Judaism as a way of life needs ritual. For Jews, any ritual reminds of what place God occupies in his life. Religious practice is seen as a discipline that contributes to the improvement of the character of everyone, as a form of instruction. It gives the Jew the opportunity to relive the experience of his people and thereby strengthens his devotion; it is a way for the survival of the people and the preservation of the faith.

Prayer. The Jew is obliged to pray daily, three times a day. His prayers are supposed to be moral and not hostile to the interests of others. Prayer should be done in deep concentration, self-absorption. It is preferable to pray in a synagogue, as public prayer is more effective.

Food prohibitions are considered part of a special code of holiness that applies only to the Jewish people. They are not seen as desirable or obligatory for all mankind.

Holidays. Major holidays and sacred days include Shabbat (Saturday), a weekly rest day commemorating the creation of the world and the Exodus from Egypt; Rosh Hashanah (New Year), the anniversary of the creation of the world and the day of spiritual and moral renewal; Yom Kippur (Judgment Day), the day of repentance and return to God through spiritual renewal and good deeds; Sukkot (Tabernacles), nine days (in Israel and the reformists eight), dedicated to the harvest of the autumn harvest and reminiscent of wanderings in the desert, the last day of the holiday - Simchat Torah (Joy of the Torah); Pesach (Easter), which marks the onset of spring and the liberation from Egyptian slavery; Shavuot (Pentecost), partly an agricultural holiday, but primarily a memory of the day when Moses received the Torah at Mount Sinai; Hanukkah (the feast of Sanctification, or Lights), celebrated in honor of the victory of the Maccabees over the troops of Antiochus Epiphanes, as a result of which the Jews achieved freedom professing one's religion; Purim (the feast of Zhrebiev, or Esther), in commemoration of the defeat of Haman, who plotted to destroy the Jews; Tisha B'Av (Ninth Av), a day of mourning commemorating the destruction of the First and Second Temples.

Rites of birth and coming of age. When a male baby is born, the foreskin is cut off so that the union-agreement with God is marked with a sign on the body. Boys are named when they are circumcised. Girls are given a name in the synagogue. The rite of redemption of first-born boys is carried out on the thirtieth day after birth. In connection with the beginning of the education of children, initiatory rites are performed. Upon reaching the age of 13, boys (and in conservative and some reformist communities also girls) participate in a bar mitzvah ceremony (bat mitzvah for girls), allowing them to enter the community of Israel as full members, responsible for their actions. In the 19th century in conservative and reformist communities, a confirmation ceremony was introduced for boys and girls, usually performed on the day of Shavuot.

Marriage ceremony. First, there is a solemn betrothal (engagement). Then, on the Saturday preceding the wedding, the groom is invited to the synagogue to read the Torah (not usually practiced in Reform communities). During the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom stand under a chuppah - a canopy (this is not always the case with reformists). Standing under the chuppah, the bride and groom sip wine from the same glass. The groom puts the ring on the bride's index finger and recites an ancient formula proclaiming that a man takes a woman as his wife. Seven blessings are pronounced to the glory of God (the reformists have one). In memory of the destruction of the Temple, the groom breaks the glass from which he and his bride drank wine (this is not done in reformist communities). The final blessing is accepted by the reformists. In Orthodox communities, the marriage contract (ketubba) is also read out at the ceremony.

Funeral ritual. Before death, the dying confesses. Relatives of the deceased tear their clothes off (this custom is common among the Orthodox). A candle is lit in memory of the deceased. The body of the deceased is dressed in a white shroud (among the orthodox). During the burial, the Kaddish is read, a prayer glorifying God and expressing readiness to accept his will. Deep mourning lasts a week, during which the mourners do not leave the house (for the reformists this period is shorter). The mourners read the Kaddish in the synagogue for eleven months. After a year, a tombstone is placed on the grave. The anniversary of death (“Yortsayt”) is celebrated by lighting a memorial candle and reading “Kaddish”. On the holidays of Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Pesach and Shavuot, they perform a memorial service, during which they read the Yizkor memorial prayer.

