"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"

Having not a lot of knowledge about Judaism, I was eager to learn more about it during our visit at the Congregation Children of Israel Synagogue. The rabbi was friendly and knowledgeable, answering everybody’s questions thoroughly. It was obvious that he is devoted to his religion and is well-informed about all of its aspects. He emphasized that the phrase, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is one of the core values of Judaism. As a Buddhist, I related the quote to one pertaining to Buddhism; “Putting oneself in the place of another, one should not kill nor cause another to kill.” Both Judaism and Buddhism hold the belief of putting others before oneself.

The rabbi made many comparisons to Christianity and he referred to Christianity as a fate system while Judaism is more of a family. He said that Christianity is essentially the combination of Judaism and a belief in Jesus. The Jewish are not a race and instead, they are a group comprised of a diverse range of people. In Orthodox synagogues, men and women are separated and the services are held entirely in Hebrew. For the services at the Congregation Children of Israel, it is half-Hebrew and half-English. Men cover their heads with yarmulkes for cultural reasons such as showing respect. In Orthodox synagogues, men are required to cover their heads at all times. I found it interesting when the rabbi brought up the point about American culture having the opposite custom. As a sign of respect and etiquette, Americans usually remove their hats upon entering indoors. Along with the yarmulkes, the Jewish also wear prayer shawls that have fringes that represent remembering the commandments.

Although Hanukkah is the most well-known Jewish holiday, it is actually one of the less important holidays. Passover is one of the most important Jewish holidays and it celebrates the Exodus in Egypt and there is also Yom Kippur. The rabbi opened up the tall decorative panels in the center of the synagogue stage and everybody murmured in awe as it revealed beautiful scrolls. After removing the decorative covering, he recited a small portion in Hebrew and then translated it to English. He stated that each scroll takes a year to write and if the calligraphy is imperfect, it must be recopied onto a new sheet of parchment paper. Overall, I am glad I had the opportunity to sit in a synagogue and learn about Judaism from the perspective of a rabbi.

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