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What makes a Jew, a Jew?
Who are the Ashkenazic Jews and who are the Sephardic Jews?
What is the Torah?
How is a Torah Scroll (Sefer Torah) made?
What is the Tanach?
Who wrote the Tanach?
What is the Talmud?
Where can I study about the priestly duties & responsibilities  (old testament)? (reader submission)
What is a Mezuzah?
How is a Mezuzah Scroll made?
What is a Ketubah?
What is a Get?
What is halachah?
What makes food kosher?
Is it a rock solid law to eat only kosher food? (reader submission)
What is the Shemitah (Sabbatical) Year and Yovel (Jubilee) Year?
May a person convert to Judaism?
How does one convert to Judaism?
Do you have to be a Jew to go to heaven?
I wonder, is Earthly existence a kind of test for entrance into Heaven? A worthiness test perhaps? (reader submission)
How can one ever be "perfect"? From things I've read and heard, Both Christian and Jewish make it seem like our main goal in life is to strive for perfection. Please clarifiy. (reader submission)
Who will the Messiah be?
Why don't Jews accept Jesus as the Messiah?
According to Judaism, who is Satan?
Why do some Jews leave the "o" out of G-d?

What makes a Jew, a Jew?
A Jew is any person who is born to a Jewish mother or converts to Judaism according to Jewish law, regardless of belief.

Who are the Ashkenazic Jews and who are the Sephardic Jews?
Ashkenazic Jews are descendants of Jews from France, Germany, and Eastern Europe. Sephardic Jews are descendants of Jews from Spain, Portugal, North Africa and the Middle-East.

What is the Torah?
The Torah - also known as the Five Book of Moses or the Written Torah - are the first five books of the Tanach. The Torah covers the creation of the earth and the first humans, the Great Flood and the covenant with mankind, the enslavement of and Exodus from the Hebrews in Mitzraim, giving of the Torah (Written and Oral), renewal of Covenant given to Avraham, festivals established, wandering through the desert, the Tabernacle Ark, and Priestly duties, and the death of Moshe Rabbenu. A Sefer Torah is the Torah Scroll that is read on the Sabbath.

How is a Torah Scroll (Sefer Torah) made?
A Sefer Torah is hand-written by a sofer The sofer prepares parchment paper from a kosher animal (usually a cow), ink (from powdered gall nuts, copper sulfate, Arabic gum, and water), and a quill made from a kosher bird such as a turkey or duck. The sofer uses a stylus to mark the area of the parchment where the writing will take place. Once the parchment, ink, and quill are ready, the sofer will begin to write the Sefer Torah. After all the parchments have been written, the sofer will sew the sections together with a special thread called giddin. Giddin is leg sinew from a kosher animal. Once the sections are sewn, the sofer will sew the two ends of the Sefer Torah to two wooden rollers called Eitzei Chayim (Trees of Life). Writing a Sefer Torah can take up to one year and will be checked by at least two other people before it is used to ensure that no errors have been made.

What is the Tanach?
The Tanach is the Hebrew Bible. It contains the Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim. The Torah (תורה) covers the creation of the earth and the first humans, the Great Flood and the covenant with the gentiles, the enslavement of and Exodus from the Hebrews in Egypt, giving of the Torah (Written and Oral), renewal of Covenant given to Avraham, festivals established, wandering through the desert, the Tabernacle Ark, Priestly duties, and the death of Moshe Rabbenu. The Nevi'im (נביאים) covers the time period from the death of Moshe Rabbenu through the Babylonian exile (ca.1200BCE-587BCE) and contains 19 books. The Ketuvim (כתובם) covers the period after the return from the Babylonian exile (6th century BCE) and contains 12 books.

Who wrote the Tanach?
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy - Moses
Joshua - Joshua (Phineas wrote the last few verses regarding Joshua's death)
Judges - Samuel
Samuel - Samuel (through I Samuel 25:1), Gad, Nathan
Kings - Jeremiah
Isaiah - School of King Hezekiah
Jeremiah - Jeremiah, Men of the Great Assembly
Ezekiel - Men of the Great Assembly
Twelve Prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi) - Men of the Great Assembly
Psalms - David (included Psalms by Adam, Abraham, and Moses)
Proverbs - Solomon
Job - Moses (or possibly Men of the Great Assembly)
Song of Songs - Solomon
Ruth - Samuel (or possibly Men of the Great Assembly)
Lamentations - Jeremiah
Ecclesiastes - Solomon
Esther - Men of the Great Assembly
Daniel - Men of the Great Assembly
Ezra - Ezra
Nehemiah - Ezra
Chronicles - Ezra (through II Chronicles 21:1), Nehemiah

What is the Talmud?
The Talmud is made up of the Mishnah that was given to Moses at Mount Sinai and the Gemara which includes rabbinic arguments and teachings.

