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Judaism 101
What is Judaism?
Is Judaism a Religion?
Clearly, there is a religion called Judaism, but many
people call themselves Jews who do not believe in God
or practice the religion (called “secular” Jews), so…
Is It a Culture or Ethnic Group?
There are certainly cultural traits and behaviors that are
shared by many Jews, however, that culture is not shared
by all Jews all over the world, and people who do not
share that culture are no less Jews because of it, so…
Who Is a Jew?
• In Jewish matrilineal tradition, anyone who is
born of a Jewish mother is a Jew, regardless of
her or his beliefs;
and/or
• anyone who formally converts to Judaism.
However…
For the purposes of this discussion, we will mostly examine Judaism
as a Religion, so, we ask again:
What is Judaism?
Judaism is…
• the religion of the Jewish people.
• the first monotheistic religion and among the oldest
recorded religions, dating back nearly 4,000 years.
mon·o·the·ism [mon-uh-thee-iz-uhm]
noun
the doctrine or belief that there is only one God
• the smallest of the world’s major religions, with a
worldwide population of about 14 million, or .2% of
people in the world.
What is the Role of
Place?
As we learn about Judaism,
keep in mind this mini-question.
What is the Role of Place
in Judaism?
Jewish Diaspora
• As the result of a history of extreme
persecution, many Jews live in what is called:
the Diaspora.
• Diaspora means “dispersed” and it often is
used to refer to the Jews who do not live in
Israel.
• Currently, close to half of all Jews in the world
live in Israel, or Eratz Yisroel, also referred to in
the Bible as Canaan, and by many as Palestine.
As a Faith, Jews Believe in...
• One God, as the Creator of the Universe, personal
but non-corporeal (not having a human form)
• The Torah, the first five books of the Bible, which,
along with the Tanakh, and Talmud contains the
religious, moral and social law which guides the
lives of Jewish people
• Prophets of old, especially Moses, through whom
the Torah was revealed to the Jewish people
The Torah
• Written in Hebrew, by
hand, on a scroll of
parchment.
• Kept in a cloth covering
when not in use, and
stored in an “Ark”
Three Main Movements
• While Jews are united by a common heritage,
they are divided in terms of how they practice
their religion.
• In Judaism, the sects or denominations of Jews
are called “Movements”, of which there are
primarily three:
• Orthodox
• Reform
• Conservative
Orthodox Jews
• Believe that God gave the Torah directly to Moses on Mount
Sinai.
• They observe strictly all Jewish Laws
• Men wear skullcaps, called “kipot” or “yarmulkes”at all times to
how respect for God, women wear wigs
• Follow Strict dietary rules: keep “Kosher”
• Hassidic, or “Ultra Orthodox” Jews wear traditional clothing:
Black hats, forelocks
• Women and men worship separately – very traditional gender
roles maintined
Reform Jews
• In the early 1800s, some Jews began to doubt
the origins of the sacred writings
• They began to believe that the oral law came
from people, not from God
• These Jews believe that while moral teachings
from the Torah are important, many rituals and
ceremonies are not
• They adapt Jewish law to fit current times
Conservative Jews
• Developed after the Reform movement,
Conservative Jews believe that the Torah
should be revered as Jewish law from God,
BUT they also argue that practices should be
relevant to modern times.
• Conservative Jews maintain most traditional
customs and laws.
Jewish Values…
Brief history of Judaism:
People of the Covenant
• According to Hebrew scriptures, around 2100
BCE, Abraham received a vision from God that
instructed him to leave his home in Ur, move
to Haran and later, Canaan.
• His instructions were to move to a special land
and raise a nation. Eventually this special land
came to be Canaan.
A covenant is…
a solemn and binding agreement.
The covenant between God and the Jews is key
to the Jewish faith.
Abraham’s Journey
• Some time later, God asked Abraham to make a
sacrifice of his beloved son Isaac. Abraham
prepared to do so, but God stops him just in time.
