Are you looking for meaning beyond the daily grind? I invite you to consider Judaism.

      Judaism is the religion comprising the entirety of the spiritual beliefs and ritual practices of the Jewish people. The Jewish people are the physical descendants of the Israelites, a group of 12 Middle Eastern tribes, and those who join and have joined the Jewish people through conversion. They received a revelation from God on Mt. Sinai, (a mountain in what is now the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt) 3200 years ago. This revelation consists of the Torah, which means “instruction”. It is a compendium of laws plus the history of the Israelites from earliest times up to the time of the revelation 3200 years ago.

You can become a full member of the Jewish people through conversion.

Why is Judaism good for you?

      Because Judaism’s core beliefs and ritual practices work best when performed together in a holistic way. They help to make us better people, promote self-discipline, regard for others, give us strength confidence and ultimately give true meaning to our lives.

Judaism’s core beliefs are:

      Judaism’s core beliefs are: God is an ABSOLUTE unity, all-powerful, omniscient, and omnipotent who acts directly, and through nature and in human history and gives man the gift of free-will.  We see the wonderful beauty of nature, which  confirms our beliefs. We can have a relationship with God through prayer, obedience to God’s laws as stated in the Torah (the 5 Books of Moses), deeds of loving kindness towards other human beings and continual striving to follow a virtuous life. God considers our deeds in a favorable light. We are forgiven for sins (except for heinous ones, such as murder) if we truly repent. Righteousness does not mean that the person is free from sin, only that the preponderance of their acts is positive. Judaism understands that we are human and does not expect us to be free from sin, only that we try to the best of our ability to lead a virtuous life. Since we believe that since God is truly merciful, if a virtuous person has seemingly (according to human understanding) suffered unjustly in this life, we trust that in the next life there will be some kind of healing and ultimate vindication. We cherish life because it is a gift of God, and because it is only while we are alive that we can worship God through prayer and by carrying out God’s commandments and instructions listed in the Torah. Judaism’s practices work best when performed regularly. These include prayer, acts of kindness to others, study of the Torah and the entirety of the Tanach (referred to insultingly by some as the “Old Testament”. We believe that the Tanach is
valid forever.), abstaining from pork, shellfish and certain other foods, and observance of the Sabbath and religious holidays. All these acts are intended to sanctify our lives and thus bring us closer to God and give meaning to our lives. Although we are on an infinitely lower level of intelligence than God, still by performing the above ritual acts, prayer, study and carrying out God’s commandments and instructions listed in the Torah, we can reach the highest spiritual level obtainable and accessible to human beings. We can thus achieve the closest relationship to God which is possible for human beings to attain.