Jewish / Judaism

Different affiliations As in every religion there are a variety of different streams of Judaism, though each stream connects with the covenant of the Jewish people and God, and each group remains part of the whole peoplehood of the wider Jewish Community. Because Judaism does not require an explicitly expressed faith, there can be secular Jews and cultural Jews as well as Jews who identify religiously as “haredi” (ultra-orthodox), “orthodox” (Which itself has many varieties), “Masorti/Conservative”, and “Reform/Liberal/Progressive”.

Jews are more than a religion – we are a peoplehood and have a variety of cultural and religious observances.

Religiously there are three prayer services (morning, afternoon and evening) on each day, and on the sabbath (Shabbat) there are particular rituals (Friday evening service both in the synagogue and rituals in the home that include candle lighting, blessings for wine and bread and a family meal), Saturday services morning and afternoon and the end of the sabbath marked by “Havdalah”. From the beginning of Shabbat (Friday at sundown) till the end (Saturday at sundown) Jews create special time where activities that are seen as work are not done but instead Jews focus on community/family/time for reflection and spiritual nourishment. Jews can read the daily services at home alone, but some of the prayers require a community of ten (minyan). Sometimes, for example when a person wants to recite kaddish (the memorial prayer for a close relative who has died), the local community will endeavour to provide the numbers for a minyan to pray together, or a patient may be content to join a community online.

There are some minor fast days during the year, and some major ones (e.g. Yom Kippur).

During Pesach (Passover) many Jews will adjust their diet to avoid eating Chametz (leavened products).

The Torah is the foundational text of Judaism (this word can either be limited to the 5 books of Moses or might refer to the whole of the Hebrew Bible). The word Torah means “teaching/ guiding/directing”.

Judaism as we know it has evolved from biblical times and is a creation of the Rabbinic period (beginning around the turn of the millennium/ 1^st century CE) up to now. Rabbinic texts include the siddur (prayer book), the Mishnah and the Talmud (the texts from which Jewish law is codified), and the Codes of Jewish Law.

Jews have no images of God.

Most Jews will have a siddur, a Chumash (the five books of Moses). Orthodox men – and men and women in more progressive streams of Judaism, will have tallit (the prayer shawl with fringes), a kippah or yarmulke (the skull cap which may we worn all the time or else during prayer and study), tefillin (the phylacteries worn during the weekday morning prayer).

Jews will often wish to light shabbat candles, and have access to the wine/grape juice with which to bless the shabbat day, and the special bread for shabbat (Challah).

Progressive Judaism is fully egalitarian and open to, for example, different gender and sexual identities. Traditional orthodox Judaism is less so and tends to have more conservative gender roles.

In terms of end-of-life care, Judaism is focussed on this world and on the primacy of life, but tolerates the double effect of palliative care medications for example and does not see suffering as a helpful or religiously required state. It is permitted to remove obstructions to the process of dying.

Also, on shabbat, where the prohibition on work might be understood to be also a prohibition on acting to save a life – one can break every rule of shabbat and every rule of kashrut in order to promote and protect life.

Judaism sees humanity as spiritual beings, and their spirituality is integrated into their ordinary everyday lives and behaviours.

A Jewish patient would probably enjoy access to a siddur from their own denomination in order to pray or read at their own pace, and also to have members of the Jewish community visiting and providing the requisites of Jewish life. It is not necessary to ask only a rabbi to provide spiritual care, any caring and competent member of the Jewish community can fulfil this role.

Judaism has no priesthood, so a Jew does not need a rabbi to pray for them in order for such prayer to be valid – the prayers of the individual themselves and of the community fulfil this role. Judaism has no confession of sins to another human being, or act of divine forgiveness or absolution through another human being.

Connection to the local community if it does not already exist is important to offer to patients who have drifted from synagogue membership.

Jews are expected to look after their bodies and seek medical care. God is described as a healer, and so medical treatment to bring about either healing or a relief from symptoms is encouraged.

There is no halachic (Jewish Law) problem with transplants – both as giver and receiver – though some Jews have an erroneous belief that organ transplant is not allowed in Jewish law. In such a case consult a local rabbi.

Nutritional support and pain relief are seen as basic care, even if the food or fluids are provided artificially. Failure to provide this is against Jewish law.

