Monday, December 8, 2008

The Synagogue

Attending the synagogue on Thanksgiving was a very interesting experience. I admit, that I do not much about Judaism, but this experience helped me understand new things about this religion. One of the most interesting things our host told us was that Jews do not believe that one has to be a part of the Jewish church in order to be righteous. Only if they are born into Judaism, they are encouraged to practice the religion, and anyone is welcome to join their religion. Because of this, they do not believe missionary work or attracting people to their congregation is necessary.
I also found it very interesting just how strongly they follow their religion and have kept their traditions. For instance, the concept of not traveling on Sunday, or spending money is observed very strictly. In fact, it keeps people from being able to attend church. And they are very strict about what kinds of animal products they eat. 
I really enjoyed seeing one of the Toras they had at the synagogue. I had never seen such a huge scroll, filled with hebrew writing! It was a cool experience to become better acquainted with this religion.








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