Judaism

From Srafopedia

Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people, based on principles and ethics embodied in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), called the Tanakh, and the Talmud which is a collection of documents relating to Jewish law, ethics, custom and history. According to Jewish tradition, the history of Judaism begins with the Covenant between God and Abraham (about 2000 BCE), the patriarch of the Jewish people. Judaism is among the oldest religious traditions still in practice today. Jewish history and doctrines have influenced other religions such as Christianity, Islam and the Bahá'í Faith.

Throughout the ages, Judaism has clung to a number of religious principles, the most important of which is the belief in a single, omniscient, omnipotent, benevolent, transcendent God, who created the universe and continues to govern it. According to traditional Jewish belief, the God who created the world established a covenant with the Israelites, and revealed his laws and commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai in the form of the Torah (the first five books of the Old Testament), and the Jewish people are the descendants of the Israelites. The traditional practice of Judaism revolves around study and the observance of God's laws and commandments as written in the Torah and expounded in the Talmud.

With an estimated 14 million adherents in 2006, Judaism is approximately the world's eleventh-largest religious group.

(Sources:Wikipedia)