Judaism

1. Axioms

The following axioms function as foundational premises within Judaism. They operate as starting points from which law, theology, ethics, and communal life are developed.

1. Monotheism: There exists one God who is the creator and sustainer of the world.
2. Covenant: God enters into binding relationship(s) with a people, structuring identity and obligation.
3. Revelation and instruction (Torah): Divine teaching is given as guidance for life, worship, and justice.
4. Commanded practice: Concrete observance (mitzvot) is a primary mode of fidelity to God.
5. Collective memory and continuity: Communal identity is sustained through inherited narrative, ritual time, and study.

2. Derived Doctrinal Commitments

From these axioms, Judaism derives a theological and social framework oriented around law, worship, and peoplehood.

• Authority and interpretation: Scripture is central, and interpretation is sustained through legal and hermeneutic traditions.
• Holiness in ordinary life: Daily actions can be sanctified through law, intention, and ritual structure.
• Ethical monotheism: Worship and moral obligation are integrated; justice is a religious imperative.
• Peoplehood and community: Religious life is not purely individual; it is structured through communal norms and institutions.
• Eschatological horizons: Views vary, but many streams include hope for restoration, redemption, and justice in history.

3. Ethical Framework

Jewish ethics are covenantal: obligations emerge from relationship, law, and communal responsibility.

• Justice (tzedek): Moral life emphasizes fairness, protection of the vulnerable, and integrity in social order.
• Mercy and loving-kindness (chesed): Compassion and steadfast care are central virtues.
• Repair and responsibility: Ethical attention includes restitution, repentance, and restoration of right relationship.

4. Practices

Practices function as embodied covenant fidelity and communal formation.

• Sabbath observance
• Prayer (individual and communal)
• Study and interpretation of sacred texts
• Festival cycles and ritual time
• Dietary and purity-related practices (vary by community)

5. Internal Diversity

Judaism contains significant internal diversity downstream from shared axioms.

• Different movements (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist, and others)
• Variations in legal authority and practice intensity
• Distinct cultural traditions (e.g., Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi)
• Different eschatological and philosophical emphases