Religion

World Religions AN INTRODUCTION FOR STUDENTS

jeoneane Fowler, Merll Fowler. David Nordiffe, Nora Hill,

and Diane \Valkins

UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON ROESCH LIBRARY

sussex 1

 

 

nd maner rtlanng 10 particular chapters., lind all mhrr leXI copynght C

Mrrv Fowler. D~vid Norchffe. Nora Hill, and DIane WatklOs 1997

,,’l’ named to be idenufied as authol’ll of thiS work ha5 b«n aurned 10 I.:mel’ wllh the Copynght. Designs and P~tenu Ac! 1988.

2468109753 I

Fir” pllbluhed 1997 In Great Brlfill” by SUSSEX ACADEMIC PRESS

6011′ 2950

Bnghton BN2 SSP

Imd m the Untted Statn of Anlenal by

SUSSEX ACADEMIC PRESS do Imermlllonal Specialized Book Services, Inc.

5804 N.E. Ha.salo St.

Portland, Oreson 9n 13-3644

I for qUOIauon of short passages for the purposes of ermcism and n:v,ew, no

may be reproduced. siored In a rclnevalsysrem, or mmsmmed. In any form

:cnOllle, m«hanlClll, phOlocopymg, recordmg or mherwlie. Wllhout the

pnor permission of the publosher.

BmlSh ,-.bra,.,. Catalogumg 1/1 Pl/bllatflOn DOia

ogue record for Ihis book IS available from Ihe Bnnm lIhrary.

‘-‘bra,.,. of CO/Igrt’5J Cataioglllg.”,.P”bltaltlon Data

rdigrolls .: an introduction for slIldems’ Je3nt<lnt Fow ler … lei al.l

p. em. Includes b,bhographical references (p. ) and mdex.

ISBN 1-89872J-4~ (he.: alk. p,lper l ISBN 1-8987ZJ-49-<1 (pbk)

1. Rehgrons. I. Fowler, Jeaneane D. BL80.2.W656 1997

29 1-dc21 97-34865 CW

Printed Ind bound in Gmt Britain b)’ ::>okcraft ( Bath) Lid., M id50lllu NOrlon, Somc::rxt

 

 

1

Judaism Mew Fowler

The Lord bless ),ou and keep you. The Lord make hLs face to shme upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you And give you peace. Nllmbers

When we think of the terms “Christian~, “‘Hindu”. “Muslim” and so on, we think of a person who belongs (0 a panicular religious grouping – Christians, Hindus, Muslims -all characterized by lhe common reli· gious beliefs and practices of the respecrive religion. The designation .. Jew n • however, is different, for ro think of a Jew o r Judaism simply in terms of religion is incorrect (indeed, the words Judaism and reli- gio” do not exist in Hebrew). This is mainly because whereas, for example, n Christian is baptized into Christia nity, a J ew is born infO Jud aism and will be a Jew whether or not he or she follows the reli- gious precep[S of Judaism. This seems to sugges t that (0 be Jewish is (0 belong to a particular race. Yet rhis. roo, is incorrect, for right from its beginningsJudaisDl has always been composed of a varlery of races, and lOday there are black Jews, yellow Jews, Nordic Jews and so on. Even to say that Jews are a people is misleading. because they arc not always a people on their own soil, with their own language. jews, indeed. are of mixed race, but are held together purely by (he fact of being born a jew, for a Jew is the child of a Jewish mother.’

For many Jews there is very much a sense of belong;”gness. a sense of belonging to Bel Yisrael, the hOllse of Israe l. So being born a Jew usually gives th e individual a sense of belo ngin g to the family of jews who are linked togelher by the bond of Jewishness, no matter where rhey may be, no maner what language the)’ speak. and 110 maner what their particular beliefs are.