PUBLIC LIFE

In the Crimea, Jews were engaged in various crafts. They were watchmakers, shoemakers, furriers, tailors. A special place was occupied by jewelers-artists, whose work was a model of art. Unfortunately, the "Keter-Torah" - a crown worn on a Torah scroll, "Bessamim" - a traditional vessel for incense, which was made of silver with gilding and filigree, did not survive; traditional wedding rings, gold casting, enamel.

For a long time, art critics did not consider or write about Jewish folk art, while there were centers in Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, southern Russia and the Crimea. Extremely interesting in their artistic merits were works made of bronze, silver, gold, decorative art and calligraphic writing. These highly artistic products of Jewish craftsmen practically did not survive in the Crimea. You can see them only at exhibitions in Western Europe, in the Baltic states, in Kyiv, Lvov.

A small number of Jews were engaged in agriculture in the Crimea, since they were forbidden to engage in arable farming for a long time. Those who acquired land plots with great difficulty successfully grew wheat, garlic, beans, gourds, and kept livestock on them.

Trade was considered a traditional occupation. Not everyone knows that the Jewish population was subject to a double tax. They paid taxes, like all people in Russia, but also for being Jews! Only trade, with its rapid turnover and profit, allowed the Jews to pay the second tax. In the Crimea, Jewish merchants, together with merchants of other nationalities, united in guilds. In 1877, Sevastopol became a trading port and agricultural products went abroad through it. The trading houses of the Dreyfuses, Yurovskys, Glazers became known. There were similar trading houses in Kerch, Feodosia, and in other cities of the Crimea.

The urban Jewish population in terms of literacy in the Crimea was second only to the Germans. Among the Jews there were many well-known doctors, lawyers, pharmacists. Many have become prominent scientists in Russia, in the West, in America. At the beginning of the 20th century, Jewish musicians were famous for their virtuosic performance at international competitions.

TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS

In the middle of the XIX century. Jewish traditions and rituals in the Crimea and other provinces of Russia began to disappear. The reason for this was the movement of the idea of ​​Jewish enlightenment. The young began to be introduced to secular knowledge along with religious ones. The doors of gymnasiums, colleges, institutes and universities were opened for the most talented. At the same time, the percentage system for accepting Jewish children was preserved.

Nevertheless, the Jewish community tried to preserve customs and rituals, such as "circumcision", the ritual requirement for food ("kosher" and "tref"), the rite of age "bar mitzvah". The Jewish community has managed for many millennia to preserve the traditions of the people, national rituals and holidays, thanks to which the Jewish people survived.

Jewish family life was determined by the laws of the Torah and traditions dating back to ancient times. The biblical blessing "be fruitful and multiply" was a mandatory religious commandment for the Jews. They got married early, boys - at 18 years old, girls - at 14-15 years old.

For a young man who was about to get married, there were 10 commandments. Marriage for the sake of wealth was not approved, it was advised to marry a girl from a good home. "When choosing a wife, be careful"; "Sell the last thing you have and marry the daughter of a learned man"; "Do not take a wife from a richer house than yours"; "I do not want a boot that is too big for my foot", "The joy of the heart is a wife", "The inheritance of God is sons." So Jewish boys were prepared in advance for family life.

The girl knew only one thing - that she needed to learn to be a kind and diligent housewife, and even if her father betrothed her in childhood, she would be given the right to make her own choice. The law considered it desirable that parents should not rush into betrothal until the daughter decides whether she likes the groom.

Immediately after the engagement, the parents of the bride and groom entered into a written contract. This is a legal document that specified the size of the dowry and the time of the wedding. An indispensable condition was that the parents of the bride and groom after the wedding should offer the young both shelter and a table for two years. The contract stipulated that if one of the parties violated it without a good reason, then the violators would pay a fine. The contract could be terminated, but if the groom sent gifts, and they were accepted, then the contract became law. "Ktuba" - a marriage contract - determined the duties of the groom and the size of the dowry on each side.

As a rule, weddings were played in the fall. On the appointed day, when relatives and friends accompanied the bride and groom, a Jewish orchestra played: violin, lute, cymbals and tambourines. The guests were in the synagogue or in the square near it. The bride and groom stood under the wedding canopy. The groom put on the ring for the bride and said the traditional words: "With this ring you are consecrated to me according to the faith and law of Moses and Israel." The rabbi read the Ketubah and then he or the cantor sang the seven wedding blessings. The groom was given a glass in his hands, and he broke it in memory of the destroyed Jerusalem temple. Thus ended the religious part of the wedding ceremony.

