2009/06/24 Fifth Introduction to Judaism Class Notes Fundamental Jewish Beliefs

2009/06/24 Fifth Introduction to Judaism Class Notes Fundamental Jewish Beliefs

Rabbi Judy Schindler - Topic is Fundamental Jewish Beliefs.
Introduction to Judaism, Class 5.


Rabbi Schindler let us name the beliefs we knew about and she elaborated on them in an interactive way.

She started by saying anyone who converts can choose their own Hebrew name and would become the son or daughter of Abram and Sarah.

(1) The first belief mentioned is that History is Important to Jews. It is a part of who they are. In prayers, remembering is a frequent saying and many prayers have historical events that are remembered. One is "to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy." Jews don't just keep Shabbat but they also are called on to remember it. Jews live in Torah. They are always reading and remembering.

(2) Enjoy life. Life itself is sacred . People are taught to number their days. Using days in wisdom is important.

(3) Oneness of God. God is one. The Sh'mu is said in morning and evening. "Hear O Israel, the Eternal One is our God, the Eternal God alone." Jews and all of us are to Love God with all our might. The Sh'mu is the watchword of Jewish faith. Jews believe that Judaism is complete by itself. It does not have a Jesus who is believed to be the salvation of the world. Jews believe the Messiah is yet to come.

(4) Charity (Tzedakah) is righteousness and comes from Tzeda which means justice. Jews often give to different charities. One is the Jewish Federation which is the Jewish United Way. It sends gifts all over the world to help the needy. Jews are to give 10% of their earnings (not total wealth) to charity ir tzedakah. Rabbi Judy said the children in Hebrew school at Temple Beth-El bring some change each week which they contribute to a charity at the end of the school year. The children are given a list of charities and they get to choose from that list. They had to remove animal charities from the list because all the children's contributions were going to the animals, leaving nothing for human charities.

(5) Peace - Jews are commanded to pursue justice and peace. This is written about in Deuteronomy.

(6) Everyone has his own relationship with God. Jews talk of the God of many individuals, for example, the God of Abraham, the God of Jacob, the god of Rachael, etc. We use metaphors for God and it shows we are human and we speak as humans.

(7) Jews treat their dead differently. They accompany their dead for burial and they do not look at the dead. They do not embalm and they do not normally cremate (some reformed do but it is not the tradition). Many Orthodox believe the body will be put back with the soul at the resurrection (Messianic time) so they make sure their bodies are whole in the grave. Since we disintegrate into dirt anyway, this does not seem to make complete sense but it is the way the Orthodox believe. It is not a Jewish custom to have flowers at a funeral and there is no open caskets at Jewish funerals. People bring food for the families of the deceased so they do not have to worry with preparing food. Shiva is 7 days when the family stays at home and mourns in their own way. So Jews are real about death. They bury the body as naturally as possible and use wooden caskets that also disintegrate naturally. All makeup is removed by appointed people who are allowed to handle the body, etc.

Rabbi Judy put in an aside that there is a saying in Judaism that their history can be summed up with, "They tried to kill us, we won, let's eat."

(8) What do Jews believe about the afterlife? Congregation says during services, "Blessed are you, O God, who gives new life." The cantor says "....who resurrects the dead." Orthodox Jews believe body and soul will come back together so it is important to keep any body parts together even if amputated earlier in life. They save the parts amputated to be buried with them when the pass away. Reformed Jews say "Blessed are you, O God, who renews all life."

Jews believe the pure evil go to Gehenna, the pure righteous go to Heaven, and the rest of us go to a place where we spend time in between Gehenna and Heaven trying to make ourselves worthy of heaven. Gehenna comes from the name of a place, Gehinom, where people sacrificed their own children. It seems like the rabbi said the perfect parts of our souls go on to heaven and the imperfect parts go elsewhere. The Jewish people say Kaddish for their loved ones (and this is part of Shabbat services that Don and I have attended a couple of times lately.)

(9) Sin comes from the word, chet, which means missing the mark. Jews look upon sin as missing the mark. There is intentional sin and there is missing the mark. Repentence is part of the daily liturgy. Jews don't believe we are all born in sin.

Jews believe there are two inclinations:
(a) Yetzer haren - evil inclination
(b) Yetzer hatov - compassionate inclination.
Yetzer means inclination. Jews say we need to recognize our yetzer haren or worst quality and try to find ways to use it for good.

