R.E. Coursework Essay Example

R.E. Coursework Essay The Shabbat is a festival, which is celebrated from sunset on Friday night until the stars appear on Saturday night. This is celebrated every week and is a big part of a Jews life.The Shabbat is celebrated in many different ways in different Jewish homes and synagogues. Here are some of the most popular things Jewish families do throughout the Shabbat.The Jews are forbidden to work because it is supposed to be a holy day and they should devote themselves to prayer and studying the Torah. Rabbi Saadi Gaon said, to achieve rest from the abundance of ones toil which shows his commitment to resting on the Sabbath.Preparation, cleaning and cooking are done differently on the Sabbath because they have to prepare the meal and house before the Sabbath starts because cleaning and cooking is forbidden once Sabbath has started. God made the 7th holy day by resting after making the world (Exodus 20:8-11) backs up this command from the Torah.The mother lights candles before sunset because the h ome is central to Judaism and the mother looks after the house beginning on the Sabbath. When I light the Shabbat candles I feel like God is blessing me Berachan of God quoted. This shows the mother feels she has done her duties to God once the candles have been lit.The Father blesses the children during Sabbath. This shows the fathers prayerful wishing that the children should grow up to follow the examples of righteous men and women of the Jewish history.The Father then recites the Kiddush, which is a blessing to thank God for giving Shabbat to Jewish people.Following this the family all wash their hands, which is an act of purification.The Father recites blessing over Challot. It is normally a thank you blessing to God for bringing bread out of the ground.The Challot is dipped in salt before being passed around. This is a reminder that bread is a result of efforts. This means salt is symbolic of sweat and toil.The family sing songs and tell stories from the Bible. This strengthen s the faith and is passed onto the children of the family.The celebrations/events that happen in the synagogue are all based around reading and the Torah.A Sidra is read from the Sefer Torah. A Sidra is a certain portion of the Sefer Torah and a different section is read each week so that the complete scroll will have been read by the end of the year.The Ark is opened and everybody stands while it is being open. This is to show a mark of respect.During the reading of the Sidra, seven men give blessings.After the reading of the Sefer Torah, the 8th man reads haftaroh, which is a portion from one of the books of prophets.After all of this has happened, the scroll is put back into the ark and the Rabbi gives sermon. This encourages congregation to keep to the Jewish religion.These are some of the things that happen at home after the morning synagogue service.The lunchtime meal that follows a similar format to the meal they have on Friday night,On Saturday afternoon, the males in the fa mily return back to the synagogue for another service and the females will stay at home.After dinner, the family may go over their Jewish studies together.In the late afternoon, the males go back to the synagogue and there they study the Torah until nightfall.While the males go to the synagogue, the females of the house will go to a neighbours house to study the Torah. The females take turns to host the study evening.At the end of Shabbat here are a few things that happen.The Congregation prays the weekday evening service in the synagogue. This is to show the star has appeared and Shabbat is over.Rabbi performs havdalah (separation). This is a Ceremony to mark the end of the holy day.They give blessings over a cup of wine to show separation of holy day from ordinary day, which is now completed.Observing the Shabbat is an important part of the Jewish religion. It affects the life of a Jew in many ways. It makes Jews feel separate from other religions and they have to obey so many sac rifices to their life during the Sabbath, that Jews cant lead a social life during the weekend. It allows Jews to physically rest and reflect on God.The life of a young Jew may by the Sabbath in many different ways. They would not be allowed to go out or socialize with friends on a Friday night and sometimes not on a Saturday night either. They would not be able to join any clubs, which meet or practice on a Friday or Saturday. This would cause them to only be friends with people from their school or Synagogue.Young Jews would not have any money to spend on new clothes, trips out etc. because if they still go to school then the majority of jobs they would be able to do would take place on a Saturday and so therefore would be breaking a rule. The difference between what they can and cannot do in winter and summer is quite a lot. Jewish children will be allowed to leave school earlier in the winter because they have to be home by the time the sun goes down. This could make them feel d ifferent or odd if they didnt go to a Jewish school.All these things could make young children uncomfortable about being a Jew. It separates them from their friends of other religions and it makes it very hard for them to lead an ordinary, sociable teenage life.It is not only the childrens lives that are affected by Shabbat because the parents also find it very hard to stop their children from going out on Fridays and Saturdays when they know how much a social life means to young children these days. Adults are affected in many different ways too, here is a table suggesting some. There are a number of activities, which are forbidden to be done during Shabbat. Operating machinery is one of the biggest losses to a Jew because it means they cant drive anywhere. This is a positive loss, as it will encourage them to walk and get exercise. Cooking is also forbidden which means Jews have to prepare their food in advance. This is a hassle and takes time out of the day before. Writing is for bidden which means homework and office-work is not allowed to be done. This is not such a bad thing for Jews as it gives them some time off, it can be a bit of a hassle because it takes up time out of their Sunday as they have not been able to do it on Friday night or any of Saturday. If you are a builder then you are not allowed to work during Shabbat as building is forbidden. This doesnt only affect builders it could affect anybody who is building D.I.Y objects or things for the home. Again this will take time out of their Sunday if they are things that need to be