ABSTRACT
Judaism is a universal monotheistic religion with a belief in a transcendent creator of the world. Its fundamental orientation is practical and this-worldly with no official body of dogma. However, it possesses an orthodox system of codification, based on the Pentateuch and the books of the Prophets and the Hagiographa (the Writings) and embodied in the rabbinical traditions of Judaism. It thus rests on the Written Law and the authority of the Oral Law, notably the Talmud, and its codifications. These laws such as kashrut (dietary laws) are designed to elevate the Jew and distinguish him or her from animals as well as to define his or her religion vis-à-vis peoples from other religions.
