Year 1 Judaism

TERM 1: WHAT JEWISH PEOPLE BELIEVE ABOUT THE NATURAL WORLD

Creation "In the beginning G-d created the heavens and the earth." In the beginning the world was one big mess; nothing was in its place. During the six days of creation G-d put each thing where it belonged. Let us see how:

On the 1st day, G-d separated night and day. On the 2nd day, G-d divided the sky from the earth. On the 3rd day, G-d separated the land and the sea, and created the trees, flowers and grass. On the 4th day, G-d put the sun, moon and stars in their right places.

On the 5th day, G-d put the fish, birds and snakes and lizards in their places. On the 6th day, G-d created land animals like cows and sheep and the very first human beings -- our grandparents, Adam and Eve! On the 7th day, G-d stopped working and rested. It was Shabbat.

Adam and Eve marry and go to live in the Garden of Eden, a beautiful place where they have everything they need. There are beautiful fruit trees and plants, flowers and rivers to enjoy. Adam and Eve can eat of any tree or plant except one: the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. G-d tells them they cannot eat fruit from this tree.

However, the evil snake persuades Eve to take a bite, and she gives one to Adam, too. G-d throws Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden as punishment and from that day on they have to work for their food. Life is much harder than before.

Adam and Eve have two sons, Cain and Abel. They have a fight and Cain kills Abel. G-d is very angry. He curses Cain. Cain becomes a wanderer, who goes all over the world without a home of his own. Adam and Eve have another child, Seth, from whom the great Noah is descended.

TERM 2: PRAYER

History of prayer In the beginning, everyone chose their own words when they prayed. In each prayer, a person would praise G ‑ d, then ask him for what they needed, and then thank him for everything he has given to the World.

About 2,500 years ago the Jewish people were sent to Babylon. Children who were born there didn’t know Hebrew very well. This made it hard for them to pray.

Ezra the Scribe and 120 other wise people wrote prayers in Hebrew that everyone could say. They said that Jewish people should pray three times a day: morning (shacharit), afternoon (mincha) and night (ma ariv).

By the 2nd century CE, the prayers Jewish people say today were written down. Hebrew is "Lashon Hakodesh" (the Holy Tongue). This means that a Jewish person can worship in the same language anywhere in the World. People also talk to G-d every day about their own needs, in their own language, just as the very first Jewish people did.

Jewish people pray in different ways. This depends on the prayer. Sometimes people sit. Sometimes people stand. Sometimes people bow. Sometimes people sway. Here is a video of people praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. This is a very holy place.

How Jewish people pray

TERM 3: BELONGING

Kippah Traditionally, Jewish men and boys wear the kippah at all times, a symbol of their awareness of, and submission to, a "higher" entity. A kippah (literally: dome) is the Hebrew word for skullcap

Kashrut Jewish people can only eat food which is kosher. This means ‘fit to be used according to Jewish law’. Laws about foods are so important that one of the first commandments ever given to people concerned food: Adam and Eve were told not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Life. The laws and principles of kashrut are given in the Torah Jewish people believe that keeping kosher is good for the soul, just as eating a healthy diet is good for the body.

Meat: Jewish people can only eat meat from animals that have cloven hooves and chew the cud. Such animals include goats, sheep, cattle and deer. Fish: Jewish people can only eat fish which have fins and scales. They cannot eat seafood like prawns or crab.

Jewish people cannot eat meat and milky foods (cream, cheese etc.) in the same meal. To make sure that accidental mixing of even tiny amounts of these foods is avoided, kosher households have separate sets of pots and pans, cutlery and crockery for meat and milk. Food that does not have any meat or milk in it is said to be ‘parev’. This means that the food is neutral and can be eaten with either meat or milk. Examples include fruit and vegetables, eggs, fish and drinks other than milk.