Founding Story:
Abraham was the patriarch or head of his tribe. Abraham's households was very large, with sons and their wives and children living at home, along with those son's sons and their wives and offspring and so on. Abraham had many responsibilities. He settles disputes and punished lawbreakers. He officiated at religious ceremonies, led his tribe to wars with other tribes. His greatest responsibility was to look after the well-being of his tribe by deciding where they would live. So Abraham left the region of Ur which they were staying at before and moved along with his tribe to Haran. In Haran, God revealed himself to Abraham. God made a covenant with Abraham and his people. He would give them their promised land as their home only if they carried out Gods served and obeyed him. As promised God gave Abraham instructions to gather his people and move to the land that God had promised them known as Canaan. Canaan was located south of Egypt, east of the Arabian desert, and was bordered by the Mediterranean Sea. He gathered his people and guided them to Canaan.
Classification:
Judaisms are monotheistic which means they worship only one god (Abraham). Although there are different branches of of Judaism, all Jews share certain beliefs and truths.
Key Figures:
No one in Jewish history is more loved and respected than Abraham. In Judaism there are two intriguing stories about great patriarch. The first intriguing story includes an incident that took place when Abraham was a boy living in his father's house in Ur. His father, Terah was an idol merchant, and because everyone in those days worshiped idols, business was good. The other story is more familiar. It deals with God ordering Abraham to sacrifice his young son, Isaac on an alter. In those days, it was common practice to sacrifice a human being to the gods.
In 1020 B.C. the Period of Judges ended and formed the Kingdom of Israel. The first king is Saul. Saul rules for 20 years. Even though he was successful in fighting with enemies he lacked the wisdom the Israelites expected of their king. In 1000 B.C. he was finally defeated in a battle and died soon after by falling on a sword. The next king the Israelites chose was David. David already made a name for himself. He was armed with only a slingshot when he defeated a giant Philistine warrior. David was a much-loved king who established Jerusalem as the capital of his kingdom. He ruled from 1000 B.C. to 961 B.C. David's son Solomon then took the throne. Solomon built the Temple of Jerusalem, roads, fortresses, and other structures that made Israel strong. Solomon was known for his great wisdom. He lacked resistant of using taxpayers' money. He died in 922 B.C and after the reign of 39 years, Israel was ripe for revolt. Moses was the second great leader of the ancient Hebrews. Moses was born in Egypt sometimes n the 13th century B.C. This wasn't a good time to be born because Egypt had every son decreed that had a Hebrew mother. The Pharaoh ordered to kill all male babies because it was an attempt to reduce the Hebrew population. Moses' mother hid him for several months. A little while after that his mother put him a basket and placed him in the Nile River hoping for the best. Moses was found by the Pharaoh's daughter and Moses was the Pharaoh raised him as a prince. One day Moses saw an Egyptian official severely beating a Hebrew. He stood up for the Hebrew by killing the Egyptian which caused his to be forced to leave Egypt. |
In the year that Solomon died, the Israelites split into two kingdoms. One was the Kingdom of Israel in the north and the other was the Kingdom of Judah in the south.
Religious Authority:
The top 10 commandments in the Torah are:
Jewish Bible
The Torah is the first part of the Jewish bible. It is the central and most important document of Judaism and has been used by Jews through the ages. Torah refers to the five books of Moses which are known in Hebrew as Chameesha Choomshey Torah. These are: Bresheit (Genesis), Shemot (Exodus), Vayicra (Leviticus), Bamidbar (Numbers), and Devarim (Deuteronomy). Jews believe that God dictated the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai 50 days after their exodus from Egyptian slavery. They believe that the Torah shows how God wants Jews to live. The Talmud includes explanations or amplification and oral teachings of the Torah. The Talmud is made of the Mishna and the Gamara. The Ark holds the holy box which makes it special. Every synagogue has its own Torah scrolls that is written in Hebrew. 304,805 in a Torah scroll. Each page has 2-4 lines.
- I am the Lord, your God.
- Thou shall bring no false idols before me.
- Do not take the name of the Lord in vain.
- Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy.
- Honor thy father and thy mother.
- Thou shall not kill/murder.
- Thou shall not commit adultery.
- Thou shall not steal.
