Please note that within each religion, there is a wide spectrum of beliefs and preferences. This site is to serve as a guide rather than an absolute template for each religion.

Holy Text: Torah (Pentateuch) and Talmud (Civil and Ceremonial Law)

Iconic Symbol: Star of David, Yarmulke, Menorah, Mezuzah, Tzitzit

God: infinite, personal, transcendent, omniscient, sovereign, and good.

Key Figures: Abraham, Moses, David

Religious Leaders: Rabbi (chief religious official of a synagogue), Kohanim (Jewish priests)

Spiritual Practices Regarding the Ill:

  • Bikur Cholim (visiting the sick)

  • Reading Scripture

  • Prayer

  • Niggun (repeating wordless tune)

  • Kabbalah (mysticism)

Holidays:

  • Sabbath

  • Passover

  • Shavuot (Pentecost)

  • Sukkot

  • Rosh Hashanah (Day of Remembrance)

  • Day of Avel

  • Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)

  • Purim

  • Hanukkah

Illness:

  • Duty to maintain and preserve good health

  • God’s punishment

Treatment:

  • All work is prohibited on the Sabbath (may include medications, surgeries, etc.)

  • Orthodox Jews may prefer Kosher medications

  • No objection to pain management

After Life:

  • Rewarded for good deeds


For you are a holy people to the LORD your God, and the LORD has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
— Deuteronomy 7: 6