{"id":643,"date":"2011-04-05T10:47:35","date_gmt":"2011-04-05T10:47:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/projectconversion.com\/?p=643"},"modified":"2011-04-05T10:47:35","modified_gmt":"2011-04-05T10:47:35","slug":"my-day-in-the-jewish-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/projectconversion\/2011\/04\/my-day-in-the-jewish-life.html","title":{"rendered":"My Day in the Jewish Life"},"content":{"rendered":"
This wasn’t an easy post to prepare for. There is no more a “typical Jew”\u00a0than there is a typical American. Jews themselves are difficult to define. Are they a race, a religion, a culture, a nation, just a bunch of people with great food? One might say “yes” to all of that, but the most accurate description of the Jews is that they are a family, and like all families, no two are quite the same.<\/div>\n

Some–in fact many Jews–are secular, that is, non-religious. I’ve heard the number being as high as 50%, but this doesn’t make them less Jewish. The other half fall roughly into a spectrum of religious observance that ranges from Orthodox to Reform with Conservative in between. Orthodox is the “old school” and until the 1800’s, was the only<\/em> school. Judaism was largely monolithic until that time when Reform came along and placed more emphasis on social action, modern living, and that Jewish law (Halakha) are general guidelines rather than a strict list of requirements. The Conservative Movement developed in reaction to the Reform Movement in an effort to conserve the traditions of the past instead of relegate them to over-modernization, abandon, and reform.<\/p>\n

There are of course, many other smaller branches of Judaism, however these three represent the main body of the faithful.<\/p>\n

What is interesting about Judaism (and why I’ve had a difficult time deciding which type to be) is it’s\u00a0emphasis on daily living. While there are many prayers and blessings associated with being a Jew, the idea is that one lives fully in the creation of God. For this reason, we are given the 613 mitzvot<\/em> (plural for mitzvah<\/em>) which cover the daily observances and practices enjoined upon Jews in particular\u00a0and\u00a0humanity in general. These mitzvot<\/em>\u00a0are found in the Torah (the five books of Moses) and compiled by Rambam\u00a0(commonly known as Maimonides)\u00a0in the Mishneh\u00a0Torah. These mitzvah can be\u00a0very specific and range from recognizing the unity and oneness of God to not wearing clothing where wool and linen are mixed together. The three branches of Judaism come from how strictly one follows these mitzvot <\/em>among other considerations.<\/p>\n

I’ve decided that in order to make the experience\u00a0meaningful that I should observe as much of the mitzvot\u00a0as I can and that won’t interfere too much with my family. Trouble is that they aren’t “acting” Jews as I am, so many of the ordinances–especially kosher dietary laws–are difficult to maintain. Being a vegetarian though helps with keeping most of my bases covered.<\/p>\n

So, what will my\u00a0life as a Jew be like every day? In a word: conscious.<\/p>\n

Every Jew is enjoined\u00a0to prayer at least three times a day and each time of the day requires a certain method. That being said, there are many blessings a Jew might say to observe God’s power and love in the mundane. For example there are blessings for sighting\u00a0 a rainbow or getting a new home. The first prayer one says upon waking, the Modeh\u00a0Ani, is really an acknowledgement that God is Lord and Sovereign and one’s primary focus in life.<\/p>\n

“Modeh\u00a0anee\u00a0lifanecha\u00a0melech\u00a0chai vikayam, she-he-chezarta\u00a0bee\u00a0nishmatee\u00a0b’chemla, raba\u00a0emunatecha.”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

“I offer thanks to You, living and eternal king, for You have restored my soul within me; Your faithfulness is great.”<\/span><\/p>\n

In Judaism, one’s soul leaves the body while sleeping to “recharge” in the spiritual realm, only to return upon waking. This is why our first thought as we wake acknowledges this fact and thanks God for returning us to our mortal lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

Next comes the Netilat\u00a0Yadalim\u00a0(morning hand-washing). This is done by keeping a bowl of water beside the bed and washing one’s hands–right hand to left hand, three times each, up to the wrist–while saying:<\/span><\/p>\n

“Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us concerning the washing of the hands.”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

After this ablution we recite the Shema, which every Jew is commanded\u00a0to say when they “lie down and rise up.” It is the declaration of\u00a0faith and the remembrance of\u00a0the covenant\u00a0between God and the Jewish people. The passage is pretty lengthy and covers three Biblical passages: Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21; Numbers 15:37-41. The centerpiece of this recitation is “Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God; the Lord is one.” Other parts of the Shema speak of a commitment to study the Torah, the concept of reward and punishment, and remembrance of God leading the Children of Israel out of Egypt. In effect, the Shema realigns one to their purpose in life every day and reminds them of who they are, where they came from, and where they are going in the sight of God.<\/span><\/p>\n

Before reciting the Shema and next, the Shacharit\u00a0(morning prayer), Jewish males over 13 wear the tzitzit\u00a0and the tefillin.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Leather straps on the left arm and head form the tefillin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Tzitzit: an undershirt with fringes and knots at the corners reminds one of the 613 mitzvah<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0Cost prohibited me from acquiring the tefillin, however I do have the tzitzit. Depending on one’s affiliation, these items may or may not be\u00a0worn throughout the day. I choose to wear the tzitzit\u00a0at all times, including the kippah (the iconic head covering).<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The morning is wrapped\u00a0up with the Shacarit\u00a0prayer and then one is off to begin their day fresh and blessed. As I mentioned, there are many prayers and blessings incorporated into the day as they present themselves, but the idea here is to be\u00a0mindful of God. To do so means to be\u00a0a light and blessing to others, to help those in need, to be fair and just, and to represent the love of God.<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Studying the prayers and blessings is difficult. Being observant of as many mitzvot\u00a0as possible will make the task even more arduous, however one shouldn’t view\u00a0such practices as a burden in the negative sense. These mitzvot\u00a0are designed to help us live a guided life that we might be a light for others and remember God in the process. Judaism is a faith that demands one to live life to the fullest, indeed, to enjoy creation’s pleasures (all within moderation, of course) and these tenets are there to ensure this comes to pass.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This wasn’t an easy post to prepare for. There is no more a “typical Jew”\u00a0than there is a typical American. Jews themselves are difficult to define. Are they a race, a religion, a culture, a nation, just a bunch of people with great food? One might say “yes” to all of that, but the most…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":437,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-643","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-judaism"],"yoast_head":"\nMy Day in the Jewish Life - Project Conversion<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/projectconversion\/2011\/04\/my-day-in-the-jewish-life.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"My Day in the Jewish Life - Project Conversion\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This wasn’t an easy post to prepare for. 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