Judaism: history, beliefs, and practices

Judaism is one of the major monotheistic world religions. It is also one of the oldest and most consistent in its basic premise. The Jewish religion is based upon a covenant between God and the father of the Israelites, Abraham. This covenant revolves around the promise that Abraham would be the father of many nations, and later that the Israelites would receive salvation through a savior, or Messiah. The current Jewish religion is based upon the Torah - the first five books of the Old Testament. Its adherents believe in a single, non-corporeal God, rewards for good deeds, the resurrection of the dead, and the coming of the Messiah.

The site visited was the Jewish synagogue in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The building is simple, constructed of red bricks. On the outside, the building is decorated with several Stars of David. On the inside, the walls are painted in a subdued and tasteful cream color. The bimah, or platform from which the Torah is read, is located towards the farthest wall facing the main entrance to the building. It is faced by wooden pews where the congregation sit to listen to the Rabbi. The windows are quite large and allow a large amount of light to enter the building, which might symbolize the eternal light of God.

A questioned a Jewish woman in her early twenties regarding her faith and its meaning for her in her personal and professional life. What struck me about her responses is how she feels about her faith. She seems to find peace in its teachings and in living according to her convictions in her daily life. Particularly, her responses focused on the power she has discovered in prayer, and the way in which this strengthens her faith. According to the woman, her prayer time is personally meaningful, as it is her opportunity to connect personally with God. She finds this vitally important to support her through every weekday at work, until Saturday arrives, on which she would attend the service at the synagogue. What also struck me is that the woman's religion appears to be a source of not only peace, but also great personal joy.

Islam, like Judaism, is also a major monotheistic religion in the world. Whereas Judaism has long been in conflict with Christianity over issues of Christ, his trial and death, Islam is currently the often unfair victim of prejudice. This has particularly been the case since the attacks on 9/11. Nevertheless, like Judaism, it is one of the most popular monotheistic religions in the world. The equivalent of the Jewish God in Islam is Allah, who is also incorporeal and eternal. Communication with God or Allah occurs mutually between God and people. God communicates through revelation and scripture, while human beings communicate with God through worship and prayer. While there are many common elements, there are also fundamental differences. These are often responsible for bitter feuds between the adherents of these two religions. The Jews for example do not believe in the validity of the revelations to Mohammed, while Muslims cannot reconcile with the Jewish idea of adhering without change to the ancient texts. Furthermore adherents from both these religions believe that theirs is the only true faith, and that all who do not believe as they do are doomed for eternity.