Further, the wedding was secular. They sang about the groom, about the bride, about mothers. The bride performed a dance with a scarf, only men danced with her. On the second and third days, the newlyweds were invited to visit. And then the days went by. A feature of family life was its isolation, which determined its purity and strength. Violation of married life immediately caused severe condemnation of the community.

The clothes of the Jews did not differ from the local population. In different historical periods, they wore Greek, Byzantine, Genoese clothes. By the middle of the XIX century. by clothes it was possible to determine from which places in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland, Germany the refugees arrived. Sometimes there were people dressed in a lapserdak with tsitsis, in a yarmulke, in a hat with a fur trim, in wide-brimmed hats, in wide, long-brimmed Turkish caftans, similar in cut to cassocks. They were very religious community members. Such clothes practically disappear in the second half of the 19th century. those who wore it were subject to heavy fines.

A Jewish wedding includes a large number of obligatory rituals and the reading of folk traditions. All of them are based on the philosophy of the people and the ancient religion of Israel. It is no secret to anyone that in our time there are Jewish families that respect and adhere to all traditions. Such a marriage will not leave anyone indifferent. So, first things first.

betrothal

It was impossible not to note this ceremony, since it is closely connected with the wedding. Since ancient times, the parents of the young themselves agreed on the upcoming wedding without their presence. The bride and groom met directly already during the marriage (Khupa). Relationships before marriage were out of the question. Now everything has changed a lot, and young people can still meet before marriage. After the issue of the upcoming wedding was resolved, the groom without fail paid the bride's father a ransom in order to confirm the seriousness of his intentions. In some cases, a lot of time passes from the engagement ceremony to the marriage itself. Therefore, sometimes young people begin marital relations even before the wedding.

Jewish wedding traditions

Immediately after the betrothal, the first tenaim wedding ceremony follows, during which the newlyweds break the plate. This rite symbolizes sorrow for the destroyed temples of Jerusalem.

The choice of the wedding day is also taken seriously. It is strictly forbidden to appoint on the day of Shabbat from Friday sunset to Saturday evening. It is also forbidden to conduct a marriage ceremony during holidays significant for Jews.

Most Jews appointed Chuppah day in the middle of the week, as a rule, on Wednesday, so that in case the husband finds out that his wife is not clean, he had the opportunity to say this in court on Thursday. Unlike Russian weddings, they are scheduled during the week. But, despite this, Sunday is considered the most common day.

As for the choice of a wedding ring, here our traditions are similar. It should be smooth and modest without unnecessary decorations and engravings.

Choosing a wedding date

A wedding in Israel can be celebrated at any time of the year. The only restriction is the stretch between Passover and Shavuot. For the Israelites, this is a time of tribulation.

Week before wedding

According to tradition, during this week, the bride and groom are waiting for a number of obligatory tasks:

1. Ufruf ceremony. A week before the celebration, the newlywed must visit the Synagogue, where during the service he informs the community that he has decided to get married. The men present approve of this and shower him with candy. At the end of this, the groom is obliged to organize a dinner for everyone.
2. Visit to Mikvah. Be sure before the wedding, the bride visits the Mikvah - this is the so-called sacred pool. Before the ceremony, the girl must remove all jewelry from herself. Plunging into the water, the young woman reads a special prayer to remove all negativity from herself and cleanse herself before marriage. As a rule, the bride is not alone in the pool, but together with other women from her relatives. During the ritual, the eldest relative gives parting advice.

Jewish customs say that the bride and groom should not spend a week before the wedding, and also fast without fail. Now almost no one strictly adheres to these traditions. Although there are such Jewish families who still manage to follow all the canons.

