This is not intended to be an official publication but excerpts from "Our Neighbors Faith" booklet from Augsburg Fortress Publishing house and thoughts from Pr. Doug Givan.
Our Neighbors Faith from Augsburg Fortress Summer Sermon Series:
Pastor Doug Givan-St. Andrews-Speedway, Faith-Avon Jewish Faith Tradition, June 11th , 2023
My personal encounter with the Jewish Faith was attending the Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation for worship. We received a tour and a question and answer with one of their lay leaders. It was interesting.
We started our sermon series with the largest denomination the Roman Catholic Church. Now we turn to the oldest faith tradition: Judaism.
In Judaism the holiest day in their calendar is “Shabbat” or the Sabbath. This begins Friday as the sun goes down and concludes Saturday at sundown. The Sabbath home meal is a significant family and communal experience. Synagogue services are held Friday evening and Saturday morning.
This is a monotheistic religion that draws its roots in sacred scripture, a diverse tradition with a rich history of living among other dominant cultures, and a modern national identity linked to a specific land and culture centered on God, Torah (first 5 books of the Bible), and Israel. The Jewish belief is centered on a covenant with God, focused on living out holiness in every aspect of their lives.
Faith is less important to Judaism than practice. They are self-governed, each Synagogue or temple led by their Rabbi, Cantor (person who sings/chants the order of service) and other lay leaders. There is no central office/or headquarters.
The term Rabbi comes from the Hebrew noun “Rav” meaning “master” and they spend their time like your pastor focused on pastoral care of the members and administrative matters.
In the Jewish faith tradition comes the horror of the Holocaust, where 6 million Jews were murdered by the Nazis in WWII. Unfortunately, persecution of Jewish people still exists today. This goes against Jewish tradition, all people, regardless of race, ethics, origin are equally God’s children. All people equal deserving of justice and mercy from God. This is true of all religions perhaps with different wording.
For Further Reading: “What is a Jew” , Morris Kertzer, Maxwell Macmillan, Int’l, 1993
“Judaism, an External Covenant” by Howard Greenstein, Fortress Press
Internet Sites: www.myjewishlearning.com
www.jewfaq.org