While many jews may not be religious at all, for some there is liltle, if an)” separation berween religion and culture, particularly within the more orthodox strands of Judaism. This is to sa)’ that th e daily life of

JEWISH IDENTITY

7

 

 

JUDAI SM

JEWISH SECTS

8

the Jcw is also a daily religious life. This is seen in terms of what the Jew will or will not eat, what is worn, the many celebrations and festi- va ls, and the speci3l nature of the days between festivals. There is no time, in bct, when the Orthodox jew. for eX3mple, is not pracming his or her religion: religion and culture a.re one. The Important linking faeror between all practising jews is the covenam which was made between God and his people in the very beglnmngs of Jewish history. We shall look at this conce pt of CO\’enanr in more detail below, but it is important (0 note in this conrext that the cove nanr binds the Jewish people togeth er now, in the preseO[, juSt as much as it did so 111 the paSt. For this reason the many celebrations and fesflvals In Judaism provide a powerful bond with past traditions, so powerful in fact, Ihat a Jew does nOt so much simply remember past events 3S reenact rhem, and live them again as if he or she had been there in the past. This we shall see when we examine Jewish festival s.

Before examining thc lifc stance of the Jew, it is imporr3n1 to realize that in the ” family” of Jud aism there are a number of different sects. Arguably, the most interesting Jewish sect fO study is Orthodox Judaism, because of the richness in practice and celebration. Since Orthodox Judaism lies at the rOOt of all the other seCtS, it is mainly Orthodoxy with which we shall be concerned. However, we need to be aware at the outset of the variety of sects within Judaism. but while there are such divergences, Judaism remains one: marriages between the differenr sects are, indeed, common. In Israel itself, however, differences in culture and outlook have presented some difficulties, particularly between Eastern and Weste rn Jews whose places of origin are very different indeed. These difficulties will become 3pparent as we examine the different branches of Judaism.

Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jewry For many centuries Jews have settled in diverse parts of the world, being exposed ro diverse culrures and social orders. In the period of thc Roman Empire they mIgrated from Palestine to countries such as France, Spain, Germany, Poland and Russia. This resulted in the emergence of two major culrural streams, the SeplJardic tradition which included mainly Mediterranean Jews and which owes irs name ro the medievlli Hebrew word (or che Iberian Peninsula, Sefarad, and thc AshkenaZIC tradition (Ashke”az was the medieva l Hebrew for northern France and Germany) which embraced the Jews of northern and eastern Europe. l

The pronunciation of Hebrew by these twO divisio ns is slightl)’ different, but the Hebrew spoken in Israel follows the Sephardlc pronunciation.)

Orthodox judaism The term Orthodox is nOI a designation used by devotees of this form o f Judaism when spea king of th emselves. Rather,

they prefer ro describe themselves as “observant ” jews, perhaps because the o rigins o f the word Orthodox in Judaism were pejorative. Strictly Orthodox Juda ism considers the first five books of the BIble, caJled the Torah, to be the divine words of God, and therefo re they must be obeyed ro the letter. Many Orthodox Jews believe that they should remain separate from the outside world and resist entirely its modemity and cha llenges lO change. They feel that obeying the commandmeors (“,lIzlIo t ) of the Torah has helped them through th e man y periods of violent persecution In the past. Indeed, th e greater the persecution. rhe more Orthodox Jews immersed themselves in Torah, a nd though such persecution IS, mercifully, nor so conspicuous today, the practice of immersi on in Torah is deep ly ingrained. Orthodoxy regards itself as the true Judaism, and non-orthodox Jews as sinful Jews (but stiJl Jews nevertheless ). Fo r Orthodox Jews, the Law, the Torah, affects everything in lifc – food, dress, work, scx, marriage. family life, inheritance laws and a host of practices in dail y life. In fact, Orthodoxy is the official religion of the State of Israel, and such obser- vances as marriage, divorce, family and inheritance laws in Israel, as well as observance of the Sabbath, still come under the jurisdiction of these rcligious laws; this can lead to se riou s problems, as we shall see.