Outfits of the young at the wedding (photo)

At the expense of clothes, they decided not to bother. The newlywed, as a rule, wears a black suit and a white yarmulke. The bride dresses up in a light dress, which must be modest and closed.

marriage ceremony

The main rite at a Jewish wedding is the Chuppah canopy, which serves as a kind of imitation of a house. Many believe that it is held only in the Synagogue, but this is absolutely not the case. To conduct the ritual, you will need a rabbi and the Chuppah itself, which can be placed both outdoors and indoors. The ceremony itself consists of the following stages:

• the young are brought to the shed;
• the bride walks around Hupa;
• after blessing over a glass of wine, the groom betrothed the young woman. He puts a ring on her finger;
• in the presence of all guests, the marriage contract (ketubah) is read out;
• the Seven Commandments are read over a glass of wine;
• After the newlyweds have drunk the wine, the groom breaks the glass.

Nevertheless, this action is unusually beautiful. You can see this by watching this video:

Wedding banquet and entertainment

Some believing Jews strictly follow the traditions and men and women celebrate the holiday in separate halls, while eating only kosher food. Fortunately, there are those who prefer to spend festivities together. Such weddings are very similar to others. Without fail, all guests dance a Jewish dance at the wedding, which is called Hora. To watch such an action is one feast for the eyes. The entertainment program includes not only dance, but also a song. Musical accompaniment depends on the religiosity of the family. Modern couples choose a mix of European and Jewish music. It is also customary to invite Badkhen to such events - this is a person who amuses the audience.

The wedding festivities continue for seven days. Every day more and more new guests come to congratulate the young. After the feasts are over, the newlyweds have the opportunity to be together. The honeymoon begins.

Not only that there are quite a lot of different religions and beliefs in the world, but they all have also various branches. In this article, I would like to understand in detail who the Orthodox Jews are and what is the peculiarity of their way of life and beliefs.

Who are they?

Initially, it must be said that Jews are different. Even though they all profess Judaism. So, there are ordinary people who raise children according to social, not religious canons. They dress in fashion and do not zealously observe all the rites and traditions of their great-grandfathers. However, there is another category. These are Orthodox Jews. Their life is subject to all the laws of Halakha, which were formed a very long time ago, in the period of the New Age.

Religion of Orthodox Jews

Initially, it should be noted that the religion of the Jews is Judaism. However, everything is not so simple here. In the modern world, there are five main branches of Judaism: humanistic (least strict), reformist, reconstructionist, conservative and orthodox.

Important Books for the Orthodox

The religion of the Jews is Judaism. What kind of religious books do these people have? First of all, we need to talk about the holy scripture, which is called the Tanakh. Let's consider its components:

1. Torah, or "Pentateuch".
2. Neviim, 21 books about the prophets.
3. Katuvim. These are 13 books of various religious genres.

Another very important book for Orthodox Jews is the Talmud. This is a set of laws, as well as moral and ethical standards, which believers must strictly follow.

Offshoot: ultra-Orthodox

It is important to note that there is such a widespread movement today as ultra-Orthodox Jews. In Judaism, this direction is known to everyone as Hasidism. This trend originates in the 18th century. Religion here is closely connected with mysticism, exaltation. The main ideas of the Hasidim are as follows:

• God is everywhere and always. You must serve him every minute, in big and small matters.
• Serve God only in joy.
• Any sin can be redeemed.

Daily prayer is very important for Hasidim. It is pronounced in high spirits. Its goal is to have the closest possible communion with God.

Among the traditional occupations of the Hasidim, one can single out the construction business (real estate), trade, the financial market, and mediation. Quite often, Hasidim are engaged in diamonds. These are quite rich people who run the world.

A little about God

It is also worth mentioning that even four millennia ago, Jews also believed in many gods, like the rest of the people on Earth. But still, each clan worshiped one, in their opinion, the most powerful deity. And in one community the chief was Yahweh. It was this cult that gradually came to the fore and occupied a leading position according to the number of adherents.

A completely new stage in Judaism is associated with the appearance of such a person as Moses. Scientists are sure that this may indeed be a once-living person, whose main merit is the removal of the Jews from Egyptian slavery. It is also important to note that the very first books of the Torah are called the "Pentateuch of Moses", which once again proves the greatness of this person in the Jewish religion.

So, the god of the Jews is Yahweh. However, there is another, somewhat transformed name, which is most often used in European countries. This is Jehovah.

