Judaism
Brianna Gowan B’Nai Torah Congregation, Boca Raton, Fl
Gudny Rossen Site visit date: 9/8/2012
REL 2011
4 November 2012
Judaism
Religion is a set of beliefs, which vary depending on the culture, which connects humans spiritually and morally. Various religions exist all over the world, bringing people together or sometimes turning them against each other. As a child, I grew up with a Catholic father and a Jewish mother. My parents raised my sisters and I under both religions; however, we did not attend church or temple on a regular basis. My mother and father were not religious; they were more spiritual and believed in a higher power. I chose to visit a conservative temple that some of my family members attended in order to gain a first-hand look at their weekly experiences. The B’Nai Torah Congregation is a conservative Jewish temple located in Boca Raton, Florida. Because I grew up in such a diverse household, attending a Jewish temple to conduct research on Judaism was the perfect choice, and provided ample amounts of history about the religion’s origin, culture, and traditions. First off, I never knew the main difference between Judaism and Christianity, all I heard as a child was the statement “Jesus was a Jew”. After attending the Jewish synagogue and conducting research, both online and in person, I found out one of the major differences between Christianity and Judaism; Christians believe that their savior is Jesus Christ while Jews are still waiting for their savior, also known as the “messiah” (Davies). In the Judaism religion the messiah is described as a normal human being who fulfills certain requirements listed in scripture. Some of the beliefs and requirements include the extinction of all weapons and death in the world upon the arrival of the messiah (Rich). They do not believe Jesus Christ fulfilled the requirements to become the
Gudny Rossen Site visit date: 9/8/2012
REL 2011
4 November 2012
Judaism
Religion is a set of beliefs, which vary depending on the culture, which connects humans spiritually and morally. Various religions exist all over the world, bringing people together or sometimes turning them against each other. As a child, I grew up with a Catholic father and a Jewish mother. My parents raised my sisters and I under both religions; however, we did not attend church or temple on a regular basis. My mother and father were not religious; they were more spiritual and believed in a higher power. I chose to visit a conservative temple that some of my family members attended in order to gain a first-hand look at their weekly experiences. The B’Nai Torah Congregation is a conservative Jewish temple located in Boca Raton, Florida. Because I grew up in such a diverse household, attending a Jewish temple to conduct research on Judaism was the perfect choice, and provided ample amounts of history about the religion’s origin, culture, and traditions. First off, I never knew the main difference between Judaism and Christianity, all I heard as a child was the statement “Jesus was a Jew”. After attending the Jewish synagogue and conducting research, both online and in person, I found out one of the major differences between Christianity and Judaism; Christians believe that their savior is Jesus Christ while Jews are still waiting for their savior, also known as the “messiah” (Davies). In the Judaism religion the messiah is described as a normal human being who fulfills certain requirements listed in scripture. Some of the beliefs and requirements include the extinction of all weapons and death in the world upon the arrival of the messiah (Rich). They do not believe Jesus Christ fulfilled the requirements to become the
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