Religion Center
Judaism
The covenant, the Torah and a people’s long story
Awaiting review by a scholar of this tradition. Original texts are public domain; the plain meanings and notes are written by IndiaDigital and are being checked. We describe what each tradition teaches, in its own terms, and never rank faiths. Report a correction
In one minute
Judaism is the religion of the Jewish people, rooted in the land of ancient Israel more than three thousand years ago. Jews believe in one God, who made a covenant with Abraham and his descendants and gave the Torah to Moses at Mount Sinai. Jewish life is shaped by the commandments (mitzvot), study of the Torah, prayer, the weekly Shabbat and the festivals, lived out in the home and the community. Jews have lived in India for many centuries, in some of the oldest Jewish communities of Asia.
In India (Census 2011): about 5,000 (community estimates; the Census does not list Judaism separately)
Origins
As the tradition tells it
Jewish tradition teaches that God called Abraham to leave his home in Mesopotamia for the land of Canaan, promising that his descendants would become a great people. The covenant passed to Isaac and to Jacob, also called Israel, whose twelve sons became the twelve tribes. When their descendants were enslaved in Egypt, God freed them through Moses in the Exodus, remembered every year at Passover. At Mount Sinai God gave the Torah to Moses; in rabbinic tradition this included both the written Torah and an oral Torah passed down by teachers and later written in the Mishnah and Talmud.
As historians describe it
Historians trace the Israelites to the hill country of the southern Levant in the Iron Age, from about 1200 BCE, where the kingdoms of Israel and Judah later arose. Many scholars hold that the books of the Hebrew Bible were composed, collected and edited over several centuries in the first millennium BCE, drawing on older traditions. The destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem in 586 BCE and the exile to Babylon are seen as a turning point that shaped Jewish scripture and identity. After the Romans destroyed the Second Temple in 70 CE, rabbinic Judaism, centred on the synagogue, prayer and study of the Torah, became the main form of Jewish life.
Timeline
- Jewish tradition: about 4,000 years agoAbraham and Sarah leave Mesopotamia for Canaan; the covenant between God and Abraham's descendants begins.
- Jewish tradition: after the years in EgyptMoses leads the Israelites out of Egypt, and the Torah is given at Mount Sinai.
- c. 10th century BCE (traditional dating)King David makes Jerusalem his capital, and his son King Solomon builds the First Temple there.
- 586 BCEThe Babylonians destroy the First Temple and take many of the people of Judah into exile in Babylon.
- c. 516 BCEAfter returning under Persian rule, the people complete the Second Temple in Jerusalem.
- 70 CEThe Romans destroy the Second Temple. Jewish life comes to centre on the synagogue, prayer and study; the Western Wall remains from the Temple's surrounding walls.
- c. 200 CERabbi Judah ha-Nasi compiles the Mishnah, the first written collection of the oral Torah.
- c. 500 to 600 CEThe Babylonian Talmud, the Mishnah together with the Gemara's discussions, reaches its final form.
- 12th century CERabbi Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides) writes the Mishneh Torah, a full code of Jewish law, and philosophical works.
- 1568 CEThe Paradesi Synagogue is built in Kochi, Kerala, next to the palace of the Raja of Cochin.
- 1796 CEThe Bene Israel build Shaar Harahamim (Gate of Mercy), the oldest synagogue in Mumbai, founded by Samuel Ezekiel Divekar.
- 18th to 19th century CEHasidism begins in Eastern Europe with the Baal Shem Tov, and Reform Judaism emerges in Germany; Baghdadi Jewish families settle in Bombay and Calcutta.
Core teachings
One God
Jews believe in one God, creator of the universe, who cannot be pictured in any image. The Shema, "Hear, O Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD is one", is said in morning and evening prayers. Out of reverence, many Jews do not pronounce God's personal name and say "Adonai" or "HaShem" (the Name) instead.
The covenant
In Jewish belief God made a lasting covenant (brit) with Abraham and with the people of Israel at Sinai: a relationship of love and responsibility in which the people live by God's teaching. Circumcision of baby boys (brit milah) is a sign of this covenant.
Torah and the mitzvot
Jewish tradition counts 613 commandments (mitzvot) in the Torah, covering prayer, food, family, honesty in business and care for the poor and the stranger. Jewish law (halakha), developed by rabbis over centuries, guides how they are kept.
