Judaism - Definition, Characteristics, Beliefs, and Sacred Books

We explain what Judaism is, its origin, characteristics, and beliefs. We also explain its main currents and sacred books.

What is Judaism?

Judaism is the religion of the Jewish or Hebrew people, whose origins date back to the religion of the ancient Hebrews of the 2nd millennium BC and, more specifically, to the adoption of monotheism in the 6th century BC. It is one of the three great Abrahamic religions, along with Christianity and Islam. This means that all three recognize themselves as heirs to the story of the prophet Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic), the first of the three great biblical patriarchs, and that they believe in the existence of one and the same Creator God.

However, the term Judaism also refers to the complex phenomenon of Jewish culture, which integrates religion, customs, the idea of justice, and social organization, founded on tradition and sacred texts. Thus, Judaism is considered, at the same time, a religion, a culture, and an ethnic identity (which recognizes its origins in the ancient Hebrew people of the Near East). You must read about Ten Commandments once.

There is no single, homogeneous way of practicing Judaism, nor a single universal, organized, and systematized body of religious texts by which the entire Jewish community is guided. The strictest application of Judaism’s ritual and legal norms is observed in Haredi or ultra-Orthodox communities, but different Jewish denominations have varying degrees of adaptation to historical changes. However, the Torah and the rest of the books that make up the Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (roughly equivalent to the Old Testament of the Christian Bible) constitute the central sacred books of this religion.

Table of Contents

Judaism has a long and complex cultural history, as it is a religion and a way of life with ancient roots that has endured migrations, exiles, and persecutions. Today, Jewish meeting and prayer places (called synagogues) of varying size exist in many countries, where the Jewish congregation gathers to receive spiritual and moral guidance from a rabbi. Maybe you should definitely read about Kosher once.

KEY POINTS

Judaism is one of the world’s oldest monotheistic religions, emerging in the 6th century BC. C., derived from the religion of the ancient Hebrew people.
It is based on the belief in a single Creator God, who established a covenant with the patriarch Abraham and gave Moses the Tablets of the Law containing the Ten Commandments.
The two most numerous religions in the world, Christianity and Islam, derive from it, and together they are often called Abrahamic religions.
Its sacred book is the Hebrew Bible, also called the Tanakh, the most important part of which is the Torah (also known as the Pentateuch), the first five biblical books that are the basis of Jewish religious law.
The main currents of Judaism are Orthodox, Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Secular.

Characteristics of Judaism

The general characteristics of Judaism are:

It is an Abrahamic and monotheistic religion, that is, it postulates the existence of a single God, omnipresent and creator of the universe, who in biblical texts is called Yahweh (although this name is currently omitted). This God would have manifested himself to all the patriarchs and prophets of the Bible, such as Noah, Abraham, Moses, among others.
Jewish religion and identity are represented by the Star of David, a symbol that since the Middle Ages has been associated with the decoration of King David’s shield, according to the interpretation of some liturgical texts, and the menorah (a seven-branched ritual candelabrum), installed in ancient times in the Temple of Jerusalem.
Jewish rites and celebrations are governed by the Hebrew calendar, which combines the lunar and solar cycles and whose origins date back to ancient times. In this calendar, days begin at sunset, weeks begin on Sunday, and years have twelve months of 29 or 30 days (a month is added in leap years). Saturdays (Sabbath or Shabbat) are the seventh day of the week and are sacred days of rest, so no work should be done, as they commemorate the day on which, according to Genesis, God rested after creating the universe.
The Jewish people are governed by Jewish law, or halakha, alternatively called regulations, as it concerns legal and ethical standards. It is contained in the Talmud, the main legal and ritual corpus of the Jewish religion, and is inspired by the Torah and other religious texts.
The ritual language of Judaism is Hebrew, considered a sacred language. The sacred books and most other Jewish religious texts are written in this language. However, there are also communities where the liturgical language is Yiddish or Ladino.
Jewish spaces for communal worship are called synagogues, and religious studies are also held there, and social activities are sometimes held. Rabbis exercise spiritual authority and officiate ceremonies.
The main rites of passage in Judaism are the brit milah (the circumcision of boys eight days after birth, which seals the covenant between God and the Jewish people) and the bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah (which admit thirteen-year-old boys and twelve-year-old girls, respectively, into the adult Jewish community).
Non-Jews (called “gentiles” or goyim) can convert to the religion at will, and in that case, they are considered Jewish by the rest of the community. This requires completing a series of steps, including studying the Jewish religion, male circumcision, taking a purification bath in a mikveh (ritual water fountain), and obtaining approval from a rabbinical court.
Judaism adheres to the kosher diet, which follows specific regulations regarding what is considered ritually acceptable. Therefore, it prohibits the consumption of pork and other animals considered “impure” and requires the preparation of meat using a specific bleeding method. It also prohibits any combination of blood and milk.

