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As a religion of "deed, not creed" Jews believe that life in this world is what it's all about - living a life of holiness according to the dictates of their God. The basic purpose and meaning of life for a Jew comes through what is called "Tikkun Olam" - repairing the world. Jews find their purpose and meaning in life through making this world holy as God intended it to be. They accomplish this through living a holy life, through charity, through active support of social and political programs, through making other people's lives more easy and pleasant. In fact, the focus is so much on life in this world that most Jews tend not to spend much time debating the nature of the afterlife or the "world to come". Judaism also does not have a monastic
form, for such an approach to spiritual life takes one out of the main flow of life in this world. Judaism is inherently a "this worldly" religion with the premise that one cannot be religiously righteous if one is not socially righteous through action in this world. One fulfills one's spiritual duty in society, not apart from it (though there have been a few historical exceptions to this tendency).
Judaism considers that obedience to God extends to proper social relations within a human society. In fact, a look at the ten commandments shows that six of the ten refer to how humans are to interact with other humans: honor your parents, do not murder, do not steal, do not lie, do not commit adultery, do not covet the possessions of others. Even a look at the 613 commandments shows that being Jewish is not just about concern for God. Many of the laws concern proper human relationships as dictated by God. Even proper respect for nature - moral concern for treatment of animals and even the land itself - is addressed through Torah law.
Jews value a good education and family connections. In fact, Jews often consider all Jews as extended family and tend to be a close-knit community.
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