1. The Seven Characteristics of
Judaism
By: Marcus Chalmers

2. S t o r ie s o f O r ig in &
Im p o r t a n t P e o p le
Moses:
• Moses was a great prophet and chosen by God to lead the Jewish
people out of slavery in Egypt.
• Moses was the only man that talked to God face to face.
• No other prophet did the great and miraculous things that God gave
him the power to do.
Moses parting the Red Sea that Moses receiving the
allowed the Jewish people to Ten Commandments
Comic: Parting the Red Sea cross to freedom out of Egypt from God on Mount
Sinai

3. S t o r ie s o f O r ig in &
Im p o r t a n t P e o p le
The Story of Abraham:
• Abraham was almost the only person (at the time) that believed
in only one God.
• God told Abraham to leave his homeland and go to Israel and
become the father of the Hebrews.
• Abraham was so loyal to God he almost killed his son because
God told him too.
• Abraham’s name was Abram and God changed it to Abraham
meaning “Father of a Nation”
Abraham’s journey from Haran to Abraham walking Abraham sacrificing
with his son Isaac his son to God
Canaan

4. C o r e B e lie f s
The 613 Mitzvots:
• The 613 Mitzvots or commandments are a list of rules in Judaism
• Known as the “Law of Moses” and contained in the Torah
• The amount of mitzvots a Jewish person would follow determines
which category of Judaism you are in; Orthodox, Conservative or
Reformed
Orthodox
Conservativ
e
One of 613 Mitzvots
to keep Kosher Reform
The Three Categories
of Judaism

5. H o ly
W r it in g s
The Holy Arc
The Torah Scroll
Torah:
• The torah contains the old testament also known as the five books
of Moses and the Hebrew testament.
• The Torah is treated with a lot of respect. It is so holy and fragile
that it can’t be touched by human hands on the animal skin paper
so the torah has a special pointer for reading called a Yad (slide 8)
• The Torah is usually covered in a decorative case.

6. H o ly P la c e s a n d
P la c e s o f W o r s h ip
Temple, Synagogue, or Shul:
• The Jewish place of worship is known by all of these names.
• Each Synagogue has some items that are in every one.
Eternal light
Bema
Holy Arc
Chairs
Two Flags (one of the home country and Israeli flag
• Synagogues can be big or small.
• In addition to services Synagogues are used for many
celebrations.
Front of a Temple
The Bema is a raised platform

7. H o ly P la c e s a n d
P la c e s o f W o r s h ip
The Western Wall:
• The Western Wall is the holiest sight in Judaism
• This was built buy Herod the Great as a wall of the Temple Mount
complex
• The place was an area for prayer when Israel captured the Old City.
• This wall is the only thing that is left From when the Romans
destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple.
The Temple Mount
President Obama praying Complex The Western Wall

8. O b je c t s a n d
S y m b o ls
The Yad:
• The Yad is a ritual pointer used for reading the Torah
• The Yad (Hebrew for hand) ensures the Torah parchment is not
touched by human hands
• Most Yad’s are made from silver and sometimes wrapped in
fabric. They have a small hand at the end with the pointer finger
pointing out.
Hebrew word
for hand

9. O b je c t s a n d
S y m b o ls
Mezuzah:
• A case that contains a tiny scroll with the words from Deuteronomy 6:4-9
that is placed to the right side of the door post as you enter the house.
• The words in passage command a constant remembrance of God’s word.
• The Mezuzah is placed at a diagonal to the left because the Rabbis couldn't
decide whether it should be horizontal or vertical, so they compromised.
Decorative Mezuzahs

10. R i t u a l s /R i t e s o f
Passage
• Brit or Circumcision
• The Brit is the first major moment in a Boys life.
• After 8 days of birth a Jewish boy has a ceremony where the
circumcision takes place.
• Traditionally the father is suppose to do the circumcision when the
grand father holds the child but that doesn't always happen.
• This ceremony, completes the transformation from an infant to a
child of Adam
On the boy’s 8th day the
circumcision is performed

11. C e le b r a t io n s &
Purim H o lid a y s
• This joyful holiday remembers the defeat of a plot to eliminate the Jews in Persia
• The Jews celebrate by a public reading of the book of Esther while yelling the villain's name.
Haman the king of Persia’s advisor who was given the fate of the Jewish people
• This one day celebration consists of parties, drinking and eating fruit filled triangular cookies
called hamentaschen and usually celebrated in March
Passover “ The Festival of unleavened bread.”
• This remembers the Jewish slaves being freed from Egypt buy the ten plagues sent by god.
• Jews celebrate this buy avoiding all leavened grain products and food close to it and a retelling
of the Exodus story.
• Passover begins on the 15 day of the month of Nisan in the Jewish calendar, which is in the
spring in America, and is celebrated for seven or eight days. It is one of the most widely
observed Jewish holidays.
Hamentaschen (Haman’s pockets) Matzos unleavened bread

12. Thank you for watching my
presentation and I hope you
learned some new information.
Marcus Chalmers