Download Chapter 7: Jewish Beliefs and Texts Section 2 Notes Belief in One

Chapter 7: Jewish Beliefs and Texts
Section 2 Notes
Belief in One God (page 208)
Jews believe in ____one_______ God, _____YHWH___________ (Hebrew name for God which is never
pronounced). This belief is called _____monotheism__________. Jews believe in ____justice_________
which means all people should be treated kindly and fairly and ____righteousness______ or doing what
is proper. For the Jews, righteous behavior is more important than formal _____ceremonies_________.
The most important Jewish laws are the ______Ten Commandments___________. The entire set of
laws given to Moses is called the ___Mosaic______ ________Law__________. The laws
_____forbid__________ Jews to work on ____holidays_______ or the _____Sabbath________, the
seventh day of each week. The Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown _____Friday________ and ends at
nightfall _______Saturday---_________, the seventh day of the week. In many Jewish communities
today people who strictly follow Mosaic Law are called ______Orthodox________ Jews. The group of
Jews who choose not to follow many ancient laws are known as ______Reform________ Jews.
The Torah (pages 210 – 212)
The ancient Jews recorded most of their laws in ______five____________ books. These books are called
the _____Torah__________, the most sacred texts of Judaism. The Torah is the first of ____three______
parts of writings called the Hebrew _____Bible__________, or Tanach. The second part describes the
____prophet’s_________ messages. The third part of the Hebrew Bible is _____11________ books of
poetry, songs, stories, lessons, and history.
For centuries scholars have studied the Torah and Jewish laws. Because some laws are hard to
understand, the scholars write ______commentaries________ to explain them. Many commentaries are
found in the _____Talmud________. The writings of the Talmud were produced between A.D. __200___
and ___600_____. Besides the Torah, Hebrew Bible, and Commentaries, many other documents also
explain _____ancient_______ beliefs. The most important are the ___Dead______ ____Sea____ Scrolls.
The scrolls included ______prayers____________, commentaries, letters, and passages from the
Hebrew Bible.
Judaism and Later Cultures (page 213)
Jewish ideas have greatly influenced ____cultures________ for centuries. Their ideas helped shape
_____Christianity______, the largest religion of _______Western______ society today. Jesus – the
founder of _____Christianity____ was a _____Jew_________. Judaism also influenced the development
of ______Islam_________, another major world religion who believed they were also descendants of
_____Abraham_________.
Vocabulary: Write a definition and draw a picture to help you remember each word
Monotheism
Belief in one god
Torah
Most sacred text of Judaism
Synagogue
Jewish house of worship
Prophets
People who are said to receive messages from God to be taught to others
Talmud
Set of commentaries and lessons for everyday life. The writings of the Talmud were produced between
AD 200 and 600
Dead Sea Scrolls
Writings by Jews who lived about 2,000 years ago. The writings were found in a cave near the Dead Sea
in 1947