13 Fundamental Jewish beliefs:
(i) There is a creator, who alone created and creates all things.
(ii) He is one, unique
(iii) He has no body, no form.
(iv) He is eternal.
(v) He alone is to be worshipped.
(vi) The words of the prophets are true.
(vii) Moses was the greatest prophet.
(viii) The source of the Torah is divine.
(ix) The Torah is immutable.
(x) God knows the deeds and thoughts of men.
(xi) God rewards and punishes.
(xii) The Messiah will come.
(xiii) God, forever praised, will resurrect the dead.

Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel) said "Blessed is God's name forever and ever." and "Hear, O Israel, the Eternal One is our God, the Eternal God alone." This is the Sh'ma and is repeated at Shabbat services and should be said by Jews daily morning and evening.

(10) Worship, prayer and good acts are essential beliefs of Jews.

(11) What do Jews believe about God?
(a) They believe in the oneness of God. They are not so worried about whether the world was created in 6 days with a 7th day of rest or whether the world evolved over the millenia. They believe firmly that God's hand is in creation either way.
(b) They believe God gave us Torah which is the basis of all learning. Protest is allowed if it is for the greater good and not if protesting for selfish reasons. She gave as an example a time when God did not allow protest for selfish reasons and he punished the selfish protesters by swallowing them up into the earth.
(c) Jews believe in redemption. God created the world, then He redeemed the world, then God gave us Torah. God redeemed the Jews from Egypt but the world is still unredeemed.
(d) Jews believe the Messiah will bring Jews back to Israel and establish rule in Jerusalem. Reformed Jews do not so much look for the Messiah immediately as they try to work toward making the world a plce worthy of the coming Messianic age.
(i) Elijah is called at Passover and when a baby is born.
(ii) Midrash says Elijah is here as a street person and how we treat him will tell when the world is ready for the Messiah.
(e) There are lots of angels in Judaism. Jacob had a dream where there was a stairway to heaven with angels going up and down on it is an example. There is a sense that God is everywhere. Jews say that dreams are 1/60th of prophecy and sleep is 1/60th of death.

(12) Jews do not have an equivalent of Catholic confession but they believe people should acknowledge their sin, apologize for their wrongdoing, and not make the same mistake again. You can't just say "sorry" and keep on doing what you were doing. You have to stop with the wrongdoing you are apologizing for.

(13) Jews believe in prayer and certain prayers are said in community (where at least 10 or a minion are present).

(14) Jews believe they are chosen. The Jews are the chosen people. As such, God has a direct relationship with them. Jews are commanded to carry out God's work on earth. Jews accept this responsibility. There is an historical God and Jews are in relationship with the God who came before us.

(15) God is unknowable. We don't even know his name. It cannot be pronounced. YHWH has no vowels and if we try to read it, it sounds like breathing out. This shows God is connected to our very breath. He breathes life into us and takes breath away at the end of life. Our handout shows many many names that man calls God such as Compassionate One, Lord, I am who I am, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, Shepherd, Creator of Heaven and Earth, etc. The list goes on and on. God is really limitless. It is said there are 70 faces of Torah. God is transcendant yet God is imminent. God is in our neighbor. God is here.

2009/06/17 Fourth Introduction to Judaism Class Notes Sacred Texts

2009/06/17 Fourth Introduction to Judaism Class Notes  Sacred Texts

Rabbi Micah Streiffer was our teacher. Someone asked if the Judaic tradition had any angels. Rabbi Micah answered that thre are 4 archangels, all ending in the letter L (in English). This letter stands for God. These archangels represent pieces of God. (1) Uriel - Uri (I missed this one) so this angel is represents ?. (2) Michael - Micah means one who is like God so this angel is like God. (3) Gabriel - Gabri means strength so this is the strength of God. (4) Raphael - Rapha means healing so this represents the healing god. God is known also as the Lord of Hosts which is a phrase used often by Christians and is a sense of God as one who commands both the earthly and the heavenly world. The hierarchy of God, Angels, Humans, Animals was outlined. There are two levels of Creation, the heavenly world with God and Angels and the lower world, Humans and animals. God can create and make decisions, Angels do God's bidding but do not make decisions. Humans are like God in that they can create life and they can make decisions. Animals do not make decisions.

The real topic for tonight is Sacred Texts. The Jews were called People of the Book by the Muslim world. The Book is Torah. Torah is the basis of Judaism, which is like the constitution of Judaism. Judaism is the religion based on Torah. Other Jewish writings come from the base of Torah. Torah is at the center of Judaism and all laws of Judaism draw their authority from Torah.

Page 4 of pamphlet handout: Torah is the first 5 books of the Tanach. A portion is read each week and the Torah is divided into 52 sections so that it is read in full each year. For the most part (there are a few exceptions), the same passage is read everywhere alike. In Reform Judaism, belief is that it was written by humans and it is the Jewish way of approaching God. It was divinely inspired through the writers. The prophets were divinely inspired. The divinely inspired writers of Torah experienced God but the Torah was not dictated to them by God. Many Orthodox believe God wrote the Torah.