It is in Eastcrn Europe where Orthodox Judaism was, and still is, very firmly rooted. Even those Eastern Orthodox Jews who have migrated to other lands continue to re sist an y kind of modernity and change. The Eastern Orthodox Jews avoid any secular studies. They wear the same style of clo thes that their ancestors wore and seem very out of place in modern cities, where they tend to live together in dose co mmunities. Coming mainly from Russia and Poland, these Jews tended to favour settlement in Israel, though some felt that it wou ld not be fight to leave their ho mes for Israel until thc awaited Messiah co mes to lead all J ews from the corners of the earth back to the Promised Land. Those Eastern Jews who did settle in Israel or in America found their lifestyles very diffcrent indeed hom that of their co unterparts in Western Jewry. So today, we still recognize Polish Eastern Orthodox Jews by their black CIlftalls, the old fashioned black coats, accompanied with black stockings, and sometimes character- istic fur hats in the shape of a car tyre, like the oncs worn by their ancestors in the co lder Eastern European climate. In Leviticus 19:27 it says that “You shall not rOllnd th e corners of your he3d; neither shall yo u mar th e corners of the beard”, and E.’Isrern Orthodox Jews have raken this co mean thai they are commanded in the Torah not to CUl the sideburns of their hair or of their beards. These Jews, then, are easily recognizable in an)’ co untry by their ringlets as sidebu rns, as well as their unusual black dress:

Thus a smnge lookmg Jew emerged In self·styled umqueness He: was forcefully secluded. and, by hiS actIons, remm’ed hll11Self even further.’

JUDAI SM

9

 

 

JUDAISM

10

Has idic. Judaism Hastdic. Judaism is an offshoot of Orthodoxy, which has become very popular. s Has.d means “the pious one

M

, but the word “pious” here is meanr in a \’cry mystical sense, for Hastdtsm emphasizes direct mystical experience of God. Such mystical experi- ence is brough t about by fasting, meditanon and se paration from t he world. Mystical experience can be given on ly to rhose iniri:ned tntO (he secr by “special transference”, which in Hebrew is termed kabalah. Here, there is much more emphasis on asceticism and wit hdrawal from the world, along with the spiritual passion for God often associated wu h mystical religion. The mystical emphasis encouraged a mystical imerpremrion of the scriptures with much allegory and symbo li sm, particularly numerical symbolism.

Hasidic. Jews believe that 311 the words of the Torah are realign- ments of the Divine Name YHWH whic h the true Hasid could fathom and become a “Master of the Name”, a Baal Sbem. There is much emp hasis on evi l and good spirits and demons. and the power of the Divine Name ro comrol these. All the ideas associated with Ihis sect of Jud a ism are co nrained in an ancient book ca lled the Zohar, the “Book of Radiance”, th e centra l idea of which is that of God as the ce ntre of the universe and as Infinite. The soul of man has to find its way to thi s In finite Being through rhe many layers of gross exis tence. Union with God is symbolized in the act of sex, when all dualities are los t and the individual glimpses perfect union with the Divine.

Although this seems rather memphysical, it was exactly what inspired many European Jews in rimes of immense persecurion, when life seemed hopeless. It provided a way of emphasizmg the mner, spir- ituallife of the soul, when th e ou ter, physical life of the body was so severely persecured. The Hasidic Jew is ve ry intense in hi s worship. He prays with his whole body, swaying backwards and forwards with fervour in prayer. bending the knee whenever he mentions t he Divine Name. YHWH, and often joining together with other men (Q dance in an equally ferve nt way. Man y of the Jews from Eastern Europe are Hasidic in belief.

Neo Orthodox Judaism Ln COntraSt to the Orthodox Judai sm that c hara cterize d Eastern Europe in the main, Western Jew ry was much mor e exposed to the kind of innuences that were more liberating and which encouraged Jews to immerse themselves more in the c ulrure of the country in which they lived . Neo-Orthodoxy was a response to this. Nco-Orthodoxy anempted to rerain its di sti nct Orthodox Jcwis hn ess bur at the same time integrate fully and contribure fuJly to life in society. Some Hasidic rabbis fit into t his Neo-Orthodoxy, the recently deceased Lubavitcher Rebbe in New York, being perhaps the most well -known. Neo-Orthodoxy is, therefore, more outgoin g, and one of its main beliefs is that it is the Jew’s religious dury to be an example to the world, and he can hardly be this if he IS toca ll y segre-

gated from it. Having said chis, although it is importanr for the Jew to adjust ro the modern world, observance of rhe Torah is never sacri- ficed.

