SUBJECT: Introduction to World Religion and Belief Systems
TOPIC: Judaism
Judaism
oldest of the Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Islam, etc.)
God: Yahweh
The core teaching of Judaism is the covenant of one God with a chosen people vs. other people with many gods.
The history of Judaism begins with Abraham, who came to believe in one Supreme Being, his son Isaac, Isaac's son
Jacob (later called Israel), Jacob's 12 sons who founded the twelve tribes of Israel (Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,
Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph and Benjamin), and Moses.
*The terms "Jew" and "Judaism" were not used generally to refer to this nation until hundreds of years after their time
Abraham
Born: under the name Abram at Ur in Babylonia, (circa 1800 BCE)
Son of Terach, a polytheistic idol merchant, far descendant of Noah
Genesis 12: The Lord commands Abram to leave his country. Abram takes his
wife Sarai, his brother lot and all their belongings and servants and travel to
Canaan. The Lord promises the land to Abrams descendants. Abram journeys
further south to Egypt due to a great famine in the land.
*The Pharaoh in Egypt made the Hebrew slaves because he feared that the Hebrews could become too powerful
because of their growing population.
Moses
Born: (1391-1271 B.C.), Son of Amram (father) and Jochebed (mother)
Story of Moses Moses' mother secretly hid him when the Pharaoh ordered all newborn Hebrew boys to be killed.
Through the Pharaoh's daughter Bithia in the Midrash, the child was adopted as a foundling inside a papyrus basket
floating from the Nile River and grew up with the Egyptian royal family.
Exodus the journey led by Moses (lasted for 40 years) where he led the Hebrews out of Egypt as ordered by God
Mt. Sinai the mountain at which the Ten Commandments were given to Moses by God.
Sacred texts in Judaism
Tanach Primary sacred text of Judaism
- composed of the Pentateuch (Torah), the Prophets (Nevi'im) and the Writings (Ketuvim). Tanach is an
acronym for these three books.
Torah sometimes called instruction, has several meanings
- In its narrowest sense, Torah the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, sometimes called the Pentateuch or
the Five Books of Moses.
- the first five books of the twenty-four books of the Tanakh, and it usually
includes the perushim (rabbinic commentaries).
- means instruction and offers a way of life for those who follow it
- consists of the foundational narrative of Jewish peoplehood: their call into
being by God, their trials and tribulations, and their covenant with their God
- In rabbinic literature the word "Torah" denotes both the five books (Written Torah) as well as the Oral Torah.
By tradition, a true Hebrew Torah doesnt contain written vowels.
- The Oral Torah consists of interpretations and amplifications which according to rabbinic tradition have been
handed down from generation to generation and are now embodied in the Talmud and Midrash.
Nevi'im - contains two sub-groups, the Former Prophets (Nevi'im Rishonim), and the Latter Prophets (Nevi'im
Aharonim),
Former prophets - the narrative books of Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings
Latter prophets - the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel and The Twelve minor prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos,
Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi)
Ketuvim - believed to have been written under divine inspiration, but with one level less authority than that of
prophecy.
Divided into four sections
- poetical books (Psalms, Proverbs, and Job)
- the Megillot, or Scrolls (Song of Solomon, Ruth, Lamentations of Jeremiah, Ecclesiastes, and Esther)
- prophecy (Daniel)
- history (Ezra, Nehemiah, and I and II Chronicles)
Talmud this word is derived from the Hebrew verb 'to teach', which can also be expressed as the verb 'to learn'.
- can also be known by the name Shas, a Hebrew abbreviation for the expression Shishah Sedarim (which
means six orders of the Mishnah)
- the source from which the code of Jewish Halakhah (law) is derived
- made up of:
o Mishnah - the original written version of the oral law
o Gemara - the record of the rabbinic discussions following this writing down. It includes their differences of
view.
Doctrines
613 Rules/Commandments - The 613 mitzvot have been divided into three general categories:
- Mishpatim ("laws") - include commandments that are deemed to be self-evident, such as not to murder and
not to steal
- Edot ("testimonies") - commemorate important events in Jewish history.
- Chukim ("decrees") - are commandments with no known rationale, and are perceived as pure manifestations
of the Divine will.
Ten Commandments - first ten of the 613 commandments given by God to the Jewish people
- These commandments are mentioned in order twice in the Torah - once each in the Book of Exodus and the
Book of Deuteronomy.
1) I am the Lord thy god, who brought thee 6) Thou shalt not murder.
out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of 7) Thou shalt not commit adultery.
bondage. 8) Thou shalt not steal.
2) Thou shalt have no other gods before Me. 9) Thou shalt not bear false witness against they
3) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy neighbor.
God in vain. 10) Thou shalt not covet anything that belongs to thy
4) Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. neighbor.
5) Honor thy father and thy mother.
Sects of Judaism
Orthodox - believing that Jewish law comes from God and cannot be changed; made up of several groups
- Modern Orthodox, who have largely integrated into modern society while maintaining observance of
halakhah (Jewish Law)
- Chasidim, who live separately and dress distinctively
- Yeshivish Orthodox, who are neither Chasidic nor modern.
Conservative - accepting the binding nature of Jewish law but believing that the law can change.
Reform Liberal - does not believe that the Torah was written by God
- accepts the critical theory of Biblical authorship; that the Bible was written by separate sources and redacted
together
- Reform Jews do not believe in observance of commandments as such, but they retain much of the values and
ethics of Judaism, along with some of the practices and the culture
Issues
Antisemitism - comes from the roots "anti" (against) and "Semite" (a term that applies to both Hebrews and Arabs)
- the word "antisemitism" is used specifically to refer to hatred of Jews and Judaism
Zionism - The word is derived from Zion, another name for Jerusalem.
- means the national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of
Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel.
Holocaust - systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime
and its collaborators
- a word of Greek origin meaning "sacrifice by fire."
- The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January 1933, believed that Germans were "racially superior"
and that the Jews, deemed "inferior," were an alien threat to the so-called German racial community.
Reporters:
Yoshka Labrador Kenneth Firmanes Jolina Lagutan Paula Jane Miguel
Chuck Jericho Taylor Ivan Dale Caabay Maria Flor Bagtong Arlene Saripada
Ebinizer Barrios Jr. Pearl Beaver Caubat Maria Fe Eleazar Anvinrose Barone
Clark Manzano Mae Ann Jane Nierva Charell Rose Morgia Honeyzel Eyas
