Introduction
Judaism is a monotheistic religion, meaning that it worships only one God. In fact, it is the oldest monotheistic Abrahamic religion in the world and the tenth-largest religion worldwide. Judaism can be very confusing for some people. Most people are confused about whether being Jewish is being a part of Jewish culture, having it as your nationality, or about your religion. Actually, Judaism is essentially the way of life for all Jewish people, whether through their theology, law, or traditions.
Abraham - Founder of Judaism
In the early centuries of mankind, monotheism was not common. In fact, a majority of people prayed to multiple Gods. Abraham was the first person in a long time to start believing in monotheism again. Originally, Abraham lived in the city of Ur in Babylonia with his father and wife. His father was a merchant who sold idols, but Abraham believed there was only one God, so he smashed all of his father's idols.
Later, God spoke to Abraham and instructed him to leave Ur and live in Canaan, which was the land God promised to give to Abraham's descendants. Abraham agreed, which formed the basis of a covenant between God and his descendants and moved to Canaan with his wife and nephew.
When he arrived in Canaan, Abraham wanted to have an heir, but due to his wife being past the age of child-bearing, she offered her slave to provide an heir (which was common practice at the time). Thus, his son Ishmael was born. However, soon after, God came to Abraham in the form of three men and promised him a son from Sarah despite her condition. Later, Sarah gave birth to Isaac.
Once she had given birth, Sarah asked Abraham to banish Ishmael and his mother so that the two brothers wouldn't share the inheritance. Abraham reluctantly agreed and sent them away once God promised to make Ishmael the founder of a nation. Ishmael later became the father of all Arabs.
Soon after, Abraham's faith in One God was tested. God told Abraham to sacrifice Isaac by taking him up a mountain. Abraham did so, packing things to make a burnt offering. When he was about to fulfill God's wish, an Angel of God stopped him and provided a ram to sacrifice instead of Isaac.
Due to his faith, God made it so that Abraham had lots of descendants. Abraham's faith in God is one to follow in Judaism.
The Tanakh
The Tanakh is the Hebrew bible. It contains the teachings and writings of God's Law. The Torah (teaching) includes the five books of Moses or the Old Testament in Christianity. This is supposed to teach God's followers the way of life that they should follow. This contains God's teachings in the five books: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Tanakh also has the writings, Ketuvim. This can include psalms, proverbs, songs of songs, Ruth, lamentations, Esther, and chronicles. It also mentions the Nevi'im, the prophets. These prophets were Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and The Twelve.
Beliefs
There are many beliefs that Judaism has, among them are:
The idea that there is only one God as a whole. (Not like Christianity with the Trinity)
God made a covenant with Abraham. This means that God promised to bless Abraham's descendants, the Jewish people if they worshipped God and were faithful to God.
Jewish people have the job to make the world a better place to increase good and come closer to God.
To show the world that God exists (This doesn't entail forcing/persuading people to convert to Judaism. They believe all people can serve God as long as they follow the Seven Commandments given to non-Jewish people)
God tells people in the Torah about the way of life and how to follow it
The Land of Israel is holy to Judaism
Also, the piece of land that God is closest to
That a Messiah, a person God sends to this world to help people see that God is the maker of it, will eventually come to Earth and help us.
Kashrut
There are these dietary rules in Judaism called Kashrut, which are meant to bring people closer to Jewish tradition and God. The food that they can eat are:
Fruits/Vegetables without insects in/on them
Fish with scales and fins
The meat of any animal that chews its cud (cud is food that's been partly digested)
Common birds
Foods sold in stores/restaurants checked by a Jew that's an expert in Kashrut
Honey
Relations to Other Religions
Judaism was the first monotheistic religion to come around during its time. It's also widely associated with Christianity and Islam, the two other prominent monotheistic Abrahamic religions of today. Christianity started off as a denomination in Judaism, initially calling themselves Jewish Christians before Christianity split off into its faith. Islam and Judaism were both from the Middle East, which made it so that many of their ideals and different aspects of their respective faiths overlapped.
Conclusion
Founded 4,000 years ago, Judaism is still a prospering religion today. Despite the number of obstacles its people have faced since its beginning, the Jewish people have continuously proved their faithfulness to God, which is something to be amazed by. Judaism is an extraordinary religion, and its people continue to demonstrate that every day of their lives.
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