15 Interesting Facts About Judaism

15 Interesting Facts About Judaism

Judaism is an ethnic religion that comprises of collective religious, cultural, and legal traditions and civilization of the Jewish people. The Jewish people consider it to be the expression of the covenant that God made with the Israelites at Mount Sinai. This religion has a wide spectrum of practices and theological positions. Judaism mostly has its roots as an organized religion in the Middle East that was especially very popular during the Bronze Age. That considered, what are some of the interesting facts about Judaism? Let’s have a look.

1. Judaism has so many different sects

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Within the religion of Judaism, there are three main branches and each of them has their own system and protocols. These branches include Reform, Conservative and Orthodox Jews. They are each well-established and ancient establishments that have continued to attract even people who weren’t really born Jews. Additionally, there are also smaller denominations under Judaism and they each represent their own unique ways and practices.  All of them follow an authentic version of Judaism. Or rather what they believe to be the authentic version. However, the basis of their belief and doctrines are all the same since they all share the same origin anyway.

2. They have a holy day known as Shabbat

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You know how Christians have Sunday set apart as their holy day and Islam have Friday? On the same note, the Jews too have a holy day. It is known as Shabbat and it typically begins on Friday at sunset and then continues on to nightfall of the next day. This day within the Jewish faith is considered a day of rest and prayers. It usually involves, lighting candles, eating dinner, and drinking wine then winding up by saying farewell to Shabbat.

3. Torah is considered the most holy book in the Judaism faith

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Typically speaking, Torah comprises the first five books of the 24 books of the Tanakh. The book also includes the laws that Moses received from God and the people in this faith always work towards adhering to these laws. The Torah has a lot of similarities to both the Bible and the Quran. In other words, Torah is the bible version for the Jewish believers.

4. Judaism is also considered one of the three Abrahamic religions

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Among the many interesting facts about this religion, it is the fact that it is considered one of the oldest of the three Abrahamic religions, the other two including Christianity and Islam. They all share the same origin hence why you might find some doctrines and beliefs to be similar.

5. For the Jews, the Temple Mount is their holiest site

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The temple mount has always been considered the most sacred and holy place for the Jews. This is mostly because of their belief that God has been manifested in this place more than in any other place in the universe. That is why whenever they are praying, the Jews always turn and face toward the Temple Mount. Fun fact: It is forbidden to pray on Temple Mount itself because of how sacred it is and Jews can only enter the place to visit on very limited times. This is also part of the reason why the Westen Wall has become really fundamental and important site for the Jews

6. According to the book of Exodus, Jews began off as slaves.

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The book of Exodus summarizes in detail how God helped Moses free the Jewish people from slavery in ancient Egypt. It talks about how the Israelites are the chosen people of God and probably why over generations and generations, they have always been considered highly favored. In Hebrew, the book of Exodus is known as Shemot and it is the second book of the Hebrew bible. It is mostly attributed to Moses even though most scholars have argued out that it is most unlikely that Moses wrote the book of Exodus.

7. Bar/ Bat Mitzvah is considered a very important rite of passage in Judaism

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In the Judaism religion, we have Bar Mitzvah which is for boys and Bat Mitzvah for girls. It is an important tradition within this religion as it marks the age when a child becomes more or less accountable and responsible for their actions. Their actions are no longer the responsibility of their parents and instead, they are held responsible. The rite of passage also makes the girl or boy eligible to participate in public religious worship and also observe the commandments in a more serious and stricter way.

8. In the Law of Moses, there are 613 commandments

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The commandments in Judaism are also known as the Talmud and they are the main source of the Jewish religious law. They are also known as Mitzvot and in Judaism, they are further divided into three main categories. These are Mishpatim, edot, and Chukim.

9. Places of worship in Judaism are the synagogues

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The synagogue is where the Jewish people worship and conduct their prayer services. It has been believed over the years that synagogues came into existence during the Babylonian captivity in Israel because of how the Jewish temples were inaccessible for worship. Now, the synagogue is the main center of worship for every Jewish community in the world. Some of them even have separate rooms specifically used for studying the Torah.

10. To date there is no original Torah existing

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The oldest scroll of the Torah to ever be found goes all the way back to 800 years ago and it was discovered at a university in Bologna. Typically, old and damaged Torahs have to be buried or stored in a closed room in a synagogue. Hence this means that the very first Torah to ever have been written doesn’t quite exist anymore. Many of them have been destroyed also by other cultures during wars. However,  there are some older important documents that still exist. These include documents like the Dead Sea Scrolls (408 BCE to 318 CE), Nash Papyrus (2nd century BCE), and En-Gedi Scroll (3rd or 4th century CE) among others. Ever since Moses’ times, there of course have been changes within the religion of Judaism although the very core of the belief hasn’t changed a bit.

11. The leader of Judaism is known as a Rabbi

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Every Jewish community has a rabbi and this is usually a spiritual leader and a teacher of the Torah. The Rabbi doesn’t really hold a degree in divinity or theology like the way priests in Christianity are expected to. Rabbis simply are more educated about Jewish laws and religious practice. In fact, they only have two chief rabbis; an Ashkenazi rabbi and a Sephardi rabbi. They are normally elected for a ten-year period.

Fun fact: The chief rabbi of Jerusalem is known as Rishon Lezion and this has been so since the 17th century.

12. Judaism also celebrated a festival known as the Festival of Lights

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In Jewish terms, this festival is known as Hanukah. It celebrates the rededication of the second temple in Jerusalem. The festival usually goes for eight days and a candle in a special menorah is lit every single night. The festival includes also giving out gifts and eating lots of food. It is actually compared to Christmas although they both celebrate completely different things. Unlike Christmas though, the date of Hanukkah keeps changing each year although it always follows the Hebrew month of Kislev.

13. Judaism’s religious symbol is the star of David.

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The star of David will always be seen on any Jewish buildings and tombstones. This has been so for centuries and in the late 1800s, it became the symbol for the worldwide zionist community. To date, it is a pretty common symbol that is always associated with Judaism. Hence when you see it you know it has something to do with Jews. It could be why the flag of Israel has one at the centre.

14. Judaism has three pilgrimage festivals.

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With the religion of Judaism, there are three major religious festivals each year. They include Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Weeks or Pentecost), and Sukkot (Tabernacles, Tents or Booths). The Passover basically honours the journey of Israelites from slavery to freedom and it is observed for seven days. Shavuot commemorates the revelation of the Torah on Mount Sinai and Sukkot pays tribute to the years that Jews spent on their way to the promised land. Traditionally speaking, Jewish families should build an open-air structure where they are expected to live during the Sukkot. It should be built of branches and leaves.

15. Western Wall is a holy site for prayer and pilgrimage.

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As noted earlier, Jews aren’t allowed to pray on Temple Mount. This is why they instead go to the Western Wall. Why Western Wall? Because it is the closest site that’s connected to the holiest place in Judaism. Within no time, it has become an important site for prayer and pilgrimage for Jews.

Judaism is an ancient religion that has been in existence for quite a long time. That is why it remains to be respectable and celebrated to date. It is a religion anchored in traditions that are also quite cultured, grounded, and unbreakable.