WHAT IS JUDAISM?

 

Judaism is the religion that consists in obeying all the commandments of God, that are in the Law of God (Torah).

 

God gave His Law in writing through the prophet Moses, beginning in the year 1506 BCE. Regarding this date, see the following page:

 

http://www.caraita.teo.br/cronologia_biblica.htm .

 

Judaism has this name because it is the religion of the Jews, also called Israelites, or Hebrews.

 

However, Judaism is not only the religion of the Jews. It is much more than this. It is the religion of God, and all the peoples, languages, tribes, races and nations of the Earth must follow this religion, because all men were created by God, and therefore they must worship God, and obey His commandments, that are in the Torah.

 

All men, Jews or non-Jews, must obey all the commandments of God, that are in the Torah (Law of Moses) (five first books of the Bible), because in Numbers 15:15-16 it is written that Yahveh said that there must be one law for the Israelites (or Jews, or Hebrews) and for the strangers (those who were born non-Jews).

 

The strangers (non-Jews) who convert to God and start to obey all His commandments, also are part of the Congregation of Israel and of People of Israel, because in Exodus 12:19 it is written that Yahveh said that both the natives (those who were born Jews) and the strangers (those who were born non-Jews) must abstain from eating leaven and from having leaven in their houses during the Party of the Unleavened Breads (Chag haMatsot), under penalty of being cut off from the Congregation of Israel, and in Joshua 8:33 it is written that both the natives and the strangers are parts of the People of Israel. 

 

And it is written in Exodus 12:48 that the stranger (non-Jew) who will convert to God, and will fulfill His commandments of to make the circumcision and to celebrate the Passover, will be as a native of the land. 

 

Therefore, we see that the non-Jews who convert to God and start to obey His commandments become Jews, in other words, convert to Judaism.

 

The Judaism already existed (although without still having this name) before the People of Israel existed, because Abel, Enoch and Noah already practiced the Judaism, before God made the pact with Abraham, because they obeyed the commandments of God (although at their time the Law of God was a little lesser, because God had not yet given some of the commandments that currently are part of His Law). Including, God already had revealed to Noah what are the clean animals and what are the unclean animals, because in Genesis 7:2 it is written that Yahveh commanded Noah to put in the ark seven couples of each clean animal, and one couple of each unclean animal.

 

And in Genesis 26:5, it is written that Yahveh said that Abraham kept His commandments, statutes and laws.

 

Therefore, we see that before God gave His Law in writing, through Moses, He already revealed His Law to the men who sought Him and joined Him.

 

Later, Yahveh commanded Moses to write His Law, and from then on it is enough for us to read the Torah (five first books of the Bible) to know His commandments.

 

In Isaiah 2:2-4 it is written that in the future all the nations will practice the Judaism, and will live in peace.

 

See the text:

 

IS 2.1 THE WORD THAT ISAIAH THE SON OF AMOZ SAW CONCERNING JUDAH AND JERUSALEM.

 

IS 2.2 AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS IN THE LATTER DAYS, THAT THE MOUNTAIN OF YAHVEH'S HOUSE SHALL BE ESTABLISHED ON THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAINS, AND SHALL BE EXALTED ABOVE THE HILLS; AND ALL NATIONS SHALL FLOW UNTO IT.

 

IS 2.3 AND MANY PEOPLES SHALL GO AND SAY, COME YE, AND LET US GO UP TO THE MOUNTAIN OF YAHVEH, TO THE HOUSE OF THE GOD OF JACOB; AND HE WILL TEACH US OF HIS WAYS, AND WE WILL WALK IN HIS PATHS: FOR OUT OF ZION SHALL GO FORTH THE LAW, AND THE WORD OF YAHVEH FROM JERUSALEM.

 

IS 2.4 AND HE WILL JUDGE BETWEEN THE NATIONS, AND WILL DECIDE CONCERNING MANY PEOPLES; AND THEY SHALL BEAT THEIR SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES, AND THEIR SPEARS INTO PRUNING-HOOKS; NATION SHALL NOT LIFT UP SWORD AGAINST NATION, NEITHER SHALL THEY LEARN WAR ANY MORE.

 

And from now the persons of all nations who seek to do the will of God already practice the Judaism, obeying all the commandments (mitsvot) of the Torah (Law of God).

 

Judaism is also called Yir’at Yahveh (in Hebrew letters: יִרְאַת יַהְוֶה), that means “Fear of Yahveh”.

 

Yahveh bless you.

 

Joćo Paulo Fernandes Pontes (Hebrew name: Yochanan Ben Yosef).

 

Published in November 1, 2010.

 

Updated in April 22, 2014.

 

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