Shabbat
From sunset on Friday to nightfall on Saturday, Jews keep Shabbat, a day of rest remembering creation and freedom from slavery. Candles are lit, blessings are said over wine and bread (challah), and observant Jews refrain from work, including driving, cooking and using electrical devices.
Kashrut (dietary laws)
Kosher food follows the Torah's rules: only certain animals may be eaten, such as cattle, sheep and fish with fins and scales, but not pork or shellfish; animals must be slaughtered in a prescribed way; and meat and dairy are not eaten or cooked together.
Justice, charity and repairing the world
Jewish teaching places great weight on justice and kindness. Tzedakah, giving to those in need, is seen as a duty rather than a choice, and the idea of tikkun olam, repairing the world, encourages work for the good of all.
Sacred books
📖 Torah ›
The Five Books of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In the synagogue it is read from a hand-written Hebrew scroll (Sefer Torah), kept in the ark, with a portion read every week so that the whole is completed each year.
Read now📖 Tanakh (the Hebrew Bible) ›
The Jewish scriptures, named from the initials of its three parts: Torah (teaching), Nevi'im (prophets) and Ketuvim (writings, including the Psalms). Jews count 24 books in it.
Read now📖 Talmud
The central text of rabbinic Judaism: the Mishnah (c. 200 CE) with the Gemara, generations of rabbis' discussion of it. There is a Jerusalem Talmud and a larger Babylonian Talmud, which is the one most studied.
Reader coming📖 Siddur
The Jewish prayer book, with the daily, Shabbat and festival prayers, including the Shema and the Amidah, the standing prayer.
Reader coming📖 Mishneh Torah and Shulchan Aruch
Two great codes of Jewish law: the Mishneh Torah of Maimonides (12th century) and the Shulchan Aruch of Rabbi Joseph Karo (16th century), still used as guides to daily practice.
Reader coming📖 Haggadah
The text read at the Passover meal (seder), retelling the Exodus from Egypt through questions, blessings, songs and symbolic foods.
Reader comingKey figures
| Abraham and Sarah | Honoured as the first patriarch and matriarch of the Jewish people, with whom the covenant began. |
|---|---|
| Moses (Moshe Rabbenu, "Moses our teacher") | The prophet who, in Jewish tradition, led the Israelites out of Egypt and received the Torah at Mount Sinai. |
| King David | King of Israel who made Jerusalem his capital; tradition credits him with many of the Psalms. |
| Hillel the Elder | A great sage of the 1st century BCE, remembered for patience and for summing up the Torah as: what is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour. |
| Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi | Leader of the Jewish community in the Land of Israel around 200 CE, who compiled the Mishnah. |
| Rashi (Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki) | An 11th century scholar in France whose clear commentaries on the Torah and Talmud are printed alongside them and studied to this day. |
| Rabbi Moses ben Maimon (Maimonides, the Rambam) | A 12th century rabbi, physician and philosopher who wrote the Mishneh Torah and the Guide for the Perplexed, and set out thirteen principles of Jewish faith. |
| Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer (the Baal Shem Tov) | An 18th century teacher in Eastern Europe, regarded as the founder of Hasidism, which stresses joyful prayer and closeness to God in everyday life. |
| David Sassoon | A Baghdadi Jewish merchant and philanthropist (1792 to 1864) who settled in Bombay; he built the Magen David Synagogue at Byculla, and his family funded schools, hospitals, libraries and synagogues in the city. |
Schools and communities
Where traditions within this faith differ. Described side by side, with no verdict.
Orthodox Judaism
Holds that both the written and oral Torah were given by God at Sinai and that Jewish law (halakha) remains fully binding. It ranges from Modern Orthodox Jews, who combine observance with modern education and work, to Haredi communities, who keep more separate ways of life.
Hasidic Judaism
A movement within Orthodoxy, begun by the Baal Shem Tov, with many groups each led by a rebbe. Hasidim emphasise joy, song, prayer with feeling and devotion to their rebbe.
Conservative (Masorti) Judaism
Regards Jewish law as binding but also as something that has developed through history and can continue to develop through careful rabbinic decisions.
Reform (Progressive) Judaism
Began in 19th century Germany. It stresses the ethical teachings of the prophets and individual choice in observance, and its congregations generally have men and women sitting together and women serving as rabbis.
