00:13Establish peace, goodness, blessing, graciousness, kindness, and compassion
00:18upon us and upon all your people, the house of Israel.
00:32When we talk of Judaism and Jews, we first have a problem of definition.
00:38Judaism is much more comprehensive than a religion.
00:42It has been suggested that Judaism is better described as a civilization.
00:47Of course, Jews have a theology and a unique conception of God, but that's only the first step.
00:56Judaism obligates its followers to a whole way of life, including a code of laws and practices
01:01and a system of ethics.
01:03Jewish life includes a broad concept of holiness that embraces a holy people, the holy land of
01:09Israel, the holy city of Jerusalem, and the holy tongue of Hebrew.
01:15Judaism is not to be seen as a parallel term to Christianity or Buddhism, for example.
01:25For most of its history, Judaism has been an all-embracing system of theology, laws, ethics,
01:32and customs, all for a special people with a special language and a cherished homeland.
01:39Yet in the modern world, the nature of being a Jew is especially complicated.
01:46Judaism today has become pluralistic.
01:49Much of it corresponds with the traditional meaning of the word religion, but some of it
01:53would not be identified as religious in the eyes of many non-Jews.
01:58So, as we embark on our journey, let us be prepared sometimes to explore areas that may
02:04seem to be unusual components of religion, but which are integral parts of the unique tradition
02:09of Judaism.
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