Where can I study about the priestly duties and responsibilities  (old testament)?
The priestly (Kohen) duties and responsbilities began with Aaron and his sons (Exodus chapter 28 and chapter 29). The consecration of the Kohenim can be read in Leviticus chapter 8 and the priestly service can be read in Leviticus chapter 9. The appointment of the Levites and their Tabernacle/Temple duties is described in Numbers 3:5-13. The re-establishment of the Kohenim and Levites during the Second Temple period can be read in Ezra 6:15-22.

Other areas of the Tanach that involve the Kohenim include: Leviticus 4:3, 13:2, 21:1,10; Numbers 6:24, 19:7, 35:25,28,32; Deuteronomy 18:3; Joshua 6:4, 20:6, 21:9; Ezekiel 48:10; Haggai 2:11; Malachi 2:1; Ezra 2:61, 3:2,8, 6:18; Nehemiah 12:1,12; I Chronicles 9:10, 24:1,7; II Chronicles 29:3, 31:4

Other areas of the Tanach that involve the Levites include: Leviticus 25:32; Numbers 3:40, 4:1-42, 8:5,24, 15:1, 18:24, 26:57, 29:19, 35:2,6; Deuteronomy 18:1, 25:5; Joshua 13:14,33 21:1,4; Ezekiel 45:5, 48:13; Ezra 3:8, 6:18; Nehemiah 9:6, 12:8,22, 13:10; I Chronicles 5:27, 6:1,42, 9:14, 12:27, 15:5, 23:6; II Chronicles 29:3, 31:4

What is a Mezuzah?
A mezuzah is a parchment written in Hebrew that contains that verses from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21. The mezuzah scroll is rolled up, wrapped in paper or plastic, and inserted into a mezuzah case. The mezuzah case is then affixed to all doorways (with some exceptions like the bathroom) in a Jewish home.

How is a Mezuzah Scroll made?
A mezuzah scroll is hand-written by a sofer (Jewish scribe) on kosher parchment using kosher ink and a quill from a kosher bird. The parchment is scored with a stylus and the Hebrew verses from Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21 are written on the parchment. On the reverse side of the parchment, the Name Shaddai (one of G-d's Names) is written. The mezuzah scroll is then wrapped in paper or plastic and is ready to be inserted into a mezuzah case.

What is a Ketubah?
A ketubah is a Jewish marriage contract that outlines the financial, conjugal, and moral obligations a man has toward his wife. Traditionally, a ketubah is written in Aramaic and is witnessed and signed by two male witnesses before being given to the bride during the wedding ceremony.

What is a Get?
A get is a Jewish divorce decleration that a man is required to give to his wife in order to solidify a religious divorce. A women must have a get before she is permitted to remarry.

What is halachah?
Halachah is Jewish law. Halachah is derived from the Written Torah and the Mishnah.

What makes food kosher?
According to halachah there are three types of food - kosher, non-kosher, and pareve. Kosher food is any food that is determined to be kosher according to halachah (for example: milk, chicken, chocolate). Packaged kosher food is marked by a chesher mark showing that it has been approved by a rabbi as kosher. Unpackaged food is overseen by a rabbi to ensure a kosher standard. Non-kosher food is any food that is determined to be non-kosher according to halachah (for example: pork, cheeseburger). Pareve food is any food that is neither kosher nor non-kosher (for example: nuts, fresh vegetables).

Is it a rock solid law to eat only kosher food?
Leviticus 11:1-2 specifically states that Jews are only to eat specific foods. Remember that the command to eat kosher is only meant for Jews (although it is highly recommended for non-Jews). The remainder of Leviticus chapter 11 describes what can be eaten and how the utensils are to be prepared. Remember, even Noah knew the difference between clean (kosher) and non-clean animals (Genesis 7:2-3; 9:20).

What is the Shemitah (Sabbatical) Year and Yovel (Jubilee) Year?
The Shemitah (Sabbatical) year occurs every seven years and is a year of rest for the land. No planting or harvesting may be done during a Shemitah year - the population must rely on the produce from the sixth year for three years (sixth, seventh, and eighth) (Leviticus 25:20-21).