done before they go back to work on the Monday. Tying a knot is one of the hardest things to replace during Shabbat. Jews cannot wear a tie or shoes with laces. This would mean they would have to wear slip on shoes and will not be able to wear a tie to anything smart they go to.The mother will need to be very organised to make sure that everything is in place before sunset on Friday. This is because cooking and preparing is forbidden.The parents will need a job, which allows them to have time off on a Friday (especially in winter). This is because everybody has to be home to have family time by the time Sunset on Friday.The mother and father will need to be disciplined with their children, ensuring that they understand the importance or the Sabbath. They will need to lead by example. It is very hard for the parents of a teenager to keep their child in when all their friends are going out. They need to be able to do this without giving in or feeling guilty.Neither of the parents will be able to run/organise clubs for their children or even themselves. E.g. Football/sports clubs. This will also limit them to any clubs they can join or any organisations where the majority of friends are made.Part 3Jews think the home is central as it is the place that most worship takes place. It is looked at as a central place for the whole family to get together and worship as a family. They think it is central beca use it is the centre of all the worship that takes place especially during the Shabbat.Not all Jews follow the faith with the same discipline and attitude. This can lead to different behaviour and the ways in which the religion is worshipped. There are two types of Jews. Liberal Jews who are not as strict and dont necessarily follow all the guidelines to the Jewish religion, and then there are Orthodox Jews who follow the torah, Shema and Mitzvot and make sure they dont break any of the rules. Judaism concentrates on obedience and so all Jews, whether they are Liberal or Orthodox are especially keen on following guidelines and obeying the rules of Judaism.Sharing certain rituals can bring a family closer as they have to spend more time together and the majority of this time would be spent worshipping. When the mother lights candles on the dinner table during the Shabbat meal, shows a religious significance of women and the valued role they lead as a mother.The Kiddush is a holy mome nt, which is shared with the family. This is a time, which unifies and strengthens as all of the family focus on sharing objects with each other. The men usually lead this time but in Progressive Jewish families, the women sometimes do it.The wine, which is, drank during the Kiddush or any time in the Jewish religion, is a symbol of linking the families together and sharing with each other. It is a symbol of sacrifice of the poor and can bond families together while sharing this thought.Havdalah which means division is a time which shows division from the rest of the world and so being a family at this time shows how a family is special and not everybody in the world is lucky enough to have one as loving or caring as yours.All these things make families realise how lucky they are t have each other and that sharing things is the best way to bond a friendship or relationship with someone.Sharing things with your family might not strengthen the family relationship as it might cause ten sion between family members. Spending too much time with your friends or family can cause arguments and you cannot necessarily enjoy the time you spend with them, as you would if you didnt spend as much time with them as often.If I had to share family rituals as often as they do, then I dont think it would strengthen our relationship. I wouldnt feel as if I had any independence and I would always feel as if everything I did had to be shared with my family. However I can see how some families enjoy sharing things and how it brings them closer together and would make them feel a closer community. I can see both sides of the argument but I feel that if I was in this situation I would feel isolated and non-independent if I had to share everything with my family.Sharing festivals can bring a family together as they would spend a lot of time in each others company and sharing the time together would make them feel warmer towards each other.Pesach is a festival, which brings family very cl ose, as it is a very repetitive festival. The same things happen every year and so they know what is coming and sharing it becomes easier. The Seder meal brings families closer together as it links past to the present. It brings different generations of the family closer together and creates a sense of belonging. The questions the children ask their parents help them learn about God therefore his shows that they are interested in him and want to learn. It helps the family share their thoughts and knowledge on God and how he helps their religion.Hanukkah is also a religion that illustrates the way Jews share festivals with their family. It is sometimes forgotten for its true meaning and sometimes just remembered for the gifts that are given and received. Families share Hanukkah by giving each other presents to remember they have each other.When you celebrate these events with your family you gain more trust and a better bond with the family you have grown up with. You learn new thing s from them and adapt the way they celebrate with how you do it.My opinion on this topic is that it helps to bring the family together. Hanukkah is similar to Christmas and I think of Christmas as a time to share things with your family and learn new things about each other. Christmas is one of the only times in a year when my whole family get together so it is very special and means more than just a meal with my family. It helps me to understand them and they way they celebrate things.On the other hand, some families prefer to share things in different ways. You could always find some families that feel sharing festivals, doesnt help strengthen their family at all. Some of the reasons for this could be that time off school/work for the family could cause stress and could make the children feel standing out and could lead to conflict.Festivals could stop children and sometimes adults from joining any teams, which meet on a Saturday or on the day of the Festival. This could make the child feel excluded and could lead to arguments between the child and their parents. This could cause family disagreements, which would weaken the relationship.If I had to miss going out with friends or