- Thou shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- Thou shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
Jewish Bible
The Torah is the first part of the Jewish bible. It is the central and most important document of Judaism and has been used by Jews through the ages. Torah refers to the five books of Moses which are known in Hebrew as Chameesha Choomshey Torah. These are: Bresheit (Genesis), Shemot (Exodus), Vayicra (Leviticus), Bamidbar (Numbers), and Devarim (Deuteronomy). Jews believe that God dictated the Torah to Moses on Mount Sinai 50 days after their exodus from Egyptian slavery. They believe that the Torah shows how God wants Jews to live. The Talmud includes explanations or amplification and oral teachings of the Torah. The Talmud is made of the Mishna and the Gamara. The Ark holds the holy box which makes it special. Every synagogue has its own Torah scrolls that is written in Hebrew. 304,805 in a Torah scroll. Each page has 2-4 lines.
Belief about the afterlife
Goal of Religion:
The goal of Judaism is to act as the chosen ones and be a good example to the rest of the world as the chosen . They act like this so the world will have someone to look up to. Their goal is to live the best life they can. People who do the most good to the world in their life will be guaranteed to have a happy afterlife.
Concept of a Higher Power:
Judaism does not concern itself with a formal set of beliefs or dogma. They focus on one's relationship with God and ethical conduct. In Judaism there are many beliefs. Jews call God, Yahweh or Adonai.
They believe things such as:
They believe things such as:
- God is all-knowing, without fault and form.
- God made a covenant with Abraham.
- God chose the Hebrews to receive his laws as long as they obeyed him and followed his laws, he would look after them and protect them
- All people are equal and should be treated with respect and love
- Believe in the coming of Messiah or Savior
Rules/Guidelines for Daily Life
Sabbath: is the day of rest. The most important day of the week begins every Friday before sunsets and last 25 hours. God commanded the Jewish People to observe the Sabbath and keep it holy as the fourth of the Ten Commandments. They sing traditional songs to keep themselves occupied. The idea of a day of rest comes from the Bible Story of the Creation: God rested from creating the universe on the seventh day of that first week, so Jews rest from work on the Sabbath. They are not able to work or read the Torah at Sabbath.
There are 613 mitzvot (commandments) in the Torah. Some other commandments are:
Jewish homes have a decorative oblong box made of wood, metal or glass that is fastened to the right-hand side of the doorjamb. Traditional Jews feel that by the touching the mezuzah they reminded of God's presence. They follow the Kosher diet which means:
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Key Holidays:
Hanukkah/Chanukah: Is the Jewish Festival of Lights. It dates back to two centuries before the beginning of Christianity. The festival begins on the 25th day of Kislev and is celebrated for eight days. In the western calendar Hanukkah is celebrated in November or December. This comes from when the Maccabees rededicated the temple they discovered a single cruse of oil and that lasted them eight days. On the first night they recite three and on subsequent nights they say the first two. The blessings are said before the candles are lit. When the candles are lit, they recite a prayer and sing a hymn. A custom that the Jewish have during Hanukkah is that they exchange gifts.
Passover: The story of Passover is told in the Book of Exodus. It is an event that reminds them of Jewish slaves and the victory for freeing them. During Feast of Passover, they eat meals that remind them of what the Jewish slaves ate. Yom Kippur: The holliest day of the year brings the Days of Repentance to a close. On Yom Kippur, God makes the final decision on what the next year will be like for each person. The Book of Life is closed and sealed, and those who have properly repented for their sins will be granted a happy New Year. Bat/Bar Mitzvah: In America a Bat (girl) or Bar (boy) Mitzvah is like a birthday party for their 12th or 13th birthday. In Judaism, this is the "coming of age" ritual that signifies the passage from childhood to adulthood. |
Holy Sites and Symbols:
Synagogue: Synagogue comes from the Greek word meaning "assembly" or "to bring together."
A synagogue is a place where Jews go to worship God. It is a place that serves the community as a learning center. Prayer takes place at the synagogue in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Most synagogues have a school where Jewish children could go and learn more about the Jewish religion. Back in time, Synagogues were built to be facing in the direction of the Jerusalem. Today, there are still some that face in the direction of the Jerusalem. The family is the center of Jewish life, and the synagogue is the place of public worship. Menorah: Each candle stick represents the number of days it took God to create the universe. The middle branch stands for Sabbath (day of rest). Star of David: 6 point star that represents the shape of David's shield. The Star of David is also called the "Shield of David." |
Sects and Branches:
There are many different denominations, branches and sects of Judaism. The most often are:
- Orthodox- very strict when it comes to their religion
- Conservative- a form of traditional Judaism that falls halfway between Orthodox Judaism and Reform Judaism.
- Reform- the acceptance of any particular belief or practice is up to the individual
- Reconstrictionist- an American Jewish denomination founded in the last century that seeks to unite Jewish history
- Liberal
- Kabbalist/Cabbalist
- Political Zionist
- Non-Orthodox
- Ultra-Orthodox
- Ashkenazi (European)
- Sephardi (Oriental)