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Title: Just Judaism: The Judaism Blog
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Made By: Leslie Mullen
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Upcoming Holidays
January 20th, Thursday - Tu Bishvat
March 20th, Sunday - Purim
April 19th, Tuesday - Passover (Pesach)
May 1st, Sunday - Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah)
May 8th, Sunday - Israel Memorial Day (Yom HaZikaron)
May 9th, Monday - Israel Independence Day (Yom HaAtzmaut)
May 22th, Sunday - Lag B'Omer
August 9th, Tuesday - Tisha B'Av
September 29rd, Thursday - Rosh HaShanah
October 8th, Saturday - Yom Kippur
October 13th, Thursday - Sukkot
October 20th, Thursday - Shemini Atzeret
October 21st, Friday - Simhat Torah
December 21st, Wednesday - Hanukkah (Chanukah)

Materials Used
2011 jewish Holiday Calender
World Religions: A Voyage of Discovery (Textbook)

The Torah

Torah is among the most important terms in Judaism. It literally means "instruction" and can be loosely translated as "law". Torah refers to the first five books of the bible, which are believed to have been revealed directly to Moses by God. The five books of the Torah are the central statement of the religious laws of Judaism.

Written Torah: The Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew bible contains three major parts: the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings. The bible itself is conveniently referred to as the
Tanakh. The contents of the Hebrew bible are also the contents of the Christians Old testament, but the books are named and ordered somewhat differently.

The Torah. Also called the Pentateuch (Greek for "Five Books"), The Torah contains the first five books of the bible. According to tradition, God revealed the contents of the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai. (Moses is regarded as the Torah's author) The Torah stands forever as Judaism's central code of holiness. It contains 613 laws, including the Ten commandments. Every synagogue contains a scroll of the whole Torah, kept in whats called an ark.
Contents: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy

The Prophets. Prophet literally means "one who speaks for in Greek. It is composed of books that include proclamations of the word/will of God as spoken to the prophets as well as historical accounts of ancient Israel.
The Prophets are some of the worlds most striking religious figures. They attempted to keep Israel on its religious course during difficult times.
Contents: Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel; and the twelve minor prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habbakuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

The Writings. The writings are highly diverse in both content and literary form. The writings contribute to the overall richness of the bible.
Contents: Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles

Mishnah and Talmud: Teachings of the Rabbis
The written Torah is complemented by the teachings of the "oral Torah". This is material taught and transmitted by Judaisms great Rabbis of antiquity.
The Mishnah was written down in abprox. 200 c.e., but contains teachings fromm the previous four centuries. It has come to be regarded as a sacred text, like the bible.
The Talmud is highly significant as well. The Talmud presents a grand scheme of interpretation blending together both the oral and written forms of the Torah.

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