World Religion lesson 3

• The ancestors of the Jews were groups of Semites called Hebrews whose origin can be traced in the desert lands of Arabia
• The origin of the Jewish people and the beginning of Judaism are recorded in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the PENTATEUCH
• GENESIS

  Traces the origins of God’s people from creation to Egypt
• EXODUS

  Relates God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt and establishing his covenants
• LEVITICUS

  Set forth the Laws of worship
• NUMBERS

  Relates the wilderness wanderings
• DEUTERONOMY

  Gives the law to a new generation with special emphasis to those entering the land
• THREE NOTABLE FOUNDING

  Abraham Isaac Jacob
• Abraham - father

  of many nations
• Sarai

  • Sarah - “princess” or “noblewoman”
• Israel - the one who wrestled with God
• Jews - Children of Israel
• Kingship – the ideal form of government
• The concept of “covenant” between the ruler and the ruled is equally important as well in Judaism.
• Composed of the first “Five Books” or the Pentateuch traditionally believed to have been authored by Moses through divine instruction in Sinai.
• NEVI'IM

  Prophets served as spokespersons who criticize the hypocritical practices of Jewish rituals. They were specifically chosen by God to preach his message to the people.
• • Twelve minor prophets
• KETUVIM (“WRITINGS”)

  Contains works on poetry, temple ritual, private prayer, philosophical explorations, and other canonical works.
• For Jews, all human beings are created equal. While God can communicate with humans through revelations, humans can also commune to him by means of prayers and meditations.
• 1.God exists.

  2. God is one and unique.

  3. God is incorporeal (nonphysical)

  4. God is eternal.

  5. Prayer is to be directed to God alone and to no other.

  6. The words of the prophets are true.

  7. Moses’ prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of the prophets.

  8. The Written Torah and the Oral Torah were given to Moses.

  ARTICLES OF FAITH

  9. There will be no other Torah.

  10. God knows the thoughts and deeds of men.

  11. God will reward the good and punish the wicked.

  12. The Messiah will come.

  13. The dead will be resurrected.
• SABBATH

  commemorates God’s completion of the creation of the universe and his rest after the six-day toil
• It begins a few minutes before sunset on Friday and runs until an hour after sunset on Saturday or almost 25 hours to be precise.
• The Sabbath ends through the symbolic ritual of havdalah (“division”) done by dousing wine on candles and smelling sweet spices.
• Tishri is the seventh month in the ecclesiastical year of the Jewish calendar.
• Tishri are called the “Days of Awe” (Yamim Noraim) wherein the first two days comprise the New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and the tenth day as the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur).
• Rosh Hashanah marks the start of the ten-day period of penitence leading to the Yom Kippur and is distinguished from other days by blowing a ram’s horn trumpet (shofar)
• Rosh Hashanah is also a day of judgement wherein God assesses one’s deeds and decides what lies ahead of him or her in the following year.
• The eve of the day is called Kol Nidrei (“all vows”) which are the opening words of a prayer.
• Symbolizing purity, it is customary for the Jews to wear white during the holiday.
• Pesach is an eight-day festival that originally marked the beginning of the barley harvest

  Its principal purpose is to commemorate and recreate the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt.
• A festive meal (seder) is celebrated wherein the story of Exodus is narrated by the heads of the family to the children.
• Shavuot is a two-day festival that was originally a celebration of the wheat harvest.

  • Presently, it is now being held to commemorate the revelation of the Torah to Moses at Mount Sinai.
• Sukkot is a nine-day festival commemorating the autumn harvest and the forty years of the Israelites’ stay in the desert wilderness
• Temporary booths or structures (sukkah) are built in homes with a roof through which one can see the stars in the sky. This is an attempt to recreate Israelite life in the desert.
• Synagogues are Jewish temples of worship, instruction, and community fellowship that contain separate rooms designed for specific activities, such as praying and studying.
• He delivers sermon and interprets the Torah. The rabbi serves as a pastor, administrator, and counselor.
• Bringing with him the “Ark of the Covenant,” David intended to build a temple to become the first and fixed place of worship for the Jews.
• God told David that it would be one (Levi) of his sons who will have the privilege of accomplishing this task.
• The Hebrew Bible acknowledged Solomon, David’s son, as the builder of the First Temple
• The ark contained the tablets of the Ten Commandments and the Pentateuch.