There are both affiliation and cultural differences in how modesty and dress code is interpreted. The Jewish quality of “tzniut” refers not just to modesty of clothing, but to dignified and appropriate behaviour, and applies equally to both genders. Generally, both men and women are expected to have a level of modesty in their dress so that they do not expose too much flesh or draw too much attention.

Orthodox Jews follow an idea of gender specific clothing; both male and female will cover their shoulders and arms past the elbow, and their clothing will not be cut tight to the figure, and women’s skirts will hang well below the knee. Married women who are orthodox may cover their hair – either with a wig (sheitel) or some material such as a scarf or snood. However, this is not the case in every orthodox community and is generally found in the more strictly orthodox communities. Orthodox men may cover their heads at all times, either with a kippah (also called yarmulke) or with a hat, or they may cover their heads only during prayer. Some orthodox Jewish men may wear a “tallit katan” – an undergarment to which are attached the fringes that remind them of the commandments to which they are obligated, which can be seen usually only through the tasselled fringes showing at waist level.

Progressive Jews have no strict dress code, viewing the concept of modesty far more in its context of behaviour and actions, though some progressive Jews of both genders may also wear kippah, tallit katan etc.

Cleanliness is very important in Judaism, with ritual handwashing accompanied by a blessing to be done on waking and before getting out of bed, before every meal, after every visit to the toilet etc.

Cutting the nails is also done with ritual mindfulness and the cut nails collected to be disposed of appropriately. Nails are not cut on shabbat but are often cut before shabbat and festivals.

Traditional Jews will go to the mikveh (a gathering of living waters) before shabbat, before festivals and after menstruation, childbirth etc. Before entering the mikveh the entire body is washed and inspected, nails trimmed etc.

Shabbat is a weekly event lasting from Friday at sundown to Saturday evening at sundown, with special home rituals for both the beginning and the end of shabbat.

Festivals include Pesach, Shavuot and Succot, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and the post biblical festivities of Chanukah and Purim. There are a number of minor fast days through the year, and the first day of every Hebrew month (called Rosh Chodesh) has liturgical and some ritual activities connected with it.

Judaism sees both men and women as being created equally and of equal importance and value.

Traditional Jews tend to have conservative gender roles with the women more likely to be focussed on the home, and the men more out in the world, but this fluid and very much depends on the geographical and cultural history of the individual. So, Jews who are Sephardi (from North Africa and Spain) are influenced by Islamic norms, and Jews who are Ashkenazi (from Eastern and Central Europe) are more influenced by the norms of the Church.

Progressive Judaism has had women as rabbis for over 50 years, and some streams of orthodox Judaism also are ordaining women rabbis (often called Rabbah, or Ma’arat rather than “Rabbi”).

In a healthcare setting orthodox Jews would prefer any examination to be done by someone of the same gender where possible. Also, because of the laws of “niddah” (ritual purity), some orthodox Jews will not touch or shake hands with a person of the opposite gender. This is not a manifestation of difference of value of different genders, but of a particular ritual system being practised.

Having children is seen as a joyous “mitzvah” – an important religious act, and so maternity is greatly valued in Jewish communities. That said, the obligation is only on the man, it is mitigated by any likely danger to the mother, and the mitzvah is complete with the birth of a child of both genders. Birth is usually expected to take place naturally but because childbirth and pregnancy are both considered to be dangers to life, if medical intervention is necessary, it is always permitted.

During the birth, the different streams of Judaism respond differently as to what the father can do. Progressive Jews will have no problem with the father holding the mother during the birth process and afterwards, but some more orthodox Jews will prefer the mother to be attended by her own gender only and unless it is necessary for the birth process, her husband will not touch her or be close to her as soon as any blood shows – this is because she has entered a state of “niddah”. This however is not the case if a caesarean section is performed. There are blessings to be said on the birth of a child (“Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the universe, who is good and bestows good.”

The life and wellbeing of the mother always takes precedence over the life and wellbeing of the unborn child, until the head has crowned, when each of them have the same rights to life and wellbeing.

