Introduction
Judaism is an ancient religion that preaches faith in one and only God. The peculiarity of Judaism is that this faith is accepted by only one people – Jews. The word Jew originates in the term Avar, which means crossed over and also came from the other side. Judaism is a religion that dictates to Jews the principles of preservation of their cultural and national identity and independence. This theological doctrine has a number of virtues that help its followers find meaning in life.
Concept of Linear Time
One of the advantages of Judaism is the concept of linear time, which rejects the idea of cyclical time and emphasizes the irreversible nature of time. In linear time, there is a beginning and an end to both the existence of the world and human life. In Hinduism and Buddhism, salvation can be shifted into the next cycle of rebirth. In Judaism, a person realizes their spiritual potential in one life. Death marks the line beyond which the earthly life ends; the results of one’s life are summed up, and the metaphysical meaning of earthly life is realized. The basic ideas inherent in human nature presuppose the freedom to choose behavioral patterns and responsibility for one’s actions. At the same time, humans bear personal liability: Judaism has developed the idea of individual rules in both religious and legal senses. Therefore, Jews strive to observe the laws of public order since the consequences of their actions will overtake believers during their earthly lives.
Connection with the Real World
Another feature of Judaism, which helps its followers find meaning, is its close connection with the real world and the lack of idealization of natural processes. In this religion, it is recognized that the earthly world is imperfect. It is arranged in such a way that it is impossible to completely isolate oneself from the unclean, even if a person does not commit a sin. Judaism admits that there are diseases, deaths, and people who need treatment. This religion recognizes that there are corpses that need to be buried and, accordingly, touched. Women naturally give birth to children, meaning they have no virginity and absolute purity, and pain during childbirth is natural.
The mentioned phenomena are not associated with sins but testify to the imperfection of the physical world in which people live. The concept of basar explains the integrity of the human body and its weakness, limitations, and dependence on the external environment. This term is applied to the human as such in all one’s integrity and unity of the many elements of his nature. Therefore, followers of Judaism are aware of many natural processes that are taboo in other religions.
Differences from Christianity
Judaism is strong because it is aggressive to all paganism and remnants of heathenism. God is one, and it is impossible to depict Him; it is unattainable to express the image of the Almighty by any means subject to humans. In Judaism, saints close to God are absent, but there are prophets who are ordinary people. God speaks through them, and they also cannot be portrayed. The advantage of Judaism for followers is that there are no intermediaries between the Almighty and the human in this religion. A personal relationship with God is deeply personal and even intimate. Christians believe in apostolic succession, and a priest can only be one who has received ordination, received a piece of grace. A priest is not an intermediary, rather a guide of a person to God, but still, a Christian does not always stand face to face with God. A clergyman is standing in front of them while other parishioners are around them.
Jewish rabbis are different from Orthodox priests and Western pastors. They are religious lawyers who make sure that all the rules are followed. Rabbis tell Jews how to pray and give the necessary examples and references to religious texts. However, they are not comforters in the face of death, and they are not performers of rituals that help a person to appear near their Lord. Christians call themselves slaves or children of God; they believe that the Almighty is love and that He adores people. The Jewish God is not described as one who has boundless love for the people, which does not speak of a lack of compassion and forgiveness.
Conclusion
Judaism is a religion that differs from many other theological doctrines and helps its followers find meaning through the observance of earthly rules that are not based on the idea of eternal life after death. The provisions of this faith are closely related to people’s daily affairs and dictate the principles that explain the importance of avoiding sins during earthly life. Jews differ from Christians in their less conviction in the infinite love of God and their focus on current problems rather than trying to secure eternal life in paradise. God in Judaism is closer to humans than in many other religions because a person can address Him directly but not through an intermediary.