Judaism Essay

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Recommended: 1. How ethical teachings guide the practice of Judaism

Judaism is the fourth oldest religion in the world. However, despite the fact of being one of the oldest religions, there are only 0.2% Jewish in the global population and more than 80% of the population are from the U.S. and the historical land of Israel (Lecture 14, March 17). Just like other religions, Judaism has its own mythological aspect that relates to the foundation of the religion itself. Also, this religion has its own ways of practices and laws. Nevertheless, even though the practices, laws, and foundation of the religion are viewed differently according to Ninian Smart’s dimensions, all of them actually are related to each other.
According to Ninian Smart, there are six dimensions of religion (Lecture 3, January 29). One of the dimensions is the mythological dimension. In Judaism, the mythological dimension of the religion is the foundation of the religion itself that are told in the book of Exodus (Lecture 14, March 17). The story was told in two parts: the first part focuses on the Exodus from Egypt and the second part concerns about the establishment of the covenant (Lecture 14, March 17). The story begins thousands of years ago where the people of Israel were captivated in Egypt. Moses, the first prophet in Judaism, was commanded by God to free the Israelites from the land of the Pharaohs and lead them to their promised land. However, the Pharaoh rejected Moses’s demand to free the Israelites, as he wanted to continue his possessions over them. Because of the Pharaoh’s rejection towards Moses’s demands, God sent plague to Egypt, making the Pharaoh changed his mind and accepted the demands. When Moses and the people of Israel were on their way to leave Egypt, the Pharaoh suddenly changed his mind and chased the ...

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...is celebrated in remembrance of the Israelites escape from Egypt. The Exodus from Egypt, the establishment of the covenant at Sinai, and the teachings of the laws, also interconnect to each other as after the Israelites escaped from Egypt, they went to Sinai and established a covenant with God which includes their pledges to abide God’s laws. The Israelites’ pledge to God leads to the teachings of the laws, which were done by the prophets.
In conclusion, there are interconnections between the mythological, ritual, and ethical dimensions associated with Judaism. Even though the events happened in different places and times, they interconnect to each other and build up the foundation and of the religion. Also, the connections between the dimensions lead to the formation of religious traditions such as the Passover festival, which is celebrated every year till today.

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