Judaism

<a class="mw-redirect" title="Judaica" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaica">Judaica</a> (clockwise from top): <a title="Shabbat" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabbat">Shabbat</a> candlesticks, <a title="Ritual washing in Judaism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritual_washing_in_Judaism">handwashing cup</a>, <a title="Chumash (Judaism)" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chumash_(Judaism)">Chumash</a> and <a title="Tanakh" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanakh">Tanakh</a>, <a title="Sefer Torah" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sefer_Torah">Torah</a><a title="Yad" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yad">pointer</a>, <a title="Shofar" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shofar">shofar</a> and <a title="Etrog" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etrog">etrog</a> box</div>

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<td>Part of <a title="Outline of Judaism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outline_of_Judaism">a series</a> on</td>

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<th><a class="mw-selflink selflink">Judaism</a></th>

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<div class="NavHead"><a title="Jewish religious movements" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_religious_movements">Movements</a><a id="NavToggle1" class="NavToggle" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism">[show]</a></div>

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<div class="NavHead"><a title="Jewish philosophy" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_philosophy">Philosophy</a><a id="NavToggle2" class="NavToggle" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism">[show]</a></div>

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<div class="NavHead"><a title="Category:Jewish texts" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Jewish_texts">Texts</a><a id="NavToggle3" class="NavToggle" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism">[show]</a></div>

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<div class="NavHead"><a title="Four Holy Cities" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Holy_Cities">Holy cities</a> / <a title="Category:Jewish holy places" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Jewish_holy_places">places</a><a id="NavToggle5" class="NavToggle" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism">[show]</a></div>

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<div class="NavHead"><a title="Jewish leadership" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_leadership">Important figures</a><a id="NavToggle6" class="NavToggle" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism">[show]</a></div>

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<div class="NavHead"><a title="Category:Jewish religious occupations" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Jewish_religious_occupations">Religious roles</a><a id="NavToggle7" class="NavToggle" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism">[show]</a></div>

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<div class="NavHead"><a title="Jewish culture" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_culture">Culture</a> and <a title="Jewish education" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_education">education</a><a id="NavToggle8" class="NavToggle" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism">[show]</a></div>

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<div class="NavHead">Ritual objects<a id="NavToggle9" class="NavToggle" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism">[show]</a></div>

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<div class="NavHead"><a title="Jewish prayer" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_prayer">Prayers</a><a id="NavToggle10" class="NavToggle" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism">[show]</a></div>

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<div class="NavHead"><a title="Jewish holidays" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_holidays">Major holidays</a><a id="NavToggle11" class="NavToggle" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism">[show]</a></div>

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<div class="NavHead"><a title="Category:Judaism and other religions" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Judaism_and_other_religions">Other religions</a><a id="NavToggle12" class="NavToggle" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism">[show]</a></div>

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<div class="NavHead">Related topics<a id="NavToggle13" class="NavToggle" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism">[show]</a></div>

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<li><img src="/a3648a2a-c289-4b63-be63-f73996deaa40.png" /> <a title="Portal:Judaism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Judaism">Judaism portal</a></li>

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<p><strong>Judaism</strong> (originally from <a title="Hebrew language" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_language">Hebrew</a> <span class="script-hebrew" dir="rtl">יהודה‬</span>, <em>Yehudah</em>, "<a title="Kingdom of Judah" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Judah">Judah</a>";<sup id="cite_ref-bibleinterp_1-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-bibleinterp-1">[1]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-askoxford_2-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-askoxford-2">[2]</a></sup> via <a title="Latin" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin">Latin</a> and <a title="Ancient Greek" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Greek">Greek</a>) is an ancient, <a class="mw-redirect" title="Monotheistic" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monotheistic">monotheistic</a>, <a class="mw-redirect" title="Abrahamic religion" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahamic_religion">Abrahamic religion</a> with the <a title="Torah" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torah">Torah</a> as its foundational text.<sup id="cite_ref-uncertainties_3-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-uncertainties-3">[3]</a></sup> It encompasses the <a title="Religion" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion">religion</a>, <a title="Philosophy" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy">philosophy</a> and <a title="Culture" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture">culture</a> of the <a class="mw-redirect" title="Jewish people" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_people">Jewish people</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Judaism_4-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-Judaism-4">[4]</a></sup> Judaism is considered by religious Jews to be the expression of the <a title="Mosaic covenant" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mosaic_covenant">covenant</a> that <a title="God in Judaism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_in_Judaism">God</a> established with the <a class="mw-redirect" title="Children of Israel" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_Israel">Children of Israel</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Knowledge_Resources:Judaism_5-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-Knowledge_Resources:Judaism-5">[5]</a></sup> Judaism includes a wide corpus of texts, practices, theological positions, and forms of organization. The Torah is part of the larger text known as the <a title="Tanakh" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanakh">Tanakh</a> or the <a class="mw-redirect" title="Hebrew Bible" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrew_Bible">Hebrew Bible</a>, and supplemental oral tradition represented by later texts such as the <a title="Midrash" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midrash">Midrash</a> and the <a title="Talmud" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talmud">Talmud</a>. With between 14.5 and 17.4 million adherents worldwide,<sup id="cite_ref-Population_of_Jews_6-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-Population_of_Jews-6">[6]</a></sup> Judaism is <a title="Major religious groups" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_religious_groups#Religious_demographics">the tenth largest religion in the world</a>.</p>