Rcfonn Judaism In Reform Jud aism there is much more of a turning away fro m the strict inte rpretation of the Torab, and a more obvious adaptanon to the outside world. It was a movement which appealed to Jews in the West particularly, because it stressed that Judaism needed to adapt its laws in cune with the ra pid progress of sociery. Reform Juda ism gave more individu:lliry to the Jew, suggesting that observance of commandments was much more a maner of individU:l1 choice than a question of obeying the whole Torah interpreted licer- ally. This enabled Jews to take account of scienrific theories, to modernize their views, to integrate into sociery in a much more posi- tive way, and to cast off what th cy felt to be some of the older taboos in Judaism such as th e com mandme nts co nce rning food. Reform Jew s today igno re man y of th e food laws strictl y obse rved by Orthodox Judaism, which are found in Levitiws, chapter 11 . There is no longer a need to see the Bible :lS writtcn b), the ha nd of God, but rath er as wrirren by many hum:l11 authors, perhaps inspired by God. Ultim.’ltely [he individual is the jud ge of what he or she wishes (0 accept. Reform Judaism is the refo re much less strict in its observances of religious practice. Parts of the Jewish Prayer Book have been a ltered or deleted in o rder to bring Jewis h th o ughl inca line with modern thinking. For example, the Mussar, the prayer for the restoration of animal sacrifice in the Temple, ha s been dropped e ntirely by Reform Judaism since mOSt Western Jews would find th e idea of animal sacrifice repulsive in this day a nd age. The Mussar is, however. re tained in th e On:hodox worship.

Conservative Judaism Conservative Judaism arose OU I of a reaction to Refo rm. which seemed to ma ny Jews to have gone too far in departing from traditional Judaism. While it accepts that all humankind must progress and that the biblical laws are more va lid for society if they arc e.”er.-cha nging and evolutio nary in character, it was fe lt that there shou ld be more unanimity of deci sio n abou t whacshould be followed. Thus Conserva ti sm is traditional ye t ever-changing, a synthesis of th e two. It a ll owed Jews in Amcrica, for example, to involve th e mselves in American life, yet at the same rim e rctain their specific Jewis h traditions and hi storica l roots. By making the Jewish people them selves t.he focus of the L:lw, eac h ge nera ti on could add its changing and more advanced views to amend that Law so that Judaism itself would conti nue 10 evolve. Yet it does nor advocate lightl y the changing of the traditional laws of Judaism but rather prefers a stre tching of th e laws to accommodate modem life.

JUDAISM

”

 

 

JUDAI SM

JEWISH BELIEFS

12

Reconslructionist Judaism ReconStructionism emphasizes even more than Conservatism the idea of the peoplehood of Judaism, the col lective nafUre of (he Jewish people even though they are dispersed throughout the emire world. This co ll ective entity of a people is connected to the impersonal God, and all the laws of the Torah are symbols which need much reinterpretation in order to help the people collectively to strive towards that impersonal force. JeWish laws . are only felt to be valid if they have so me purposeful use for humankmd, and for the collecriveJewish people. If they do not have such purpose- fulncss, then it is permissible to discard them. L”lWS arc thus reconstructed in the Li ght of the collective experience of all Jews. In many ways Recon structionist Judaism is very humanistic, emphasizing what it calls the ethical nationhood of the Jewish people and the neces- sity of working for an improved world and a bener humanity. Its ro~ts were in Amcnca and it h:ls the kind of broad vision we :lssociate with American thinking. It allowed Jews in America to be both America n and to be Jewish. retaining all that waS most valuable in their ancient traditions.

The Covenant Jews believe that they are bound to God by a covenant, called a b’rit. The account of how the covenant or agree· ment came into being is tOld in the first five books of the Bible, which arc called the T orah – irs nearest equivalent meaning in English being “L1W ” or, bener, ” Instructi on”. The Toral) rells th e Jews what this covenant entails. It lays down certain laws or commandments, called mitzvot in Hebrew, which must be kepI in order for the covenant ro be maintained. All the commandments tOgether represent the Halakhab. the Jewish religious law.

