What Is Judaism?

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Judaism began nearly 4,000 years ago in a place called the Middle East. This is a large area on the border of Asia, Africa and Europe.

What does Judaism teach?

Jews believe that there is only one God. They believe they have a special agreement with God called a covenant. Jews promise to obey God’s laws to say thank you to him for looking after them.

An illustration of an white-bearded elderly man, standing next to a tree.

Abraham

Jews believe a man called Abraham was the the first person to make a covenant with God. Abraham was a Hebrew. Jews believe God named Abraham's grandson Israel. After this, the Hebrews became known as the Israelites. Abraham is considered the father of the Jewish people and the Israelites are his descendants.

An illustration of an white haired elderly man carrying a staff and stood with others in front of a setting sun.

Moses

Later, a man named Moses saved the Jewish people from persecution in Egypt when he led them to safety across the Red Sea. After this, the Jews lived in the desert where God gave Moses a set of rules which they should live by, including the Ten Commandments. Moses is the most important Jewish prophet.

What is the Jewish holy book?

The Jewish holy book is known as the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible. The word Tanakh comes from the first letters of the three different parts of the book:

The Torah (T) which is the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The Christian Bible also begins with these books, in the part which Christians call the Old Testament.
The Nevi'im (N) which are the books of the Jewish prophets such as Joshua and Isaiah.
Ketuvim (K) which is a collection other important writings.

The Torah has 613 commandments which are called mitzvah. They are the rules that Jews try to follow. The most important ones are the Ten Commandments given to Moses.

The Torah is so special that people are not allowed to touch it. It is kept in a safe place called an ark in the Jewish temple and when people read from the Torah, they use a special pointer stick called a yad to follow the words.

An illustration of a young brown haired man, wearing a shawl around his shoulders, reading from a scroll on a table.

An illustration of a star-adorned front-facing medium-sized building.

Where do Jews worship?

Jews worship God in a synagogue. Jewish people attend services at the synagogue on Saturdays during Shabbat.

Shabbat (the Sabbath) is the most important time of the week for Jews. It begins on Friday evenings and ends at sunset on Saturdays. During Shabbat, Jews remember that God created the world and on the seventh day he rested. Jews believe God's day of rest was a Saturday.

The services in the synagogue are led by a religious leader called a rabbi, which means ‘Teacher’ in Hebrew.

Judaism in pictures

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Torah
These are the Torah scrolls being read by a boy during his Bar Mitzvah ceremony in a synagogue. The scrolls are wrapped around wooden handles. He is using a yad to follow the words.
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Synagogue
This is the inside of the New West End Synagogue in St Petersburgh Place, London. It is one of the most beautiful and historic Jewish buildings in the UK.
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Challah
Challah bread is made before Shabbat so that it is ready to be eaten on the day. These loaves are round but they would often be plaited in an oval shape. They can have sweet or savoury flavours added to the dough, or they can be left plain.
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Star of David
The Jewish emblem is the Magen David (Shield of David). It is also known as the Star of David because it is made up of two equilateral triangles that are overlaid to form a six pointed star. Each point is a sign that God rules over the universe and protects his people from harm.
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Western Wall
This is the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem in Israel. It is a huge ancient wall made of limestone and it is the holiest place that Jews are allowed to pray. Lots of people pilgrimage here every year to pray at the foot of the wall. This is why it is sometimes called the Wailing Wall.
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Orthodox Judaism
These are two Orthodox Jews from Israel. Orthodox means they follow a stricter form of Judaism than other progressive or liberal Jews. They have long side-burns which are called Payot.
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Kippah
These two boys are praying at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. They are both wearing a brimless cap called a kippah.
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Seder
This is a traditional table setting for a Seder family dinner. Each item on the table has a special significance.

Label the Jewish items

An illustration of two young people dressed in athletic clothing sitting on a bench.

Mitzvah celebrations

When a Jewish boy turns 13 years old he has a Bar Mitzvah (Son of the Commandment). Some Jewish girls have a Bat Mitzvah (Daughter of the Commandment). Where girls do have a Bat Mitzvah, this usually takes place at the ages of 12 or 13. These ceremonies celebrate a child becoming an adult in God's eyes.

In the ceremonies, the girl or boy reads aloud from the Torah in Hebrew and explains its meaning. Learning to read the Torah takes a lot of studying. The ceremony is often followed by a party.

Many Jewish boys and men wear a kippah. Sometimes they start to wear this after their Bar Mitzvah, although many boys will wear a kippah before this.

Resources for teachers

Are you a teacher looking for more resources? In this series of short films, 11-year-old Charlie explains his religion of Judaism, it's Bat Mitzvah year for 13-year-old Me-Me and 10-year-old Solly celebrates Passover.

BBC Teach has thousands of free, curriculum-linked resources to help deliver lessons - all arranged by subject and age group.