Eternal India Encyclopedia

RELIGIONS

Eternal India encyclopedia

* The Ten Commandments (Ten words), believed to have been given by God to Moses on Mt. Sinai, include belief in one God, prohibition of worship of images and other moral principles like honouring one's parents and restraining one- self from committing theft and adultery. * Jews cannot surrender their religion. SCRIPTURES * The Torah (Law) is present in the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch). * In addition to the Torah, the Hebrew Bible includes eight books of Prophets (Nevi’im) and eleven books of Writings (Kethuvim). These twenty-four books are counted as thirty- nine in Protestant Old Testaments. * The Mishnah is a compilation of rabbinic interpretations of Torah made by Rabbi Judah the Prince ca. A.D. 220. * The Talmud (study of learning) consists of the Mishnah (repeated study), the Gemara (completion) and certain aux- iliary materials. There are two Talmuds; the Palestinian Talmud, in which the Gemara was done by Palestinian rabbis, and the Babylonian Talmud, in which the Gemara was done by Babylonian rabbis. CEREMONIES/RITUALS/CUSTOMS * Details are laid down in the most minute way for the be- haviour of the orthodox concerning every aspect of daily life. * A male child is circumcised on the eighth day following birth. * The rite of circumcision (berit mila) is accompanied by cere- monies including naming. * Bar mitzva (son of the commandment) at the age of 13, signifying the religious coming-of-age. * Marriage (hatuna) involves a double ceremony. First is be- trothal (erusin) which includes the reading of the marriage contract (ketubba) and the giving of a ring accompanied by certain benedictions. * Marriage proper (nissuin) follows with the reciting of the seven marriage benedictions. The ceremony is performed under a canopy (huppah) that symbolises the bridal bower. * The burial service is marked by simplicity. Clad only in a simple shroud, the interment takes place as soon after death as possible. No coffins are used. A mourning period of 30 days is observed, of which the first seven (Shiva) are the most rigorous. The bereaved recite a particular form of dox- ology for 11 months. The doxology, devoid of any mention of death, is in praise of God. It is also recited on the death anniversary (Yahrzeit). * The Sabbath (day of rest) is observed throughout the year on the seventh day of the week — Saturday. The ban against work on Sabbath includes such activities as baking and cooking, travelling, kindling fire, gathering wood, buying and selling, and bearing burdens from one domain into an- other. The Talmudic rabbis listed 34 major categories of prohibited work, including agricultural activity, writing, spinning and weaving and other forms of constructive work. * The Sabbath begins Friday evening at sunset. The Sabbath comes to a close with the havdala (Distinction) ceremony which consists of a benediction noting the distinction be- tween Sabbath and week day.

FESTIVALS * Pesah (Passover), Shavuot (Feast of Weeks or Pentecost) and Sukkot (Tabernacles) are pilgrim festivals. Passover celebrates the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt; Weeks celebrates the giving of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai; Tabernacles celebrates God's guidance of the Israelites in the wilderness. * Rosh Hashana (New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of atone- ment) are holidays. The ten days of Penitence begin with Rosh Hashana and close with Yom Kippur. * Purim (Feast of Lots) and Hanukka (Feast of Dedication). * Asara be-Tevet (Fast of 10 Tevet), Shiva Asar be-Tammuz (Fast of Tammuz 17), Tisha be-Av (Fast of Av 9), Tzom Gedaliahu (Fast of Gedaliah) and Taanit Esther (Fast of Esther) are the five fasts. LANGUAGES * Hebrew is the sacred language. THE RABBINATE * The Rabbinate, with its peculiar nature and functions, is the result of a series of developments. * The term Rabbi (My teacher) was the honorific title for the graduates of the academy directed by the Nasi (Patriarch), the head of the Jewish community. * The rabbis were appointed to the law court (The Bet Din). They supervised and controlled the life of the community and its members in all aspects. * There was a diffusion of authority and the rabbis became an ecclesiastical rather than a communal agency. THE TEN COMMANDMENTS * Thou shalt have no other gods before me. * Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven aboye, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. * Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. * Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. * Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord the God giveth thee. * Thou shalt not kill. * Thou shalt not commit adultery. * Thou shalt not steal. * Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. * Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his man servant, nor his' maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's. LUMINARIES * Ruby Mayers, whose screen name was Sulochana, one of the highest paid film stars in the early days of the Indian film industry. * Ferhet Ezekiel, (Nadira), the stunt queen. * David, veteran character actor. .* Major General J.F.R. Jacob, Chief of Staff of the Eastern Command during the Bangladesh war (1971). (T.S.),