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Judaism Religion |
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Judaism is one of the oldest religions still existing today. It began as the religion
of the small nation of the Hebrews, and through thousands of years of suffering,
persecution, dispersion, and occasional victory, has continued to be a profoundly
influential religion and culture. Today, 14 million people identify themselves as Jewish. Modern Judaism is a complex phenomenon that incorporates both a nation and
a religion, and often combines strict adherence to ritual laws with a more liberal
attitude towards religious belief. Follow a link below to learn more about Judaism.
In modern Judaism, central authority is not vested in any single person or body, but in sacred texts, religious law, and learned rabbis who interpret those
texts and laws. According to Jewish tradition, Judaism begins with the Covenant
between God and Abraham (ca. 2000 BCE), the patriarch and progenitor of the Jewish
nation. Throughout the ages, Judaism has adhered to a number of religious principles,
the most important of which is the belief in a single, omniscient, omnipotent, benevolent,
transcendent god, who created the universe and continues to govern it. According
to most branches, God established a covenant with the Israelites and their descendants,
and revealed his laws and commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of both
the Written and Oral Torah. However, Karaite Judaism maintains that only the Written
Torah was revealed. Judaism has traditionally valued Torah study and the observance
of the commandments recorded in the Torah and expounded in the Talmud.
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