When was the Bible written down - Why, of course, during the Biblical period and when was that? It was around 585 BCE. The first Temple was destroyed in 586 BCE and people scattered out somewhat so it became necessary to carry on traditions in a little more documented manner than the oral tradition had allowed when everyone lived near the Temple.

Bible is called Tanach and it is contains the same books as the Christian Old Testament but not in the same order. Jews order their books by Torah (the first 5 books), Nevi'im - The Prophets and Ketu'im (Writings). (1) Torah is Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. (2) Nevi'im (Prophets) includes Joshua, Judges, Samuel (2 books), Kings (2 books), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the 12 minor prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habbakkuk, Zephaniah, and Malachi). (3) Ketuvim includes Writings and they are Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles (2 books).

Torah is the only portion of Tanach read in full each year. Other books are read on holidays. These are Song of Songs (read on Passover), Ruth (read on Shavuot, a holiday commemorating the receiving of the Torah), Lamentations (read on Tisha B'Av, a holiday commemorating the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem and other Jewish tragedies), Ecclesiastes (read on Sukkot, a harvest holiday in the fall), and Esther ( read on Purim, a holiday celebrating the story of Esther). The writings were originally oral and then were written down. Some were performed. Poems have more archaic language than the stories. So it appears they came first. In Exodus, there is a Song of the Sea that likely came first. All these books were oral at first and it was easier to remember song than just words so songs and poems likely came first and were easiest to remember in their original form and words.

Noah - 2 stories. In one Noah takes 2 of each animal into the ark and in another he took 7 of each animal. In Genesis - Chapter 1 has earth being created in 7 days. In Chapter 2, tells creation story again with different order of creation. In Jewish tradition, Chapter 1 is seen as God's eye view of creation and Chapter 2 is the people's eye view of creation.

900 BCE - Period of David/Solomon.
586 BCE - First Temple destroyed and the beginning of the Babylonian exile (first diaspora). This is when we think the writing down of the Bible occurred because the Jewish people needed to do so to prevent their sacred texts from being lost.
587 BCE - Biblical era - Bible began being written down.
516 BCE - People were allowed to rebuild the Temple and this is the Second Temple period. Judaism begins to bifercate. (1) Lower class - Pharisees - priests who were into priestly sacrifice. (2) Upper class - Sadducees - Only Torah is basis of Judaism. No ability to expand. The Pharisees were the ancestors of rabbinic Judaism and they began to talk of writing Torah from the Oral Torah that had been passed down.

70 CE - Destruction of the second Temple. Again, started writing other things. Mishnah was written down around this time. This was the first Jewish code of law and was not based directly on the Torah.

Kiddish is a blessing over wine on Friday. Rabbis of Mishnah - Rule is you have to say something out loud about Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom is an example of a short saying that can be said out loud that makes people know it is Shabbat and remembers it out loud. This is the Law of Kiddish and this is where it came from - Mishnah. This is an example of legal creativity. Mishnah is the book of Law. It shows how to put Torah into practice.

Another rising literature is the Midrash. It is a homelike creativity and is non-legal. It is stories that arise surrounding the Torah. S

Stories and laws are both important.

Minutia of laws - Reform Jews are less concerned about the minutia. Torah is the source of law.
Mitzvah - means commandment and it is a good thing to do but not necessarily a good deed. Mitzvah is one of the 613 commandments. There is no list of these 613 commandments and ther are different lists with different commandments but all the lists have 613 and the first commandment is "Be fruitful and multiply."

The 613 Mitzvot are all found in Torah and find new meaning in the ancient text. Torah says to "remember the day of Shabbat." But how. Midrash and Mishnah tell you.

Over 300-400 years, mush discussion on how to be Jewish and it was hard to research because there were volumes and volumes of argument coming from every learned opinion. So in 500CE or 600 CE, these opinions were arranged by subject in the Talmud. Each page of Talmud tells the Mishnah (commandment) which is about 3 lines or so, then tells the Gemara (commentary or gathering place for all the ideas). The Gemara may be pages long.

The Talmud - if read one page per day it takes 7 years to complete reading it. It was originally written in modern day Iraq which was Babylonia at the time it was written.