Appearance

Orthodox Jews believe that they must strictly follow not only the Holy Scripture - the Torah, but also many of the rites of their ancestors, who lived during the heyday of Judaism in the Commonwealth in the 14-17 centuries. That is why the appearance of these people is often very strange, according to the opinion of modern man.

Adherents of this particular trend in Judaism wear clothes of only two colors - white and black (this also applies to underwear). In this case, a hat must be on the head. On holidays, the Orthodox wear fur hats, which are of two types:

1. Spodaki. Made from beaver fur, high. Definitely black.
2. Shtreimly. Flat caps in sable fur.

Their caftans have different variations. They can be of different lengths. The color can be either just black or white striped (such clothes are worn mainly for the holidays, along with a special white hat with a pompom).

What other clothes are there for Orthodox Jews? So, there is one very interesting secondary religious sign of such people - these are tassels that stick out from under their clothes. It is they who are an obligatory attribute of tales (a special matter that can either cover the entire body of a person during prayer, or be part of underwear). The main purpose of these brushes is written in the Torah. Looking out from under the clothes, they should remind of God and that he must be served every minute.

Hairstyle

Orthodox Jews also have a special hairstyle. And to be more precise - curls that either hang down to the shoulders, or are laid behind the ears. They are called paces. Far from all representatives of Judaism wear such hairstyles, but only those who are zealous about the following commandment of the Torah: “Do not round the edges of your hair and do not cut your beard ...”

It is worth noting that there are a huge number of interpretations of this commandment. However, Orthodox Jews take it as literally as possible. Which leads to the appearance of sidelocks and long beards.

Food

The whole life of Orthodox Jews is subject to the writings of the Torah. The same applies to nutrition rules. What can be eaten, and what cannot be eaten by such people?

• Kosher, i.e. allowed is the meat of ruminant artiodactyls, as well as mammals. Orthodox Jews may consume the meat of sheep, cow, bison, elk, etc.
• It is impossible for such people to eat the meat of rabbits, hares, pigs, horses.
• Kosher bird species: chicken, duck, goose, dove, quail.
• The Torah forbids the consumption of animal blood in any form. To get rid of it, there are two procedures: salting and frying.
• Also, Orthodox Jews have a strict ban on mixing dairy and meat foods. After eating meat, it is necessary to withstand at least 6 hours, and only then eat dairy foods.
• You can also eat fish, but not all, but one that has fins and scales.
• The eggs of kosher birds are kosher.

A few words about women

What are they, Orthodox Jewish women? Initially, it must be said that after marriage, such ladies cut their hair as short as possible or even shave their heads bald. This tradition has come from the Middle Ages, when in this way women protected themselves from the encroachments of men. But even today it has not lost its relevance among the Orthodox.

Married ladies should also be faithful to their husbands. Indeed, among the Orthodox, a child not born of a husband is a terrible sin, a stain on the family. Then he will not be able to live normally: study, get married or get married. If the baby is born to an unmarried girl, he will be an ordinary Jew.

Regarding the role of women, the orthodox adhere to old-fashioned rules. So, the area of ​​activity of the wife is the family, home, children, comfort. Everything else is for men. However, a woman in this religion has never been the property of her husband. It has a wide range of rights and freedoms. In a certain sense, a woman is even revered, worshiped. However, only within the walls of his house.

It should also be noted that Orthodox Jews are not near women in public places: buses, hairdressers, etc. In addition, they try not to walk on one side of the street.

Traditions and rituals

What customs do Orthodox Jews observe? What is interesting about their beliefs?

• First of all, we need to talk about circumcision. So, this procedure involves circumcision of the foreskin of the male genital organ in an infant (on the eighth day from birth). It is believed that this is a kind of covenant between the people of Israel and God.
• Orthodox Jews must wear a kippah (hat) throughout the day. This is a special sign of respect for God.
• Before reading the morning prayer, representatives of the orthodox movement must put on a tallit (veil).
• Kapparot is a tradition of atonement for one's sins. It is made on the eve of Yom Kippur. A man or woman should take a live rooster in their hands and twist it around their head, saying: "Let this be my atonement."

