Judaism and Christianity

1. Branches of Judaism
• Orthodox (Both the Written and Oral Torah were divinely revealed to Moses, and are binding and unchanging)
• Hassidic (Orthodox Jews who follow one rabbi, wear distinctive dress and follow strict customs)
• Conservative (Jewish Law is dynamic and modern developments embraced in order to accommodate modernity)
• Reformed (Liberal and open to individual choice since the oral law is not binding today)
• Secular (Jews, especially those living in Israel, who ignore religious practices)

2. Theology
• 13 Principles of Maimonides (1135-1204 AD)

3. Scriptures and Major Writings
• Tanakh (Torah, Neviim, Ketuvim)
• Targum (Translations and interpretation)
• Talmud (Jerusalem vs. Babylonian)
• Mishnah (Compiled oral tradition) and Gemara (Rabbinic commentary)
• Midrash (Rabbinic exegesis and interpretation)

4. Holidays and Holy Days
• The Sabbath (weekly day of rest lasting from sundown on Friday night to sundown Saturday night)
• Passover
• Pentecost or Feast of Weeks (First fruits of the wheat harvest)
• Feast of Tabernacles
• Hashashanah (New Year)
• Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
• Hannukah (Festival of Lights)

5. Diet, Clothing and Lifestyle
• Kosher dietary laws
• Yarmulke (skull cap)
• Tzitzit (fringes or tassels)
• Tefillin (boxes containing scripture worn on the forehead and left arem during festivals)
• Kittel (white knee-length outer garment worn during prayer and holy days)
• Prayers are recited three times daily
• Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah

6. Messianic Hope
• Traditional thought and current Orthodox thought has mainly held that the Messiah will be an anointed one (messiah), descended from his father through the Davidic line of King David, who will gather the Jews back into the Land of Israel and usher in an era of peace
• Other denominations, such as Reform Judaism, perceive a Messianic Age when the world will be at peace, but do not agree that there will be a Messiah as the leader of this era
• Hasidic Jews tend to have a particularly strong and passionate belief in the immediacy of the Messiah's coming, and a belief that their personal devotion and actions have spiritual properties that can hasten the arrival
• Reform Judaism generally does not accept the idea that there will be a messiah. Some believe that there may be some sort of "messianic age" in the sense of a "utopia," which all Jews are obligated to work towards

7. Judaism and Christianity
• Approach each individual according to his or her denominational leaning
• Realize that it is difficult for Jews to convert to Christianity because of family pressure and historical mistreatment
• Study the Jewish festivals and practices so that you can find common ground and explain how Jesus fulfills the OT
• Focus on Jesus as the Messiah as the fulfillment of OT prophecy (if not Jesus, who else even comes close?)
• A true Jew is a Jew who is one inwardly not merely outwardly; good works and ritual will not save you