Would the object boxes be available for my daughter to borrow? She is often asked to give a talk at her son's primary school in Devon? She is a member of Exeter Synagogue.
how many laws are there?
There are 613 mitzvot (or commandments) in the Torah
I am not Jewish but would like the prayer mezuzah. It sounds beautiful. How can I obtain it?
Thank you for your question. Because the Mezuzah represents a special covenant between God and Jewish people, the Mezuzah can only be put up in Jewish homes.
I am a Christian. Jesus was a Jew. Why don’t Christians celebrate the same holy days and customs as Jesus held sacred? Why do Christians neglect to acknowledge the origin of the few we do celebrate?
Hi there,
Thank you for your question. Jewish people only read the Hebrew Bible and, although there are references to the Messiah, there are no particular references to Jesus. Many Jewish people may believe that Jesus was a real historical figure, but not the son of G-d or Messiah.
We would recommend that you look into the Council of Christians and Jews page: https://ccj.org.uk. They have great content and events regarding the relationship between Christians and Jews.
What is the connections between Mitzvots and life
Hi,
Thank you for submitting your question to the Jewish Museum Learning Team.
According to Judaism, there ar 613 mitzvot. ‘Mitzvot’ literally translates to ‘commandments’, but is commonly used to refer to general ‘good deeds’. The mitzvot, in the traditional sense, have been given to the Jewish people to help them live a good life.
In the Orthodox community, many people will live their lives in accordance to the mitzvot and try to observe these commandments as much as possible. This means, for example, many Orthodox Jews will obervantly adhere to the Food Laws (e.g. not eating pork or shellfish) , Shabbat Laws (e.g. not using electricity on Shabbat) and the other laws of the Torah. Not all 613 of the mitzvot are easy to adhere to today, however, as some are more specifically linked to the times of the Torah – for example, some laws are about agriculture, farming and land.
In the Reform community, many people will be inspired by the mitzvot in their daily lives but may interpret these laws to compliment their lives in modern day society, as opposed to sticking to the traditional interpretation from the Torah and Talmud.
Why not listen to our podcasts interviewing an Orthodox Rabbi and Liberal Rabbi, to see their understanding of the mitzvot.
Hope this helps!
what are the 17 anti-jewish laws in WW2 germany
Hi.
Thank you for your question.
You can find information about the Nazi’s anti-jewish laws on our Learning Portal here: https://jewishmuseum.org.uk/schools/asset/anti-jewish-laws/
Hope this helps!
What do they celebrate Do you have food Restrictions? How many prophets do they Believe in?
Hi there,
Thank you for your questions
Celebrations
Jewish people celebrate many special festivals throughout the year. One of the next festivals many Jewish people will celebrate is Passover (in Hebrew: Pesach). Passover takes place between March and April. This is a very important festival that celebrates and remembers the freedom of the Jewish people. During Passover, many people will remember the story of the Exodus (when Moses, with G-d’s help, freed the Israelites from Egypt), they will eat symbolic foods and say important prayers. This is one of many festivals in Judaism.
Food Restrictions
There are food restrictions that many Jewish people adhere to. There are many food laws in the Torah (the Jewish peoples’ holy scroll) that dictate what you should and should not eat. We call these laws the Kashrut Laws. More commonly, however, people will refer to the adherence of these laws as ‘keeping kosher.’ An example of one of these laws from the Torah is:
“These you may eat of all that live in water you may eat anything that has fins and scales. But you may not eat anything that has no fins and scales.” (Deut.14:9)
This is often interpreted to mean that you can eat fish, but should not eat shellfish.
Not all Jewish people follow these laws now, but many do.
Prophets and Prophetesses
The Talmud tells us that there were 48 prophets and seven prophetesses including Moses, Abraham and Miriam.
what is judasim
Hi there!
Thank you for your question.
Judaism is a monotheistic religion (that means, a religion that believes in one G-d) that dates back over 4,000 years ago. It is believed that this religion was born in the Middle East but now, there are Jewish people all around the world!
Judaism is one of many Abrahamic religions. Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, are religions that believe Abraham, and the stories surrounding him, are very important.
Judaism is a religion that celebrates many different festivals, most of which are rooted in the Torah (the Jewish people’s holy scroll – and first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible!) Some Jewish Festivals include Passover, Rosh Hashannah, and Yom Kippur. In Judaism, many people also practice Shabbat – the Jewish day of rest which happens every Friday evening to Saturday evening.
There are many different Jewish communities and synagogues including Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Liberal.
Check out our website and Learning Portal to find out more about Judaism.
Do the Jews have any holy music? celebration, mourning e.t.c
Hi there,
Thank you for submitting your question.
Music plays an interesting role in Judaism. In many ways, Jewish worship is very much intertwined with music. Often, prayer is chanted and sung by the congregation. In many synagogues, there is a cantor/chazan. The cantor is someone who leads the chanting in worship services at the synagogue. Typically, the cantor is musically trained and ordained. In some synagogues, you will find a choir too.
In Reform and Liberal Synagogues, singing is, at times, accompanied with instruments. However, in the Orthodox community, the playing of instruments in the synagogue is discouraged on Shabbat and other festivals.
There are many specific songs sung and prayers/dedications chanted during special Jewish Festivals. Some of them include:
Maoz Tzur – sung on Hanukkah
Kol Nidre – chanted on Yom Kippur
What spices would be in the spice box? Thank you
Thank you for submitting the below question on the Jewish Museum’s Learning Page.
Every spice box will be different depending on the family. Traditionally, many families would put sweet-smelling spices like cloves, cinnamon, or nutmeg. Others may put a pleasant-smelling fruit peel or plant.
You can find out more about the spice box and Havdalah ceremony on Shabbat our website.