Judaism Step-by-step

Beliefs 3 - Torah

Torah as Law and the concept and applications of mitzvot (commandments) in life

At Shabbat, Jews eat a loaf called Challot. It has three plaits, representing God, the Jews and the Torah. These three things are wrapped up together - without the Torah there is nothing to bind the Jews to God. By following the teaching of the Torah, Jews get closer to God. Later on, we will look at the scrolls themselves and how they're treated. Here, the important things is to think about the idea of following rules.

Judaism 101 explains the idea of Halakah ('the path that one walks')

The following question came up a couple of years ago [1999 Q3]:

(c) 'Giving people rules is a good way of showing people that you care.'

Do you agree? Give reasons to support your answer and show that you have thought about different points of view. You must refer to Judaism in your answer. [5]

This requires a bit of thought, but will help you understand why Jews have rules. Try to remember balance - you should think about Reform Jews, who 'update' many of the rules that seem to be linked to past societies rather than what is morally right or wrong.

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