Judaism

• Monotheistic


  Only one God
• Theocentric


  God is the central focus
• Abrahamic religion


  Abraham is considered to be the first Jew and to have made a covenant with God. Jews recognize Abraham as their first prophet
• Chosen People


  • Hebrews: Abraham and his wife Sarah, through their son Isaac and his wife Rebecca
  • Israelites: Abraham and his wife Sarah, through their son Jacob and his wife Leah. Jacob would later be called Israel
  • Jews: Modern Jews trace their ancestry to the ancient Israelites. Being a Jew is an identity not just religion
• Creation of the world/Jewish Calendar

  October 7, 3761 BC
• The Romans breached the walls of Jerusalem destroyed the second temple and killed an estimated 1 million Jews


  70 AD
• Rabbinic Judaism: Rabbinic Judaism began to emerge as the dominant form of Judaism


  70 AD
• The date of the start of the world fell on October 7th, 3761 BCE according to Judaism
• First Covenant with God

  Abraham circumcised himself, symbolizing the covenant between God and all his descendants - religious sacrifice
• The Great Exodus


  The Jews being enslaved in Egypt for hundreds of years would have Moses lead them out of enslavement. Moses would receive the 10 commandments on the Mount Sinai
• The Ten Commandments


  • you should not have no other god before me
  • you should make no idols
  • you should not take the name of lord your god in vain
  • 4-keep the sabbath day holy
  • honor your mother and father
  • 6-you shall not murder
  • you should not commit adultery
  • 8-you shall not steal
  • 9-you shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
  • 10-you shall not covet
• King Solomon of Israel built the First Temple on Mount Moriah
• The kingdom of Israel in the North and the kingdom of Judah in the South resulted from King Solomon's death
• Jewish Diaspora


  The Romans expelled the Jews from Judea, forcing them to take refuge in other countries. It became divided into two major groups
• Diaspora


  Means "dispersion" or "scattering"
• Jewish groups resulting from the diaspora

  • The Ashkenazim (ahsh-kun-nah-zim) in northern, central, and eastern Europe
  • The Sephardim (si-faar-dim) around the Mediterranean
• The Persian ruler Cyrus the Great made them rebuild the second Temple
• Maccabees Revolt


  in 198 BC the Seleucids gained control and assimilated the Jews, therefore they banned the teaching and practice of Judaism and converted the Second Temple of Jerusalem into a temple dedicated to the Greek God Zeus. The persecution triggered a revolt. The Maccabees fought successfully to regain control of Jerusalem and purify the temple. This event is celebrated today as Hanukkah.
• Rabbinic Judaism


  Rabbinic Judaism established a mode of worship and a life discipline that was rooted in the work and interpretations of rabbis (teachers) and is based on the Talmud. It encourages people to gather in synagogues or study houses to study the Torah
• Mystic sects of Judaism

  • Kabbalah (12th Century)
  • Hasidism (18th Century)
• Kabbalah


  It is found in many texts including the Zohar. It says the true nature of God is indescribable. It is known as Ein Sof, meaning "without end." - God has no boundaries in time or space
• Hasidism


  Founder was Israel ben Eliezer (1698-1759), also known as Ba'al Shem Tov. He taught that communion with God happened through prayer, good deeds, humility and joy. Everyone, even the uneducated masses, can have personal interaction with the divine and therefore, we should be in constant search of attachment to God.
• Main sects of Judaism

  • Reform
  • Conservative
  • Orthodox
• Reform Judaism


  • The movement aims to help Jews find a balance between Jewish tradition and modern developments in the wider society. They began to interpret scripture with more modern methods. They became less concerned with traditional purity laws, kosher laws, and the desire to return to the homeland. Men and women sit together in the synagogue. Women are ordained as rabbis. Many, but not all, believe as long as one parent is Jewish, the children are Jewish - mom or dad. They stress tikkun olam - repairing the world through social action.
• Conservative Judaism


  • It follows many, but not all, of the 613 commandments of the Torah, and old traditions such as the order of prayers, the use of Hebrew, and some dietary law. The needs of the community and its Jewish identity always come before individual wants and needs. Like Reform Jews, Conservatives stress tikkun olam. Men and women sit together in the synagogue. Women are sometimes ordained as rabbis. It is the largest branch of Judaism in Canada.
• Orthodox Judaism


  • Orthodox Jews continue to observe ALL ancient rules and practices - strictly (i.e., observing the Sabbath, using Hebrew in the synagogue, dressing modestly, following dietary laws, etc.). Men and women sit separately in the synagogue. Judaism can only be passed down to children by the mother.
• Zionism


  By the late 1800s, Zionism emerged as a movement to establish a national Jewish state in Palestine. Palestinians who lived there objected to the Jews coming to what they saw as their homeland and wars broke out several times. In 1947, the UN voted to divide Palestine into an Arab and Jewish state with Jerusalem under international control. On May 14, 1948, Jews proclaimed the independent State of Israel. The Zionist movement would become an ideology that supports the development and protection of the State of Israel as a Jewish state at all costs.
• Adam and Eve


  A world created in 6 days. The importance Israel is destined to play in the world narrative. If not for the chosen people, the Jews. Realizing the purpose. God's efforts to save his creation from being a failure
• Moses


  613 mitzvot was what he collected (not 10 commandments). Saved the Israelites.
• God in Judaism


  The source for one's standards of morality. Male, all-knowing, all-loving, all-forgiving. Only one God, established a covenant, or special agreement, with them. God communicates through prophets, rewards good deeds/punishes evil. Jews believe their Messiah hasn't yet come (doesn't believe in Jesus). God has chosen the Jewish people to lead.
• Names of God in Judaism

  • Elohim (Hebrew, strong one) used in book of Genesis
  • Yahweh (Israelites, I am) name for God, book of Exodus
  • Adoni (Hebrew, my Lord) used in the Pentateuch
• Abraham


  First person God appears to. God asks Abraham to leave his home & go to a new land, where God will make him the father of a new people. Abraham becomes the central figure & Father of Judaism. Circumcised himself.
• King David


  King David's great story rests in uniting the tribes of Israel into one great nation. Star of David traces back to King David in times of battle. King David's son Solomon built the first Temple in Jerusalem.
• Main sacred text of Judaism

  • TANAKH
  • Torah (Teaching)
  • Nevi'im (Prophets)
  • Ketuvim (Writings)
• Torah


  The most revered of the writings. First 5 books of the bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Numbers). Sacred writings include acts of God, creating the world, his second covenant, the laws (mitzvots). Existed as an oral tradition passed from one generation to the next.
• Parts of the Torah

  • Mishnah: Teachings of rabbinic customs and understandings before the destruction of the Second Temple. (Being a Jew before the destruction of the Second Temple)
  • Talmud: Teachings from rabbis PAST and PRESENT. Includes the Mishnah as part of the Talmud. (Being a Jew now)
• Torah scrolls


  Made up of specially prepared parchment sheets, from the skins of a kosher animal. The sofer writes the Torah by hand using specially prepared ink and a feather quill.
• Sofer


  The writer of the Torah scrolls
• Yad


  The instrument used to read the Torah
• Talmud


  The teaching from rabbis past and present. The jewish teaching and interpretations of the