Jewish rituals and movements

In Jewish tradition God gave Moses the Ten Commandments (Heb. Aseret ha-Dibrot) on Mount Sinai (Tur); they include belief in one God, observing the Sabbath, honouring parents, and not committing murder, theft or false testimony (the numbering of the commandments differs slightly between traditions). The Torah consists of five books: Genesis (Bereshit), Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The weekly Shabbat begins at sunset on Friday and ends on Saturday evening; in traditional Judaism the day is devoted to rest and worship and ordinary work is not done. The synagogue is the place where the community gathers for prayer and Torah reading; it has the Aron Kodesh (the ark holding the Torah scrolls), the Ner Tamid (“eternal light”) and the bimah (reading platform). The main festivals are Rosh Hashanah (new year, month of Tishrei), Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement, the 10th of Tishrei, a day of fasting and repentance), Pesach (Passover, remembering liberation from slavery in Egypt, from 15 Nisan, matzah is eaten), Shavuot, Sukkot, Purim and Hanukkah (eight days; one more candle on the hanukkiah is lit each day). Historical movements: Sadducees, Pharisees and Essenes (2nd century BC – 1st century AD), Karaites (from the 8th century), Hasidim (18th century), and from the 19th century Reform and Conservative movements. They differ in their attitude to ritual and to adapting to modern life, yet all are regarded as within Judaism.