Judaism is more than a religion; it is a civilization including a people, a language, unique
laws, a system of ethics, custom, a homeland, and a theology. Jews worship one God and obey a
wide-ranging and vigorous moral law centered around the Torah, God's teaching or instruction. Jewish
sacred literature preserves the ancient oral tradition through the Hebrew Bible and other writings.
Judaism has several major forms and traditions (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist
Judaism) and is also the parent religion of both Christianity and Islam.

The Religion, Scriptures, and Spirituality series describes the beliefs, religious practices, and the spiritual
and moral commitments of the world's great religious traditions. It also describes a religion's way of
understanding scripture, identifies its outstanding thinkers, and discusses its attitude and relationship to
society.

Author of "Encyclopedia of Jewish Religion"