Judaism

 “What is hateful to yourself, do not do to your neighbour.
That is the whole Torah; the rest is just commentary. Go and study it.”

Hillel reply

Around 2,000 years ago a non-Jew told Hillel, a famous Jewish teacher, that he would convert to Judaism if Hillel could teach him the whole of the Torah in the time he could balance on one leg.Around 2,000 years ago a non-Jew told Hillel, a famous Jewish teacher, that he would convert to Judaism if Hillel could teach him the whole of the Torah in the time he could balance on one leg.

About Judaism

Judaism is one of three Abrahamic religions — faiths which recognize Abraham as a Patriarch. The others are Christianity and Islam. Judaism is about 3,500 years old and began in the Middle East. Judaism is the parent faith of Christianity and both religions share some common scriptures. Although Jews comprise only about 0.2% of the human race, Jewish influence on the world has been vast.  Today there are about 12 million devout followers mostly in the United States and Israel

The Basic tenent of Judaism is the belief in one God and that the word of God is represented in the Holy Book the Hebrew Bible. The most sacred part is the first 5 books called the Torah.

Around 2,000 years ago a non-Jew told Hillel, a famous Jewish teacher, that he would convert to Judaism if Hillel could teach him the whole of the Torah in the time he could balance on one leg.

Hillel replied… “What is hateful to yourself, do not do to your neighbour. That is the whole Torah; the rest is just commentary. Go and study it.”

Kabbalah

The mystical element of Judaism is Kabbalah. Kabbalah consists of a large body of speculation on the nature of divinity, the creation, the origin and fate of the soul, and the role of human beings. It consists also of meditative, devotional, mystical and magical practices. Often these practices were restricted and only taught to few.

Kabbalah means “to receive” or “to accept” often it is used with regard to tradition

Some people view Kabbalah as distinct from Judaism, in recent years Kabbalah has become increasingly popular and practices by non – Jewish people.

What is Kabbalah – Page on the basics of Kabbalah

Resources on Judaism

• Judaism 101– 
• Judaism 101 is an online encyclopedia of Judaism, covering Jewish beliefs, people, places, things, language, scripture, holidays, practices and customs. Written from a predominantly orthodox view this site is a very useful resource.
• Judaism at BBC
• Jewish Mystic Poets