Origin of Judaism

Judaism as a monotheistic religion emerged in the Near East in ancient times, around the 6th century BCE. The term “Jew” derives from the name of the tribe and kingdom of Judah (established in the southern Levant around the 9th century BC), and began to be used to refer to all Hebrews after the Babylonian captivity in the 6th century BC. However, the Jewish religion was a development of earlier beliefs, likely dating back to the ancient Hebrews of the 2nd millennium BC.

According to its own founding myths, which have a religious function, the history of Judaism began with the patriarch Abraham, who was summoned by God to leave his homeland in Mesopotamia and march to a region then known as Canaan (in the southern Levant), which became the promised land for his descendants. In this way, Abraham sealed the Hebrew people’s covenant with God.

Abraham, his son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob embarked on a life of nomadic shepherds with their tribe until the Hebrews were reduced to slavery in Egypt. Then, a new prophet was chosen by God: Moses, who led his people back to Canaan, in an exodus that lasted 40 years in the desert. On this journey, Moses received the Tablets of the Law containing the Ten Commandments, which from then on form the legal and moral foundation of the Jewish people.

Eventually, the Hebrews conquered Canaan, and there the united monarchy of Israel was established, formed by the union of the twelve tribes of Israel under the authority of a single king (first Saul, then David, and finally Solomon).

Today, historians agree that this religious story has no historical basis. While some authors consider David and Solomon to have been historical figures, others maintain that the Bible only contains historical data, based on narratives alluding to the Omri dynasty, which ruled the northern kingdom of Israel in the 9th century (after the supposed united monarchy of David and Solomon). You must read about Islam once.

Main Beliefs of Judaism

The main beliefs of Judaism are:

There is one and only God, creator of the universe, and his chosen people are the people of Israel, with whom he established a covenant since ancient times (according to the biblical text, since the time of the patriarch Abraham). For this reason, according to the Bible, the Jewish people are to be a “light among the nations” and carry God’s message to the world. However, Judaism does not engage in proselytism. The Ten Commandments recorded in the Bible were dictated by God to Moses on Mount Sinai to regulate the religious and moral conduct of the Jewish people.
In the future, a Messiah (“anointed one”) will come, that is, a descendant of the House of David sent by God to rule the Jewish people and the rest of the world and establish a new era of peace. Unlike Christianity, Judaism does not believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah (except for a minority group known as Messianic Judaism), and therefore continues to await his arrival.

Strengths of Judaism

There are different currents of Judaism, including Orthodox Judaism, Reform Judaism, Conservative Judaism, Reconstructionist Judaism, and Secular Judaism:

Orthodox Judaism: With its strict adherence to Jewish law or halakha, it is one of the major currents of Judaism. Various trends can be classified within it. The most extreme is ultra-Orthodox Judaism, also called Haredi or Haredi (in Hebrew: “those who tremble” before God), which practices a particularly devout and traditionalist Judaism, maintains a certain distance from modern society, and has strict dress codes that include wearing black. The ultra-Orthodox trend includes the Hasidim and Misnagdis. At the other extreme is Modern Orthodox Judaism, which is more connected to secular society and willing to adapt its beliefs to the contemporary world. Reform Judaism: Also called Progressive or Liberal Judaism, it emerged in Germany in the 19th century with the intention of reconciling the values of liberalism and modern life with the Jewish religion. It promoted a renewed perspective on religion based on the individual’s freedom to interpret religious norms. It became especially popular in the United States.
Conservative Judaism: Also called Masorti, it emerged in Germany and the United States in the 19th century as a reaction against Reform Judaism, proposing a return to Jewish law (Halakhah) and tradition (Masoret), but without turning its back on the context of the modern world and democracy. It is often considered an intermediate position between Orthodox Judaism and Reform Judaism.
Reconstructionist Judaism: It emerged in the 20th century in the United States. It defends the importance of traditional Jewish law and practices, but does not consider them binding commandments, denying their status as divine revelations. Their conception of Judaism is that of a religion and a culture that evolve progressively, and whose changes must be accompanied by adaptation to the needs and values of the contemporary world.
Secular Judaism: This includes all those who belong to the Jewish tradition for family or cultural reasons, but who practice almost no religious rites and are not governed by Jewish laws.

