This mini-lesson works through the Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies Judaism option: the core Jewish beliefs — the one God, the covenants, the mitzvot, the sanctity of life — and the key Jewish practices such as Shabbat, synagogue worship, kosher food laws, rites of passage and festivals.
Work through each screen, answer the questions as you go (matching, definitions and short explanations) and collect ⭐ stars. Every belief and practice here is described respectfully, as Judaism teaches it. Press Start when you're ready.
The big idea
The heart of Jewish belief: one God
The foundation of Judaism is monotheism — the belief that there is one God. Jews teach that God is:
One and unique — there is only one God (declared in the Shema).
The Creator — the maker of the whole universe.
The Lawgiver — who gives the mitzvot (commandments) to live by.
The Judge — who is just and holds people accountable for their actions.
Spec focus: this Judaism option asks you to describe and explain Jewish beliefs (the nature of God, the covenants, the mitzvot, the sanctity of life, the Messiah and life after death) and Jewish practices (Shabbat, worship, kosher laws, rites of passage and festivals). Out of reverence, many Jews write "G-d" rather than the full word.
Key vocabulary
Words you must be able to define
Monotheism — belief in one God; the foundation of Judaism.
Shema — the central Jewish declaration that God is One (Deuteronomy 6:4).
Covenant — a solemn agreement (promise) between God and the Jewish people.
Mitzvot — the commandments (duties) God gives; there are traditionally 613.
Tenakh — the Jewish scriptures; the Torah (the first five books) is the most sacred part.
Common mix-up: the Torah is the first five books (the teaching of Moses); the whole Jewish Bible is called the Tenakh. And a mitzvah is a single commandment — mitzvot is the plural.
Quick check
Define the term
?The Shema ("Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One") declares that Judaism is:
The nature of God
How Judaism describes the one God
Jews describe the one God with a set of key roles. Judaism teaches that God is One, Creator, Lawgiver and Judge — and above all holy:
The one God is Creator of all, Lawgiver of the mitzvot and a just Judge — and is holy.
Why it matters: because God is the Creator, Jews treat the world as God's; because God is Lawgiver, they seek to keep the mitzvot; because God is a just Judge, they aim to live morally — so these beliefs shape prayer, worship and everyday behaviour.
Match up
Key term → meaning
Tap a Jewish term on the left, then its meaning on the right.
The covenants
The covenant: God's promise to the Jewish people
A covenant is a solemn agreement between God and the Jewish people. Two covenants are central in Judaism: the covenant with Abraham and the covenant with Moses at Mount Sinai.
The Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 17) and the Mosaic covenant at Sinai (the Torah and Ten Commandments).
Scripture — the covenant with Abraham: "I will establish my covenant... to be God to you and to your descendants after you." (Genesis 17:7) At Sinai, God gives Moses the Torah, including the Ten Commandments.
The mitzvot
The 613 mitzvot and the Ten Commandments
The mitzvot are the commandments God gives in the Torah. Traditionally there are 613 of them. They include both moral commands (how to treat people) and ritual commands (how to worship). They also fall into two groups:
Mitzvot between humans and God — e.g. keeping Shabbat, prayer, kosher laws.
Mitzvot between people and other people — e.g. not stealing, honesty, caring for the poor.
The Ten Commandments (given at Sinai) are among the most important mitzvot. They too cover duties to God (e.g. "have no other gods before me") and duties to others (e.g. "do not murder", "do not steal", "honour your father and mother").
Quick check
Understanding the covenant
?In Judaism, what best describes a covenant?
Sanctity of life
Pikuach nefesh — the sanctity of life
Judaism teaches the sanctity of life: because God is the Creator, human life is sacred and precious. This leads to pikuach nefesh — the principle that saving a life overrides almost every other law, including keeping Shabbat.
If life is in danger, a Jew must set other laws aside to save that life.
The teaching: "Whoever saves a single life is considered to have saved a whole world" (Mishnah, Sanhedrin 4:5) — a classic statement of the sanctity of life.
Quick check
Pikuach nefesh
?What does the Jewish principle of pikuach nefesh teach?
Messiah & the afterlife
The Messiah and life after death
Many Jews believe in a future Messiah (Hebrew: Mashiach, "anointed one") who will bring a messianic age of peace and gather the Jewish people. Beliefs vary: some await a person, others a future age of peace.
Judaism also has beliefs about life after death — such as Olam Ha-Ba ("the world to come") and, in traditional belief, the future resurrection of the dead. However, Judaism keeps its main focus on living a good life now, in this world.