<p>Within Judaism there are a variety of movements, most of which emerged from <a title="Rabbinic Judaism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbinic_Judaism">Rabbinic Judaism</a>, which holds that God revealed his laws and <a class="mw-redirect" title="613 Mitzvot" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/613_Mitzvot">commandments</a> to <a title="Moses" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moses">Moses</a> on <a title="Biblical Mount Sinai" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biblical_Mount_Sinai">Mount Sinai</a> in the form of both the <a title="Torah" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torah">Written</a> and <a title="Oral Torah" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_Torah">Oral Torah</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-What_is_the_oral_Torah?7-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-What_is_the_oral_Torah?-7">[7]</a></sup> Historically, this assertion was challenged by various groups such as the <a title="Sadducees" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sadducees#General">Sadducees</a> and <a title="Hellenistic Judaism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenistic_Judaism">Hellenistic Judaism</a> during the <a title="Second Temple period" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Temple_period">Second Temple period</a>; the <a title="Karaite Judaism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karaite_Judaism#Karaite_interpretations_of_the_Torah">Karaites</a> and <a title="Sabbateans" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabbateans">Sabbateans</a> during the early and later medieval period;<sup id="cite_ref-Karaite_Jewish_University_8-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-Karaite_Jewish_University-8">[8]</a></sup> and among segments of the modern non-Orthodox denominations. Modern branches of Judaism such as <a title="Humanistic Judaism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humanistic_Judaism">Humanistic Judaism</a> may be <a class="mw-redirect" title="Nontheistic" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nontheistic">nontheistic</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Society_for_Humanistic_Judaism_9-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-Society_for_Humanistic_Judaism-9">[9]</a></sup> Today, the largest <a title="Jewish religious movements" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_religious_movements">Jewish religious movements</a> are <a title="Orthodox Judaism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthodox_Judaism">Orthodox Judaism</a> (<a title="Haredi Judaism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haredi_Judaism">Haredi Judaism</a> and <a title="Modern Orthodox Judaism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Orthodox_Judaism">Modern Orthodox Judaism</a>), <a title="Conservative Judaism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservative_Judaism">Conservative Judaism</a> and <a title="Reform Judaism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reform_Judaism">Reform Judaism</a>. Major sources of difference between these groups are their approaches to <a class="mw-redirect" title="Jewish law" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_law">Jewish law</a>, the authority of the <a class="mw-redirect" title="Rabbinic tradition" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbinic_tradition">Rabbinic tradition</a>, and the significance of the <a class="mw-redirect" title="State of Israel" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Israel">State of Israel</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Jewish_Denominations_10-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-Jewish_Denominations-10">[10]</a></sup> Orthodox Judaism maintains that the Torah and Jewish law are divine in origin, eternal and unalterable, and that they should be strictly followed. Conservative and Reform Judaism are more liberal, with Conservative Judaism generally promoting a more "traditional" interpretation of Judaism's requirements than Reform Judaism. A typical Reform position is that Jewish law should be viewed as a set of general guidelines rather than as a set of restrictions and obligations whose observance is required of all Jews.<sup id="cite_ref-Reform_Judaism_11-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-Reform_Judaism-11">[11]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-What_is_Reform_Judaism?12-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-What_is_Reform_Judaism?-12">[12]</a></sup> Historically, <a title="Beth din" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beth_din">special courts</a> enforced Jewish law; today, these courts still exist but the practice of Judaism is mostly voluntary.<sup id="cite_ref-Britannica_Online_Encyclopedia:Bet_Din_13-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-Britannica_Online_Encyclopedia:Bet_Din-13">[13]</a></sup> Authority on theological and legal matters is not vested in any one person or organization, but in the sacred texts and <a class="mw-redirect" title="Rabbis" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rabbis">rabbis</a> and scholars who interpret them.<sup id="cite_ref-religiousleadership_14-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-religiousleadership-14">[14]</a></sup></p>

