torah, and the oral Torah hold authority in the Jewish honor. Rambam’s thirteen Principles of Faith are the major beliefs of Orthodox Judaism in a nutshell.
“Orthodox sects have arisen over the centuries. One distinction within the Orthodox is in regard to social engagement. Some sects of Orthodox Judaism claim the Jews, as the people of God, should live completely segregated from gentiles whereas other Orthodox sects believe Jews can keep the Torah and live in the secular world simultaneously” (Orthodox Judaism). There are over 60 Jewish Synagogues in Miami-Dade County alone. Among the synagogues, there are also Jewish communi...

... middle of paper ...

...fter Rosh Hashanah by fasting and praying all day. Yom Kippur is the holiest day in the Jewish year. Every Saturday of the week is called Shabbat and is described as the day that God used as a day to rest after creating the world. There are also three traditional “Pilgrimage festivals”. Passover and season of rejoicing are both eight-day fruit harvested festival that celebrate Israelites success while Festival of weeks is a wheat-harvest festival that commemorates God’s revelation of the Torah on Mount Sinai. In the modern state of Israel a few other national Holidays are acknowledged to commemorate a historical event. These holidays include Jerusalem day, Independence Day, Memorial Day, and day of the Shoah. Day of the Shoah or Yom Hashoah is remembrance of the six million Jews killed during the Holocaust. 50-70% of the victims of the Holocaust were Orthodox Jews.

More about Essay On Orthodox Judaism

Open Document