Simple Conclusions

The God of the Jews, Yahweh, told his disciples to know and honor the Torah. This is exactly what the followers of this trend are doing. For the most part, they are learning. Men go to work only in adulthood. In their youth and even the first couple of years of marriage, such men devote all their time to learning. That is why this trend among the Jews is not too favored. After all, taxpayers' money goes to the maintenance of such families (where often men, and women, of course, do not work). And the Orthodox, in turn, are sure that the rest of the Jews do not adhere to the sacred laws of the Torah.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Brit Mila

Circumcision is not a custom and not a tribute to the whims of the older generation, but the most important commandment established by the Torah, which the sons of the people of Israel have been fulfilling for thousands of years. Brithmilah (covenant of circumcision) is still being done today, not because it is medically beneficial, but because it is a symbol of Gd's eternal union with the people of Israel.
Every father is obligated to make Brit Milah to his son on the eighth day.
"Britmila" is considered a great and joyful event, so there is a custom to celebrate this event with a festive feast.
If there is even the slightest suspicion that the child is unwell, circumcision is postponed.

Redemption of the firstborn

Initially, G-d intended for the Temple Service the first-born, of which the estate of priests was to consist. “For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are Mine… On this day, when I struck down all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, I consecrated them to Myself,” the Torah says.
But the firstborn did not justify the hopes and trust of the Creator, taking part in the commission of the sin of idolatry of the golden calf. Only the tribe of Levi did not take part in this, for which it was honored to become a tribe of priests.
The release of the first-born from lifelong service to the Almighty is carried out through a ransom, which is transferred to the “Kogens”, the descendants of Aharon, the high priest from the tribe of Levi.
The commandment of every Jew who is neither "Kogen" nor "Levitic" is to redeem his son if he is the firstborn of his mother. This rite is called "Pidyon ga-ben" - the ransom of a son.

The ceremony is performed 30 days after the birth of the son.
If the firstborn was born as a result of a caesarean section, then "Pidion Ga-Ben" is not done.
The rite is not performed on Saturday, holiday or fast. If the thirty-first day falls on one of these days, it is moved to the next day after the end of the Sabbath, holiday or fast.
The presence of Cohen is necessary for the redemption ceremony of the firstborn.
The responsibility for fulfilling the commandment rests with the father of the child.
To perform the ritual, you must have 5 silver coins with a total weight of at least 102 grams.

Bar/Bat Mitzvah

According to Jewish Law, the age of majority for boys is 13 years old, for girls - at 12. It is believed that it is at this age that a person is already able to determine what is good and what is bad, able to evaluate his actions from the point of view of the morality of Judaism and bear responsibility for them. .
For religious Jews, the Bar Mitzvah is a big day. From that day on, the boy has the right to enter the "Minyan" (ten adult men, only in the presence of which you can read some prayers and perform certain rituals). The Bar Mitzvah is associated with the fulfillment of such important commandments as the daily application of Tefillin and the ascent to the Torah on Shabbat and holidays.
2 months before the "Bar Mitzvah" it is customary to start learning to lay "Tefillin" and prepare for the execution of other "adult" commandments.
On the day of coming of age, a boy and a girl should think about their behavior in previous childhood years and make a decision and correct their shortcomings.

Hupa

Chuppah is the Hebrew name for the wedding ceremony. The Jewish wedding day is considered the most important day in life. To determine the exact day of the wedding, you need to consult a rabbi. They don't arrange two weddings for two brothers or two sisters on the same day. It is forbidden to celebrate a wedding on Shabbat, Hol Ha-Moed holidays, public posts and during periods of mourning.
Before the wedding ceremony, they write "Ktubu" - a marriage contract. The text of the "Ketubah" was compiled in the second century BC and is a document that lists the duties of the groom and the rights of his future wife.
A marriage is considered concluded when the groom puts a wedding ring on the index finger of the bride’s right hand and at the same time says: “Behold, you are consecrated to me as a wife with this ring according to the law of Moses and Israel.”
Immediately after the wedding ceremony, the groom breaks a glass in memory of the destroyed Temple.
The wedding ceremony ends with a festive meal, during which everyone is obliged to amuse the bride and groom. Music, dances and songs traditionally accompany all Jewish weddings.