<p>The <a class="mw-redirect" title="History of Judaism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Judaism">history of Judaism</a> spans more than 3,000 years.<sup id="cite_ref-MINDELL2009_15-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-MINDELL2009-15">[15]</a></sup> Judaism has its roots as a structured religion in the <a title="Middle East" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middle_East">Middle East</a> during the <a title="Bronze Age" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bronze_Age">Bronze Age</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-16" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-16">[16]</a></sup> Judaism is considered one of the oldest monotheistic religions.<sup id="cite_ref-Religion&Ethics–Judaism_17-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-Religion&Ethics%E2%80%93_Judaism-17">[17]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-18" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-18">[18]</a></sup> The <a title="Hebrews" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebrews">Hebrews</a> and <a title="Israelites" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israelites">Israelites</a> were already referred to as "Jews" in later books of the Tanakh such as the <a title="Book of Esther" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Esther">Book of Esther</a>, with the term Jews replacing the title "Children of Israel".<sup id="cite_ref-google_19-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-google-19">[19]</a></sup> Judaism's texts, traditions and values strongly influenced later <a title="Abrahamic religions" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abrahamic_religions">Abrahamic religions</a>, including <a title="Christianity" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity">Christianity</a>, <a title="Islam" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam">Islam</a> and the <a class="mw-redirect" title="Baha'i Faith" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baha%27i_Faith">Baha'i Faith</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-Islam,Judaism,and_Christianity:Theological_and_Historical_Affiliations_20-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-Islam,Judaism,and_Christianity:_Theological_and_Historical_Affiliations-20">[20]</a></sup><sup id="cite_ref-The_Historical_Muhammad_21-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-The_Historical_Muhammad-21">[21]</a></sup> Many aspects of Judaism have also directly or indirectly influenced secular Western <a title="Ethics" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics">ethics</a> and civil law.<sup id="cite_ref-questia_22-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-questia-22">[22]</a></sup><sup class="noprint Inline-Template">[<em><a title="Wikipedia:Citing sources" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources"><span title="This citation requires a reference to the specific page or range of pages in which the material appears. (July 2017)">page needed</span></a></em>]</sup> <a title="Hebraism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebraism">Hebraism</a> is just as important a factor in the development of <a class="mw-redirect" title="Western civilization" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_civilization">Western civilization</a> as <a class="extiw" title="wikt:Hellenism" href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Hellenism">Hellenism</a>, and Judaism, as the mother religion of <a title="Christianity" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity">Christianity</a>, has considerably shaped Western ideals and morality since the Christian Era.<sup id="cite_ref-Cambridge_University_Historical_Series_23-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-Cambridge_University_Historical_Series-23">[23]</a></sup></p>

<p>Jews are an <a title="Ethnoreligious group" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnoreligious_group">ethnoreligious group</a><sup id="cite_ref-Ethnoreligious_24-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-Ethnoreligious-24">[24]</a></sup> and include those born Jewish and <a class="mw-redirect" title="Converts to Judaism" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Converts_to_Judaism">converts to Judaism</a>. In 2015, the <a title="Jewish population by country" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_population_by_country">world Jewish population</a> was estimated at about 14.3 million, or roughly 0.2% of the total world population.<sup id="cite_ref-WJP2015_25-0" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-WJP2015-25">[25]</a></sup> About 43% of all Jews reside in <a title="Israel" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel">Israel</a> and another 43% reside in the United States and Canada, with most of the remainder living in Europe, and other minority groups spread throughout South America, Asia, Africa, and Australia.<sup id="cite_ref-WJP2015_25-1" class="reference"><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism#cite_note-WJP2015-25">[25]</a></sup></p>

Judaism

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