After the Talmud cam the post Talmudic period which matches with the Medieval period as we are taught it in history books. In post Talmudic period, 2 main ways to get new information:

(1) Mishnah Torah - code of law not related to either Torah or Mishnah even though named for both. The Mishnah Torah tells you how to be Jewish. (page 14 in pamphlet handed out in class). The Mishnah Torah said not to read the Talmud anymore but it is okay to study it to see how history developed and see how ancestors made meaning out of their Jewish texts.

(2) Responsa - is a question and answer writing. It is exactly Q & A. You ask a rabbinic authority and this authority finds answer and writes you back with an answer. Rabbis kept copies of their answers. There are responsa committees that discuss questions of Jewish tradition. These can be new questions that arose only in modern life such as intermarriage, etc.
Our blue book that was given us as a text is a code of Jewish law. The author is interested in the minutia of the law.

In the 1500's Kabalah started. This is Jewish mysticism. "In 1492, Columbus sailed the Ocean blue and all the Jews got kicked out of Spain too" is a Jewish saying.

Each time there is calamity such as the destruction of the Temples, there has arisen out of that calamit new ways of Judaism. Torah can mean the 5 books of Moses but also can be all literature of Judaism which is all descended from those first five books.

2009/06/10 Third Introduction to Judaism Class Jewish Holidays

2009/06/10 Third Introduction to Judaism Class  Jewish Holidays

Tonight's lesson was on Jewish Holidays which I believe means Jewish Holy Days. One thing Don and I learned is that these days often have certain foods associated with them and these are prepared for their symbolism and significance to Jewish history. My Jewish brother-in-law said he used to think Judaism meant eating and I can now see why.

Sara Bryan, Youth Director, was the instructor for the class.

Jews have both Biblical and Historical Holidays and these holidays fall on dates in the Jewish calendar. The Jewish calendar is lunar-based with each year having 354 days which is 29.5 days per month. The months have Hebrew names and have no meaning to my Christian and American background. I read that it was even difficult for the Jewish people to determine when their holidays were in times before the internet was available. So it became tradition to celebrate Holy Days (except Shabbat or Sabbath) for 2 days to be sure they had celebrated on the correct date. This practice did not occur in Israel itself, just elsewhere. Today, even though there is plenty of information available to Jews everywhere to let them know the correct date for celebrations, those outside Israel continue to celebrate for 2 days as this has become a tradition. There are many things prohibited on Holy Days. Work is prohibited, not for the labor of it, but because you are supposed to do things on Holy Days that are different from the normal week. These things should include spending time with God and family. Cooking is prohibited and so is lighting of candles so people need to spend time preparing meals for the Holy Day just prior to the Holy Day. There is also controversy over whether it is okay to heat food on the Holy Day and different synagogues have different rules for that. At least some of these Holy Days require candles during the meal and women usually are in charge of lighting them. Since lighting candles is prohibited on the Holy Day, women are allowed to do that but it must be done prior to certain traditional prayers being said.

Also Jewish days begin at sundown on one day and end at sundown of the next day. There is also the question of determining when sundown arrives. Sara Bryan said that most people say it is when you can see 3 stars (or planets) in the sky.

Jewish Holidays fall on New Moons. Because they need to fall in certain seasons and the calendar is lunar instead of solar, the Jewish calendar adds a Leap Month to their calendar every 2 to 3 years to keep Holy Days in the correct season.

Shabbat or Sabbath is the most frequent Holy Day since it occurs every week from Friday Sundown to Saturday Sundown. It comes from the Biblical idea that God created earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th. Sheva in Hebrew means seven and it is a holy number used in many Jewish references, stories and occasions.

The traditional meal starts with lighting candles. This is done by a female in the household and is done prior to the saying of a prayer over wine. Lighting candles after this is prohibited for the duration of Shabbat. Since work is prohibited, the meal is pre-prepared and everyone bathes before Shabbat begins. People go to their House of Assembly (Temple or Synagogue) on Shabbat. You also set aside time to be still. There is a whole list of "can do's" and "can't do's". Writing more than 3 letters on Shabbat is prohibited. You also should set aside time to be with family and appreciate the week just past and yet to come. At the end of Shabbat, Havdalah is performed. Here you light a candle with at least two wicks. This symbolizes that on Shabbat, everyone gets a second soul. Since Havdalah occurs at the end of Shabbat, it means you are saying goodbye to your second soul. Prayers are also said over spices and wine.

So Shabbat is the most important holiday. There is a saying that Jews have kept Shabbat and Shabbat has kept the Jews.

Torah- Other holidays are reenactments of Biblical events. There are 3 Pilgrimage Holidays, called pilgrimage holidays because in the time of the Temple everyone who could was expected to make a pilgrimage to the Temple for the celebration of these holidays:

(1) Pesach - Passover - Celebrates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.
(2) Shavuot - (also called Pentecost in a book I have) celebrates getting Torah on Mt. Sinai.
(3) Sukkot - Commemorates the period immediately following the exodus when the Jewish people were in the desert living in temporary dwellings.

