Judaism, which originated in the Middle East, is one of the world's oldest religions. Judaism is the religion from which Catholicism and Islam have their roots. The main difference between Judaism and the previously mentioned religions is that Judaism is based on the Old Testament and completely excludes the New Testament in its teachings. Jews believe that they are God's chosen people and that because of the covenant they are obligated, more than any other group of people, to observe God's law. God's law in Judaism comes in the form of the Torah. The books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, said to have been written by Moses, form the Torah. Judaism, just like most religions, has split into different branches over time. Some of the major branches of Judaism are Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Conservative, and Reform. Orthodox Judaism is the strictest branch of the four mentioned. They try to maintain tradition and biblical standards as much as possible. Their services require that men and women sit separately and that both cover their heads upon entering the synagogue. Reconstructionist Judaism is relatively new. It was founded by Mordecai M. Kaplan with the idea that Judaism is not just a religion but a combination of religion and culture. Conservative Judaism, while less rigid than Orthodox Judaism in some respects, is still quite conservative in others. They maintain Saturday morning services and men, though not women, are required to cover their heads. Reform Judaism is more flexible, men and women sit together during service, are not required to cover their heads, and some aspects have been adapted to the modern world such as the use of musical instruments... middle of paper... ...varied considerably. Furthermore, they were extremely understanding not only of me and my fellow State University students, but of the world at large. They prayed for the well-being of not only themselves or their community, they prayed for world peace. I agreed with much of what was said during the service even though I don't share their beliefs. Nonetheless, I find their values ​​and their love for God admirable. I didn't feel like a stranger among them, I felt like I was making friends with people I probably would never have dared to approach before. This is the most valuable value I have obtained; have an open mind and heart towards others because no matter how different we may be, there is always something valuable we can learn from each other. Works Cited Nigosian, S.A., “World Religions: A Historical Approach.” 4th ed. Bedforth/St Martin's 2008. Print