The covenant between God and Israel is epitomized in the revered words of wh:lt is called the Sbema. These are the injunctions of Deuterono my 6:4-9, the first word of which is Shema in Hebrew (“Hear!”), which appropriately gives its name to the whole statement:

Hear 0 Israel: The Lord our God, dI e Lord IS One; and you s hall love the Lo rd yOU T God With all your heart, and With all your so ul , and WITh a ll your might. And th~ words which I command you Ihls da)’ shall be upon you r heart; ,lI1d you shall teach them dlligentl )’ to your children, and shall talk of them whcn yo u si t III your ho u§!! , and when rou walk by the way, and when you li e down. and when you rise. And you s hall bind Ihern :IS a sign upon your hand. and the)’ shall be as frondcrs between your eyts. And you shall wme them o n the doo rposrs of your house and o n you r gates.

These words depict the essence of Judaism. The first sratemenr is, indeed, a summation of the Jewish belief in the absolute oneness of God and the insistence that God cannot be divided into parts: there , . could be no concept of a divine trinity in Jud aism. So when Jews recite

the Shel1la, they close their eyes and traditionaJly stretch out the word “one~, ebad. so that the)· ca n meditate on God’s absolute oneness while do in g 50. The following verses of the passage bind the Jews to the absolute God through the covenant, and the commandments imposed on them by God in (he Law, the Torah. An Orthodox Jew maintains all thc laws of the Torah so that his whole way of life is lived according to the 11IltZvo t. In Judaism, therefore, religion and culture are mainly one and the same thing. This is ex pressed in dress, food, ce remonies, festivals :lnd the many aspects of life which are pan of the Jewi sh way of life. Most male Jews undertake to accept and observe the IIlItZl/ot at the important ceremony of Bar Mitzvab.

Bar MUzvab This means ” Son of the Commandment”, and a boy of thirteen and one day becomes a “son of the commandment r al the vitally important ceremony of Bar Mitzvab. At this point in his life he is expected to observe all the commandments and religious rites, and will have been well prepared for the occasion, having learned to read Hebrew and having being given thorough instruction in the Jewish religion. He would also understand the importance of the religious dress which he wears at his Bar Mitzvah.

The Bar Mitzvah takes place on the Sabbath nearest to rhe boy’s thirteenth birthday. In Jerusalem the ceremony is held on Monday mornings at the Western Wall: this is in order nOt to break the Sabb:lth law concerning travel. It is every boy’s dream to have his Bar Mitzvah in Jerusalem, and families travel frol11 far and near to rhe Western Wall of Herod’s Temple. The scene is one of immense joy (and some trepi- dation for the reader) as boy after boy is brought into the sacred area with the Torah scroll by the male relatives of his family. Amid tears and laughter, female relatives lean on the surrou ndin g courtyard wall, wai ling in loud voices and throwing sweets.

Away from Jerusalem and the Western Wall, after the morning se rvice in the synagogue, the boy’s name is called in Hebrew, and he climbs omo a platform ca ll ed a bimal1 on which has been placed a reading desk. On the reading desk is the Serer Torah, the Scroll of the Law, which has been taken outofi ts cupboard called an Ark. The boy chams portions from the Serer Torab and, if he has studied well, he may also be asked to read from the books of the Prophets. During his Bar Mitzvah, the boy wears a prayer shawl called a tallit a nd an embroidered silk skullcap called a kippah. Once his Bar Mitzvah is over, and the boy passes into adulthood, he will be able to wear the tallit when praying, like all Orthodox Jews, and he will also be able to wear the tefilll1l. The tallith and lefillin are both symbols of the cove nant between God and th e Jewish people. At his Bar Mitzvah, the boy puts on the term;” (Heb rew) or (,hyJacteries (Greek) for the first time. They are bound on hi s forehead and on his left arm, and this he will continue fa do during his morning prayers each day whether at

JUDAISM

13

 

 

JUDAISM

RELIGIOUS DRESS

14

home or in the synagogue. The tefilli” are [wo small square boxes conraining handwritten passages from the Torah.

