Judaism

Beliefs, practices, and archaeological/textual scholarship

Definition

Judaism is the religion and cultural tradition of the Jewish people.

Core beliefs

Jews believe in one God, who established a covenant (a binding agreement) with the patriarch Abraham and later with the Israelite people through the prophet Moses at Mount Sinai. Central to this covenant is the belief that the Jewish people were given a specific set of commandments and responsibilities.

Sacred texts

Judaism's central sacred text is the Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible), which includes the Torah (the five books of Moses), the Nevi'im (books of the Prophets), and the Ketuvim (Writings). The Talmud, a vast collection of rabbinic commentary, legal discussion, and interpretation compiled over centuries, is also central to Jewish religious study and practice, particularly within traditional and Orthodox Judaism.

Historical origins

There habe been kingdoms, exile, and a long, well-documented diaspora (dispersion of Jewish communities).