Prayer & Acts of Worship
Religious Studies: KS3, topic 1.2.16
Worship and Sacred Writings
For Jewish people, the home is an incredibly important space. The home 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’.
- 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’.
- These books 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’.
- They contain poetry, stories and wisdom.
Test yourself on Prayer & Acts of Worship
What is the most important space in modern Jewish life?
What is the name given to a small box containing sections of shema text (a prayer from the Torah) that is found on every door in a Jewish house?