Main Jewish Holidays

The main Jewish holidays, which are part of the Hebrew calendar of twelve lunar months, are:

Pesach: Also known as Passover, it commemorates the exodus of the Hebrews from Egypt, according to the biblical account. It consists primarily of a ritual meal in which, among other foods, unleavened bread is consumed.
Shavuot: It commemorates the biblical episode in which God gives Moses the Tablets of the Law containing the Ten Commandments, and also constitutes a thanksgiving for the first harvests of the year. It includes the consumption of dairy products.
Rosh Hashanah: The Jewish New Year is celebrated during the first two days of the Hebrew month of Tishrei. It is the anniversary of the creation of the universe, and during this date the shofar, a wind instrument consisting of a ram’s horn, is blown in the synagogue.
Yom Kippur: Called the Day of Atonement or Day of Forgiveness, it consists of twenty-four hours of fasting, reflection, prayer, and repentance. It is the culmination and holiest point of a ten-day penitential period, beginning on Rosh Hashanah, and during which forgiveness is sought for offenses committed.
Sukkot: Known as the Feast of Tabernacles and the Feast of Booths, it lasts a week and commemorates the forty years of wandering by the Hebrews in the desert after their exodus from Egypt, as narrated in the biblical account. It also celebrates the harvest of the last crops. Believers build booths or tabernacles with branches in gardens or near synagogues, where they eat and sleep, imitating the ancient Hebrew people.
Simchat Torah: Celebrated on the last day of Sukkot, it marks the end of the annual cycle of Torah reading and the beginning of a new cycle, with the reading of the first chapter of Genesis. This celebration is associated with joy and happiness, and includes a procession with the scrolls of the sacred book inside and outside synagogues.
Hanukkah: Called the Festival of Lights or the Festival of Luminaries, it lasts eight days and is celebrated around the same time as Christmas for Christians. It commemorates the victory of the Jewish leader Judas Maccabeus against Seleucid rule in 164 BC, which led to the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem after it had been desecrated. Families light a candle each day on a Hanukkah menorah (a nine-branched candelabrum, different from the traditional seven-branched menorah), and on the eighth day, all the candles are lit (including the candle on the central candelabrum, which is used to light the others).
Purim: Celebrates the salvation of the Jewish people from being exterminated by order of a Persian official named Haman, according to the story told in the biblical Book of Esther. It is celebrated by sending gifts to relatives and friends, and performing charitable works.
Yom Hashoah and Yom Ha’atsmaut: Celebrated by many Jews, these commemorations have a more recent history, linked to two 20th-century events: the Shoah or Holocaust (the extermination of six million Jews by the Nazi regime during World War II) and the creation of the State of Israel (1948).

Books of Judaism

Judaism has a sacred book, known as the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible, which is composed of 24 books that also make up the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. These books are grouped into three parts:

Torah: Literally meaning instruction, it is also called the Pentateuch, as it contains the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy), considered revealed teaching and the basis of Jewish religious law. Neviim: Contains the so-called books of the prophets, consisting of four books of historical or earlier prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings) and four books of later prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve minor prophets).
Ketuvim: In Hebrew, meaning Writings, it contains eleven books of various genres, including religious poetry and wisdom literature (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, and Esther) and books known as historical or prophetic books (Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles).

In addition, Judaism has other important books that govern its law and religious life:

Talmud: In a broad sense, it consists of two compilations of texts, called the Mishnah and the Gemara, although sometimes only the latter is called the Talmud. It has two versions (the Jerusalem Talmud and the Babylonian Talmud) and is a fundamental book of Rabbinic Judaism, but its authority is rejected by some Jewish sects.
Mishnah: It is a written collection of ancient oral laws that complement written Jewish law.
Gemara: It is a set of commentaries and interpretations of the Mishnah.
Shulchan Aruch: It is a legal code composed in the 16th century to organize Jewish legislation that existed from Antiquity to the Middle Ages.
Zohar: Known as the Book of Splendor, it is primarily a mystical commentary on the Torah written in the 13th century. It is one of the main books of the Kabbalistic branch of Judaism.

References

All the information we offer is supported by authoritative and up-to-date bibliographic sources, ensuring reliable content in line with our editorial principles.

De Lange, N. (1994). The Jewish People. Odyssey Through the Centuries. Folio.
Filoramo, G., Massenzio, M., Raveri, M., and Scarpi, P. (2000). History of Religions. Criticism.
Finklestein, I., and Silberman, N. A. (2003). The Bible Unearthed. A New Archaeological View of Ancient Israel and Its Sacred Texts. Siglo XXI.
Roitman, A. (2013). Bible, Exegesis, and Religion. A Critical-Historical Reading of Judaism. Verbo Divino.
Silberman, L. H. et al. (2024). Judaism. Encyclopedia Britannica.

Judaism – Definition, Characteristics, Beliefs, and Sacred Books