Judaism
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Although most mosques feature domes, the dome is purely a decorative and traditional architectural structure with no symbolic or other spiritual meaning, according to About.com. Other mosque parts, such as the minaret, have more spiritual significance.
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Q: Why Is the Western Wall Important to the Jews?
A: The Western Wall is important to modern Jews because it is the only remaining relic of the Second Temple, which was a sacred center of the Jewish religion in ancient times. The building was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. -
Q: What Does Shabba Mean?
A: Shabba is a term that is used as a nickname of sorts for the concept behind Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest in which an observant Jew cannot work. On Shabbat, the day of rest, Jewish people do more than just sleep in late as they have time to set aside to appreciate the wonders of the world and reflect on their path with God. -
Q: What Are Characteristics of Judaism?
A: Judaism is a monotheistic faith, which means members believe in only one god. Judaism teaches that all humans were created in the image of God and that God intends to send a person to remedy the ills of the world. The Torah is the reference text of Judaism. -
Q: Is Swordfish Kosher?
A: A swordfish is not considered kosher food. The Torah says a fish must have fins and scales to be kosher. Only fish that have visible scales that can be easily removed are considered kosher, and swordfish do not meet this requirement. -
Q: What Are Rituals and Practices of Judaism?
A: The Jewish religion has many rituals and practices that begin at birth for boys and girls, with baby-naming ceremonies for girls and Brit Milahs for boys. Following initiation into the Jewish religion at birth, Jewish boys and girls then celebrate the passage into adulthood with Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. Later, marriages and divorces involve religious rituals to keep with centuries-old traditions. -
Q: What Is the Holy Book of Judaism?
A: The primary holy book of the Jewish faith is known as the Torah, which comprises the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy; these are also the first five books of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible, although "Old Testament" is not a term that followers of the Jewish faith typically apply to the Torah. The Torah can also be known as the Pentateuch, and it is accompanied by holy texts such as the Talmud, an authoritative book of biblical interpretations and Jewish oral traditions. According to Jewish religious tradition, God gave the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. -
Q: What Are Jewish People Not Allowed to Eat?
A: Some foods that Jews are forbidden to eat include pig products, such as pork, bacon and ham, seafood that has neither fins nor scales, such as lobster, crab or scallops, and anything that flies in swarms, such as insects. The Jewish dietary laws are called kashrut. -
Q: What Does an Anointing Oil Recipe Contain?
A: One recipe for anointing oil combines ingredients referenced in Exodus of the Bible and includes quantities of olive oil, sugar, salt, allspice seeds, cloves and cinnamon sticks. An optional mixture combines frankincense, myrrh and pine oils of balsam. A citrus-based spiritually uplifting anointing oil is made from combining the oils of lemon, lime, sweet orange, dark myrrh and frankincense. -
Q: Why Do Mosques Have Domes?
A: Although most mosques feature domes, the dome is purely a decorative and traditional architectural structure with no symbolic or other spiritual meaning, according to About.com. Other mosque parts, such as the minaret, have more spiritual significance. -
Q: Whom Do the Jewish People Worship?
A: The Jewish people worship YHWH, the sacred name of God as revealed to the prophet Moses in the Torah. It is a combination of the past, present and future tense of the word "howa," which means "to be." The proper pronunciation, as agreed by most scholars, is "Yahweh." -
Q: What Are the 613 Commandments?
A: The 613 commandments refers to a series of commandments, or mitzvot, that are specified in the Torah, which is the major holy text of Judaism. These include 365 negative commandments, or things that shouldn't be done, and 248 positive commandments, or things that should be done. The 613 mitzvot also include the Ten Commandments that are found in the Book of Exodus in the Bible. -
Q: Why Do People Place Rocks on Headstones?
A: Placing a small stone on top of a headstone is a Jewish custom demonstrating respect for the deceased and signaling that there has been a visitor to the grave. Jews call these stones of remembrance. -
Q: What Are Some Parallel Hebrew and English Bibles?
A: Parallel Hebrew-English Bibles include the Jewish Publication Society's Hebrew-English TANAKH: Student Edition, Zondervan's Interlinear NIV Hebrew-English Old Testament and Hendrickson Publishers's Parallel Bible: Hebrew-English Old Testament. There are also online resources offering parallel Hebrew-English text, such as Scripture4All.org and BibleHub.com. -
Q: What Is a Jewish Minyan?
A: A minyan is a group of at least 10 Jewish men aged 13 and over that are needed for public worship. Sometimes minyan is used to describe any act of communal worship. -
Q: What Are the Different Sects of Judaism?
A: The main sects of Judaism in the United States today are Orthodox, Reform and Conservative, according Judaism 101. About 5 million people practice Judaism in the U.S. -
Q: Do Jewish People Eat Pork?
A: Observant Jews are forbidden to eat pork. Jewish dietary laws, known as kashrut, dictate what can and cannot be eaten, and the specific ways in which foods must be prepared. -
Q: What Is the Date of the Jewish Holiday Sukkot?
A: The Jewish holiday of Sukkot starts on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Tishrei and lasts for seven days. The coinciding secular months are late September to late October. -
Q: What Are Some Jewish Holidays?
A: Some traditional Jewish holidays are Purim, Pesach (or Passover), Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah. Some modern Jewish holidays include Yom Ha-Shoah, or Holocaust Day and Yom HaAtzmaut, or Israel's Independence Day. Yom Ha-Shoah and Yom HaAtzmaut are both celebrated during the spring, with dates falling between April and May. -
Q: What Are Some Popular Sermon Topics That Focus on Ezekiel?
A: Some popular Ezekiel sermons, according to SermonCentral.com, are “Limiting God,” “Overcoming Disappointment” and “God is Still on His Throne.” “Limiting God” received the highest ratings from readers and covers Ezekiel 1:1-20. -
Q: What Was the Priesthood of the Order of Melchizedek?
A: In Christian belief, the priesthood of the Order of Melchizedek is a line of priesthood that ends with the priest and king Jesus Christ. Because Jesus was not a descendant of Aaron, he did not qualify for priesthood under the Jewish law and therefore is considered a "priest forever in the order of Melchizedek." -
Q: How Is the Book of Enoch Related to the Book of Giants?
A: Many scholars consider the Book of Enoch to be the source that the Book of Giants was based on. An alternative view is held by adherents of the Manichaean faith, who believe that the Book of Enoch and the Book of Giants are both divine revelations. A very small number of people of other religions also hold this view. There is some overlap between the contents of the two books.
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