Judaism

Research
Lippman, Charles D. "mezuzah." //Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia//. 2009. Grolier Online. 5 Nov. 2009 . Rich, Tracy R. __Judaism 101.__ 2008. 5 November 2009 . Simmons, Shraga. __Mezuzah: The Inside Story.__ 2009. 9 November 2009 <http://www.aish.com/jl/m/48948731.html
 * Citation**

Timmy's Website: typed into Google "mezuzah," after looking then tped in "mezuzah meaning" and came up with a website Katie: Typed in mezuzah under the World Book Encyclopedia, then tried Grolier and typed in "mezuzah" and found an article For the joint website: We both agreed on a website that we found using pretty much the same research strategy Timmy had used, we also typed in "Mezuzah cases" and "Mezuzah art"
 * Research Strategy**

- It shows as a reminder of what faith Jews have, it also shows the public what religion you are. - Mezuzahs are put on a doorway and the word Mezuzah in Hebrew means doorpost. - The Mezuzah contains a small piece of parchment with a Jewish passage on it (6;4-9 and 11:13-21) it is marked with the word shaddai. - This parchment is rolled up into a container and the container is put on the doorway of Jewish households. - Every time that you pass through the doorway that the Mezuzah is placed on you must touch the Mezuzah with your hand and then kiss your finger. - It is also a reminder of God's presence, to keep God on your mind constantly. - Usually has a variety of colors some having certain meanings
 * Research notes**

Summary
One could find a Mezuzah on a door, which is where they are usually put up on display in many Jewish family's homes. Mezuzahs are small and have a rectangular form (a thin width and a somewhat long length). The Mezuzah cases contain a scroll, the most important part. The scroll contains biblical verses, usually the first two paragraphs of the “shema” prayer or it has the passages of Deuteronomy 6:4-9 and 11:13-21. Although the mezuzah scroll is the important part, many people look more at the unique decorative case on each one. Mezuzah cases are made of all sorts of materials including wood, metal, pewter, and some are also clay. They are usually quite colorful and most have an important Jewish biblical phrase on the front of them. These cases are unique because artists usually create very intricate designs or patterns on the front of the case. Sometimes, there is even a picture of something or a scene.

The Mezuzah is very important to the Jewish faith. The mezuzah is very common in Jewish households and has a very important meaning to it. The mezuzah is a small piece of paper that has the passage’s of 6:4-9 and 11:13-21 it also has the word "shaddai" on it. The piece of paper is rolled up and is put in a container and then is placed on a doorpost. The mezuzah is important to the Jewish faith because it is very common to see a mezuzah in a Jewish home. This can lead to its importance in the Jewish faith because it is a tradition that many Jewish people follow. What also makes the mezuzah important is that is has a passage from the Torah. This makes the mezuzah important because the Torah is the religious book of Judaism. Another thing that makes the mezuzah important is that when someone passes through the doorway that the mezuzah is placed on the person must touch the mezuzah and kiss the fingers that touched it. This is very important to the religion because it makes a connection between you and god and is a tradition with many Jewish people

Research
1. Hirshon, Jonathan L. "The Tallit." 2008. Web. 9 Nov. 2009. <[]>. - Garment to be worn during prayer -Intention and direction of prayers enhanced -Worn during morning prayers -Can be beautiful and decorated or plain and simple

-Can be made out of anything -Tzitzit -Fringes on four corners -Wear them as remembering and doing Ten Commandments
 * 1) Traditionally wool
 * 2) Prohibited mixing linen and wool
 * Oftentimes blue or black
 * 1) Found this website off Google
 * Knew I needed a website
 * Needed to be reliable
 * Looked up tallit site:.org on Google because organizations and websites about actual temples are reliable
 * Picked a website that was from a temple in San Jose

2. Remsen, Jim. ""Jewish Prayer Shawl Carries Historical and Family Associations." //Ebsco Student Research Center//. 2000. Web. 9 Nov. 2009. <[]>.
 * Found this through the Ebsco Student Research Center
 * Needed a database
 * Needed one that had general information because a Tallit isn't ancient history or mathematical, scientific, artistic, or an issue
 * Tried a few sources, this one had the most
 * Looked for one that had to relate with significance
 * Also meant to symbolize "the aspects of the natural world that protect and nourish us"
 * People say God put on a tallit of light
 * The first creation
 * Symbolic of light
 * Traditional blue and black stripes
 * When tallit is put on, is a blessing cover
 * Surrounds self
 * Go inside self temple
 * If wrap around more than one person, symbolizes coming together and unity

[|3.] I found this link by going to Google. com and going to google web. I looked up "significance of tallit" and this was the first link. I did this because I knew we needed to find the symbolic religious significance of the tallit in the Jewish religion and I clicked the first link because it was a teacher's organization.

