Judaism is the oldest monotheistic religion in the world, having originated in the Middle East more than 3,000 years ago with patriarch Abraham.
As the first Abrahamic religion, Judaism has played a major role in shaping the history of the world, having greatly influenced the development of Christianity and Islam, despite having always had a relatively small amount of adherents by comparison.
The religion itself is built off of the "written Torah" of the Bible, known in Judaism as the Tanach, and the "oral Torah" of the Mishna, Talmud and other great works of leading rabbis throughout history.
Judaism itself has no single leading figure, and is divided into multiple streams, such as the ultra-Orthodox (haredi), Orthodox, Conservative and Reform. Further differences also exist along the lines of historic Diasporic communities, such as Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jewry.
Today, the largest concentration of adherents of Judaism can be found in Israel, with the US having the second-largest.
The Jewish state should be recognized as the manifestation of the divine promise to return the nation of Israel to its land, as mentioned multiple times in Islamic sources.
Netanya’s synagogues may, in sum, be seen as not merely functional places of prayer but also communal centers.
As I was reminded over and again in my seminary studies, “The defining metaphor of the Jewish people is the Exodus from Egypt.”
Lionel Messi's football prowess led Barcelona and Argentina to numerous victories, paralleling the biblical concept of a Messiah—one that Israel needs as it faces ongoing threats.
“They immediately said, ‘We’ll have to figure out a new way,’” recalled Balser, who represents the heavily Jewish suburb of Newton.
On this Sabbath, it is customary in many communities to read Shir Hashirim, the “Song of Songs” – the biblical love song composed by King Solomon.
We have always known that we cannot be protected by anyone besides ourselves, which is why an overwhelming 95% of the Jewish community are Zionists.
On Passover, when we sit down to the Seder table, we declare together, “In every generation, they rise against us to annihilate us, but the Holy One, blessed be He, saves us from their hands.”
This unfortunate reality made me leave Europe with a bad taste in my mouth. I was honored to have helped their son become a full member of the Jewish community, but I worried for his future.
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