Judaism as a religion emerged over four thousand years ago. It a religion that is commonly practiced among the Jewish community and is founded on the laws disclosed to Moses and documented in the Torah. Followers of this religion basically believe in the existence of one supreme God and always focus on living a holy life while on earth. This paper seeks to explore more on this religion.
Describe the major festivals of Judaism.
The Shabbat, which is a day of rest that occurs every week in the Jews calendar. This is usually on every Saturday and the followers are not allowed to work on this day. They use up a great part of the day in the synagogue; they don’t travel on this day and desist from utilizing any equipments. Rosh Ha-shanah on the other hand is a Jewish festival that marks the commencement of their year. This is usually a holy and somber time for the Jews, marked with a theme of atonement and prayer for a successful year. Another festival celebrated by the Jews is the Yom Kippur. This is also referred to as the day of repentance, heavenly judgment and personal refutation. This follows an eight day interval from the Rosh Ha-shanah. Five days following this festival, the Sukkot festival is then celebrated in remembrance of the Jews’ departure from Egypt and a thanksgiving for a good harvest. After this, there is the celebration of Simkhat Torah where the Jews renew their torah construal. In the Jewish calendar, December is a time to celebrate the Channukah festival for eight days. This is done to celebrate the substantial victory of the tiny Jewish inhabitants against the powerful Greece as well as the spiritual triumph of their faith. Another festival in Judaism is the Tu B’shevat also known as the tree planting day among the Jews. Also, is the Purim festival which is a fantastic spring Jewish festival that is characterized by a celebratory meal, present-giving and attires in the synagogue, in remembrance of Esther. After this, there is the celebration of the Passover festival which is also done during the spring season. This festival is conducted in memory of the departure and freedom of the Hebrews from bondage in Egypt during the days of Moses. The final pilgrimage festival to be celebrated in Judaism is the Shavu’ot. This is an event on which harvested grains and fruits are presented to the clerics in the Temple.
Some Jews have claimed that the holocaust has been one of the most important events in Jewish history. What did you learn from your virtual tour of the Holocaust Museum?
Some Jews claim that there is a Torah of the Earth. What are Jewish positions on the environment?
Starting with the initial sections of the Torah, Judaism creates an elementary relation between human beings and other living things. According to the Jews therefore, man has a duty to protect the environment. This rationale according to the Jewish people can be directly derived from the bible. However, the Jews maintain that man must be careful to sustain an appropriate balance between environmental preservation and man’s protection. The Jews therefore deem it vital for man to take care of all living things within their environment which includes the animals in this case.
Explain what Katz calls the two ethical Jewish principles for environmental activism?
According to Katz, the Jewish inspirations about living things can be viewed as an expression of profound environmental principles. He provides two key principles for the Jews ecological ethics. The first principle is the hurting of living beings (tza’ar ba’alei chayim) and the second is the command that one shall not demolish the environment (bal tash-chit). The first principle concerning the pain of creatures simply implies that man in his interaction with animals needs to have an approach of sympathy. Most importantly, human beings need to understand that animals undergo pain when mistreated just like men. It is however important to note that this Jewish principle does not prohibit the use of these animals as man’s food.
The second principle is concerned about the destruction of living things, both plant and animals. This, the Jewish ethics harshly condemn. This principle recommends that if there is need to destroy a living thing for instance trees, it has to be for a useful reason. Similarly, this principle forbids vandalism of any nature. Generally these two Jewish principles encourage man to take good care of his surroundings.