(1) Pesach seder (meal) celebrates the first night (or first and second nights) out of Egypt. Passover is an 8 day celebration. Matzot (unleavened bread) with bitter herbs (usually horseradish) is served as part of the meal to remind the Jewish people of the bitterness of their enslavement in Egypt and 4 cups of wine is drank by the adults (?). Four is a big number in Judaism and the four questions are asked as are the four kinds of children discussed. A mixture of nuts, apples, wine, cinnamon, and sugar is also served to symbolize mortar. Parsley is served to symbolize spring. A shank bone is on the table to symbolize the sacrifices and an egg is served to symbolize fertility and new life.The Hegadda is recited as if you lived it yourself. The Hegadda is the text telling the events surrounding the exodus from Egypt. Pesach is a home-based holiday. Jews clean their homes of leavened bread or anything that might be mistaken for leavened bread. During the Seder (means ordered meal), the story of the exodus from Egypt is told and the meal is reminiscent of that exodus.

(1a) Lag B'Omer: Time between Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot. This is a very solemn time recalling Jews suffering under Roman rule. There are no weddings during this time. However, Omer means wheat sheaf. It is a season of harvest, getting ready. On the 33rd day, there are celebrations with bonfires, etc. Lag is the number 33. Lag B'Omer is celebrated on the 33rd day of Iyar and is a celebration of the death of Simeon Bar Yochai who studied Torah in a cave in defiance of Roman decree. When he died, he asked his followers to celebrate rather than mourn.

(2) Shavuot falls 50 days after Pesach. It celebrates the receipt of Torah (both written and oral) on Mt. Sinai. Many Jews decorate their synagogues with green branches and plants because of the tradition that at the time Torah was received, Mt. Sinai was green and fragrant. Dairy products are served on the one or two days of Shavuot. Jewish people believe that all Jews whether alive then, alive earlier, or alive in the future, were present at the receipt of the Torah. Confirmations are held during Shavuot. Shavuot is a 2 day festival.

(3) Sukkot is a seven day festival and is exceedingly joyful. It is similar to Thanksgiving in western tradition. It falls 15 days after Rosh Hoshana (Jewish New Year) and 5 days after Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Observant Jews build little huts beside their homes made of tree branches, reeds, or bamboo and enclosed on 3 sides and they stay in the hut at least one night, eating and sleeping there, but some stay all 7 nights. In Hebrew, the word Sukkot means "shelters" and many people call the Holy Days of Sukkot the Tabernacle Festival of the Festival of the Booths. There is a mystical rite performed during Sukkot which involves taking 4 kinds of plants, a palm frond (represents spine), myrtle (represents eyes), willow branches (represents mouth), and a lemon-like fruit called an etrog (heart shaped and represents the heart) and shaking them in six directions: North, South, East, West, Up, Down. This wave dance is the Jewish version of a rain dance. At the end of Sukkot, there is a very energetic one-day festival called Simchat Torah which celebrates not the receipt of the Torah, but rejoices for the possession of the Torah by the Jews.

Other Holidays or festivals are:

(1) Yom Kippur which is the day of Atonement and has to do with personal and communal cleansing. It is a fasting time and should begin with a simple, not heavy, meal. Kol Nidre - concept that all souls are being considered by God and Kol Nidre is a song (chant) that is the highlight of the cantor's year. It is a difficult song/chant (I say song/chant because the teacher said he sings it but it is my understanding very little music is ever used in Jewish services so this may be a sing-song chant.) Jewish people go to services after the light meal mentioned above and penitential prayers are said. Even if the sins don't apply to you personally, you are to say the prayers in the spirit that the community has sinned and all need forgiveness. Sins are listed and people in the congregation tap their chests to indicate their sorrow for the sins. After these penitential services, you are new again and go to eat a celebratory meal. You go into the world resolved to do better from now on. Occurs 10 days after Rosh Hashana and these 10 days are referred to as Days of Awe.

(2) Purim - One day festival that occurs in the Jewish month of Adar. It celebrates the Jews not dying. They were saved in Persia by Queen Esther. The Megillah (Scroll of Esther) is read in public. This is a day of great celebration with most getting drunk and encouraged to do so. It celebrates the downfall of a tyrant who wanted to eradicate all Jews. The King's wife died and he had a beauty contest for the next queen. Esther won and hid the fact she was a Jew but she winds up revealing herself and saving the Jews. On Purim, you are expected to get so drunk you can't tell the difference between good and bad. It is Jewish Mardi Gras, a time of masquerades and hidden identity. It commemorates that good things come out of bad things.