Chevra Kadisha

"Chevra Kadisha" - funeral service. The Jewish tradition considers seeing off the dead as one of the most important commandments, so the members of the Chevra Kadish have always enjoyed great honor and respect.
According to Jewish law, it is strictly forbidden to cremate a person.

Yortsayt

Yortsayt is the anniversary of death. The anniversary of death is celebrated only according to the Jewish calendar. The night before, they light a special daily candle, read (or order in advance in the synagogue) Kaddish. Make donations in memory of the deceased, visit the grave. It is considered very important that before the first anniversary of death, a monument already stands. It is believed that without a monument, the soul cannot find refuge and peace.

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Choosing a name is a very important matter: a person and his name are one inseparable whole. Suffice it to say that the Almighty brought the Jews out of Egypt also because they kept their Jewish names. In the darkness and filth of Egyptian slavery, the Jews lost many spiritual values, but they were not ashamed of their Jewish names - and were saved.

In Jewish tradition, there are a number of rules regarding names. We list the main ones:

• There is an ancient custom to name children by the names of their closest relatives: father, mother, grandmother, etc. It is not customary among Ashkenazi Jews to give a child the name of a person who is alive.
• It is a widespread custom to give children the names of the forefathers of the Jewish people, great tzaddiks, famous rabbis. It is believed that the merits and righteousness of a great man help the one who bears his name to follow the right path of life.
• Often a father gives his son the name of the person from whom he learned the Torah.
• In recent centuries, the custom has spread to give the child a double name. There are a number of well-established “couples”: Yehuda-Leib, Moshe-Chaim, Zvi-Hirsh, Menahem-Mendl, etc. Often one of the components of a double name is a Hebrew name, the second is a Yiddish one; they are connected either by meaning (for example, Zvi-Girsh: zvi - "deer" in Hebrew, girsh - in Yiddish, Arye-Leib: arye - "lion" in Hebrew, Leib - in Yiddish), or by sound similarity (for example, Ephraim-Fischl, Menachem-Mendl, Yehoshua-Geshl). In ancient times, double names were not given, except that a seriously ill person was given a second name. Since the Middle Ages, this name has usually been Chaim or Chai (among Sephardim and Eastern Jews), i.e. "life", "alive".

A boy is given a name during the rite of circumcision, a girl is given a name in the synagogue, usually on the first Saturday after birth, when the father is called to the Torah and a prayer is read for sending down the health of the mother and newborn.

The name that is entered into the marriage contract, under which a person is called to the Torah, etc., must be full. It consists of his own name and the name of his father. For example: Yitzhak ben (son) Avraim or Dina bat (daughter) Yaakov. If the father comes from Koganim or Leviim, Gakogen or Halevi, respectively, are added to the son's name.

Naming a child is not some kind of mystical ritual through which he joins Judaism. In other words, a Jewish name alone does not make a person Jewish. Conversely, the absence of such a name does not mean at all that a person is not a Jew. Belonging to our people is determined by completely different factors.

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The Jewish people have existed for more than three thousand years. His way of life and philosophy, moral standards and calendar, teaching children and looking at history - all this and much more is united by the concept of "Jewish tradition". When people talk about the Jewish tradition, they mean something essentially different from what is called the national tradition among other peoples - ancient and young. Why?

There is no doubt that there is, say, a French, Hungarian or Korean national tradition. But it is impossible to clearly answer the questions: “What is the source of the French (Hungarian, Korean) tradition and from what moment can the beginning of this tradition be counted?”.

Basis of tradition
The Jewish tradition, unlike others, has its own specific source - the Torah. Both religious and non-religious Jews agree that the Torah is the foundation of Jewish tradition, although not everyone follows this tradition equally zealously in daily life.

The Jewish tradition is called in the Hebrew language (we will talk about it in more detail in the next paragraph) "Masoret Yisrael"; the word masoret comes from the verb masar, which means to pass on, since a tradition is something that is passed down from generation to generation. But the term "Moreshet Yisrael" is often used; the word "moreshet" comes from the verb yarash, meaning "inherit". This expression, therefore, could be more accurately translated as "Jewish heritage."