"Tallit Making." //Teachers Domain//. Web. <[]>.
 * From Torah
 * "And you shall see [the fringes at the corner of the garment] and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and observe them" ([|Numbers]15:39)
 * One on each of the four corners
 * One interpretation represents four letters of God's name
 * Revolves around number 613
 * Numerical value of tzitzit, plus strands and knots
 * Number of commandments in the Torah
 * Only worn in morning prayers, supposed to be seen in light of day
 * Fringes must be seen when wearing

Summary
The tallit is a Jewish religious garment to be worn during morning prayers. It is only worn during morning prayers because it is meant to be seen by the light of day. Though traditionally made of wool, the tallit can be made of many different kinds of materials. However, it is written in the Torah that combining wool and linen to make a tallit is unholy. On each corner of a tallit, there is a tassle that is supposed to present following the Ten Commandments. Tallits may be decorated or simple, and traditional tallits have blue and black horizontal stripes. The tallit has many symbolic meanings. The most prominent reason people wear tallits during prayer is to recognize and obey the Ten Commandments God gave the Jewish people. Another symbolic meaning of the tallit is the shelter and protection it gives the people who wear them. Jewish people believe that “"the aspects of the natural world that protect and nourish us” symbolize the tallit, and that it acts a protection barrier from one’s self and the rest of the world. When a tallit is put on, Hebrew people believe that people are surrounded and being withdrawing into their self, and reflecting within themselves about how they are fulfilling God’s commands. Also, the time of day a tallit is worn is very symbolic. Tallits are only to be worn in morning prayers, because it is said by the Torah that the first act of creation was when God put on a “tallit of light” thus giving Earth the light it has today. Lastly, the tallit can symbolize the unity and coming together when more than one person shares a tallit, because when more than one person wears a tallit they are both protected in unity from the outside world.

=3. Menorah=

Research
__Citation__ WEBSITES -"The Seven Branch Menorah-Symbol of the Jewish Faith" http://www.articlesbase.com/. Nov 10th 2006. Nov 8 2009. __
 * I knew that I first needed to gain some basic knowledge about the Menorah and after some searching on Google, this was the by far the best website that gave me the information that I needed.
 * The Menorah is one of the oldest and most symbolic items in the history of Judaism. '
 * There is at least one in almost every sanctuary to remind everyone that of the seven branched Menorah that once stood in the Temple in the Jerusalem.
 * The 9 branch Menorah is for the celebration of Hanukkah, when the Menorah burned for 9 days instead of the expected one day.

- "Mysteries of the Menorah" http://web.ebscohost.com/. March 2008. Nov 8 2009. 
 * After finding out exactly what the Menorah is and what the significance of it was, I decided to go deeper into it's history and the controversy that surrounded it.
 * The Menorah has been captured and recaptured over and over again over time.
 * It was brought to the Arch of Titus after standing in the Temple in Jerusalem until it's destruction in 70 A.D.

- "**menorah**." __Encyclopædia Britannica__. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 9 Nov. 2009 <[]>. IMAGES - "**menorah**." __Encyclopædia Britannica__. 2009. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 9 Nov. 2009 <[]>.
 * Finally, after finding out almost everything there is to know I wanted to go a little deeper on it's meaning and significance and this was the second website I went to and it gave me everything that I wanted.
 * It was revealed to Moses by God
 * Reconstruction of the actual Menorah is prohibited
 * It and the Star of David are considered the two strongest symbols of Judaism.

-"Menorah (Temple)" __Wikipedia__. 30 October 2009. 6 Nov. 2009 

Summary
The Menorah is a seven branched candlestick that the Hebrews believe God presented to Moses. It is one of the most famous Judaism symbols today and there are at least one in each Hebrew sanctuary. The history of the Menorah is known but some of it is left up to discussion and controversy. When the Hebrews returned to Jerusalem, they left the Menorah standing in the Temple until the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. From there it was taken to the Arch of Titus in Rome. There, the Menorah symbolized the defeat of the Hebrews and it stayed there for another few hundred years until it was sent back to Jerusalem. There is no historical reference to the Menorah after that and so some people believe that it was destroyed in 614 when the Persians destroyed Jerusalem but others believe that the Persians saw the importance of it and kept the Menorah safe. Today, the Vatican has come out and said that they are not aware of the whereabouts of the real Menorah but some do believe that they do but are keeping it secret. The Menorah is important to the Hebrews because it is one of the most influential and famous signs of their faith. One of the main reasons for this is because they believe that God gave it to Moses and therefore it is one of the most holy items in the history of the world. Another reason is the holiday Hanukkah. Hanukkah is a holiday that Hebrews celebrate every year during December for nine days. The reason for this is because they believe that while Jerusalem was being attacked by Alexander the Great, a group of people were assigned to keep the eternal flame going in the candles of the Menorah. There was only enough olive oil, they concluded, so that the flames would only last for one more day. Miraculously the flame lasted nine days, which was enough time for them to get more oil to keep the flame going. The Menorah represents one of the Hebrew's most important holidays and is extremely important to the faith and the world.