$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
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should God be represented in any form, nor should any being be worshipped other than the One God, Yahweh. That upon death the soul goes to Heaven (or to Hell first if it has been sinful), that one day the Messiah will appear on earth and there will be a Day of Judgment, and the dead shall physically arise to Life Everlasting. The universe is not eternal. It was created by God and will be destroyed by Him. In man's spiritualization through adherence to the law, justice, charity, and honesty. In the Torah as God's word and scripture, composed of the five Old Testament books. They are God's only immutable law. That God has established a unique spiritual covenant with the Hebrew people to uphold for mankind the highest standards of monotheism and piety. In the duty of the family to make the home a House of God through devotion and rituals, prayers, sacred festivals, and observation of the Holy Days. Symbols The seven branched Menorah is a familiar sign for Judaism. The Menorah is a representation of the creation of the world by God. According to Genesis of the Old Testament, God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. The middle light indicates the Sabbath (last day of the week), a holy day, and a day of rest. The light of the candles symbolizes the presence of God or Shekinah within the temple. The Menorah with its golden branches and flaming candles signifies the undying and inexhaustible spirit of Judaism. The Star of David is the symbol of Judaism and of Israel. It consists of two triangles that interlace and form a six pointed star. It represents the six tribes of Israel. In Hebrew, the symbol is called the Magen David, which means the Shield of David.
Holidays The Jewish religious calendar, of Babylonian origin, consists of 12 lunar months, amounting to about 354 days. Six times in a 19 year cycle a 13th month is added to adjust the calendar to the solar
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