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Overview Judaism is both the traditional religion and culture of the Jewish people. Non-Jews (known as Gentiles) can convert to Judaism, although converts are not sought out. The Jewish ancestors, as well as their language and culture are referred to as Hebrew. Judaism follows the Torah, which are the five accepted books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). Three Patriarchs: the physical and spiritual founders of Judaism. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. Patriarch 1: Abraham The founder of Judaism (and by extension Christianity and Islam) is Abraham. Born in the city of Ur in Babylonia around 1800 BCE. His father Terach was an idol merchant. Idols were worshipped as gods, not as representations of gods. Abraham questioned the validity of worshipping inanimate idols. He believed that the universe was the work of a single creator. He would share his views with others. Abraham tried to convince his father, Terach, of the folly of idol worship. One day, when Abraham was left alone to mind the store, he took a hammer and smashed all of the idols except the largest one. He placed the hammer in the hand of the largest idol. When his father returned and asked what happened, Abraham said, "The idols got into a fight, and the big one smashed all the other ones." His father said, "Don't be ridiculous. These idols have no life or power. They can't do anything." Abraham replied, "Then why do you worship them?" According to Hebrew tradition, God took notice that Abraham had figured it out, so He contacted him. God made a deal with Abraham; if he left his home and family he would be the founder of a great nation. The concept of a nation in Judaism is slightly different to the classical terminology. Rather than be a political territory, nation refers to a community of people with a shared history and identity. Abraham agreed to this, and the covenant was established between God and the Hebrews. The covenant is one of the fundamental principles that underlies Judaism. Covenant (b’rit) means ‘contract’. This is a mutual agreement that the Hebrews have responsibilities to God, just as God has responsibilities to the Hebrews. Abraham was given several tests of loyalty and sincerity by God to test if he was up to the task. The first was his leaving home. Leaving the city to wander Israel for many years, Abraham was promised by God that he would make this land the home of his descendents. Problem was that by now Abraham was 100 years old and had no kids. Plus his wife Sarah was 90. Sarah knew she was too old to give Abraham a son, so she gave him her Egyptian maidservant Hagar as consolation. Abraham and Hagar had a son Ishmael, who according to both Judaism and Islam is the ancestor of the Arabs. God remembered that he made a promise, so he made it possible for Abraham to have a son by Sarah. This son’s name was Isaac. Isaac is seen as the ancestor of the Jewish people, so the conflict between Arabs and Jews is like a rivalry between half-brothers. Woah, stop! God was only joking! Pretty funny, eh? HALP! Patriarch 2: Isaac As the final test of Abraham’s faith, God instructed him to tie his son Isaac to an alter and sacrifice him. Both Abraham and Isaac were ok with this, and the deed was about to be done when God sent an angel to stop them. Abraham sacrificed a ram instead. Human sacrifice abhorred by God. A common practice in those times (Baal). Isaac went on to have twin sons, Jacob and Esau. Patriarch 3: Jacob The twins were at war with each other even before they were born. Isaac favoured Esau because of his skills as a hunter, while Rebecca favoured Jacob because he was more spiritually minded. Esau wasn’t interested in his ancestry, and sold his birthright to Jacob for some soup. As an old man, Isaac was tricked by Rebecca into giving Jacob a blessing that was meant for Esau. Esau was angry about this (and his lost birthright), which forced Jacob to leave. While out wandering, Jacob married Rachel, Leah, Bilhah and Zilphah. With these wives Jacob fathered 12 sons and 1 daughter. After years of living abroad, Jacob decided it was time to go home and reconcile with Esau. Jacob prepared a bunch of gifts for his brother, and sent his wife and kids to deliver them before he himself arrived. That night, Jacob was jumped by some guy and they fought until dawn. Turns out the assailant was an angel, who gave Jacob the name Israel (One who has wrestled with God). Israel went and met Esau, and they reconciled. To this day the Jews refer to themselves as the Children of Israel, as in the children of Jacob. Afterlife Followers of Judaism believe that death is not the end. However, what happens in the afterlife is fairly open to interpretation. For the most part, the Jewish concept of the afterlife is the same as Christianity. There are also suggestions that reincarnation is a valid occurrence after death. Like Christianity and Islam, there are denominations of Judaism. Reform Conservative Orthodox What is diversity within a faith or culture? Orthodox Orthodox Jews follow a traditional interpretation of Judaism. Maintain halakhah; traditional Jewish laws based on Old Testament commandments, commandments issued by Rabbis, and binding customs. Fundamentalist belief in the Torah. Dress differently and maintain a separate lifestyle from the mainstream. Reform Do not believe that the Torah was written by God. Accept that the Bible was written by separate human sources. Take critical approach to Biblical study. Retain ethics and culture of Judaism, but do not exactly follow the commandments. Liberal and agnostic Jews identify themselves as reformist. Conservative Middle ground between Orthodox and Reform. Maintains that Bible is the truth of God, but was transmitted through human authors. Believe Jewish law should change and adapt according to changing society. Synagogue Menorah Rabbi Star of David Can you think about ways that Judaism is like Christianity What is Judaism? Judaism is the world’s oldest religion – it is around 2,000 years older than Christianity! There are around 13.2 million Jews living in the world today – nearly half of these live in a country called Israel. Judaism and Christianity both have very important symbols.... The Jewish symbol is the Star of David, a six-pointed star that we draw by drawing two triangles, different ways up. It is named after the Jewish king David, who defeated the giant Goliath. Can you think of the symbol that represents Christianity? Clue: there’s one in your school hall! The symbol of the cross represents Christianity, just like the Star of David represents the Jewish religion. Both Judaism and Christianity have important holy texts as well.... The holy book that Christians read is called the Bible The Torah The Jewish holy book is written in the language of Hebrew. It is on a large, decorative scroll and has the same stories as the first five books of the Christian Old Testament – so it tells of Noah’s Ark, Adam and Eve and Moses. It is called.... What About Worship? When Christians want to worship God they go to the church..... Jews go to a holy building to worship as well. They come in many shapes and sizes and can be decorative or very plain. They are called.... Synagogues A Rabbi A Jewish holy man is called a Rabbi – he takes the services and ceremonies in a synagogue, just like a priest or vicar would in a Christian Church. Here is a Rabbi reading the Torah Do Jews pray? What do you notice about this Jewish man praying? At school we pray to God during collective worship and at the end of the day. Jewish people pray too – mainly in their homes and in the synagogue. Did you notice what he was wearing? This man is wearing a special shawl called a tallit or a tallis, and also a special hat called a skullcap, or a kippah. Why do they wear these? Kippahs and tallits are worn to cover the head – sometimes all the time, but mainly inside the synagogue. This is so Jews always have something dividing them from God above them in heaven – so God will not be offended. Can you think of anything like this in Christianity? Although Christians do not have any traditions exactly like this, in many churches, women and men must both make sure their shoulders are covered – as a mark of respect to God.