My questions for true, knowledgeable Jews:
7. What happens to those who die without accepting Judaism?
Judaism is not a religion that says "believe in our God, or spend eternity in hell." How to put it in a metaphor... it is more like going to Disney World. Have you ever been? No? Well, you don't know what you're missing! It's a celebration of life! You don't want to go to Disney World? Okay, your choice. Have a nice day. In essence nothing different happens, I believe, to those who are Jewish vs. those who aren't, except that a Jew is privelaged BECAUSE he is a Jew. In other words, those who get to study Judaism are very lucky because Judaism is a wonderful religion.
Judaism has different beliefs on what lies ahead after death.
8. What happens to innocents who die?
The same that happens to the wicked. Some believe we are dead until the messiah comes and then he resurrects the righteous (no idea what criteria righteous people need meet), others believe in a heaven, much like the Christian belief, still others believe that the soul is endless and will be resurrected into another body after the current body's death. We do not believe in eternal hell... the maximum punishment for the wicked is one year.
I personally believe we are here to learn. Learn what? Learn everything. I don't think there is a limit to what we can learn. I don't think limits exist... such as beginning and ending. Everything has always been and will always be is probably the most logical sequence of events.
9. Why do Muslims hate you?
Muslims don't hate us. Arabs do. Turkey and Israel have had a great relationship through the years and Iran was the first middle eastern country to recognize Israel. What changed? The Jews wanted to return home to Eretz Yisrael, the Holy Land that G-d promised us.
Wait a minute. Didn't you just say that the Torah isn't an absolute in another thread?
Yes. I did. But I do believe, and there is significant evidence of this that isn't disputed by even the worst of the worst of terrrorists, that Judaism and Hebrew were each created in Israel and that Israel is the birthplace of my religion. We have Jewish scriptures that we've uncovered in Jerusalem dating back thousands of years that say so. We figured with the re-creation of the Islamic Empire after World War 1, we would be welcomed back to our land by our former rulers, the Arab Muslims. Back when the Roman Empire was split in two and became the Western Roman Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire, the Islamic Empire fought and defeated the Eastern Roman Empire which had conquered Israel a few decades before Christ was born. Under Islamic protection, the Jews and the Muslims celebrated hundreds of years of peace, prosperity and traanquility until about 1000 years ago when the Crusadors wiped out a significant portion of the Islamic Empire and conquered Israel with it. That was the last time any Arab Empire ruled over Israel. A side note: Around the year 300 or so, one of the leaders of the Eastern Roman Empire re-named Israel to Syriana-Philistinia-Provincia which was later shorterned to Palestine. The Jews were exiled for hundreds of years by various different rulers until the Ottman Empire, the last ruler of Israel by a non-Jew, began weakning and the zionist movement was formed. The Arab Muslims believe that Israel holds significance to their religion as does Jeruslaem. As we have allowed Christians to live in and be a part of Jersuslaem to worship Christ, Israel would never have a problem with Arab Muslims worshipping Allah in Israel. For some reason, the Arab Muslims turned against us and began to hate us when we took desolate, barren land and turned into fertile farming grounds. If there is one thing that a Jew is good for, it is farming. We make the BEST farmers in the world.... my uncle has a MASSIVE garden where he grows zuccinis the size of baseball bats and fat, ripe tomatoes that would make Aretha Franklin jealous. So to head off the Jewish immigration into Israel, Muslim leaders in the 1920s and 1930s began to make laws that Arab Muslims should move into Israel as well and have as many children as possible so you could outnumber the Jews. By 1948 when Israel was finally recognized as a country again by the international community, the children born from these ordains and their parents were ordered by the Muslim leaders to leave Israel in shambles and to leave it for good. For some reason, Arab Muslims think Israel is theirs. It's not. It never was and it never will be.
10. Why is Jerusalem coveted by the Muslims and why shouldn't they have it?
Dome of the Rock built during the Islamic Empire. It sits on top of the site where the Second Temple and soon-to-be Third Temple, may it be built quickly, will be built when the Messiah comes. It is Judaism's most holiest site.
11. What does the skull cap mean?
The Yamukle is a head covering. It is out of respect for God. Traditions in various cultures are different. In the South, you're not supposed to wear a hat indoors. They view it as dis-respectful. In Judaism, when you are in a House of God, a shul or synogogue, you show respect for God by covering your head. A married woman must cover head all the time by wearing a hat or wig and only her husband can see her true hair.
12. What is the purpose of the Wailing wall?
The remnants of the Second Temple. It is our holidest site.
13. Why would Judaism only build one temple?
We built two. It was built around 3000 years ago and lasted for hundreds of years until the Babylonians destroyed it. The Second Temple was built before the Roman Empire conquered Israel, about 2100 years ago, or a few hundred years after the first temple was destroyed. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans.