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Judaism is the religion, philosophy, and way of life of the Jews. Originating in the Hebrew Bible, also known as the Tanakh, and explored in later texts such as the Talmud, Jews consider Judaism to be the expression of the covenantal relationship God developed with the Children of Israel.

Judaism claims a historical continuity spanning more than 3000 years. It is one of the oldest monotheistic religions, and the oldest to survive into the present day. Its texts, traditions and values have inspired later Abrahamic religions, including Christianity, Islam and the Baha'i Faith. Many aspects of Judaism have also directly or indirectly influenced secular Western ethics and civil law.

Jews are an ethnoreligious group that includes those born Jewish and converts to Judaism. In 2007, the world Jewish population was estimated at 13 million, of which about 40% reside in Israel and 40% in the United States. The largest Jewish religious movements are Orthodox Judaism, Conservative Judaism and Reform Judaism. A major source of difference between these groups is their approach to Jewish law. Orthodox and Conservative Judaism maintain that Jewish law should be followed, with Conservative Judaism promoting a more "modern" interpretation of its requirements than Orthodox Judaism. Reform Judaism is generally more liberal than these other two movements, and its typical position is that Jewish law should be viewed as a set of general guidelines rather than as a list of restrictions whose literal observance is required of all Jews. Historically, special courts enforced Jewish law; today, these courts still exist but the practice of Judaism is mostly voluntary. Authority on theological and legal matters is not vested in any one person or organization, but in the sacred texts and the many rabbis and scholars who interpret these texts.

Religious doctrine and principles of faith

Judaism is generally considered monotheistic,^[18][19] although it has seldom if ever been monolithic in ideology.^[20] For example, monotheism was not always followed in practice. The Jewish Bible (Tanakh) records and repeatedly condemns the widespread worship of other gods in ancient Israel. In the Greco-Roman era, many different interpretations of monotheism existed in Judaism, including the interpretations that gave rise to Christianity. In modern times, some liberal Jewish movements maintain that the Bible was written by human authors and do not accept the existence of a personified deity active in history.

Scholars throughout Jewish history have proposed numerous formulations of Judaism's core tenets, all of which have met with criticism. The most popular formulation is Maimonides' thirteen principles of faith, developed in the twelfth century. According to Maimonides, any Jew to reject even one of these principles would be considered an apostate and a heretic. However, neither Maimonides nor his contemporaries viewed these principles as encompassing all of Jewish belief, but rather representing the core theological underpinnings of Judaism. Other Jewish scholars have held points of view diverging in minor ways from Maimonides' principles. In Maimonides' time, his list of tenets was criticized by Hasdai Crescas and Joseph Albo. Albo and the Raavad argued that Maimonides' principles contained too many items that, while true, were not fundamentals of the faith. Thus, they claimed Maimonides categorized too many Jews who were simply in error as heretics. Others opposed any simplified formulation of Judaism's core tenets, on the grounds that reducing Judaism to a short list of beliefs would minimize acceptance of the entire Torah.Along these lines, the ancient historian Josephus emphasized practices and observances rather than religious beliefs, associating apostasy with a failure to observe Jewish law and maintaining that the requirements for conversion to Judaism included circumcision and adherence to traditional customs. Maimonides' principles were largely ignored over the next few centuries. Later, two poetic restatements of these principles ("Ani Ma'amin" and "Yigdal") became integrated into many Jewish liturgies, leading to their eventual near-universal acceptance.

In modern times, Judaism lacks a centralized authority that would dictate an exact religious dogma. Because of this, many different variations on the basic beliefs are considered within the scope of Judaism. Even so, all Jewish religious movements are, to a greater or lesser extent, based on the principles of the Hebrew Bible and various commentaries such as the Talmud and Kabbalah. Judaism also universally recognizes the Biblical Covenant between God and the Patriarch Abraham as well as the additional aspects of the Covenant revealed to Moses, who is considered Judaism's greatest prophet. In the Mishnah, a core text of Rabbinic Judaism, acceptance of the Divine origins of this covenant is considered an essential aspect of Judaism and those who reject the Covenant supposedly forfeit their share in the World to Come.

Jewish religious texts

Rabbinic literature

Judaism has at all times^[  valued Torah study, as well as other religious texts. The following is a basic, structured list of the central works of Jewish practice and thought. For more detail, see Rabbinic literature.

• Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and commentaries
  • Mesorah
  • Targum
  • Jewish Biblical exegesis (also see Midrash below)
• Works of the Talmudic Era (classic rabbinic literature)
  • Mishnah and commentaries
  • Tosefta and the minor tractates
  • Talmud:
    • The Babylonian Talmud and commentaries
    • Jerusalem Talmud and commentaries
• Midrashic literature:
  • Halakhic Midrash
  • Aggadic Midrash
• Halakhic literature
  • Major Codes of Jewish Law and Custom
    • Mishneh Torah and commentaries
    • Tur and commentaries
    • Shulchan Aruch and commentaries
  • Responsa literature
• Jewish Thought and Ethics
  • Jewish philosophy
  • Kabbalah
  • Hasidic works
  • Jewish ethics and the Mussar Movement
• Siddur and Jewish liturgy
• Piyyut (Classical Jewish poetry)

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