Faith

Judaism is the faith of the Jewish people and the oldest—or one of the earliest—monotheistic religions (belief in one G-d). It is among the oldest faith traditions still practiced today.

Their sacred text is called the *Tanakh*, which stands for:

T for *Torah* (Law), N for *Nevi'im* (Prophets), and CH for *Ketuvim* (Writings).

The Torah means teaching, instruction, or law (*mitzvah*), and refers to the five books of Moses, such as Genesis and Exodus. The prophetic books include Isaiah and Ezekiel, and the writings include Psalms, among others.

The term “Hebrew Bible” is also often used as a synonym for the Tanakh, as it largely corresponds to the Old Testament.

After the Tanakh (Written Law), the most important text is the *Talmud* (Oral Law), which contains rabbinic commentary and scholarly interpretations of the Tanakh. It consists of around 6,000 pages.

History

Abraham (Avraham) lived about 4,000 years ago and is considered the first Jew. G-d told him to leave his homeland: "Go to the land I will show you." Abraham departed to what we now know as Israel (Genesis 13:14–18).

G-d promised Abraham he would become the father of a great nation through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob (also known as Israel). In the years that followed, the nation of Israel was born—a great people that produced strong prophets, kings, and leaders.

The Future

G-d spoke (and still speaks) to Israel through prophets, kings, and leaders—not only to guide the people toward devotion to Him, but even more often to promise what He will do in the future. All the prophets of the Tanakh refer to the promise that G-d will send the Messiah (*Mashiach*)—a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and King David. This one Messiah will bring peace to Israel and will reign from Jerusalem over the whole earth.

This hope is not only alive in the Jewish people but also worldwide. For example, the former Soviet Union (now Russia) once gifted a sculpture to the United Nations in New York with the words from Isaiah 2:4: *“They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”* This chapter is often interpreted as the prophecy of the coming Messiah, who will bring peace to the descendants of Abraham and the entire world from Jerusalem.

Since the founding of Jerusalem by King David, G-d has held a great desire and plan for the world: that one day, many nations, peoples, and languages will join the Jewish people hand in hand, singing and rejoicing, proclaiming: *“Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord.”* They will ascend to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the Holy G-d of Israel (Micah 4:2 and Isaiah 2:3).