Wang, Binbin

11925817
AB-ISC
LCENWRD A75
Oct 3 2019

Q: How can you describe the JEWISH CULTURAL PRACTICES and TRADITION during
the TIME OF JESUS. Write only the most important description regarding their
CULTURE, Identify according to the specific culture you are refering. Cite your reference.
DON"T JUST COPY PASTE. Please synthesize your answer.

I. Religion
The Jews were an ancient people who had resided in Europe for more than two thousand
years. The Jews were expelled from Israel by the Romans following the destruction of the
Second Temple in AD 70. They had a strong sense of vocation, of being covenanted by
God to be a holy people with a special moral mission for mankind. The Jewish religion is
monotheistic - based on the belief in a single, all-powerful God. The Jewish doctrine is
based on the ten commandments as spelled out in the Old Testament. The Hebrew Bible
had provided the foundations for Christianity - Jesus, Mary and the Apostles were all Jews
and the origin of many Christian festivals, psalms and beliefs lay in Judaism.
The Wailing Wall is a trace of the Jewish temple built twice and destroyed twice. It is the
spiritual home of the Jewish people who have been displaced since 2000. It is also the
most sacred place in the Jewish mind. The Jews believed that it was God above it, so
anyone who came here, whether or not Jewish, would wear a cap, because they believed
that it was disrespectful to let the head directly face God. Leaving the Wailing Wall, when
I returned the hat, I thought: The dream is always good. The reality is always cruel. The
Wailing Wall was silent in the twilight, and the devout people under the Wailing Wall
touched or kissed the Wailing Wall, praying and crying.

II. Celebrations

Shabbat

The day of rest and weekly observance of God’s completion of creation.

The Jewish New Year—a holiday observed with festive meals and a day spent in prayer
or quiet meditation.

Yom Kippur

The Jewish Day of Atonement—the most solemn day of the Jewish year. A day devoted
to self–examination, and the chance to begin the New Year with a clean slate.

Sukkot

A celebration of the fall harvest, this holiday also commemorates the time when the
Hebrews dwelt in the Sinai wilderness on their way to the Promised Land.

Shemini Atzeret

Literally the “8th day of assembly,” this holiday marks the end of Sukkot with an annual
prayer for rain.

Simchat Torah

The day marking the end and the beginning of the annual Torah reading cycle.

Hanukkah

A festival celebrating liberation from oppression, freedom of worship, and finding light in
the darkest of times.

Tu B’Shevat

The Jewish “New Year of the Trees,” celebrated with observances that connect us to our
environment and the natural world.

Purim
A day celebrating the saving of the Jews from a diabolical plot of destruction, as recounted
in the Book of Esther.

Passover

A festival of freedom that marks the Hebrew exodus from Egypt long ago.

Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Memorial Day)

The day Jews all over the world mourn the loss of six million Jewish lives lost during the
Holocaust.

Yom HaZikaron (Israeli Memorial Day)

A day commemorating the soldiers who have fallen fighting for Israel’s independence and
defending its security.

Yom HaAtzmaut (Israeli Independence Day)

This holiday celebrates the independence of the Modern State of Israel.

Lag B’Omer

The holiday that marks the 33rd day of the 49-day “Omer” period between Passover and
Shavuot.

Shavuot

The celebration of the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people, also known as the Festival
of First Fruits.

Tisha B’Av

An important fast day commemorating the destruction of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem
in 586 BCE and 70 CE.
Tu B’Av

A Jewish celebration of love.

All Jewish holy days begin at sundown and end at sundown. The Shabbat begins at
sundown each Friday and lasts until dark on Saturday. There is a special Sabbath meal
which includes special foods, songs and readings and prayers. Families hold this
ceremony together, beginning with the blessing of Shabbat candles, wine and bread
(challah).

Almost all festival celebrations are a cultural and educational activity, not just a
gathering between family and friends, or a simple festive food feast. This kind of
nationality, religion, and education has turned the annual cyclical festival into a
Jewish people who have revisited the history, traditions, and customs of the nation
over and over again, and have accepted the education of their own religion over
and over again. The special days of rethinking the historical mission of the Jews
over and over again played an important role in safeguarding national unity,
maintaining the inherent culture of the Jewish nation, and enhancing the sense of
Jewish mission.

III. Language

Throughout the world, wherever Jews have lived, they have spoken and written
differently from their non-Jewish neighbors. Some of their languages have differed
by only a few embedded Hebrew words, but others have been so different in
grammar and pronunciation that Jews and non-Jews could barely communicate.
Most longstanding Jewish languages are now endangered, but new ones are
emerging. Many people have heard of Aramaic, Yiddish, and Ladino, but
knowledge of other Jewish languages is less common, such as Judeo-Greek,
Jewish Malayalam, and contemporary Jewish French. On this site you will find
resources on these and other languages, including dictionaries, maps, and videos.
You can connect with researchers and translators and find answers to common
questions. Learning about Jewish languages (also known as Jewish language
varieties) leads to a better understanding of the diversity of the Jewish diaspora
and of what happens when languages come into contact.

https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-jewish-languages.html

https://www.bl.uk/learning/histcitizen/voices/info/religionculture/thejewishpeoplereligionandcultur
e.html

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Judaism

https://pjcc.org/jewish-life/jewish-holidays-explained/

https://uri.org/kids/world-religions/jewish-celebrations

https://www.jewishfestival.pl/en/

https://www.chabad.org/holidays/default_cdo/jewish/holidays.htm