Judaism: Personal salvation in Judaism is based on repentance, good deeds and adherence to the Torah (the Law). However, these three ingredients are mixed with a strong trust, not in self-achieved righteousness, but in the mercy of God. Actually, in Judaism, the concept of salvation is more national than personal. It differs significantly from Christianity, which promotes the concept of a 'fallen nature,' which a person must be 'saved from.' The Jewish belief is that a person is born good and can remain good by observing God's commandments.

Rightness with God, though always available, is especially obtainable once a year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. 'The capstone of the Jewish view of man is his ever-present opportunity for repentance and forgiveness...If he repents in sincerity he is immediately forgiven...Thus the Rabbis suggested that t'shuvah or penitence was created even before the world itself was formed. In fact, they project the thought that t'shuvah is the cement which keeps the world from falling apart.'¹ Such respect for this concept gives rise to comments like R. Jacob's, 'One moment of repentance and good deeds in this world is better than the entire life of the world to come.' (Mishnah, Ethics of the Fathers 4:17) The age of accountability is thirteen for boys (Bar Mitzvah) and twelve for girls (Bat Mitzvah). At these ages children become legally responsible for keeping God's commandments.

Prior to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and subsequent exile of the Jewish people, atonement for sin was represented by animal sacrifices. Since sacrifices could only be performed in the Temple, after its destruction, the sacrifices ceased. Many Jews consider the non-observance of these sacred rites an indication of God's punishment for the collective sins of the Jewish people. However, ancient Jewish prophets predicted that this deprived condition would last only for a season-that in the 'latter days' there would be a restoration of the Jewish people to their homeland, a rebuilding of the Temple and a continuation of their original methods of sacrifice (finalized apparently, when the Messiah comes). The full benefits of salvation will then be available once again to the sons and daughters of Abraham. (See Jeremiah 32:37-42, Ezekiel 37-48, Hosea 3:4.)

It is believed in Judaism that only those who embrace the belief in one God (monotheism) can inherit an eternal reward. (In Isaiah 45:21-22 God declares, '...There is no other God besides Me...I am God; there is no other.'). One rabbi, Moses Luzatto, insists, 'The Torah is the only remedy for the evil impulse. Whoever thinks that he can be helped without it is mistaken and will realize his error when he dies for his sins.'² However, this does not exclude non-Jews from having hope for the future. Many Jewish teachers open wide the door of opportunity. In his code, Moses Maimonides proposes 'the pious of the nations of the world have a portion in the world to come.' (Yad. Teshuvah 3:5)³ And Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai said, 'Just as the sin-offering atones for Israel, so righteousness atones for the peoples of the world.' (Babylonian Talmud, Baba Batra 10b)⁴

The 'Noachide Laws' are the seven laws considered by rabbinic tradition as the minimal moral duties enjoined by the Bible upon all humankind. Jews are obligated to observe the whole Torah, while every non-Jew is a 'son of the covenant of Noah.' (See Genesis 9:1-17.) Hence, they are duty-bound to keep the laws revealed to this ancient patriarch and receive them as being divinely inspired. Traditionally, there are seven 'Noachide Laws.' The first six are negative laws, involving the prohibition of (1) Idolatry; (2) Blasphemy; (3) Bloodshed; (4) Sexual sins; (5) Theft; and (6) Eating from a living animal. (7) The seventh is a positive law, the demand for the establishment of a legal system.⁵ Those non-Jews who abide by these rules qualify for acceptance by God eternally in the world to come. So there is a general covenant between God and humanity (the Adamic and Noahic Covenants), and a specific covenant between God and the Jews (beginning with the Abrahamic Covenant).

The primary emphasis in Judaism is abiding in 'covenant' (berith) with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by observing his 'commandments' (mitzvoth-613 are found in the Torah). Traditional Orthodox Judaism has defined the commandments through Halakhah (lit. 'the way'-the way in which to live according to Jewish law, custom and practice). Modern reformed Judaism considers Halakhah non-obligatory, while the Conservative Movement has redefined it with a more modernistic view. Circumcision for males is practiced by all Jews, being a major facet of the original covenant God made with the patriarch, Abraham. (See Genesis 17.)