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.
“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.
Part of the secret of this perseverance is the timeless messages of Passover and their ability to inspire new meaning in each generation.
The origins of the Haggadah are not clear, but the commandment to retell the Exodus comes from a strange night-long meeting of five sages.
What instruction does our shared environment teach us about creating healthier and more vibrant democracies derived from a communal understanding of freedom?
What is the story of Passover, What are its various traditions and rules, And just what dates will it be taking place this year? Here is everything you need to know.
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