playing in my hockey games on a Saturday then I would feel left out and would feel as though I had no social life and all my friends did. Not only would it lead to arguments between my family and me but also it could cause arguments between my parents if one of them agreed with me and the other one didnt. This would not strengthen our family relationship at all. I would feel as though my social life was more important than family time or worship and would not want to join in with festivals, which took place on the day of something else I had planned.The Rites of Passages that are shared with your family are very special to come Jews. Bar Mitzvah is a ceremony, which Jews love to share with their family. It is a ceremony which strengthens the family as all the family are involved in s ome way. The father holds the baby while it is being circumcised and the mother holds it after it has been done. Although many boys who are circumcised, are done at a young age and so therefore dont remember it is still a special moment for all the family and for the boy when he grows up and the family can tell him about how they celebrated the moment in his life.Rites of Passages are times in your life, which are remembered with a celebration. These are special for all Jews and they enjoy sharing them with their family.I dont really think there are many negative sides to sharing Rites of Passages with your family, as they are special times in your life that should be remembered and the best way to remember things are if someone else celebrates with you and you can share ideas and moments that you all remember from the event.I would not have a problem if I had to go to family events once in a while. I am not very close to my family and so when we have a family event it is very speci al to me and I dont really mind whether I have something else to do on that day or not, because the time that I do spend with my family, is special to me and I remember it and will share the experiences I gained from it with my friends and family in the time to come.It is not only the religious praying rituals that are shared among the family, but other household rituals are as well. By having a kosher kitchen and sticking to the rules, this helps strengthen the family and become closer together. When someone makes a mistake in the kitchen, by mixing meat with dairy, then they ask the family for forgiveness. This would help to bond the family together and learn to live with each others mistakes and not feeling ashamed to admit to it to your family. They are hard rules to follow but it can lead to a stronger family relationship by working together to try and make sure you keep the rules set.The tefillin is a ritual that would help bring the family closer together. It is a object that can be seen and so therefore although the person wearing it can not see it, the rest of their family can and so therefore know whether they are following the rules or not and can see they are devoted to their religion.The negative things to sharing the tefillin with your family, is that its true meaning could be taken away and not focused on as much as it should be. People forget that its true meaning is to hold the Shema and they just concentrate on getting it on their head in the right place etc. and so sometimes can cause arguments among the family if it is not being used in the correct way.There are many ways in which a Jewish Family can be strengthened. There are things, which have already been mentioned, and there are things such as family meals, day trips out, family worshipping. These things would strengthen the family in different ways. It would strengthen it by the whole family spending more time together and reflecting on things they have done in their individual everyda y lives. When a family gets together and can talk about individual achievements and experiences, then this can help to bond the family closer together.I think it is easier for an Orthodox Jew, than a Liberal Jew. I think this because although they are stricter about obeying the rules, they have a stronger family relationship.I dont think I would be able to stick to all the rules and I would not be able to spend the amount of time that Jews do with their family. I would feel left out when all my friends were going out on a Friday and Saturday night and I had to stay in for no other reason than the Torah tells me to.I think growing up into a Jewish family would be very hared. I dont think you would see the good side of the religion until you have got over the stage when you want to look cool in front of your friends and want to do everything your friends do. Until you have got over this stage then I think it would make you feel deprived. I think you would feel as though your parent ru led your life and you werent allowed to do anything.I think the overall benefits of keeping all the rituals are that you spend quality time with your family and can have the self- control in you, to stick with the religion and not give in however hard it may be at times. I think the best parts of keeping religious rituals are that there are many celebrations and festivals throughout your life, which you remember, and the rituals you share with your family mean a lot to you. This is most special to you later on in your life when you have your own children and have to teach them to follow in your footsteps and become a faithful Jew like yourself.There are some differences between Liberal and Orthodox Jews. They observe Shabbat in different ways.The Orthodox Jews will not do any of the forbidden activities including driving, cooking or turning on a light switch. Whereas the Liberal Jews will not be so absolute in their attitude. They class work more as employment.The Liberal Jews may r ecite blessings in absence of the father. Whereas the Orthodox men will recite blessings in absence of the father and not the women.Only men will attend Saturday afternoon synagogue services in Orthodox synagogues. Whereas some women may attend afternoon services in the Liberal Jew.In the Orthodox synagogue, only men will read from the Torah but women are allowed to read from the Torah if they are a Liberal Jew.Orthodox men and women will sit separately in the synagogue but they sit together if they are Liberal Jews.In conclusion to what has just been said it shows the Orthodox Jews only let men read the Torah, whereas the Liberal Jews allow women to read it in the synagogues as well. Orthodox Jews are stricter in what they do and Liberal Jews will be a bit more relaxed in the duties they carry out during the Shabbat.