The foundation · an overview

Judaism,
the big picture.

In a few minutes, the lay of the land: Shabbat, prayer, the table, the year. Not the detail, the essentials. Then you explore for real.

The Torah · a people, a text, a covenant

A text
you live.

Received at Sinai, the Torah is not a book you admire: it is a way of life, one you study and pass on.

תּוֹרָה

Torah

teaching, direction

The mitzvot · faith in the hands

It's
hands-on.

Jewish faith does not stay in the head: it lives through concrete acts. Tradition counts six hundred and thirteen of them.

מִצְוָה

mitzvah

commandment, an act entrusted

Shabbat · every week

We stop
creating.

The year · to the rhythm of the moon

Time
turns.

Prayer · three appointments

Three times
a day.

In the morning, Shacharit. In the afternoon, Minchah. In the evening, Arvit. Three moments to stand, briefly, in presence.

Blessing · the everyday made holy

One word,
and it glows.

Before eating, before drinking, at the sight of a tree in bloom: you say a short blessing out loud. One sentence, and an ordinary gesture becomes something else.

The table · eating with awareness

Kosher,
or not.

Eating by a rule. Drag each food to the right side.

The home · a small sanctuary

The home
matters.

The home is a holy place: a "small sanctuary." At the door, a sign: the mezuzah. And you pass it on.

מִקְדָּשׁ מְעַט

mikdash me'at

a sanctuary in miniature

Hebrew · the language of prayer

It reads
right to left.

Twenty-two letters, right to left. Watch the word write itself the right way.

Becoming Jewish · the path

You're
not alone.

A path, not a leap: you study, you take on the practice bit by bit, accompanied. Each at their own pace.

גִּיּוּר

giyur

entering the people

There's your map.

Now,
we explore.

You have the big picture. The rest unfolds step by step, one act after another. Shall we?