After the boy has chanred the passages from the Torah , the rabbi preaches a sermon, telling the boy that he must now rake on ::Ill the religious responsibilities of an adult Jew. Finally, he gives the boy the blessing:

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shllle upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you And give’ you peace’.

After his Bar Mitzvah, the boy becomes a member of the co mmu· nity and an adu lt. He can now join in synagogue worship si nce he ca n be included in th e minyan, the number of males necessary £0 form a synagogue. The mi”ya” is a quorum o f ten males; traditionally, worship cannOt rake place without this minimum number. In Orthodox Judaism only men are included in a mi”yan, whereas in Conservative Judaism women can be included at rhe discretion of the individual congregation. In Reform Judaism, no m;’lyan at all is required for worship, thou gh it is desirable. Women have equal status here with men and there are a number of women rabbis in Reform Judai sm; the first was ordained in 1972. A mi”yarl forms a synagog ue or ” gathering”, so a synagogue does not have to be a building; it is anywhere where ten or more male Jews meet for worship.

On the Sunday after th e Sabbath (the Sabbath lastS from sunset on Friday unril sunset on Saturday), a party is held for the boy, and many friends and relatives are invited. These parties, which ate ohen lavish affairs, illustrate the importance of the Bene Mitzvah (plural, i.e. “‘sons of the command menr”) in Jewish life. Liberal and Reform Jews also have a Bat Mitzvab for gi rls at th e age of twelve. Orthodox Jews, however, do not accept this practice.

Despite the importance of the Bar Mittvah, really spea king no rite of initiation is necessary for the transition from chi ldhood to respo n- sibility for mitzvot; the transition is automatic at thirteen years and one day. But for most Jews, Bar Mitzvah is one of the most imponanr occasions in a Jew’s life, regardless of the seer of Judaism to which he belongs. This is the time when the boy positively identifies with his people, and the preparation for Bar Mitzvah encourages th e boy to know as much as possible about his people, about ritual, ceremo ni es, traditions, history, destiny and ethical conduct. Bar Mitzvah is thus a personal declaration of faith in all Jewish sects.

The Tallit The tallit was once a square cloak, similar to th e striped blanket worn by the Bedouin in the desert. When the Israelites were brought out of Egypt by Moses, they were given manycommandments

which held the structure of their society together during their wander- ings in the Wilderness, before they had a land of their own. It is to rhis time that the tallit is related. Moses was commanded £0:

Speak tothe people’ of Israel, and bid them ro make’ tassC’ls on the corners of the’ir garments throughout their generations, and to put upon the tassel of each comer a cord ofbJue; and it shall be 10 you a tassel to look upon and renle’mbe.r all the commandments of the’ Lord, todo them, nOt to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which you are inclined to go afte’t wantonly. So you shall remember and do all my command- ments, and be holy to your God. (Nllmbers 15: 37-40)

This, then, is the purpose of the tal/it. Eventually this tasselled garment became the prayer shawl worn by Orthodox male Jews. Today, the tassels are at the [WO ends of the shawl and th e strands and knots repre- se nt the 613 laws o f the Torah. A taWt can be of any co lour, size or material but it must ha ve two white tassels ca ll ed tzitzit on each corner. The tzitzit has four long strands which are looped through a hole in the corner of the garment. In o lder times, one strand of the fzifzif had to be hyacinth blue, the blue symbolizing God’s heaven, and the white of the tallit purity. These, too, are the colou rs used on the Israeli flag. Blue is also an indication of royalty. In ancient times, only princes were allowed to wear blue, so th e blue colour in the tzifz it, and today in the blue stripe of th e tallit itself, confers royalty on its wearer. Sometimes the tallit has black stripes which remind the Jew of the Fall of the Temple in Jerusa lem in 70 CE o The band on [he shawl is the aflarah, which must always be on the top and the outside when worn, but is removed when the owner dies; o ne strand of [he ftirz; t is cut to make the garment pat:d o r unacceptable to God. II can then be wrapped around th e dead person.

