Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

RELIGION LIBRARY

Judaism

Toggle navigation

Sacred Time

Judaism distinguishes between two essentially different forms of time: kodesh (holy) and chol (mundane). Jews consecrate the seventh day of the week, or Shabbat, as the epitome of sacred time. The Jewish calendar is replete with a rich array of festivals, most of which commemorate events in ancient Israelite history. read more

Sacred Space

Observant Jews worship three times a day, throughout the year. While these daily services may be performed privately, the most important Shabbat and festival prayers are ideally, and most commonly, observed in public services, conducted by clergy in synagogues or temples. read more

Rites and Ceremonies

Judaism places a central emphasis in serving God on faithful adherence to a vast and complex system of biblical commandments, known as mitvot. This system of Jewish law, collectively known as halakha , is based on the rabbis' extensive legal exegesis of the Torah's 613 laws. read more

Worship and Devotion in Daily Life

Jews seek constantly to remind themselves of God's presence in their lives through an elaborate system of daily prayers, benedictions for all occasions, no matter how ostensibly mundane, and a host of religious rituals. read more

Symbolism

Judaism vigilantly avoids the use of any symbolic representation in worship, especially of humanlike figures. At the same time, there are a small number of prominent symbols that are prominently displayed in many synagogues and other Jewish institutions. read more

Beliefs Ethics and Community Back to religion Library

editors picks View All Columns

Evangelical

Before You Unplug or Sign Out for Good

Guest Contributor

Evangelical

What Is the Purpose of Spiritual Gifts, and How Do You Discover Yours?

New Visions

5 Ways to Hear What God is Telling You

Muslim

How Awake Are We? When Waking Up is Falling Asleep

Daniel Thomas Dyer

Latter-day Saint

"The Church supports the use of vaccinations"

Evangelical

Luther and the Beauty of Christ

Guest Contributor

The Soul of Gospel Music Explored in New Netflix Series "Voices of Fire"

Seven Ways to Think About Christian Mysticism

Evangelical

Cancelling Alice Walker?

Evangelical

Does God Have His Own Logic?

Muslim

Imam Ali’s letter to the Governor- Everlasting Example of Good...

Progressive Christian

Why Did Jesus Have To Die?

Patheos Logo Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Copyright 2008-2026, Patheos. All rights reserved.

Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In

Follow Patheos