• God saw that Abraham’s faith was true, and made
a promise to Abraham that all his descendants
would be his Chosen People
• The idea of a Promised Land was established.
• As God’s chosen people, Abraham and his
descendants promised to keep faith with God,
follow his command, and in turn, they would be
led to the Promised Land: This was the covenant.
• This covenant was reinforced around 500
years later, when one of Abraham’s
decendants, Moses, received the
Ten Commandments
from God on Mount Sinai, as they wandered in
the desert after escaping from slavery in Egypt.
Historical Timeline continues…
• 1200 BCE: 1st” Kingdom” of Israel established
• 722 BCE: Jews come under Assyrian rule
• 586 BCE: Jews conquered by Babylonians – First Temple
Destroyed (Temple of Solomon)
• 516 BCE: Temple rebuilt on the Temple mount in Jerusalem
• 167 BCE: Greeks have moved in and Jews rebel
• 63 BCE: Romans conquer and take control
• 66-70 CE: Jews revolted against Romans – Second Temple in
Jerusalem destroyed
Destruction of the
Second Temple
With the destruction of the Second Temple,
Judaism experienced a significant shift from a
religion based in sacrifice and prayer in the one
Holy Temple in Jerusalem
to
Rabbinic Judaism, when Jews had to face a new
reality of Judaism without a Temple.
Rabbis are leaders of Judaism.
There was always a tradition of Oral Law in
Judaism. In the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, Rabbis
would debate and interpret the meanings of the
words of the Torah.
When the Temple was destroyed the Rabbis felt
the need to begin to record all of their teachings
and interpretations.
Today, the record of the Oral Law can be read
(and debated) in over 6,000 pages of text called
the Talmud
Timeline: Notable Instances
of Persecution of Jews
•
635: Jews conquered by Muslims
•
1096: First Crusade in Rhineland - Jews massacred
•
1290: Third Crusade – Jews expelled from England
•
1391: Massacre in Spain
•
1492: Jews expelled from Spain
•
1648-57: Massacres in Ukraine
•
1821-1906: Pogroms (mass kiilings of Jews) in Imperial Russia
•
1880 – 1914: 2 million Jews fled the Russian Empire for the US & UK
•
1917: 250,000 Jews killed in Russia
•
1933 -1945: 6 million Jews killed in a genocide by Germans
Zionism
• Began as early as 1897 in response to antisemitic
persecution and discrimination
• a movement of Jews that supported/s the
creation and maintenance of a Jewish homeland in
the territory defined as the Land of Israel
antisemitism [an-tee-sem-i-tiz-uhm]
noun
Hatred of Jews for reasons connected to their Jewish
religion or heritage.
What is the Role of
Place?
So, what is the Role of Place
in Judaism?
Additional Info
Where do Jews worship today?
at a Synagogue, or Shul
The leader of services is a Rabbi, but larger shuls also
have Chazzans, or Cantors, who lead the singing of
prayers.
The Torah is taken out and parts are read on
Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Important Holidays
• All begin at sundown the night before and the dates are
determined by a lunisolar calendar
• Shabbat – the Sabbath, every Friday evening to Saturday evening
• Rosh Hashana – Jewish New Year, usually in September
• Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement – asking forgiveness for
wrongdoing
• Sukkot – Harvest holiday
• Hanukkah – Rededication of the Temple, not actually important
• Passover – Liberation holiday, Jews were freed from Egyptian
slavery
Life Cycle Events
• Bris – circumcision ceremony for infant males
on their 8th day of life, performed by a moyle.
• Bar/Bat Mitzvah – literally: “Son/Daughter of
the Commandment” The coming of age as an
adult: for boys, at age 13, and for girls, at age
12. Typically, to mark the occasion, the Bar or
Bat Mizvah is called to read from the Torah.
• Sitting Shiva – seven day period of mourning
for the dead, at the mourner’s home.
A few symbols of
Judaism
Magen David
Chai
Menorah
(Life)