Judaism began about 4000 years ago with the Hebrew
people in the Middle East.
Abraham, a Hebrew man, is considered the father of the Jewish faith He promoted the central idea of the Jewish faith: that there is one God. At the time many people in the Middle East worshipped many gods. It is said that Abraham and his wife Sarah, who were old and childless, were told by God that their children would be as plentiful as the stars in the sky and that they would live in a land of their own -- the Promised Land. This gradually came true. Abraham's son, Isaac had a son, Jacob, also called Israel. In this way the descendants of Abraham came to be known as the Israelites. God promised the Israelites he would care for them as long as they obeyed God's laws. While still travelling, the Hebrews lived in Egypt where they were enslaved. Moses, a Hebrew, was chosen by God to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt. Moses led the Hebrew people out of the Sinai Desert toward the promised land. At Mt. Sinai, God gave Moses the Law which would guide the Israelites to today. The laws were called the Ten Commandments and form the basis of the Torah, the book of Jewish law. It took many years for the Israelites to finally get to what they thought was the Promised Land - Canaan. After some fighting the Jews established the Israelite kingdom. After many years, Canaan was conquered by the Assyrians, the Babylonians and then eventually the Romans. The Israelites once again found themselves enslaved, this time by Babylonians. The Israelites were then taken over by Romans who destroyed much of what had been built in Jerusalem by the Israelites. Most of the Jews were scattered all over the region and eventually moved from place to place to avoid persecution which continues to this day. The dispersion of the Jews is called the Diaspora. The worst persecution of the Jews was during World War II by the Nazis who murdered more than six million Jews or a third of the world's Jewish population. This was called the Holocaust. Beginning in the 1880's Jews began returning to their homeland in growing numbers, this time to avoid persecution where they lived. After World War II, many Jews believed that for the Jewish people and culture to survive, Jews needed to live in their own country where all Jews from anywhere in the world would have the right to live and be citizens. In 1948, Palestine was divided up and a Jewish state of Israel was formed in the land that was once called Canaan, surrounded by countries with predominantly Muslim populations.
Since Muslims also claimed
rights to the land where the Jews were living, there was conflict, which continues to this day in the Middle East. Today nearly fourteen million Jewish people live all over the world. Approximately half of them live in the United States, one quarter live in Israel, a quarter are still scattered around the world in countries in Europe, Russia, South America, Africa, Asia and other North American and Middle Eastern countries. Anyone born to a Jewish mother is considered a Jew. Jewish people believe in the Torah, which was the whole of the laws given to the Israelites at Sinai. They believe they must follow God's laws which govern daily life. Later legal books, written by rabbis, determine the law as it applies to life in each new place and time. MIQRA (“that which is read”) Also known as the TaNaKh TaNaKh - acronym for three collections of twenty-four Biblical Books: Torah Nevi’im, Ketuvim TORAH Instructions or teachings of ADONAI Also called the PENTATEUCH Collection of the First FIVE books attributed to MOSES GENESIS EXODUS LEVITICUS NUMBERS DEUTERONOMY 2nd Section of TaNaKh (8 Books) Historical Narratives about Israel’s wavering fidelity to the covenant with Adonai Former Prophets Latter Prophets Joshua Isaiah Judges Jeremiah Samuel Ezekiel Kings Twelve Prophets
These prophets reprimanded the people for failing
to live according to the demands of the Covenant Collection of Eleven Books Consists of poetry and worldly wisdom Poetic Five Scrolls Other Books Books (Historical Narratives)
Psalms Song of Songs Daniel
Proverbs Ruth Ezra - Nehemiah Job Lamentations Chronicles Ecclesiastes Esther Jews are deeply TEXTUAL Possession and Reverence for Books are a characteristics of the Jewish People Religious books are not just thrown away or discarded when they become obsolete They honorably bury them The oral TORAH – the verbal instructions of God handed to Moses The Talmud consists of commentaries on the Torah by Jewish Rabbis These Oral Torah was later compiled in the Misnah – Short work in Hebrew Gemara – Longer work in Aramaic JUDAISM MAJOR DIVISIONS There are three basic groups of Jewish people who have a different understanding of the interpretation of the Torah. Orthodox Jews believe that all of the practices in the Torah which it is practical to obey must be obeyed without question. It regards the Torah, both Written and Oral, as literally revealed by God on Mount Sinai and faithfully transmitted ever since. The TORAH permits no Modification It advocates a strict observance of Jewish Law, or halakha, Obeying the dietary, purity, ethical, and other laws of halakha is the hallmark of Orthodoxy. Other key doctrines include belief in a future bodily resurrection of the dead, divine reward and punishment for the righteous and the sinners, the Election of Israel as a people bound by a covenant with God, and an eventual reign by a salvific Messiah-King who will restore the Temple in Jerusalem. Also known as Masorti Judaism Views Jewish law, or Halakha, as both binding and subject to historical development. Seeks to integrate the best of Jewish Tradition with the best of Modernity Open minded in interpreting Jewish values according to the demands of changing times Also known as Liberal Judaism or Progressive Judaism Emphasizes the following: evolving nature of the faith, the superiority of its ethical aspects to the ceremonial ones, and belief in a continuous revelation, closely intertwined with human reason and intellect, and not centered on the theophany at Mount Sinai. Regards Jewish Law as non-binding and the individual Jew as autonomous, Characterized by the following: openness to external influences and progressive values. commitment to racial and gender inclusivity and equality Considers a child to be Jewish as long as the father and mother are Jewish and the child is raised as a Jew Permits women to become Rabbis, Cantors, and Synagogue Presidents Allows people with Homosexual orientations to participate in the synagogue JUDAISM Creed There is only One Supreme Personal God God Created the Universe God is Infinite God is beyond human understanding and imagination God Revealed Himself to Moses and the Other Prophets God of history God is referred to as: To guard the Holiness of God’s Name the Hebrew Word Elohim ADONAI is substituted for YHWH. YHWH God’s Name is most holy that Adonai out of reverence pious Jews say HaShem to refer to God in HaShem (The Name) prayer and in conversation The Thirteen Articles of Faith By Moses Maimonides
God alone is the Creator God gave the Torah to Moses
The Torah is Perfect, not subject to
God is absolutely One change. And no other will be given God Knows all the thoughts and deeds God has no body or bodily shape of human beings
God rewards and punishes according
God is the First and The Last to one’s deeds
God alone deserves worship, God’s Messiah will come at an
obedience and praise unexpected time
The words of God’s Prophets are true The Dead will be resurrected
The Prophecy of Moses, the first and
greatest prophet and father of all prophets, is true “ Now if you will pay careful attention to what I say and keep my covenant, then you will be my own treasure from among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you will be a kingdom of cohanim (priests) for me, a nation set apart. These are the words you are to speak to the people of Israel (Exodus 19:5-6, CJB) This covenant may be considered as the existential root and core of JEWISH identity, purpose, and destiny.
Under this covenant, all Jews are brothers and
sisters who are expected to reflect God’s Holiness for their fulfilment of the COMMANDMENTS (Mitzvah) “For I am Adonai… your God. Therefore, you are to be holy because I am Holy.” Leviticus 11:45, CJB
Katherine M. Stott (2008) - Why Did They Write This Way? Reflections On References To Written Documents in The Hebrew Bible and Ancient Literature. T&T Clark (Ebook, I)
Terry William Dingman (2002) - The Influence of The Angelology of 1 Enoch On Judaism in The Second Temple Period. Doctoral Thesis, University of South Africa