The worshipper wraps the tallit around himself while reci ting a blessing to show that the commandments are wrapped around him. The tallit is worn during morning prayer eit her at home or at rhe syna- gogue, bur is nOt worn on the Sabbath. Orthodox Jews also wear an undergarment called a talfirh karan or anarba kanfot, which is a small tallit with tzitz,it. Reform J ews no longer wear a tal/it. Women are nOt permitted to wear a tallit at all in Orthodox Judaism though there is no real scriptural evidence to suggest why they should nOt:” indeed one ancient rabbi sewed tzitzit on hi s wife’s apro n. Women are generally freed from having to obey mltzvot which are linked to special rimes of the day, because this would ca use difficulties for them when rearing children.

Tefifljn The tefillin or phylacteries are worn because of the commandment in the Shema that some of the most important precepts should be in the hean of every Jew. Tefillin are an important parr of

JUDAISM

15

 

 

JUDAISM

16

worship and prayer. Indeed. the word comes fro m a Hebrew rOOt palal meaning ” prayer ” or ” meditation”. Orthodox Jews be li eve that even God himself wears tefjllin. The tefillin a re worn at the weekday mo rn ing prayer by all Orthodox Jewish males. One is placed o n the left upper arm (of a right-handed male) facing th e heart w ith the strap wo und arou nd the arm seven times right down to the wrist o nto the hand and twO fin gers. The other is stra pped OntO the forehead. When the strap is bei ng wound aro und t he middle fingers of the left hand, a special prayer is sa id :

I will betroth thee unto Me forever I will betroth thee unto Me in ri ght eous ness and in judgement and in loving ki ndn ess and in mercy … and in faithfulness and thou shalt know the lord.

This ind icates that the tefillin are sy mbo lic of th e devotion and affec- tion between Israel and her God. They are a wedd in g bond, as the above words show, between God and the Jewish peo ple, and are a sy mbol of the cove nant and th e mutual responsibi li ty of th e twO part- ners in th e covenant, just like th e murual responsibi li ty which shou ld exist between husband and wife. Within thi s covenant rela tionship, God undertakes the ca re of his people, but certain o bligations are necessary on the part of th e Jews. These obligations are evident in this speciaJ pra ye r:

1. Ri ghteo usness: 2. Just ice: 3. Loving kindness: 4 . Fa ithfulness :

Heb. sedaqa Heb. mjspat Heb. hesed H eb. ernel

Each Jew is expected to live by th ese principles, di splaying th em not only in relanon {O God, but in re lation t o his fell ow Jew. This is beca use God showed such qualities in bringing Is ra el o ut of bondage in th e Land o f Egypt, so Jews must also show such qualities in th eir daily living. The tefillj” on the left hand opposite th e heart reminds J ews that it is their duty to subj ect th e designs of th eir hearts and their feelings t o God; the one on the forehead reminds them to concentrate their th oughts on God’s service and teachings. Each of the cubes is ca ll ed a bayjt, which means ” house” . On one is the Hebrew Jetter shin and o n the othe r s ide the same lener with an extra stroke ttD . This cube is placed on the head and t igh tened by the special knot at th e back. The knot is also indicative of a Hebrew lener, the lett er daleth – , – both upright and upside down L . The srraps then fall over each s ho ulder (0 th e front. Ins ide the bayil there are fou r se parate compartmems each comaining a scro ll.

The o rh er bayjt has only one compa rtment, and the words on the

four scro ll s a re written o n one scrol l. The strap has a loop o n one side which is ti ed by a knot in the shape of a lener yodh . The sig ni fica nce of the leu ers on the te(illin is debated. Some consider th e shi,,-dalelh and yodh – sh·d-). to rep resent Shadday, one of the names of the Hebrew God . The significa nce of the four-pronged shin is more myste- rious and mystica l and so mf!: co nsider it (0 be sy mboJjc of the co mpl ete knowledge of God and the true meaning of Torah . Some be li eve ir to correspo nd to th e fo ur letters of th e Divine Name YHWH. a name never spo ken by Jews. T e(illi” a re worn on ly on weekdays, nor o n Shabbat (Sa bbath Ja r holy da ys.