What do Jews believe? · Neighbor Radio

Jews believe in one God. God made a covenant, a lasting promise, with Abraham and his family, and gave the Torah, God’s teaching, at Mount Sinai. Judaism cares a lot about how you live: keeping God’s commands, learning, doing justice and remembering together. Jews are also a people, not just a faith. Many say they’re Jewish but not religious.

1 · MindWhat people believe, and how they know

The heart of Jewish prayer is the Shema, which begins “Hear, Israel” and declares that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4). Jewish scripture is the Hebrew Bible, called the Tanakh: the Torah (the five books of Moses), the Prophets and the Writings. Christians know these books as the Old Testament. Over centuries, rabbis’ discussions of how to live the Torah were collected in the Talmud.

Tradition counts 613 commandments in the Torah, covering prayer, food, rest, honesty, family and justice. Jewish life runs on a calendar: Shabbat every week, plus Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and other holidays. Much of it happens at home, around a table.

Pew counts about 5.8 million Jewish adults in the U.S., about 2 percent of the population. About a quarter of them say they have no religion. They’re Jewish by family, culture and history. The main branches are Orthodox, Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist, and many Jews belong to none of them.

What each tradition or community says

We're Christians, so we list what Christians believe first. Every other section is checked by someone from that faith or community.

Christian connection

Jesus was Jewish, and Christians share the Hebrew Bible. The key difference: Jews don’t believe Jesus was the Messiah.

Orthodox Jews

The Torah came from God and its commandments are binding, including Shabbat and kosher laws, as explained by rabbinic tradition.

Reform Jews

Tradition is a guide, not a rulebook. Each person studies it and makes informed choices, with a strong focus on justice.

Many secular Jews

Being Jewish is about family, history, food, humor and memory, more than belief in God.

2 · HeartWhat it feels like

Many Jewish Americans say the first question they get about their faith is “So you don’t believe in Jesus?” It’s a fair question, but it’s a little like being known only for what you’re not.

Many also carry family memories of the Holocaust and of antisemitism, past and present. Being understood matters.

Jesus went to synagogue. If you’re a Christian curious about Judaism, you’re asking about the family he grew up in.Neighbor Radio

3 · HandsHow to be a good neighbor

Ask “What does being Jewish mean to you?” instead of “How religious are you?” Wish a Jewish neighbor “Shabbat shalom” on a Friday afternoon. Don’t schedule big events on Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur. If you’re invited to a Passover seder, say yes.

This weekRead Deuteronomy 6:4-9. It’s the prayer many Jews say every morning and every night.

TimelineWhere this fits

See every faith on one timeline →

SourcesWhere it is in the scriptures

Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament)

Deuteronomy 6:4 Read it in the World English Bible on Free Scripture
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Read it in the World English Bible on Free Scripture

Plain wordsWhat do these words mean?

Covenant: A sacred promise between God and people, like the promises the Bible describes with Abraham and Moses.
Torah: The first five books of the Hebrew Bible, Genesis to Deuteronomy. Jews read from a Torah scroll in the synagogue. The word also means “teaching.”
Prophet: Someone believed to speak a message from God.
Rabbi: A Jewish teacher and leader who has studied Jewish law and tradition. Many lead synagogues.
Talmud: A huge collection of rabbis’ discussions about Jewish law and life, finished around AD 500. Jews still study it together today.
Shabbat: The Jewish Sabbath, a day of rest from Friday at sundown to Saturday night.
Orthodox: For Christians: the Eastern Orthodox churches (Greek, Russian, Ethiopian and others). For Jews: the most traditional branch of Judaism. The word means “right belief.”
Messiah: “Anointed one.” In Jewish hope, a coming king from David’s family. Christians believe Jesus is the Messiah.

All the words →

Four questions to take with you

From Jesus' story of the Good Samaritan, about the stranger who stopped to help. We call it the Samaritan Test.

Did they see? Or look right past?
Did they stop? Even when it was inconvenient?
Did it cost them? Time, money, comfort, reputation?
Did they treat the person like a person? Not like a label?

Try it on: do you know your Jewish neighbors by what they believe, or only by what they don’t?

Quick questions

Do Jews believe in heaven?

Many believe in a “World to Come,” but views vary widely. Judaism tends to focus more on how to live this life.

Is Jewish a religion or an ethnicity?

Both. Jews are a people with a shared history and a religion. People can convert, and Jews come in every color and from every continent.

What’s a bar or bat mitzvah?

A coming-of-age ceremony, at 13 for boys and at 12 or 13 for girls, when a young person takes on responsibility for the commandments.

Sources and research

How this answer was made

Written in plain words by the Neighbor Radio team. Each faith's and community's section is checked by someone from that faith or community. Until then, this page says so. Spot something wrong? Tell us. We read every note and fix mistakes.