Download 01 Judaism

Adherents: Smallest major
world religion, making up 0.2
% human race
Roots: dating back
approximately 4000 years=
origins of Judaism, Islam and
Christianity
(recorded in the Old
Testament)
Three patriarchs: Abraham,
Jacob, Isaac
Leaders: Moses and Joshua
History of persecution:
Babylonian Captivity,
Exodus, Romans, Spanish
Inquisitions, Holocaust
Judaism
Ancient Israel
Birthplace of Judaism is also
birthplace to Islam and Christianity
What is in a name?
 Hebrew means “From across”name given to Abraham and his
followers
 Israelites: Abraham’s grandson
Jacob renamed Israel which
means “he who has wrestled
with God”. His descendants
were called “Israelites”
 Jews: named after Jacob’s son
Judah, ancient father of tribe of
King David’s dynasty
Tracing Roots of Israel’s History
 Nomadic tribes wandered
into Palestine from east in
approximately 1900 BCE
 Mesopotamian society
dominated by polytheism
 God (Yahweh) appeared
before Patriarch Abraham
and told Abraham “to go
and raise a great nation”
 This began the
monotheistic tradition of the
Hebrew faith with the
establishment of the
“Covenant”, “Chosen
People” and “Promised
Land”
 Abraham settled in Canaan
 Story: Sacrifice of Abraham
Patriarchs to Judaism
Abraham
 God told Abraham to go to Haran then Canaan
and “make of him a great nation”
 Began monotheistic tradition
 Covenant with God
 The story of the Sacrifice of Abraham
Moses
 An illustrated story of
Moses
Hidden in a Basket
Moses in his basket
When Moses was born the Hebrews were
slaves in Egypt. Pharaoh was afraid of
them because he thought they might take
over his country. He ordered that all
Hebrew baby boys be killed at birth so
that they would not grow up and fight
against him. To save Moses his mother
made a plan. She hid him in a basket by
the side of the River Nile.
Moses is Rescued
Moses is Found
Moses' sister Miriam watched over him
until Pharaoh's daughter came to the river
to wash. She found Moses in his basket.
Miriam told her she knew a woman who
could be a nurse for the baby. It was his
mother. Pharaoh's daughter took him back
to live with her as though he were her son.
God Speaks to Moses
The Burning Bush
Moses grew up as an Egyptian prince, but
he never forgot he was a Hebrew. One day
Moses lost his temper and killed an
Egyptian who had beaten a Hebrew slave to
death. He had to run away to another land.
God spoke to him from a burning bush and
told him he must go back and free the
Hebrews from slavery.
The Ten Plagues
Moses
Moses went to Pharaoh to ask him to set
the Hebrews free. Pharaoh did not want to
lose his slaves. He would not let them go,
because they worked on his grand
buildings. Awful things began to happen in
Egypt. There were ten plagues. Before
each one, Moses had warned Pharaoh what
would happen. Moses told him the disasters
had been sent by God.
The Hebrews are Freed
Marking the Doorposts
The last plague was the worst. The eldest
son in every Egyptian family, including
Pharaoh's, died. God had warned Moses to
mark the doorposts of all Hebrew houses
so that Hebrew boys would be safe.
Pharaoh was so upset by losing his son that
he said the Hebrews could leave Egypt.
A Change of Mind
The bread had not risen
The Hebrews knew they must leave Egypt
quickly. They needed food to take with
them. There was no time to let the bread
rise before it was cooked. They had to take
the dough as it was. Pharaoh changed his
mind again and sent his army after them to
bring them back.
Moses Parts the Sea
Parting the Red Sea
The army chased the Hebrews to the
banks of the Red Sea. They would have
been trapped but a miracle happened. God
told Moses to lift up his rod and as he did
so the waters parted to make a dry path.
They were able to make their escape.
The Hebrews are Saved
The path disappeared
When all the Hebrews were safely at the
other shore, Moses lifted up his rod again
and the waters of the sea closed on
Pharaoh's army who had been chasing
them. God had saved the Hebrews.
God Leads the Way
Hungry in the Desert
Even though the Hebrews were free, they
were still in the desert. They wanted to find
a land called Canaan which God had promised
them. The journey was long and they soon
ran out of food. They were very hungry and
blamed Moses for taking them out of Egypt.
Moses told them that God would give them
food.
Food and Water
Water in the Desert
God told Moses, "I will give the people
food." The next day the ground was
covered with a white food which tasted
like honey. Moses called this food manna.
God also sent flocks of birds called quails
that they cooked and ate. When their
water ran out, God told Moses to strike a
rock with his rod. As he did so water
rushed out and they all had enough to
drink.
Mount Sinai
Thunder and Lightning
After three months of travelling the
Hebrews came to the foot of Mount Sinai.
God called Moses to meet him on the
mountain. As he climbed there was thunder
and lightning. When he was up the mountain
God gave Moses ten laws which told the
people how to live.
The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments
These Ten Commandments were written on
two tablets of stone. Moses stayed so long
on the mountain that the people waiting at
the foot of the mountain grew angry. They
decided to make another God for
themselves. It was a golden calf.
The Ten Commandments
The Golden Calf
When Moses returned he was shocked to
see the people dancing and worshipping the
golden calf. He broke the tablets God had
given him and destroyed the golden calf.
God forgave his people for worshipping the
statue and told Moses to cut two more
tablets of stone.