Thus, these two names express two qualities of the Jewish tradition: this is the foundation of the life of the people, and what unites it in all generations.

What is Torah?
Torah means “teaching, instruction” in Hebrew. The Torah is usually called the totality of the "Jewish teaching" given by the Almighty himself to Moses (Moshe) on Mount Sinai. There are the following parts of the Torah:

Written Torah (in Hebrew "Torah shebihtav" - in the narrow sense of the book (in Russian-language literature is usually called the Pentateuch, and in Hebrew - Chumash), which the Jewish people received from the Almighty on Mount Sinai more than three thousand years ago; in a broad sense this is how the Tanakh is called.The word Tanakh is an abbreviation of the words "Torah", "Neviim", "Ketuvim", meaning "Teaching", "Prophets", "Scriptures" (we will talk about this in more detail in the chapter "Main Books of the Jewish Tradition"). In European languages, the Tanakh is called the Bible.

The Oral Torah (“Torah shebealpe” is the rest of the Jewish teaching; it is called “Oral” because, unlike the Written Torah, it was transmitted orally from one generation to another and only after the conquest of ancient Israel by Rome, when the danger of losing tradition threatened, most important parts of it were written down.The most famous book of the oral tradition is called "Talmud" which literally means "study".More about the Talmud, the Mishnah and other books containing the written part of the oral tradition, we will also talk in the chapter "The main books of the Jewish tradition" .

When they say "Torah", they mean both the Written and Oral Torah. The Jewish tradition sees them as one and the same; it treats the Oral Torah with the same respect as the Written Torah. The Oral Torah interprets and explains the Written Torah. The Written Torah is the main Book of Jewry, but without the Oral Torah it would remain only a book and not the foundation of life. In the following lessons, we will return to this topic, but for now we will give an episode from the life of the outstanding Jewish sage Rabbi Hillel (the word rabi means “teacher”), who lived about two thousand years ago.

An illiterate man came to him and said, “I want to learn Torah from you. But only the Written Torah, because I do not accept the Oral Torah.” “Very well,” Rabbi Hillel answered him, “let’s start with the alphabet in which the Written Torah is written. This is the letter Aleph…” The next day, Rabbi Hillel showed him the same letter and said: “This is the letter Bet…” – “How so,” the student was indignant, “after all, yesterday you explained to me that this is the letter Aleph?! » “That’s right,” Rabbi Hillel answered him. - This is the letter aleph; but how do we know this? From what we taught with you, that is, from the oral tradition. Just as the Oral Torah conveyed to us the names of the letters of the Written Torah, it conveyed to us all the instructions on how to read and understand it correctly.”

When a text from the Torah is read during prayer in the synagogue, a Torah scroll (“Sefer Torah”) is used. Such scrolls are found in every synagogue; they are written by hand according to certain rules on parchment with special ink and contain the text of the Written Torah in the form in which it was received by the Jewish people from the Almighty. We will talk about this in more detail in the chapter "Synagogue and Prayer".

The giving of the Torah
According to Jewish tradition, the Torah was given to the Jewish people after their exodus from Egypt. It happened more than 3300 years ago on Mount Sinai, on the Sinai Peninsula. This is written in the Torah itself.

The giving of the Torah is the central event of all Jewish history, it occupies a special place in the tradition. We will talk about it in more detail in the chapter “The Giving of the Torah. Commandments".
Jewish Law

Jewish law
In Jewish tradition, there is the concept of halakha, which can be translated as "rule of conduct." Halacha is a law obligatory for every Jew.

As already mentioned, the Torah is the basis of the tradition of the entire Jewish people. However, over the millennia, different Jewish communities developed their own special customs (Mingag in Hebrew). All these customs, if they do not contradict the halakha, are part of the Jewish tradition, and it makes no sense to find out which of them is “correct”.

Differences in the traditions of different communities
Tradition treats with exceptional respect the customs of each Jewish community: after all, these customs determined the life of the community for a long period and allowed it to survive as part of the Jewish people. Moreover, there is a rule that if a Jew enters any Jewish community, he must respect its customs.

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