(3) Hanukkuk or Chanukah - is a minor holiday, a festival really. Called Festival of Light where one new candle per day for 8 days is lit. It commemorates the revolt and victory of the Maccabees against the Syrian Greeks in about 165 BCE. The Maccabees rededicated the defiled Temple and brought back pure light to the menora, the seven branched candelabrum. These lights are wax candles or lamps of olive oil and are lit every night in each home. The custom is to add one additional light each night through the eight day period. It is a time of praise and thanksgiving.

(4) Rosh Hashana means head of the year and is the first Holiday of the Jewish year. Lasts 2 days. This represents the birthday of the Human Race which occurred on the first of Tishrei. We were created with free will to choose but we have responsibility for the consequences of our actions. Challah bread shaped in a circle is eaten. The Jewish concept of a calendar is round, not linear. Also eat apples and honey. Rosh Hashana occurs in the fall around September or October. The afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashana is called Tishlich. Tishlich is for casting away sins. Micah says "and thou will cast all their since into the depths of the sea." Custom is to wear white because "Be your sins like crimson, they can turn whites as snow" (Isaiah 1:18). You wear white because you are getting ready to cleanse yourself. The first day of Rosh Hashana is Tashlich as mentioned earlier and custom is to carry bread crumbs to a body of running water and throw them in. This symbolizes the casting away of sin. Rosh Hashana has 10 days of awe which is a time of forgiving and getting forgiveness. It is said God has the book of life open and is considering your fate for the next year. The shofar is blown on Rosh Hashana and is symbolic of the ram that substituted for the sacrifice of Isaac. Tzedekah (giving) is important on Rosh Hashana because Nehemiah says "Drink the sweet and send portions to those who have none, for this day is holy to our God."

(5) Tish B'Av occurs on the 9th of Av. This is a fast day and the book of Lamentations is chanted in Houses of Assembly. It is chanted in a sad and sorrowful way because both the first and second temples were destroyed on the 9th of Av hundreds of years apart. The first temple was destroyed on the 9th of Av in 586 BCE. The second temple was destroyed on the 9th of Av in 70 CE.

(6) Yom Yerushalayim celebrates the Israelis getting to the Western Wall in 1967 so Israel reclaimed the Old City on that date. This is called Jerusalem Day.

(7) Yom Hashoah: Day of remembrance of the six million. Most temples have special services to remember the holocaust and 6 candles are lit, one for each million.

(8) Yom Ha-Zikaron: Israeli Memorial or Veterans Day. Remember all soldiers killed defending Israel.

(9) Yom Ha'atzmaut: Israeli Independence Day.

Other festivals were discussed but not much was said about some of them. I think the ones above were the major ones discussed during class.

Ms. Bryan was going through the Jewish year in order using the Jewish calendar. Since I am unfamiliar with the Jewish calendar, I used a book I have to help me see these holiday/festivals in order by our Western calendar. The ones listed in the book I have are:

March/April: Pesach or Passover, festival of 8 days, the first two and the last two of which are like Shabbat.

May/June: Shavu'ot or Pentecost, Festival of Harvest, Season of being given Torah. Two day festival like Shabbat, which occurs seven weeks (50 days) after Pesach.

August: Tisha b'Av (9th of the month of Av). Fast day for the destruction of the first and second temples.

September/October: Rosh Hashana (New Year) Two day festival like Shabbat.

September/October: Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement, the Day of Judgment) One day festival similar to Shabbat except that it is a day of fasting. Ten days after HRosh Hashana. These ten days are referred to as the Days of Awe.

September/October: Sukkot (Tebernacles; Festival of Booths, Festival of the Ingathering, the seson of our joy). Festival of seven days, the first two of which are like Shabbat. This festival is immediately followed by a two day Sabbath like festival, Sh'mini At'tzeret (the Convocation of the Eighth Day) and Simchat Torah (Rejoicing with the Law). In Israel this is a one-day festival.

December: Chanukka (Festival of Lights). Eight days of praise and thanksgiving with candles lit in the evening.

February/March: Purim, one day of feasting and rejoicing with the public reading of the Book of Esther.

Ms. Bryan gave us her email address at Temple Beth-El.

