- "Judaism is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people."
Study of the beliefs and practices of Judaism, including the Hebrew Bible and Talmud.
Torah: The foundation of Jewish teachings and beliefs, consisting of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.
Talmud: A central text of Rabbinic Judaism, containing Jewish laws, ethics, customs, and traditions.
Midrash: A collection of Jewish texts that provide commentary on the Hebrew Bible.
Kabbalah: A set of mystical Jewish teachings and practices that explore the nature of God and the universe.
Jewish holidays: Includes Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah, Passover, and more.
Jewish customs and traditions: Includes daily prayers, dietary laws, circumcision, and more.
Jewish history: From ancient times to the modern era, including the Babylonian exile, the rise of Zionism, and the Holocaust.
Jewish philosophy: Includes the works of Maimonides, Spinoza, and other Jewish philosophers.
Jewish literature: Includes religious texts, poetry, and fiction.
Jewish art and music: Includes traditional Jewish folk music, synagogue music, and contemporary Jewish art.
Jewish organizations and movements: Includes Hasidism, Reform Judaism, Conservative Judaism, and Orthodox Judaism.
Jewish community and identity: The diverse community of Jews around the world and the different ways in which people identify as Jewish.
Orthodox Judaism: This is the most traditional form of Judaism, which aims to preserve Jewish law and tradition as it has been practiced for centuries. People who practice Orthodox Judaism generally follow strict dietary laws, observe the Sabbath, and adhere to traditional gender roles.
Conservative Judaism: This branch of Judaism has a more moderate approach than Orthodox Judaism. Conservative Jews observe Jewish law and tradition but also adapt to modern practices and beliefs. They allow for more flexibility in religious practices and often use the vernacular language in their services.
Reform Judaism: This movement seeks to modernize Judaism and adapt its practices and beliefs to contemporary life. Reform Jews often use more liberal interpretations of Jewish law and tradition, and tend to view Judaism not only as a religion but also as a cultural and ethnic identity.
Reconstructionist Judaism: This movement emphasizes Judaism as a culture and as a historical tradition rather than a religious practice. Reconstructionists believe that Jewish people have the ability and responsibility to shape Judaism's evolution as an evolving civilization.
Humanistic Judaism: This movement emphasizes human reason and ethics over traditional religious beliefs and practices. It is an atheist denomination of modern Judaism that focuses more on Judaism as a culture and its ethical teachings rather than on deity worship or supernatural beliefs.
Messianic Judaism: This is a religious movement that combines Judaism with belief in Jesus as the Messiah. Messianic Jews observe Jewish customs and traditions but also follow certain Christian beliefs, which makes them different from other Jewish denominations.
Karaite Judaism: This is a branch of Judaism that rejects the Talmud and other rabbinic teachings and seeks to base Jewish law solely on the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh). Karaites believe that Jewish law should be based on an objective interpretation of Scripture, and not on the subjective opinions of rabbis.
- "Modern Judaism evolved from Yahwism, the religion of ancient Israel and Judah, by the late 6th century BCE, and is thus considered one of the oldest monotheistic religions."
- "The Torah is part of the larger text known as the Tanakh... The Hebrew word torah can mean 'teaching,' 'law,' or 'instruction'."
- "The Torah's supplemental oral tradition is represented by later texts such as the Midrash and the Talmud."
- "Judaism's texts, traditions, and values strongly influenced later Abrahamic religions, including Christianity and Islam."
- "The largest Jewish religious movements are Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism, and Reform Judaism."
- "Orthodox Judaism maintains that the Torah and halakha are divine in origin, eternal and unalterable, and that they should be strictly followed."
- "Conservative Judaism generally promotes a more traditionalist interpretation of Judaism's requirements than Reform Judaism."
- "A typical Reform position is that halakha should be viewed as a set of general guidelines rather than as a set of restrictions and obligations whose observance is required of all Jews."
- "In 2021, about 45.6% of all Jews resided in Israel and another 42.1% resided in the United States and Canada..."
- "Major sources of difference between these groups are their approaches to halakha (Jewish law), the authority of the rabbinic tradition, and the significance of the State of Israel."
- "Authority on theological and legal matters is not vested in any one person or organization, but in the sacred texts and the rabbis and scholars who interpret them."
- "Jews are an ethnoreligious group including those born Jewish (or 'ethnic Jews'), in addition to converts to Judaism."
- "In 2019, the world Jewish population was estimated at 14.7 million, or roughly 0.2% of the total world population."
- "In 2021, about 45.6% of all Jews resided in Israel and another 42.1% resided in the United States and Canada..."
- "It has its roots as an organized religion in the Middle East during the Bronze Age."
- "The Tanakh is also known to secular scholars of religion as the Hebrew Bible, and to Christians as the 'Old Testament'."
- "Judaism is considered by religious Jews to be the expression of the covenant that God established with the Israelites, their ancestors."
- "Modern Judaism evolved from Yahwism, the religion of ancient Israel and Judah, by the late 6th century BCE, and is thus considered one of the oldest monotheistic religions."
- "Hebraism, like Hellenism, played a seminal role in the formation of Western civilization through its impact as a core background element of Early Christianity."