Judaism:covenants and mitzvot

• What is a covenant?

  a promise between god and an individual
• The covenant means that Jews believe that they have a special relationship with God
• Who was the first person who received the covenant?

  Abraham
• Three main parts of the covenant between god and abraham :

  •god called Abraham and his family to the new land ( promise land )

  •god promised Abraham he would make a great nation for him

  •god promised to bless Abraham and his family
• “ I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you”
• God promised to give Abraham and his wife a son , Abraham agreed that he and his descendants would obey and worship god and lead by example 


  as part of the covenant god commanded that the covenant was sealed through Abrahams circumcison
• A quote to support circumcision

  “Throughout all generations every male shall be circumcised when is he is eight days old”
• As a sign of this continuing covenant , Jewish people perform a circumcision ceremony which is called Brit milah
• Explain two Jewish beliefs about the covenant with Abraham ( 5 marks)


  Jews believe that god spoke To Abraham in a vision and that the covenant with Abraham had led him o the Jews being people chosen by god and have been given the promised land for them to live , in the tenakh is says”go forth from your native land and from your fathers house to the land that I show you”.

  another Jewish belief about the Covenant with Abraham is that Jews also believe that the covenant was sealed through Abraham’s circumcision which is now a tradition which is carried on in Jewish male babies
• The covenant at Sinai

  Jews believe that god revealed to Moses the 613 commandments and that Jews are expected to follow including the 10 commandments
• Mainly Orthodox Jews believe that Moses was given the oral law .
• The ten commandments:


  1)you shall have no gods before me

  2)you shall not make any idols to worship

  3)you shall not take the lords name in vain

  4)remember to keep the sabbath day holy

  5)honour your mother and father

  6)you shall not kill

  7)you shall not commit adultery

  8)you shall not steal

  9)you shall not bear false witness

  10)you should not covet your neighbours wife nor goods
• Moses formed a covenant with god, as gods chosen people the israelites would keep the commandments
• “Do everything the lord has said”
• Many Jews believe that Moses is the most important covenant as he led the chosen people to the promise land and he was given all the laws that bind Jews to God
• Many Jews believe that god revealed these laws to Moses and they are central to Jewish beliefs and practices
• what does the first 4 commandments show?


  shows the relationships between god and humans
• What does the final six commandments show?


  The final six commandments show guidelines for how people should treat one another.
• The ten commandments forbid:


  •idolatry

  •blasphemy

  •adultery

  •stealing

  •murder

  •lying
• 10 commandments are important within the Jewish belief because:


  •They act as a guide for Jews living today

  •following the Ten Commandments is part of the covenant made at mount sinai

  •god will judge Jews on how well they have observed these commandments

  •following the commandments helps Jews to treat others with respect

  •these commandments guide Jews to love and worship god effectively
• What is the mitzvot?


  Jewish commandments.
• Jews agreed to follow these rules when they were given to Moses as part of the covenant
• There are 248 positive mitzvot which explain what Jews should do.( mitzvot aseh)

  there are 365 negative mitzvot which explain what Jews should not do.(mitzvot ta’Aseh)
• two types of mitzvot that can be divided according to purpose

  ritual and moral mitzvot
• Ritual mitzvot explain what Jews should or should not do to avoid offending God.


  these mitzvot form a personal covenant between a Jewish person and God

  the first four of the Ten Commandments are the most important of the ritual mitzvot
• Moral mitzvot explain how jews should not act when dealing with other people 


  They help Jews to live as a community in a way that god finds acceptable

  the ten commandments are important mitzvot as they are the basis for moral behaviour
• What is a constant mitzvot?

  Rules or laws that should always be in the minds of Jews
• six constant mitzvot laws:


  •know there is only one god

  •do not believe in other gods

  •know that god is one

  •love god

  •fear god

  •do not be misled by personal desires
• Orthodox Jews


  Uphold every area of the mitzvot because they believe all of the Jewish laws are important and should be followed
• Reasons why Orthodox Jews believe this


  • The Torah is the word of God and should be taken literally
  • God's law must be obeyed as he is the creator of all life
• Some laws cannot be obeyed as they refer to the Temple, which no longer exists
• God will judge them on how well they follow His law and Jews will be rewarded or punished accordingly
• Reform Jews


  Believe that the ritual side of Judaism can seem a bit outdated and that many of the rules are not compatible with modern life, so they focus on rules that seem more relevant
• Reasons why Reform Jews believe this


  • Things change over time and we live in the modern world and religious rules should be adapted
  • Mitzvot are a good guide to living but no one can keep to them all
  • Some of the rules are symbolic and should not be taken literally
• The mitzvot is important because by following the mitzvot , they will live a good life meaning that they will be closer to god
• what is the Jewish term for healing the world

  tikkun olam
• Many Jews help to heal the world by contributing to social justice and volunteering for charities
• However Other Jews believe that people should act in a morally good way to improve life on earth which includes obeying the mitzvot given by god.
• Jews believe that trying to heal the world is an action that brings people closer to God.
• what is justice in Judaism?


  This involves bringing about what is right and fair according to the law or making up for a wrong that has been committed