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About Judaism & Jewish Living
Author: MSTCS Mark Lewack,Purpose:
This page provides access for Jews and Non-Jews alike to information about Judaism. This page shall not be construed or utilized to promote anything contrary to good taste and respect for all religions.
Any questions or suggestions regarding content, please direct inquiries to: Sam Korson, 202-372-2243
Jewish Chaplains Council - The Council serves approximately 37 full-time military and Veterans Administration chaplains, 55 chaplain reservists, more than 88 military lay leaders, and thousands of Jews at more than 500 military installations and VA medical centers.
UPCOMING JEWISH HOLIDAYS & JEWISH CALENDAR
Visit the following sites for more information about the Jewish Calendar & Observances:
- Jewish Calendar
- Candle Lighting Times
- Shabbos Guide: http://www.pirchei.co.il/pictoral/shabbos/index.htm and http://www.ou.org/chagim/shabbat/
- Jewish Holidays
- Frequently Asked Questions
INFORMATION ABOUT JUDAISM
Don't have time to pick up copies of the Jewish Encyclopedia, Jewish Book of Why, etc? Why not
visit the following web pages to learn more about Judaism?
Author's Note: There are hundreds of sites on the internet. The links below will serve as a stepping stone to further information. None of the links provided on this page are meant to serve as a personal endorsement of a particular branch of Judaism over another.
General Questions:
- Jew FAQ: http://www.jewfaq.org/toc.htm
- JewishLink: http://www.jewishlink.net
- Project Genesis: http://www.torah.org/qanda/kbdmp.php
Major Movements in Judaism:
The different sects or denominations of Judaism are generally referred to as movements. The differences between Jewish movements are not nearly as great as the differences between Christian denominations. The differences between Orthodoxy and Reform Judaism are not much greater than the differences between the liberal and fundamentalist wings of the Baptist denomination of Christianity.
-- Source: Judaism 101 Web Site (http://www.jewfaq.org/movement.htm)
Note: The movements listed below only pertain to American Jews. Elsewhere, there are generally two movements within Judaism; traditional and liberal.
- Chasidism: http://dir.yahoo.com/
- Conservative: http://www.uscj.org/
- Orthodox: http://www.ou.org/
- Reconstructionist: http://www.jrf.org/
- Reform: http://www.uahc.org/
Chasidism, considered to be a separate movement by some, is generally thought of as a movement within Orthodoxy.
Guide to Worship:
Prayer is what connects us to Hashem (G-d). We are commanded to thank G-d for the many blessings in our daily lives. Jews thank G-d for every experience we endure during the day. We also pray on behalf
of those who cannot pray (a deceased relative and/or 6,000,000 Jews who perished during the Holocaust). In addition to personal prayers, we are commanded to pray three times a day with a congregation (or a minyan). These three services are known in Hebrew as Shacharit (Morning), Mincha (Afternoon), and Ma'ariv (Evening). On holidays and on the Sabbath, we add a special section to the Shacharit service
known as the Musaf (Additional Prayer). This additional prayer service commemorates the sanctification of the day in the Temple. This also typifies the special significance of holy days from ordinary ones.
In traditional congregations, the entire service is in Hebrew. In others, some prayers are in English so as to allow those who cannot read Hebrew to join in prayer with others who can.
As there is much more to relate than my limited knowledge allows, I recommend you visit the following websites for additional information.
Outline of Daily Services (some w/audio):
http://www.du.edu/~sward/tefilla.htmhttp://www.thinkjewish.com/walk.html
Online Siddur (Prayer Book):
http://www.siddur.org/Detailed Explanation:
http://www.jewfaq.org/prayer.htm#Tefilah
http://www.jewfaq.org/liturgy.htm
Torah:
The word "Torah" is a tricky one, because it can mean different things in different contexts. In its most limited sense, "Torah" refers to the Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. But the word "torah" can also be used to refer to the entire Jewish bible (the body of scripture known to non-Jews as the Old Testament and to Jews as the Tanakh or Written Torah), or in its broadest sense, to the whole body of Jewish law and teachings. -- Source: Judaism 101 Web Site (http://www.jewfaq.org/torah.htm)
Special Parshiyot for Shavuot:
- Aish: http://aish.com/torahportion/
- Chabad: http://www.chabad.org/parsha/index.html
- Torah.Org: http://torah.org/learning/parsha/
Search Tools / Indices
- Aish: http://aish.com
- Jewish Link: http://www.jewishlink.net
- Yahoo: http://dir.yahoo.com/
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