Download Unit 5 Lesson 4 Jewish Beliefs and Texts

Unit 5
Lesson 4
Jewish Beliefs and Texts
Lesson 4 – Jewish Beliefs and Texts
Fill in the Blank Read each sentence. Fill in the blank with the word from the word pair
that best completes each sentence.
1. Jews practice ________________, the belief in only one God.
(commentaries/monotheism)
2. The central beliefs of Judaism are beliefs in God, _____________, justice, and
obedience. (education/folklore)
3. Jews believe in the idea of __________________, which means to behave properly,
even if other people do not. (Torah/righteousness)
4. ___________ is a system of laws that guides many areas of Jews’ daily lives, such as
which foods Jews may eat. (Mosaic/Talmud)
5. The Hebrew name for God is _____________. (Torah/Yahweh)
6. The _______________, which consists of five books of laws and early history, is the most
sacred text of Judaism. (Dead Sea Scrolls/Torah)
7. The ___________________ is a set of commentaries, stories, and folklore that many
Jews consider to be almost as significant to Judaism as the Hebrew Bible. (Mosaic/Talmud)
8. Scholars have learned about the lives of the early Jews by studying the __________, the
first of which were found in 1947. (Mosaic/Dead Sea Scrolls)
9. Jews who strictly follow Mosaic law are called _______________ Jews.
(Orthodox/righteous)
Generalization: Religious beliefs and values
often impact the whole of a society
Big Idea – The central ideas and laws of Judaism are
contained in sacred tests such as the Torah.
Jewish beliefs are the direct base for Jewish culture
- central concepts
- belief in God
- education
- justice and righteousness
- observance of religious and moral law
- draw conclusions – Why do you think that
education and study are so important in
Judaism?
Jews must learn about their religion and must
learn to read and follow the laws.
Monotheism
- Jews believe in only one God – referred to as YHWH
- believed to be the first monotheistic religion
Education
- central to Jewish life and the preservation of their culture
- boys were educated but not girls
Justice and Righteousness
- Justice -- kindness and fairness
- all deserve justice
- aid to those in need
- Righteousness – doing what is proper
Observance of Religious and Moral Laws
- believe that their laws were given to them by God
- Ten Commandments is the most important
- Mosaic Laws – other laws recorded by Moses
- guide daily life
- including laws about food and preparation
- kosher
Laws today
- Orthodox Jews – still strictly follow Mosaic Law
- Reform Jews – do not follow many of the ancient laws
- Conservative Jews – in between the two other groups
Jewish Religious Texts
- Torah
- five books that contain most of their law
- a history of the Jews until the death of Moses
- Hebrew Bible
- 3 parts – Torah makes up the 1st
- 2nd part – 8 books from the prophets
- 3rd part – 11 books of poetry, songs, stories, lessons and history
- also contains proverbs and psalms
- Commentaries
- explanations written by scholars to explain the laws
- many found in the Talmud
- Talmud
- commentaries and lessons for everyday life
Dead Sea Scrolls
- analyze – How have the Dead Sea Scroll
affected Judaism?
They have provided Jewish scholars with
additional insights into the teachings of
Judaism and into Jewish history.
Word Bank
Abraham
Moses
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
diaspora
rabbis
Exodus
Torah
Jewish leaders or teachers.
Five books containing Jewish laws and a history of the world.
Led the Hebrews on Exodus out of slavery in Egypt.
Scattering of Jews around the world.
Led the Hebrews out of Mesopotamia to Canaan.
Journey of Hebrews out of slavery in Egypt.
Themes
Geography
politics
religion
society and culture
1. Dead Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Mt. Sinai, Babylon
2. Passover, prophets, rabbis, Rosh Hashanah, synagogues, Yom Kippur
Identifying Short- and Long-Term Effects
Short-Term
Long-Term
The Exodus
left Egypt
received Ten Commandments
wandered through desert
settled in Canaan
provided Jews with a significant
and culturally binding historical
event, which they remember
during Passover
The Babylonian
Captivity
Jews enslaved in Babylon
for 50 years
After their release, many Jews
did not return and thus began
what is called the Diaspora
The expulsion of the
Jews from Jerusalem
Jews slowly dispersed
throughout Mediterranean
region and rest of the
world
changed nature of Judaism
led to creation of two Jewish
cultural traditions
Identifying Facts and Opinions
- Identify each of the following statements as a fact or an
opinion
1. Much of what we know about Jewish history comes from the
work of archaeologists.
2. Archaeologists should spend more time studying Jewish history.
3. The Exodus is one of the most fascinating events in world
history.
4. Until 1947, scholars did not know about the Dead Sea Scrolls.
5. Hanukkah is a Jewish holy day that takes place every December.