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: 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: 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 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 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: 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 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: 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 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: 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: Is Ray Romano Jewish?
A: While the Barones on "Everybody Loves Raymond" are a cultural mix of Jewish and Italian, Ray Romano himself is Italian in real life. His father Albert Romano and mother Lucie Fortini are both of primarily Italian descent with a small amount of French descent. -
Q: What is an example of a Kaddish prayer for the dead?
A: An example of a Kaddish prayer for the dead is the Mourner's Kaddish, which begins "Exalted and hallowed be his great name..." Originally, Jews recited this prayer after a rabbi's sermon, but it eventually became associated with mourning. -
Q: What are some Jewish names for God?
A: Some Jewish names for God are El Shaddai and El Elyon. Additional Jewish names for God are Yahweh and Jehovah, both meaning that God is absolutely powerful and the all-knowing ruler. -
Q: What are some of the core beliefs of Judaism?
A: Some core beliefs of Judaism include the belief in God as the one and only God, that the Torah is the most important Jewish text, and that God established a covenant with Abraham to be passed on to future generations. Judaism believes that the God gave the Torah and the oral Torah to Moses and that his prophesies must be true. -
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: Why does the menorah have seven branches?
A: According to Old Testament, the Menorah was specifically designed by God with a central stem, representing His Spirit, with 3 stems on either side to represent the six attributes of wisdom, understanding, counsel, might, knowledge and fear. It is also said to represent the burning bush which Moses saw. -
Q: What are some of Jonathan Cahn's prophecies?
A: Jonathan Cahn is a Messianic Jewish (meaning that he combines his belief in Christ as the Messiah with Jewish traditions) rabbi and pastor whose literature has prophesied calamities in the United States. His 2012 book, "The Harbinger," compares 21st-century America to ancient Israel. -
Q: What are the major beliefs of Judaism?
A: Some of the major beliefs of Judaism include monotheism, or the concept that there is only one deity; belief in the Torah, the five books of Moses, as the word of God; and belief in an everlasting covenant, in which God set the Jews apart from other nations as his own. Additionally, many of the beliefs in Judaism come from interpretations from rabbinic sages over the ages. -
Q: What is the Jewish hat called?
A: The typical Jewish hat is called a kippah or yarmulke. The word "kippah" means "skullcap" in Yiddish, the original language of Ashkenazi Jews. The tradition of wearing a kippah at all times was created thousands of years ago. -
Q: What are some Hanukkah blessings?
A: The blessing of God for his commandment to kindle the lights of Hanukkah, the remembrance of the miracles performed for the ancestors, and the thanksgiving to God for his sustenance are the three Hanukkah blessings. Commemorators recite the first two blessings every night, but they recite the third blessing only on the first night of Hanukkah. -
Q: What Jewish holidays occurred in 2014?
A: There were 13 Jewish holidays and festivals observed in 2014, including Tu B'Shevat, observed on January 16; Purim, which was observed from March 15 through 16; Passover, which was observed from April 14 through 22; and Second Passover, which was observed on May 14. Lag B'Omer was observed from April 15 through June 3 and Shavuot was observed beginning at sunset on June 3 and ending at nightfall on June 5.
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