Remember: Jewish beliefs about the afterlife are less fixed than beliefs about the one God. The stress is on how you live this life — keeping the mitzvot and treating others well — rather than on detailed teaching about heaven.
Practices — Shabbat
Shabbat — the weekly day of rest
Shabbat (the Sabbath) is the Jewish day of rest, kept every week from Friday sunset to Saturday nightfall. It recalls that God rested on the seventh day of creation and is one of the Ten Commandments ("Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy").
Work is set aside so the day can be given to rest, family and God.
It begins with the lighting of Shabbat candles and a special family meal.
Many Jews attend the synagogue for worship on Shabbat.
Careful: Shabbat is about rest and holiness, not just "doing nothing" — it is a joyful, sacred day set apart. And remember pikuach nefesh: if a life is in danger, saving it comes before Shabbat rules.
Quick check
When is Shabbat?
?When does Shabbat take place each week?
Worship
The synagogue, prayer and the Torah
The synagogue is the Jewish place of worship, study and community. At its heart is the Ark, which holds the Torah scrolls. Jews worship through prayer (often using a prayer book, the siddur) and by reading from the scriptures.
The Tenakh is the whole Jewish Bible; the Torah (its first five books, the teaching of Moses) is the most sacred part. The Torah scroll is treated with great reverence and read aloud in the synagogue.
Prayer: Jews may pray at home and in the synagogue. The Shema and the Amidah are central prayers, and many Jews pray facing towards Jerusalem.
Food laws
Kashrut — keeping kosher
Many Jews follow kashrut, the Jewish food laws. Food that is allowed is called kosher ("fit"); food that is forbidden is treifah. These laws come from the Torah and are a way of obeying God in everyday life.
Only certain animals may be eaten — e.g. animals that chew the cud and have split hooves; pork and shellfish are forbidden.
Permitted meat must be slaughtered in the correct, humane way (shechitah).
Meat and dairy are not eaten together, and kitchens may keep them separate.
Why it matters: keeping kosher makes eating an act of obedience to God, bringing holiness into an ordinary daily routine — a mitzvah between the person and God.
Sort it
Belief or practice?
Tap the item, then tap whether it is a Jewish belief or a Jewish practice.
Putting it together
Rites of passage and festivals
Two more key areas of Jewish practice are the rites of passage that mark stages of life and the festivals that mark the year:
Practices across a lifetime, the year, and every week — all rooted in the covenant and the mitzvot.Quick check
Name that festival
?Which Jewish festival is the Day of Atonement, a solemn day of fasting and seeking forgiveness?
Rites of passage
Brit Milah and Bar / Bat Mitzvah
Two important rites of passage mark a Jew's life:
Brit Milah — the circumcision of baby boys, usually on the 8th day. It is the sign of the covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17).
Bar / Bat Mitzvah — "son / daughter of the commandment". At 13 (boys) or 12 (girls) a young person becomes responsible for keeping the mitzvot, often reading from the Torah in the synagogue.
These moments connect each new generation to the covenant and to a life of keeping the mitzvot.
Memory hook: Brit Milah = the baby boy enters the covenant; Bar / Bat Mitzvah = the young adult takes on the mitzvot for themselves.
Quick check
Which rite of passage?
?A Jewish boy turns 13, reads from the Torah in the synagogue and becomes responsible for keeping the mitzvot. What is this called?
Why it matters
How Jewish beliefs shape practice
Exam questions often ask how beliefs affect the way Jews live. Jewish beliefs and practices fit tightly together:
Because God is One, Jews declare this daily in the Shema and pray to the one God.
Because of the covenant, boys have Brit Milah as its sign, and Jews keep the mitzvot.
Because God is the Lawgiver, Jews keep Shabbat and follow kosher food laws as obedience.
Because of the sanctity of life (pikuach nefesh), saving a life comes before other duties.
Because God is the Creator and Redeemer, festivals like Pesach remember God's saving acts.
Sort it
Belief or practice?
Tap an item, then tap whether it is a Jewish belief or a Jewish practice.
📜 Belief
🕯️ Practice
Quick check
One more festival
?Which Jewish festival remembers the Exodus — when God brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt — and is marked with a Seder meal?
Recap
The Judaism essentials
One God: monotheism — God as One, Creator, Lawgiver and Judge; the Shema (Deut. 6:4).
Covenant: with Abraham (Genesis 17) and with Moses at Sinai (Torah, Ten Commandments).
Mitzvot: 613 commandments — moral & ritual; between humans & God and between people.
Sanctity of life: pikuach nefesh — saving a life overrides almost all other laws.
Messiah & afterlife: a future messianic age; Olam Ha-Ba, resurrection — focus is on this life.