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The Jewish prayer, the Shema, includes the words "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Take to heart these instructions with which I charge you this day". What have the Jews understood by "taking to heart" the instructions contained in the Torah and how have they put this into practice in everyday life?In the immediate context, "these instructions" refer to the instructions in Deuteronomy, the fifth of five books comprising the Pentateuch. The Pentateuch is the core of the Torah, and traditionally believed to be the unmodified word of God as given to Moses at Mount Sinai. Deuteronomy reiterates many of the commandments and instructions laid down in earlier books, and adds a large number of its own ["These are the commands, decrees and laws the Lord your God directed me to teach you to observe" - Dt 6:1]. These instructions are numerous and wide-ranging. They include the dietary laws (the kashrut) governing which animals are and are not "ceremonially clean" (kosher) and thus fit for consumption. ["You may eat any animal that has a split hoof divided in two and that chews the cud." - Dt 14:6; "Of all the creatures living in the water, you may eat any that has fins and scales." - Dt 14:9; "You may eat any clean bird." - Dt 14:11; etc.], as well as detailing prayers to be recited by priests and commanders before an army goes into battle [Dt 20:2-8] , and codes of conduct concerning money lending ["Do not take a pair of millstones ... as security for a debt because that would be taking a man's livelihood" Dt 24:6; also Dt 24:10-13]. Deuteronomy also details three major festivals: Passover [v1-8; "Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover of the Lord your God" - Dt 16:1], the Feast of Weeks [v9-12; "Count off seven weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing corn. Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks..." - Dt 16:9-10] and the Feast of Tabernacles [v13-17; "Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for seven days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress." - Dt 16:13]. In a wider context, "these instructions" could refer to the entirety of the Torah, which in this context has come to mean far more than the written scriptures. There is the long tradition of Rabinnic teachings and interpretation that were passed down by word of mouth (the "Oral Torah") and finally written down circa 200CE as the "Mishnah". Also included in the term are the further interpretations and analysis that were written circa 400CE and again circa 500CE as the "Talmud" [Units 1-2: 2.1.3]. Jewish tradition views all of these writings as divine in origin [Unit1-2: 1.7]. The belief is that the entirety of the divine truth is contained therein and, being divine, this truth is complete, eternal, and all encompassing. Thus, if one looks hard enough and can interpret the meaning contained behind the finite human words, one can find relevance in even the most modern situations [Encyclopaedia: p34; also pp3-4; also soc.culture.jewish]. It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word for 'interpretation' (midrash) also translates as 'searching'. As regards "taking to heart these instructions" (or, as other translations have it "these instructions ... shall be upon your heart"), Jews place great reverence upon the Torah. Studying it is regarded as a goal unto itself, and is encouraged as an essential activity ["Knowledge of Torah ranks higher than priesthood or kingship" - Reader 1.21]. In the State of Israel today, young men are excused from military service if they are actively engaged in the study of Torah [Unit 16: 6.4.1]. In Haredic society (see below) women perform the majority of worldly tasks so the men have maximum opportunity to devote themselves to full time study of the Torah [Unit 16: 6.4]. It is useful to note that modern Jewish society has no priesthood as such. Instead rabbis perform many of the duties that in other religions would be priestly in nature, yet a rabbi is simply any man considered learned in the Torah. Indeed, Judaism is sometimes described as a "faith without dogma" [Unit 1-2: 5.1] or a religion of "revealed legislation" [Reader: 1.13; also Encyclopaedia: p4]. While great emphasis is placed on the Torah and the instructions it contains, comparatively little time is spent on the wider theological considerations [Encyclopaedia: p16]. A Jew is more likely to ask of God "What would you have me do?" than "Why must I do this?" (Reader 1.15 however provides an interesting counter attitude, albeit in an extreme circumstance). In the performance of religious festivals, great emphasis is placed on reflection. One must not only perform the actions of the ritual, but must reflect upon the significance and symbolism as they relate to the Torah ["all the laws by virtue of their divine authority ... have their spiritual side, and to neglect them implies ... a moral offence" - Reader 1.24]. Consider for example the Passover. Historically the festival is probably derived from an ancient Canaanite agricultural festival, but became a reminder of the Hebrew's biblical deliverance from slavery in Egypt [Unit 1-2: 4.1.2]. An important part of the ritual is the eating of unleavened bread (matzah), by which they are reminded of the hurry with which the Hebrews left Egypt ["for seven days eat unleavened bread ... because you left Egypt in haste" - Dt 16:3; also Ex 12:14-20 and Ex 13:3-10]. Bitter herbs are eaten to symbolise their suffering during slavery, and a lamb bone (originally a sacrificial lamb) reminds them of the lamb's blood painted on the doorways of Hebrew households to protect them from the death of the first born [Unit 1-2: 4.1; VC0981]. The ritual as a whole is intended to convey a sense that "every man in every generation should consider himself as if he had gone out of Egypt" [Encyclopaedia p13]. While all Jews are taught to hold the Torah in great reverence, there is great variance in how much of it is put into everyday practice, and how literally. Haredic, or 'Ultra Orthodox' Jews consider every word of the Torah - both written and oral - to be a divine edict, and that even the most apparently innocuous laws must be observed in full [soc.culture.jewish; also Unit 16: 6.2]. These are the people seen wearing tephilin (small wooden phylacteries containing fragments of scriptures) attached to their forehead and forearm [soc.culture.jewish; also Reader 1.24]. They have the distinctive long sideburns ["Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard" - Lv 19:27; also soc.culture.jewish]. By contrast, in these modern secular times many people who refer to themselves as Jews put comparatively few of the Torah's laws into everyday practice. The majority will have their male children circumcised ["every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised" - Gn 17:12; also Unit 1-2: 8.4.1], as this is considered one of the single most importance definitions of Jewish identity. Most will observe the kashrut to a greater or lesser extent, especially within their own home, and will conduct major life events such as marriage and coming of age according to Jewish tradition. However, in their everyday practices a casual observer may see no clues as to their religion. Between these two extremes lie a range of sects and movements, each observing varying degrees of orthodoxy. The Hasidic Jews are a highly orthodox sect originating in the 18th century in eastern Europe who place an uncommon emphasis on inward contemplation and joyful reverence - including dance as an act of worship. They are also noted for having an unusual (for Judaism) reverence for their human leaders [Unit 16: 6.3; also soc.culture.jewish]. Reform (or "Liberal") Judaism began as a movement in Germany in the 19th century. They believe that while the Torah might be divinely inspired, it is essentially human in origin, and thus contains much that is no longer relevant. Provided that the spirit of the Torah is maintained, and one is genuinely devoted to God, one need not adhere to every law of every book ["blind obedience to the law does not constitute true piety" - Reader 1.25]. Reform Jews will celebrate all the major festivals such as Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and conduct events such as marriage and death according to the Torah [Unit 1-2: 8.2 and 8.4; also soc.culture.jewish]. Aside from the differences in orthodoxy, there are differences in custom. Two major divisions exist - the Ashkenazim (whose customs originate from central and northern Europe) and the Sephardim (from the Mediterranean and northern Africa) [Unit 1-2: 1.4]. Here the distinctions are not in what is practised, but in exactly how it is practised. A good example of a difference in custom rather than belief can be found in the dietary laws. The kashrut dictate that meat-based dishes and dairy-based dishes may not be served during the same meal. How much time must elapse between separate meals can be anything from one hour amongst Dutch orthodox Jews, to six hours amongst the Polish orthodoxy. This has evolved as a matter of differences in culture rather than of disagreements over edicts [soc.culture.jewish]. There also exist a plethora of minority and unconventional sects, such a Messianic Jews, Humanistic Jews, Karaite Jews, Zionists and Reconstructionists, some of whom diverge widely from tradition, which serve to create a rich and varied mix of practices. [Yahoo; also soc.culture.jewish] However, despite all this diversity, Jews all over the world are united by a common heritage, a common reverence for the Torah, and by the responsibility that comes with being one of the chosen race. Bibliography
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