Ashkenazi, Sephardi and Mizrahi traditions
Not separate denominations but heritages of custom, prayer melody and food: Ashkenazi from Central and Eastern Europe, Sephardi from Spain and Portugal, and Mizrahi from the Middle East. India's Jewish communities have their own customs, with Baghdadi Jews close to Mizrahi practice.
Holy places
📍 Paradesi Synagogue
Jew Town, Mattancherry, Kochi, Kerala
Built in 1568, it is the oldest active synagogue in India and the wider Commonwealth, known for its hand-painted blue Chinese floor tiles and glass lamps.
📍 Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue
Kala Ghoda, Fort, Mumbai
A pale blue Baghdadi synagogue built in 1884 by Jacob Elias Sassoon, a well-known landmark of the Fort area.
📍 Magen David Synagogue
Byculla, Mumbai
Built in 1864 by David Sassoon for the Baghdadi Jewish community, with a clock tower and a large prayer hall.
📍 Shaar Harahamim (Gate of Mercy) Synagogue
Mandvi, Mumbai
Founded in 1796, the oldest synagogue in Mumbai and a historic centre of the Bene Israel community.
📍 Maghen David Synagogue, Kolkata
Central Kolkata, West Bengal
A grand red-brick synagogue of Kolkata's Baghdadi Jewish community, one of the largest synagogues in Asia.
📍 The Western Wall (Kotel)
Old City of Jerusalem
A remaining part of the walls around the Second Temple's compound, the holiest place where Jews pray today. Visitors often place written prayers between its stones.
Festivals
- Shabbat: The weekly day of rest, from Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall, with candles, family meals, synagogue prayer and the Torah reading.
- Rosh Hashanah: The Jewish New Year, in September or October, when the shofar (ram's horn) is sounded and apples dipped in honey are eaten for a sweet year.
- Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement, ten days after Rosh Hashanah, the holiest day of the year, spent in fasting and prayer for forgiveness.
- Pesach (Passover): In spring, remembering the Exodus from Egypt. Families hold a seder meal with the Haggadah and eat matzah, unleavened bread, for the whole festival.
- Shavuot: Seven weeks after Passover, celebrating the giving of the Torah at Sinai and the early harvest; many stay up at night studying.
- Sukkot: An autumn harvest festival when families eat in a sukkah, a temporary hut with a leafy roof, remembering the years in the wilderness.
- Hanukkah: An eight-day festival of lights in winter, remembering the rededication of the Temple in the 2nd century BCE; one more candle of the menorah is lit each night.
In India today
India is home to several distinct Jewish communities. The Bene Israel of the Konkan coast in Maharashtra remember that their ancestors were shipwrecked near Navgaon, south of Mumbai, many centuries ago; they long worked as oil pressers and are known for the malida thanksgiving offering honouring the prophet Elijah. The Cochin Jews of Kerala trace their presence to ancient trade on the Malabar coast, and the copper plates granted by a Chera ruler to Joseph Rabban, about 1000 CE, are a treasured record; the Paradesi Synagogue of 1568 was built by the community there. Baghdadi Jews, mostly from Iraq and Syria, settled in Surat, Bombay and Calcutta from the late 18th century, while the Bnei Menashe of Mizoram and Manipur identify as descendants of one of the lost tribes of Israel. Many Indian Jewish families emigrated in the decades after Independence, so the community today numbers only a few thousand, but Jews in India have long described the country as a home free of persecution.
Visiting and learning with respect
- Many synagogues in India keep set visiting hours, may ask for photo identification for security, and are closed to sightseers on Shabbat and festivals. Check before you go.
- Dress modestly in a synagogue. Men are usually asked to cover their heads, and a kippah (skullcap) is often provided.
- Do not touch the Torah scrolls or the ark, and avoid photography during prayers and on Shabbat, when observant Jews do not use cameras or phones.
- When sharing food with Jewish friends, ask about kosher needs; many will not eat pork or shellfish, or meat cooked with dairy.
Test what you learned
When is Shabbat kept?
The Talmud is made up of which two parts?
In which year was the Paradesi Synagogue in Kochi built?
The Bene Israel community traditionally lived along which coast?
What does kashrut refer to?
Which festival remembers the Exodus from Egypt?
Score: 0 / 6
Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica: Judaism · Encyclopaedia Britannica: Torah · Encyclopaedia Britannica: Talmud · Encyclopaedia Britannica: Bene Israel
Corrections from members of every tradition are welcome at support@indiadigital.org. Last checked: .