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Judaism
Unit Two
The Beginning
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In the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth. The earth was without form, and
void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face
of the waters.
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there
was light. And God saw the light, that it was
good; and God divided the light from the
darkness. God called the light Day, and the
darkness He called Night. So the evening and
the morning were the first day.
Some Facts
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Judaism is the smallest of the world’s major
religions, with a worldwide population of about
14 million.
We study it, despite its small numbers, for two
reasons……
It has made great contributions to Western
religious thinking and philosophy.
No other religious group has endured such
persecution because of its beliefs.
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Judaism is the oldest of the three great
monotheistic religions, dating back
approximately 4000 years.
From Adam and Eve to Abraham and Moses,
Judaism gave roots to both Christianity and
Islam.
Many of the prophets revered in Hebrew
Scriptures are also revered in the Christian and
Muslim traditions.
It has a tradition of scholarship, from the Bible
to philosophy to science, and Jews have
discoveries that have changed the way people
see the world.
From the Babylonian captivity, Egyptian slavery,
the Spanish Inquisition to the Nazis, Jews have
been subjected to great persecution.
At the end of this unit you should
be able to………
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Identify the origins and beliefs of Judaism.
Identify those who have contributed to the
Jewish faith, such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
Moses, Maimonides and Judah the Prince.
Describe Jewish worship, beliefs, practices,
rituals, symbols and festivals.
Describe the sacred writings of Judaism
Understand how Jews are represented in
Canada.
Origins
The Patriarch of the Covenant:
Abraham
According to Hebrew scriptures, around 2000
BCE, Abraham received a vision from God that
instructed him to leave his home in UR, move to
Haran and later, Canaan.
 The vision came from the one true God and thus
the monotheistic tradition of the Hebrew faith.
 His instructions were to move to a special land
and raise a nation. Eventually this special land
came to be Canaan.
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Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, "Abraham!"
"Here I am," he replied. Then God said, "Take your son, your only son,
Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him
there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about."
From this two ideas emerged that would
develop into Judaism.
1. The Jews represented God’s chosen people.
God chose Abraham and promised to make all
of his descendants God’s chosen people.
2. The idea of a promised land was established.
It was Abraham, his son Isaac and his
grandson Jacob, that sought to keep the
covenant with God and develop a community
in the promised land.
A covenant is a solemn and binding agreement.
The covenant between God and Abraham is
the key to the Jewish faith.
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Moses and The Covenant
The Hebrews had been enslaved by the Egyptians and
they longed for liberty. Moses was raised in the
Pharaoh’s court but fled when he had killed an Egyptian.
 Many years latter, while looking after his flock, he
encountered a burning bush that was not being
consumed by the flames. God’s voice came from the
bush and ordered Moses to set the Hebrews free and
bring them to the promised land.
 Through Moses God brought ten plagues on the
Egyptians until Pharaoh finally agreed to let the Hebrews
go.
 As the Hebrews, led by Moses, came to the Red Sea,
Moses parted the sea so that they could cross. Pharaoh
had changed his mind and sent his army to stop the
Hebrews. As they came through the part of the Red Sea,
Moses returned the sea to normal and Pharaoh’s army
drowned.
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This event is referred to as the Exodus.
 God appeared to Moses again on Mount
Sinai, sharing with him the Ten
commandants.
 Moses sinned with pride and died before
he could see the promised land.
 The Hebrews continued on their journey
and settled the area around where present
day Israel is located today.
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Judges, Kings and Prophets
After 40 years of wandering in the desert, the Israelites
arrived in Canaan. This marked the beginning of the
Biblical period of Judges and Kings.
 At first the Israelites were led by people referred to as
Judges. They were like tribal leaders or chiefs who led
the people through periods of crisis.
 Around 1000BCE, the period of Kings began, starting
with Saul, then David (established Jerusalem as the
capital), and finally Solomon (built the temple). His
death ended the era of Kings.
 Around 921 BCE the kingdom divided into Israel in the
North and Judah in the South.
 The Prophets predicted the end of this era. A Prophet
refers to one who speaks on behalf of god or one who
predicts the future. In Jewish tradition a prophet is one
who receives a message from God and delivers that
message to God’s people.
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The Exile
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In 586 BCE Babylonian invaders captured Judah and
destroyed Solomon’s temple. Around 10,000 Jewish
leaders were captured and sent into exile in Babylon.
Known as The Babylonian Captivity, they were held
there until Cyrus the great of Persia released them in
538 BCE.
During the exile, places for worship were created, called
Synagogues.
The exile also marked the emergence of revered
teachers known as Rabbis.
Finally, during this period, the development of a belief in
a divine kingship occurred. The Messiah, which means
anointed one, came to mean hope for the Jews, a great
king who would lead them out of oppression.
After their release from captivity the people returned to
their homeland. They built a new temple and from this
point on they would be referred to as JEWS!
The Diaspora
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Greek for “sowing of seed” or “dispersal.”
Diaspora is the term used when referring to the Jewish
population living outside of Israel.
Jews were led by Rabbis and prayed in Synagogues.
A process called Hellenization, the influence of Greek
culture, affected the Diaspora Jews especially and the
Bible was translated into Greek.
Legend has it that 70 Jewish scholars all translated the
Bible into Greek, independent of each other, and
produced identical translations.
This translation, known as the Septuagint, has books
often not included in the Christian Bible.
The Maccabean Revolt
In 168 BCE the Jewish temple was converted
into a shrine for the Greek god Zeus!
 A group of rebels called the Maccabees,
started a revolt. By 164 they were back in
control of Jerusalem and the temple was
rededicated to God. The Maccabees would rule
until the Roman conquest.
