According to Dictionary.com, Judaism is
"the monotheistic religion of the Jews, tracing its origins to
Abraham and having its spiritual and ethical principles embodied
chiefly in the Hebrew Scriptures and the Talmud." The Jews are
considered as "a people or community who conform to the traditional
ceremonies and rites of the Jewish religion." Judaism includes "the
cultural, religious, and social practices and beliefs of the
Jews."
Judaism is a religion with many
branches. Some of the main branches of Judaism are Reform,
Conservative, and Orthodox. Jewish tradition goes back in time
nearly four thousand years to Abraham, the first "Hebrew" to
receive commands from God to find the Promised Land. Another great
patriarch, Moses, led his people, now called "Israel", to the banks
of the Jordan river. Moses' story tells of the formation of the
community of faith of the people now known as the Jews, although
this word, which referred to members of the tribe of Judah, does
not appear until many centuries after Moses' time.
