If Only

teamlupin:

To all those I have hurt in some way this past year, I am sorry.

I’m sorry for saying things I shouldn’t have said. I’m sorry for not saying something that should have been said. I’m sorry for talking behind your back or spreading rumors. I’m sorry for being mean, whether you knew it was happening or wasn’t. For whatever I have done that you see as wrong, I am sorry. 

Tomorrow is a new opportunity for me. An opportunity to be wiser, friendlier, better, kinder, more loving, more honest, more accepting, and more respectful for the world. Whether or not you are fasting like I am tonight or tomorrow, or even whether or not you consider yourself Jewish or even believe in religion at all, I think we could all take this opportunity for a fresh start to improve ourselves so that we may improve and begin to heal the world.

Have a meaningful fast to those of you celebrating Yom Kippur, and to those who aren’t, have a wonderful day.

(via a-daasensation)

sageblessing:

LABOR VALUES IN THE TORAH: “Do not withhold anything from your employee, poor and destitute, your country man or a stranger. Pay him his wages before sundown, for he is poor and needs it. Let him not cry out to God against you, for that sin would cling to you. (Deuteronomy 24:14-15) Photo: Jewish girls in 1909 NYC protesting for child labor reform. HAPPY LABOR DAY!

From “Jewish People Around The World” 

whoa sorry I forgot about this blog. 

Hello!

pyrotechnical-banana:

Rembrandt

Portrait of an Old Jewish Man

jimb0slyf3:

3 Survivors that never met until 2006

This is a far more difficult question than you might expect. Judaism has no dogma, no formal set of beliefs that one must hold to be a Jew. In Judaism, actions are far more important than beliefs, although there is certainly a place for belief within Judaism.

13 Principles of Faith

The closest that anyone has ever come to creating a widely-accepted list of Jewish beliefs is Rambam’s thirteen principles of faith. These principles, which Rambam thought were the minimum requirements of Jewish belief, are:

1. G-d exists
2. G-d is one and unique
3. G-d is incorporeal
4. G-d is eternal
5. Prayer is to be directed to G-d alone and to no other
6. The words of the prophets are true
7. Moses’ prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets
8. The Written Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) and Oral Torah (teachings now contained in the Talmud and other writings) were given to Moses
9. There will be no other Torah
10. G-d knows the thoughts and deeds of men
11. G-d will reward the good and punish the wicked
12. The Messiah will come
13. The dead will be resurrected

As you can see, these are very basic and general principles. Yet as basic as these principles are, the necessity of believing each one of these has been disputed at one time or another, and the liberal movements of Judaism dispute many of these principles.

Unlike many other religions, Judaism does not focus much on abstract cosmological concepts. Although Jews have certainly considered the nature of G-d, man, the universe, life and the afterlife at great length, there is no mandated, official, definitive belief on these subjects, outside of the very general concepts discussed above. There is substantial room for personal opinion on all of these matters, because as I said before, Judaism is more concerned about actions than beliefs.

Judaism focuses on relationships: the relationship between G-d and mankind, between G-d and the Jewish people, between the Jewish people and the land of Israel, and between human beings. Our scriptures tell the story of the development of these relationships, from the time of creation, through the creation of the relationship between G-d and Abraham, to the creation of the relationship between G-d and the Jewish people, and forward. The scriptures also specify the mutual obligations created by these relationships, although various movements of Judaism disagree about the nature of these obligations. Some say they are absolute, unchanging laws from G-d (Orthodox); some say they are laws from G-d that change and evolve over time (Conservative); some say that they are guidelines that you can choose whether or not to follow (Reform, Reconstructionist).

So, what are these actions that Judaism is so concerned about? According to Orthodox Judaism, these actions include 613 commandments given by G-d in the Torah as well as laws instituted by the rabbis and long-standing customs.

(Source: , via teamlupin)

(Source: behindeverythingbeautiful)

kykedyke:

Shabbat Shalom!

(Source: neonoa)

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