In these days, miscarriage of a pregnancy and stillbirth / neonatal loss are treated the same way across Judaism. According to halachah (Jewish law) a child born before 21 weeks of pregnancy does not have to be treated in the same way as a child born after this period, but if the parents so wish, it can be buried in a Jewish cemetery (often in a special area set aside for children) and given a Jewish name. A child born after 21 weeks will be offered this naming and burial, though there is no formal liturgy or funeral in either case.

A child who is born “without breath” or who dies within 30 days of life is treated as a person who lived. After the body has been ritually washed and clothed by the Chevra Kadisha (the burial society of the Jewish community), the child is named with a Jewish ritual name, and buried in the cemetery though without a formal liturgy. Jewish law does not mandate its ritual mourning processes in deaths such as these – a hangover from the days when child mortality was much higher – but if parents wish to fulfil the mourning practices or to say kaddish (prayers) for their child, this is understood and accepted.

Judaism has a category of someone who is expected to die within the next few days – that person is called a “goseis”. All attention is focussed on the comfort and wellbeing of that person, and it is permitted to remove impediments to the departure of their soul (for example silencing disturbing noises around them or stopping people actively praying for their recovery), though it is not permitted to actively cause them to die. Because of the principle of removing impediments to a peaceful and easy death, palliative care (and in particular the double effect of some pain control) are acceptable in Jewish law.

Judaism focuses on life but accepts the reality of death which is seen as a natural and important part of life. When one hears of the death of someone for example, the traditional response is to say “Blessed is the true Judge” – a blessing from the Mishnah – to be said at the reception of any bad news. This is a way of acknowledging the Presence of God at a moment of high emotion, when being most overwhelmed by loss may prevent a distancing from God at this time. Judaism has no developed teaching about what happens after death, though the existence (and continued existence) of the soul is a central part of the liturgy and appears throughout rabbinic Judaism.

The goseis (dying person) is not to be left alone, but someone will stay with them and speak comfortingly to them – or be a silent presence – during this period of the dying phase. It is traditional to read from the Book of Psalms and a Jewish prayer of confession is said – the deathbed vidui – as well as the shema – a prayer recited at least twice a day by traditional Jews and often also at bedtime. There is no priestly rite of blessing or of hearing confession – the family and friends of the person dying take this role, though it may be comforting to have a rabbi visit during this time.

The special diet of Jews comes under the category of “kashrut” – that which is ritually pure and proper for eating. Kashrut has many different aspects and rules from the basic of not eating the flesh of certain animals or fish – the meat of pigs or shellfish being the most commonly avoided – or any kosher animal that has not been slaughtered according to Jewish law (called shechted). Jews who observe kashrut will not eat dairy products together with meat products but separate the consumption of these by a matter of some hours.

Many Jews will request kosher meals which are prepared under rabbinical supervision, and this will include not using cutlery or plates that have been washed with non-kosher utensils. Many Jews will be satisfied with keeping a vegetarian or vegan diet, and some will eat the flesh of kosher animals (e.g. sheep or lamb) that has not been shechted on the basis that modern methods of slaughter are kind to animals and fulfil the ethics of the mitzvah if not all the ritual requirements.

Traditional Jews will say a blessing before eating or drinking anything, and a form of grace after meals.
Medication that is derived from pork or has porcine product within it is acceptable as long as it is not in an edible form resembling food, and if it is necessary to treat an illness. Pork products within non-oral medication are never a problem.

Family and community are central to Jewish practise – much of Jewish life is expressed in the home with extended family, as well as with the community and synagogue. Many Jewish communities will have a group who are set up to support and visit people who are unwell (sometimes called bikkur holim groups after the commandment to visit the sick). Jewish tradition teaches that the visit the sick is to take away 1/60^th of their suffering, and even God is described as visiting the convalescent Abraham in the Bible.

Jewish law mandates treating people who have disabilities with care and sensitivity, and to keep everyone within the community. Possibly the most famous text is that from Leviticus not to insult the deaf nor place a stumbling block before the blind – i.e., not to take advantage of a person who may not be able to fully comprehend the situation.

There are many texts about how God makes every human being differently but all in the image of God, and there is a blessing upon seeing someone with a disability: ‘Blessed are You, Eternal our God, Sovereign of the universe, who makes people different’ (based on B’rachot 58b).