Judaism

Judaism is a monotheistic religion—meaning the worship of one God—that originated in the Near East, specifically in the ancient region of Canaan and Palestine. It is one of the religions known as the Abrahamic faiths, sharing with Christianity and Islam a connection traced to the Prophet Abraham.

Those who follow Judaism are called Jews. The Jewish community is not only a religious group; it is also a people with a shared history, language, and culture. For this reason, a person may be considered Jewish through maternal or paternal lineage or community membership, even if they do not actively practice the religion.

Scripture and religious law

The foundational text is the Torah, which comprises the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh). The Tanakh has three sections: Torah (law), Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings). Beyond the written text, there is an oral tradition later recorded in the Mishnah and Talmud, which are compilations of rabbinic debate on religious law.

Religious law is known as halakhah. It defines matters such as permissible foods (kashrut), marriage and divorce procedures, purity regulations, and communal obligations. Scholars—rabbis—interpret halakhah based on scriptural texts and earlier rulings.

Worship and observances

The day of rest is Shabbat (the Sabbath), beginning at sunset on Friday and ending at nightfall on Saturday; work ceases. Major festivals include Pesach (Passover), Shavuot, Sukkot, Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year), and Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). Regular prayer takes place in a synagogue (beytknesset), where the Torah is read.

Movements and modern practice

From the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries onward, European Judaism divided into different movements: Orthodox (strictly observant of religious law), Conservative/Masorti, and Reform (which modified practices and worship). There are also cultural distinctions between Ashkenazi Jews (from Central and Eastern Europe) and Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews (with origins in medieval Spain, the Middle East, and North Africa).

Today most Jews live in Israel and the United States, though Jewish communities exist in Europe, Russia, Latin America, and Africa. The relationship between religion, ethnicity, and the State of Israel remains a subject of ongoing debate within the Jewish community itself.