2009/06/03 Second Intro to Judaism Class Notes Liturgy

2009/06/03 Second Intro to Judaism Class Notes  Liturgy

This class was on the Liturgy. It used the Reformed Prayer Book called Mishkan T'Filah, A Reform Siddur very heavily throughout the class so it is hard to make notes when I do not own that book. I looked on Amazon and there are several versions, such as one for Shabbat (Sabbath worship), one for weekdays, one for Festivals, etc. There was one that seemed to cover all these and it cost anywhere from $20 to $36 depending on if it were used and what condition the book was in. I think we used the Shabbat version in class since the teacher, Andy Bernard, kept referencing whether it was an evening or morning Shabbat service. Different prayers and sequences are used for different services depending on whether it is a morning or evening service. Andy Bernard is the cantor at Temple Beth-El, a Reformed Temple, and he chanted some of the prayers in Hebrew. Beautiful.

NOTES:
Judaism is a liturgical tradition, meaning it has a fixed liturgy. It goes through a fixed set of prayers at each service. Services follow the same format each time with a few exceptions. We had printouts of the order of Worship Service and the cantor began in the center of the page labeled, "The Worship Service." There was an area labeled Sh'ma there and it had 3 Hebrew letters surrounded by certain blessings. The right side of the page listed Shabbat evening prayers by Hebrew name and the left hand side listed Shabbat morning prayers by Hebrew name. We looked in the prayer book at many of these prayers and there were English translations. I am sure the cantor says them in Hebrew at their services and he chanted a few and it was gorgeous. The Chatzi Kaddish is the beginning evening prayer. Kaddish means "In Praise of God" so that is how the service begins. Even when we have great loss, Jewish people are commanded to say praise to God even if they do not fully mean it. It keeps people in relationship to God which is the most important thing. Chatzi Kaddish means Half Kaddish. It is not really 1/2 but that is what it is called. Half Kaddish or Chatzi Kaddish is a liturgical divider which tells the people we are moving on to the next part of the service. Page 146 of the Prayer book show several musical melodies of the service which change according to if morning, evening, High Holy Days, etc. The Chatzi Kaddish tells us it is okay to move on to the next part of the service.

Next comes a prayer called the Bar'chu which is a call to worship. The Leader says "Praise Adonai, to Whom praise is due, now and forever." Congregation then says "Praised be Adonai to Whom praise is due, now and forever." This is the official call to service.

Then comes the second blessing of the Sh'ma which is Revelation. God who gave us the Torah out of the people of Israel.

If a Torah scroll is opened all the way around the Temple walls, the center is "Love your Neighbor" and this is the primary theme of Judaism. It is what people are called to do here on earth.

Then I am a little lost in my notes but he says read from (Torah?) The Lord is our God, the Lord is One. So if you do a blessing, you must do the Mitzvah. In other words, put action behind your words.

Then comes a Blessing for Redemption in the Sh'ma section of the service. God rescued the Israelites from Egyptian Bondage and there is a prayer about that. This is the Sh'ma. Then there is a celebration prayer, the Mi Chamocha which is chanted responsively. This prayer is a quote after the crossing of the Sea and it is a celebration prayer done at almost all services.

Then comes the Hashkiveinu which is a bedtime prayer and is said only in the evening. It is a prayer asking for protection through the night.

This wraps up the Sh'ma and her blessings.

Then the V'sham'ru which is a transition prayer. The next set of prayers are said standing. It is the T'fillah which is a substitute for animal sacrifice. In the morning and afternoon, these are said out loud but in the evening , they are said silently. Why silent? Because no animal sacrifices were made in the evening and in ancient times, there was no light in the evening and you could not see to sacrifice the animal. Reform Jews are not after reinstating animal sacrifice.

The V'ahavta is a longer prayer - commandment to see the fringes and remember to do my commandments. Wear Taliz (shawl with fringes at the corners) only in the morning service, not in the evening because can't meet commandment to see the fringes. Darkness is there so may not meet the commandment if wear in the evening.

The V'shamru - Keep Shabbat - remind everyone saying the Shabbat version of prayers that they are to keep the Sabbath holy. Also Jews do not have programs like most Protestant Christians where services are a mosaic - sections of little tiles that come together as a whole in the end. Jews know their order of service and move through the prayers in order. There are Torah readings only on Monday, Thursday and Saturday and sometimes the rabbi may have a teaching lesson around these readings but there is not a sermon per se such as in the Christian churches. Jews have a seamless, never stop, service with no reminders of what is next. They just know from years of going to services.

The V'ahata has seven sections and I only heard talk about 4 of them: 1) was a section about ancestors. 2) was on page 165 of the prayer book, 3) was on page 166 which says be nice to us because of our ancestors and 4) is about God's might.