God's Laws
God's Laws
Moses took the stone tablets up the
mountain and God gave him the Ten
Commandments again. When he came down
all the people listened to Moses as he told
them what God had said. Moses promised
God that the Hebrews would keep all of the
Commandments.
Leaders
Moses
 “Let my people go”
 Exodus
 “the land of milk and honey”
 10 Commandments
Joshua
 Led Israelites to Promised
Land
Key Concepts
Covenant
 solemn and binding agreement between God and Abraham
(humanity) as God as the Creator and the Chosen people
Chosen People
 Jews considered themselves to be God’s Chosen People as
God chose Abraham and led him to monotheism
 Jews were instruments of God’s will
 God chose Jews (humanity); humanity must choose God
Promised Land
 Gained significance during Moses’ life as Hebrews sought to
keep covenant and develop a community in the Promised
Land. Jews believe this is Israel.
Development of Judaism
 Judges: tribal leaders
 Kings: King Saul, King David, King Solomon (built
temple)
 Division: Northern tribes = Israel; Southern tribes =
Judah
 Prophetic Tradition: word of God spoken through
prophets “Love God and keep the covenant with Him”
 Exile in Babylon= Temple of Solomon destroyed;
creation of synagogues and rabbis and concept of
Messiah “anointed one”
 Diaspora: dispersal of Jews outside of Israel and
Hellenization
 Maccabean Revolt: temple rededicated to God
 Expansion of Roman Empire and rule: destroying of
the temple leaving only the Western Wall; rabbinic
Judaism (interpretative commentaries)
Monotheistic
 Oneness of Creator God
 Human obligation to worship God
 God is immaterial and indivisible
 God is referred to as YHWH or YAHWEH “I am that I am”
Lineage
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People are born Jewish (through mother) or can convert (gerut). Conversion is
not possible for Orthodox Judaism.
Mitzvah
 act of performing a good deed or commandment (i.e.: 10 Commandments)
 Bible contains total of 613 mitsvoth (some positive, some negative)
Jesus
 View of Jesus = born a Jew a preacher and teacher
 Jesus was not the Son of God; the Messiah is still to come
Suffering
 suffering is heightened because as the Chosen People, Jews expect to suffer
for all of mankind
Death and Afterlife
 on death, body returns to earth (dust to dust) but soul return to God who gave it
 body will be Resurrected and reunited with soul at a later time (therefore no
cremation)
Beliefs
TORAH
 consists of Five Books of
Moses written on
parchment scroll in ancient
form by hand and kept in
Ark
 Torah means “law” but
more accurate is
“revelation”, “teaching” or
“instruction”
 Torah is divided into 54
sections and one portion is
read each week (2 weeks
of year have a double
portion) so that the entire
Torah is read from
beginning to end in a year
Sacred Texts
Tanukh
 Jewish Bible, consisting of
Torah (Law of Moses), the
Prophets, and the Writings
Talmud
 second most important
source of rabbinic Jewish law
based on Mishnah, which
complements and interprets
the Torah and applies
scripture to everyday life and
observance
Mishnah
 Early rabbinic teachings on
how to live according to
Torah
Practices
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Holy Ark & Torah
Blessings and prayer
Minyan
Kashruth
Shabbat
Circumcision
Shofar
Bar / Bat Mitvah
Marriage
Death & Shiva
Holidays
 Rosh Hashanah and
Yom Kippur
 Hanukkah
 Passover
Symbols
 Star of David= shape
of King David’s
shield; symbol
adopted by Zionists
 Menorah= ancient
source of light
7 branched= Sabbath
9 branched= Hanukah
Denominations
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Orthodox
Conservative
Reform
Reconstructionist
Messianic
Western Wall
•The Western Wall in the midst of the Old City in
Jerusalem is the section of the Western supporting
wall of the Temple Mount which has remained intact
since the destruction of the Second Jerusalem
Temple (70 CE)
•It became a centre of mourning over the destruction
of the Temple and Israel's exile
• communion with the memory of Israel's former glory
and the hope for its restoration
•it became known in European languages as the
"Wailing Wall".
Interesting Facts
 The Israeli flag is rooted in Jewish tradition. The white
background symbolizes purity. The symbols on the flag are
two stripes—one on the top and one on the bottom—and
the Star of David emblem adorning the centre. The stripes
and blue colour are inspired by the techeileth dye of the
tallit (Jewish prayer shawl)
 Jews have regarded the Land of Israel as their homeland,
both as a Holy Land and as a Promised Land. The Land of
Israel holds a special place in Jewish religious obligations,
encompassing Judaism's most important sites — including
the remains of the First and Second Temples
Judaism In Modern
World
Anti Semitism
 in Kingston and World
Zionism
 movement originally for re-establishment
of Jewish nation in Israel
Holocaust
 (Heb., sho'ah) which originally meant a
sacrifice totally burned by fire
 the annihilation of the Jews (6 million)
and other groups of people of Europe (5
million) under the Nazi regime during
World War II
Middle East Conflict
 Issue of who has the rightful claim to
Jerusalem
This Nazi propaganda poster reads,
‘Behind the enemy powers: the Jew.
“The Eternal Jew”
Depiction of a Jew holding gold coins in one hand
and a whip in the other. Under his arm is a map of
the world, with the imprint of the hammer and
sickle. Posters like this promoted a sharp rise in
anti-Semitic feelings, and in some cases violence
against the Jewish community.