Worship & Law

Worship and Sacred Writings

For Jewish people, the home is an incredibly important space. It is a space in which Jews can pray, worship and follow Jewish rules.

Worship in the home

The home is the most important space in modern Jewish life as it represents the ‘everyday’, and God is worshipped in everyday life.
There are always Jewish books in the home, which are used to help guide Jewish families.

Mezuzah

On every door, apart from the bathroom, there is a mezuzah.
A mezuzah is a small box containing sections from the shema text (a prayer from the Torah).
This text establishes the belief in monotheism.
By placing a mezuzah on the door, Jews are always reminded of God.

Jewish kitchen

The kitchen is set out to accommodate for kosher laws (laws about the meat which can be eaten by Jewish people).
There will be two sinks, two ovens, two crockery sets and two cutlery sets so that no meat and milk is mixed.

Sacred writings

The Jewish/Hebrew Bible is known as the Tanakh.
The Tanakh is made up of 24 books which are grouped into 3 sections.
The first section is the Torah, which is the first 5 books.
The next 8 books are called the Nevi’im or ‘prophets’, and include the history of the Jews and how they lived up to being God’s chosen people.
The final 11 books are called the Ketuvim or ‘writings’, containing poetry, stories, wisdom.

Written and Oral Jewish Law

Jewish law was originally oral in nature but was later written down as the laws became more complex and the Jews feared persecution.

Oral Law

In early Jewish history, oral teachings were passed down from one generation to the next detailing how the Torah would be fulfilled.
At a later stage, the laws were written down and called the Talmud.
This was because the laws had developed and become more complex and Jews feared persecution.

The Talmud

The Talmud is made up of the Mishnah the Gemarah.
The Mishnah is the first written version of Jewish oral traditions.
Rabbi Judah the Prince organised Jewish teachings into volumes and sections called the Mishnah around the year 200CE.
The Gemarah is a rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah.

Laws differ for Orthodox and Reform Jews

Reform Jews do not accept the Talmud and Torah as having absolute authority in the modern world so do not study them as much as Orthodox Jews.
Orthodox Jews study the Talmud every day. There is a programme of study amongst Orthodox Jews which enables them to complete the entire Talmud in 7.5 years by studying a page a day.

1Buddhism

2Christianity

2.1Key Beliefs

2.1.1The Nature of God

2.1.2The Problem of Evil

2.1.3Monotheism

2.1.4Creation

2.1.5Bible Accounts of Creation

2.1.6The Trinity and Creation

2.1.7Afterlife

2.1.8Heaven and Hell

2.1.9The Influence of Afterlife on Life

2.1.10End of Topic Test - Christianity Key Beliefs

2.1.11Exam-Style Questions - Christian Beliefs

2.2Jesus Christ & Salvation

2.2.1The Incarnation

2.2.2Jesus - Divine & Human

2.2.3The Crucifixion

2.2.4Jesus' Betrayal

2.2.5Resurrection & Ascension

2.2.6Sin

2.2.7Original Sin

2.2.8Punishment

2.2.9The Means of Salvation

2.2.10Achieving Salvation

2.2.11Disagreements About Salvation

2.2.12The Role of Christ in Salvation

2.2.13Theories of Salvation

2.2.14End of Topic Test - Jesus Christ & Salvation

2.3Worship & Festivals

2.3.1Different Forms of Worship

2.3.2Prayer

2.3.3Sacrament

2.3.4Baptism

2.3.5Other Sacraments

2.3.6Eucharist

2.3.7Pilgrimage & Celebrations

2.3.8Christmas & Easter

2.3.9End of Topic Test - Worship and Festivals

2.4Community

2.4.1Local Community

2.4.2Mission, Evangelism & Church Growth

2.4.3Worldwide Church

2.4.4Reconciliation

2.4.5Persecution

2.4.6Caring for Those in Need

2.4.7End of Topic Test - Community

2.4.8Exam-Style Questions - Christian Practices

3Catholicism (Christianity)

4Islam

5Judaism

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