Jews believe that when the Messiah comes, everyone will be resurrected and the Orthodox believe this so literally that if someone has a body part amputated, they save the body part somewhere in the Temple to be buried with them when they die. This is so they will be all together and God can give them renewed life. God can give us all renewed life.

Page 168 shows the aspects of God that we are to imitate such as the compassionate aspects. But we don't imitate things like God as Creator.

Page 170 - Bless God's name. "You are Holy, your name is holy, and those who are holy praise you every day. Blessed are you, Adonai, the Holy God. " Jews say Adonai because you don't say the name of God aloud.

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Prayer for Peace, the greatest prayer of all.

In the middle are 3 pieces, Merits of our (Jew's) ancestors, God's might, and Glorifying God. At the center of the T'fillah is Sanctification of the Day and Daily Petitions. The Daily Petitions are a difference between weekly services and a holiday service. There is something called the 18 benedictions (which are really 19 benedictions but still call it the 18 benedictions. Belief is that one benediction was split into two and it made the 19th). I believe these are the 3 top and 3 bottom petitions. 1) Ask for wisdom to know right from wrong, 2) ask for forgiveness, 3) ask for redemption. Then at the end 4) You are redeemed, 5) Healing is requested, and 6) Ask for abundance and by this we mean ask for enough to sustain you.

Personal prayers are then said. These are supposed to be improvised but if you want a set prayer to say instead, there is one on page 100. So there is a prayer you can use if you do not have a personal prayer in mind that day.

Other parts of the service come next: Psalms 111-118 are done on Festival Days. The Hallel/Shofar is done on Pilgramage Festivals. Certain whole books are sometimes chanted. Then there is a section for Health and Welfare issues. Then the Conclusion includes 1) Hope for a Messianic Future - Jews are to strive to work toward making the world a better place so as to hasten the coming of the Messiah. 2) Remembering the dead (Mourners Kaddish is said), and 3) Closure (Sabbath Kaddish and Adon Olam).

This concludes the evening order of service.

The morning service starts with Morning Blessings (page 30), Text from Numbers which is recited upon entering the Synagogue, then Psalms verses are recited.

Prayer of morning is to awaken with a blessing. Page 32 is about health and page 34 is about soul. You give thanks for awakening, for stretching, for moving about, because you could have died in your sleep and you are to be grateful that you are seeing another day.

Then gives thanks for Torah (Songs of praise begin on page 50).

Morning service has a whole long series of Psalms which are (read/chanted?). These are on pages 145 - 150. Ashrei prayers??? Page 52 Here you go from left page to right page (I think designated by a light blue border around the words on these pages.) The prayer book, by the way, is normally read as if from back to front with the right page being read first and then the left.

Evening services usually has the larger crowds. The Kabbalat Shabbat ceremony is done at evening services.

Jews who were in Spain had thrived for over 700 years, then were kicked out. Mystics say this calamity paralleled a calamity in the Godhead. The mystics had a concept that there were 10 aspects of God, each aspect different from another. Then the aspect of Shekhinah (from the handout sheet titled "The Ten Sefirot" - this is the bottom and last aspect) was banished from the Godhead. This means compassionate one. This one dwells with us on earth and we are responsible for keeping compassion in the world. This cutting off from the Godhead parallels the calamity of the Jews being thrown out of Spain according to the mystics.

In the morning service, 6 Psalms about creation are read. People are to reflect on these Psalms 6 days per week. The ten Sefirot (means Sabbath Bride) is basically celebrating a wedding. While prayers and readings around this are said, the congregants face the back door as if looking for the bride to enter. It is celebrating a re-uniting with Til'enet (spelling?) or the masculine aspect of God. When the world is perfect, all will be Shabbat. Psalm 92, 93 is the completion of creation.

Kabalah Shabbat Service - all 8 Psalms are recited and it takes 25 minutes. It helps put the week behind you and set the stage for worship and prayer.

Sometimes the length of the morning service means they can hardly get a minion (10 men that are required to have prayer) in a small congregation. Cantor said this is true sometimes at Temple Beth-El which is a Reform Temple.

The Reform movement threw out a lot of stuff and now are putting some back in because some of it is required to make the service more spiritual.

Some congregations chant the entire book of Song of Songs (about 15 minutes) on a certain occasion.

Nigganim - Songs without words - sometimes used since music can elevate your soul.

Page 63 (or 636 - can't read my own writing) is the Y'did Nefesh. It is chanted in Hebrew and takes 7 or 8 minutes (the cantor did some of this and it was very beautiful). It has a lilting quality which also elevates the spirit. It is a meditation on God's name. In the Hebrew alphabet, the first Hebrew Letter of each verse spells (God?) - it is an acrostic.