 The Jews celebrate the Maccabean revolt each
year during Hanukkah.
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Menorah
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The Menorah is a seven
branch candelabrum lit by
olive oil.
After the destruction of
the Jewish temple their
was only enough blessed
oil for one day, to keep
the eternal flame going.
Miraculously, it burned
for eight days, until new
oil could be obtained and
the temple rebuilt.
The Jews and the Romans
In 64 BCE, the Roman general Pompey entered
Jerusalem.
 The harshness of Roman rule led to a renewed emphasis
on the messiah, one anointed by God to lead the Jews
out of oppression.
 Heavy taxation, unfair administration of justice and
Roman control of the temple and the high priest, led the
Jews to revolt.
 In 70 CE the Romans responded with force. They
captured Jerusalem and destroyed the temple, which
was never rebuilt.
 The only remaining was the Western Wall (wailing wall)
where Jews today go to pray.
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Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakkai convinced the
Romans to allow him to relocate the Sanhedrin
(the supreme judicial body of the Jews) to the
town of Yavneh.
 This moved preserved the Jewish way of life as
they maintained their scriptures and developed a
Jewish calendar.
 Rabbis replaced priests and Synagogues became
the Jewish place of worship.
 The Rabbinic movement brought greater
emphasis to Jewish law, including the Torah,
the Mishnah (early Rabbinic teachings on how
to live a life in accordance with the Torah,
around 200 CE) and the Talmud (Rabbinic
teachings from the Mishnah, main source of
Jewish teaching from medieval times to present
day)
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By 100 CE the rabbis had compiled a
substantial body of commentary on the
Bible known as the Midrash. It looks at
puzzling situations presented in the Bible
and poses possible explanations for these
problems.
 The Jewish experience from exile to
Roman occupation is one of fortitude and
unfailing faith.
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Jewish Beliefs
Centered on one God and the covenant.
A Jew is a person either born Jewish or
converted. As long as one of a child’s parents is
Jewish, the child is considered Jewish.
 The process of conversion is called Gerut, where
candidates must reveal knowledge of Judaism,
confirm their Jewish beliefs, demonstrate a will
to act ethically and show a connection with the
Jewish people.
 Jews believe that God is the creator of
everything! Their belief can be summarized as
follows:
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Shema, the Jewish creed of faith. “
hear, O Israel, The Lord is our God, the
Lord is one.
Five Fundamental Concepts – there
is a God, there is only one God, God
created the world but the world will not
last forever, there is only one universe
and god cares for the world and all its
creatures.
Thirteen Articles of Faith – of the 13,
3 are considered absolute….there is one
God, God is perfect unity, God is
immaterial.
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Further understanding of Jewish beliefs can be
illustrated by their commitment to the
covenant. This commitment can be
summarized as follows:
Chosen people – God chose them but they
also chose God. Some anti-Semitism
(hostility and prejudice towards Jews)
Promised Land – God promised a land to his
people, the Jews believe this to be Israel.
Messiah – Jews believe that God will send a
great leader to the world to bring peace and
harmony.
World to Come – The belief that God will
provide a future time of peace and prosperity
for the Jewish people.
Practices, Rituals, Symbols and
Festivals
A Synagogue is the communal place of worship
for Jews. It is also referred to as Shul, which
emphasizes it as a place of study.
 The Torah scroll, comprised of the five books
of Moses, is the most sacred object of Jewish
life.
 When the Jews received the ten commandments
in the desert, they made an ark to place them
in. Called the Ark of the Covenant, each
Synagogue has a replica which contains the
Torah scrolls.
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A Rabbi is a trained scholar, a teacher, an
interpreter of Jewish law, a counselor and
presides over special ceremonies.
 Fulfilling the requirements of the Jewish
dietary laws of Kashruth is called being
Kosher. The idea of Kosher foods
distinguishes Jews from others and speaks
to their humanity and humility.
 Humanity refers to their method of killing
animals as humanely as possible, humility
refers to how grateful the Jews are for the
food provided by God.
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Star of David
Named after King David of ancient Israel
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Yom Kippur – the most solemn religious day of
the Jewish year, marked by fasting and prayers
of repentance.
Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year,
September or early October.
Circumcision – occurs eight days after birth,
performed by a Mohel, it is done during a
ceremony called a Bris Mulah. A boy is named
during this ceremony.
Shiva – seven-day period of mourning following
the death of a person.
Bar Mitzvah – occurs when a boy turns 13 (Bat
Mitzvah for girls) and is now considered an adult
in the Jewish community.
Anti-Semitism
Why did Jews become targets of hatred and
prejudice…….
1. Lacking a homeland and living in scattered communities,
Jews were always the outsiders.
2. Different religious customs and clothing styles made
them seem strange, different and untrustworthy.
3. Blamed for the death of Christ.
4. Jews moved a lot and therefore did not have an
opportunity to establish themselves in communities.
5. Jews were blamed for societal problems.
6. In the middle ages, Jews who lent money and charged
interest were accused of being cheats and thieves.
7. As Jews became successful they were viewed with
jealously and suspicion.
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Judaism In Canada
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Judaism has a long history in Canada and thrives here
today.
The first Synagogue was built in Montreal in 1768.
In June, 1939, Canada refused entry to an ocean liner
called St. Louis, carrying Jewish refuges from Europe.
Later half of the 907 passengers were killed by the
Nazis. After the war, when Hitler’s atrocities became
known, Canada accepted a huge post-war wave of
Jewish immigrants.
Seven Canadian provinces have made Holocaust
Remembrance day (held in April) an official day on the
Provincial calendar.