$JES 911 Essence of World Religions Reference Book

Author(s): Pravin K Shah
Publisher: JAINA Education Committee

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Essence of World Religions
Judaism
Founded Judaism began about 3,700 years ago in Canaan which now contains the State of Israel, Palestine and Jordan.
Founder Abraham is the father of the Hebrew people (Jews). God established His covenant with Moses who emancipated the enslaved Jewish tribes from Egypt.
Sects Jews are divided into Orthodox, Conservative and Reform groups with other regional and ethnic divisions. Major Scriptures The basic source of Jewish belief is the Hebrew Bible (called the "Old Testament" by Christians). Its first five books are called the Torah or the Pentateuch of Moses. Torah means 'law and teaching'. The five books are Genesis, Exodus, Levicus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Torah was traditionally regarded as the primary revelation of God and his law to humanity to his spokesman Moses on Mount Sinai. It is considered eternal truth. Its laws were clarified and elaborated in the oral Torah, or the tradition of the elders, and were eventually written down in the
lishnah and Talmud. Jewish literature on legal, ethical, philosophic, mystical, and devotional is virtually endless.
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