Text and traditions
Unit 2
Outcome Three
Part A
The Torah contains sacred texts for the Jewish faith; this book contains many Jewish traditions and practices. It means the first five books of the ‘Tanakh’ or the first 5 books for Moses which contains: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, numbers and Deuteronomy. According to religious tradition, all of the teachings that were found in the Torah, both written and spoken, were given by God to Moses at Mount Sinai and Tabernacle and all of the teachings were written down by Moses which resulted in the Torah today. According to a Midrash, the Torah was created prior the creation of the world and was used as an idea for creation.
The word ‘Torah’ is originated as a Hebrew name which means to guide/teach. The Torah is used as a written law and an oral law for anyone who follows the Jewish teachings. The Torah shows how God wants Jews to live. It contains 613 commandments and Jews refer to the ten best known of these as the 10 commandments. The Torah is written in Hebrew which is the oldest of the Jewish languages. The Jewish faith also has beliefs and actions to contribute with poverty, some Jews follow the beliefs of giving one tenth of their wealth to the poor, this practice is called 'tzekada' which means righteousness. They believe that the money they are donating is owed to the poor and if they don't give to the poor it is believed they are robbing others. Even the poor should give. ‘Gemilut hasadim’ is a Hebrew for loving kindness, and applies to all charitable works. It is an act of charity that somebody does and doesn’t expect anything in return.
“Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.” Deuteronomy 8:11-14
A quote from the Torah that Jewish people strongly believe in and still until this day is wealth must not ignore or forget about god, that work is an essential with Jewish life and business must be honest and they must gain their money legitimately.
The Islam response to charity is positive and they attempt to help when they can. It’s the way the Muslims live is through the Qur’an and what Mohammed does. For example another rule in the Qur’an is Muslims usually need donation when they need to build a Mosque, though they will not accept money that has been illegally gained, money won from gambling or money. Working is a central part of Muslim life and they believe everybody should work to help themselves and each other out. Another Muslim teaching is that lending money is a sin if the lender profits from it. If you lend money, you need the give the person you lent it to all the time he needs to pay it back. Other than gaining interest, donations are encouraged or lending money is as well if it helps them recover.
“But Allah has created you and your handiwork!”
Is a quote in the Qur’an saying that Allah created them and created their working skills. They believe that all wealth and riches come from Allah; they are intended for all of humanity to benefit from it.
Christians show compassion for others as a desire for justice it makes their beliefs for giving charity and caring for other and not themselves, Jesus makes this clear in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. Christian churches concern themselves more with issues such as poverty in richer nations and to distribute wealth all over the world evenly.