The year after seven cycles of seven Shemitah years (49 years) is known as the Yovel (Jubilee) year - fiftieth year. The Yovel is treated as a Shemitah year which means that the 48th year must support the population for four years (48, 49, 50, 51). Also, during this Yovel year, all slaves must be set free (Leviticus 25:10) and all sales of of land are returned to their owners (Leviticus 25:23) - thus there were only leases of property for periods of up to 49 years.

May a person convert to Judaism?
Yes. Anyone who is sincere and is willing to keep all applicable 613 mitzvot can convert.

How does one convert to Judaism?
Anyone wishing to convert must spend time studying with a rabbi, agree to follow all applicable mitzvot, appear before a bet din, immerse in a mikveh, and be circumcised (or have a hatafat dam brit).

Do you have to be a Jew to go to heaven?
No. Any righteous person - Jew or not - has a place in the World to Come. Non-Jews are commanded to only follow the seven Noachide Laws.

I wonder, is Earthly existence a kind of test for entrance into Heaven? A worthiness test perhaps?
According to Judaism, everyone has a purpose in life. Our main job here on earth is to praise G-d, follow his mitzvot, and work at our purpose in life. Judaism places more emphasis on the here-and-now and not the hereafter. While it is true that what we do (or don't do) here on earth will have an effect upon our initial entry into the hereafter, it is important to remember that the righteous of all nations (Jew and non-Jew) have a place in the hereafter.

How can one ever be "perfect"? From things I've read and heard, Both Christian and Jewish make it seem like our main goal in life is to strive for perfection. Please clarifiy.
Judaism does not teach perfection. G-d blessed mankind with free will which means we have a choice in how to lead our lives. We are all placed on earth for a specific purpose. While G-d does expect mankind to follow the mitzvot (613 for Jews and 7 for non-Jews), He does not expect - or demand - perfection. If man sins, he must perform teshuva (return to G-d) with a commitment to not commit the sin again.

Who will the Messiah be?
The Messiah (Moshiach in Hebrew) will be a human who is born as a direct descendent of King David through Judah and Solomon. He will be proceeded by Elijah who will announce his arrival and there will be an ingathering of Jews to Israel from all corners of the earth. Certain things will take place which the Messiah arrives, including:
1. Reestablishment of the Holy Temple;
2. World-wide peace;
3. The entire world will believe in G-d;
4. Jews will be sought for spiritual guidance;
5. Death will cease and there will be a resurrection of the dead;
6. The enemy dead will be buried;
7. The Nations will help the Jews materially;
8. Each tribe of Israel will receive its inheritance;
9. Eternal joy and gladness will characterize the Jewish Nation;
10. The Egyptian River will run dry;
11. Trees will yield new fruit monthly in Israel;
12. The Messiah will be the perfect judge able to see beyond words and appearances;
13. The Messiah will be able to vanquish evil at a word;
14. The Messiah will be the king of an independent and recognized Israel;
15. The nations will recognize the wrongs they did to Israel;
16. Israel will be perfect in the practice of Torah;
17. All of Israel will be prophets; and
18. The Messiah will be universally recognized

Why don't Jews accept Jesus as the Messiah?
The simple answer is that Jesus never accomplished the Messianic prophecies (see answer above). The Messiah (Moshiach in Hebrew) will be a human who is born as a direct descendent of King David through Judah and Solomon. He will be proceeded by Elijah who will announce his arrival and there will be an ingathering of Jews to Israel from all corners of the earth.

According to Christianity, Jesus is G-d incarnate/the "Son of G-d" which means he is not human. Also, according to the genealogies in the Christian scriptures, he was not a descendent of King David through Judah and Solomon. Lastly, he was not proceeded by Elijah and there was no ingathering of Jews to Israel.

According to Judaism, who is Satan?
HaSatan (the Satan - "the challenger") is an angel that works as a prosecutor and tempter of man. HaSatan has no free will (just like all the other angels) and may only do that which G-d permits.

Why do some Jews leave the "o" out of G-d?
Judaism does not forbid the writing out of the Names of G-d per se. However, Judaism does forbid taking the Names of G-d in vain and erasing or defacing the Names of G-d. Observant Jews do not write out the Names of G-d in order to protect the Names from later being erased or defaced.