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Judaism

The Dead Sea Scrolls

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Introduction

Judaism was the first monotheistic religionBoth Christianity and Islam have their roots in Judaism

Introduction

As of 2010, there were nearly 13.5 million Jews worldwide:

www.jewishdatabank.org

Israel:

5.7 million

U.S. :

5.2 million

Europe

: just under 1 million

Russia and Ukraine

: 272,000

According to the Jewish faith, anyone may be considered to be a Jew if:

1. they were born to a Jewish mother

2. they are a convert to Judaism

Origins

The founder of Judaism was Abraham (Abram)

Abram was born in the Sumerian city of Ur around 1800 B.C.

Abram left Ur, wandered up the Euphrates, and settled in Haran

God called out to Abram, offering to make him the father of a great nation, if he would leave Haran.

Abram took his wife

Sarai

, left Haran, and eventually settled in the land of Canaan

Origins

Route Abraham took to Canaan

Origins

Abram entered into a covenant with his god, who promised him a son. Abram was re-named Abraham, which means “father of many”

His wife

Sarai

was re-named Sarah, which means “princess”

Abraham had two sons:

Isaac

= forefather of the Jewish people

Ishmael

= forefather of the Arabic people

The Exodus

Abraham’s great-grandson Joseph led the Hebrews into the land of EgyptThe Hebrews were eventually enslaved by the EgyptiansWere led out of Egypt by Moses. This was known as the Exodus (around 1200 B.C.)Moses led his people back to the land of Canaan. They were given the Ten Commandments by God as their rule of law.

Kingdom of Israel

Under their great king David, the Hebrew people created a kingdom in Canaan, which was located in modern day Israel and Jordan (around 1000 B.C.)Established Jerusalem as the religious and political capitalThis kingdom grew wealthy and powerful under David’s son, King Solomon

Kingdom of Israel

Solomon built a magnificent temple to house the Ark of the Covenant, which is said to have contained the Ten Commandments

First Diaspora

After Solomon’s death, the Kingdom of Israel experienced a period of conflict and discontent

Split into two kingdoms:

Israel = Northern Kingdom: destroyed by Assyria in 722 B.C.

Judah = Southern Kingdom: conquered by Babylon in 586 B.C.

First Diaspora

Under the Babylonian conquest, the Temple of Solomon was destroyed and the Jews were taken away into captivity

This scattering of the Jews from their homeland was known as the

Diaspora

After Babylon was conquered by Persia (around 500 B.C.) the Jews were allowed to return to their homeland, practice their religion, rebuild the Temple, and reestablish their identity

Second Diaspora

By the 1

st century B.C., the Jews living in Israel came under the control of Rome. Region was known as JudaeaIn 70 A.D., the Jews revolted against Roman rule. The Temple was destroyed again, and the Jews were again forced into exileAs further punishment, the Romans renamed the area Palestine

Key Teachings of Judaism

There is only one God

and God provides standards of right and wrong that people should follow. Judaism introduced this belief, called ethical monotheism, to the world

.

Judaism

teaches that there is such a thing as “right” and “wrong” and that people have an obligation to do what is right.

Treat others well

.

Since

the Hebrew Bible states that all people are created in the image of God, Jews believe that every individual is important and deserves to be treated with respect.

Honor the Sabbath.

Judaism teaches that Jews should spend one day a week, the Sabbath, focusing on things other than work and material concerns.

This

is the origin of the idea of a weekly day of rest that is part of many religions and is widely followed in many parts of the world.

Key Teachings of Judaism

Pray

.

Judaism teaches that people can communicate with God through prayer.

Traditionally

observant Jews have daily prayers in the morning, afternoon, and evening, and also pray

before

and after

meals.

Study

.

Judaism teaches that studying the Hebrew Bible and other Jewish texts leads to wisdom and good deeds, so Jewish culture emphasizes the importance of learning.

The

Land of Israel is Judaism’s most important spiritual center.

Most

of the events in sacred Jewish scripture occurred there. Judaism’s most sacred sites are there, including Jerusalem, which is its holiest city and the site where the Jewish Temple once stood.

Key Terms

Synagogues

– Jewish places of worship

The Torah

– the most sacred text in Judaism

The Talmud

– along with Hebrew Bible, the foundation of Jewish ethics and religious practices

Key Terms

Ethical monotheism

– belief in one God and that God wants humans to lead moral lives

Israel

– ancestral homeland of Jewish people and site of Judaism’s holiest places

The Hebrew Bible -

adopted as Old Testament by Christianity

Tanakh

(three books)

Key Terms

Social justice

– idea that individuals and groups should receive fair treatment in all areas of society

Rabbis

– Jewish religious leaders

Diaspora

– forced exile of the Jews from Israel; scattered all over the world

Sects of Judaism

Orthodox

– most traditional branch; emphasizes observance of moral and ritual obligations

Reform

– not as strict on ritual laws

Conservative

– middle ground; emphasizes the study of traditional Jewish texts

Reconstructionist

– believes Judaism is also a civilization as well as a religion; still evolving

Jewish Holidays

Shabbat

– day of rest: sundown Friday until nightfall Saturday

Rosh Hashanah

– Jewish New Year; reflect on past actions and think on how to improve

Yom Kippur

– Day of Atonement; fasting and prayer

Sukkot

– fall harvest festival; build tents which they adorn with fruits and vegetables

Jewish Holidays

Chanukah

– Festival of Lights; observed by lighting a special candleholder called a

menorah

Purim

– give money to the poor; exchange gifts with friends; eat fruit-filled cookies; remembers foiling a plot to kill Jews in ancient Persia

Passover

– celebrates deliverance of Jews from slavery in Egypt

Shavuot

– commemorates giving of Jewish law; observed by staying up all night to study!

Jewish Holidays