JUDAISM RS GCSE

• God promises Abraham:


  • To be his God.

  • To make him the father of many nations and give him and his wife Sarah a son.

  • To give him the land of Canaan (Israel) as an everlasting possession.
• In return, Abraham must agree to:


  • Worship and obey only God.

  • Circumcise all males on the 8th day after birth.

  • Change their names from Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah.
• The Covenant with Abraham is still important to Jews today because:


  • It marks the beginning of Judaism as a monotheistic religion.

  • The Covenant is still binding on Jews today. God says, "I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come." (Genesis 17:7)

  • It defines who the Jews are - ie they are descendants of Abraham and Sarah.

  • Jews are still circumcised on the 8th day as a sign of the Covenant.

  • Jews still regard Israel as the Promised Land, given to them by God and many Jews regard Israel as their spiritual homeland, even if they do not live there themselves. Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians continue to erupt into violence today over land boundaries, especially in Jerusalem as it is a holy city for Jews, Christians and Muslims.
• The Covenant at Sinai is still important to Jews today because:


  • This is when God gave Moses the written Torah which contains all the mitzvot (laws) which Jews still try to observe today. The mitzvot cover all aspects of Jewish life and worship, marriage, festivals, food, business transactions etc. and the mitzvot are what distinguishes the Jewish way of life from other ways of life.

  • God also gave Moses the Oral Torah which is needed to understand how to interpret and apply the written Torah. The oral and written Torah together form the basis of Halakhah (the rules that Jews follow in their daily lives) today.

  • It is when God gave Moses the 10 Commandments (Decalogue) on stone tablets.

  • When God made the covenant with Moses on Mount Sinai he also made the covenant with all the Israelites and their descendants. By keeping the covenant, God told the Israelites that they would be his "treasured possession," and "A kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus) and this still applies to their descendants, the Jews of today.
• The 10 Commandments (Decalogue) are important for Jews today because:


  • Of all the mitzvot given to Moses by God, these 10 were given to Moses on tablets of stone, showing that they must have enormous importance for humanity for all time.

  • Rules like 'Do not steal' and 'Do not kill' are still as relevant today as they were at the time of Moses and form the basis for any stable society.

  • Tablets depicting the 10 commandments can still be found in synagogues over the Holy Ark. All denominations of Judaism follow this custom, showing that the 10 Commandments must still be of great importance to all Jews today

  • The command to 'Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy' is still followed by Jews today. For observant Jews, the ban on working on the Sabbath can include not using telephones or driving their cars which obviously has a big impact on their lives today.
• Nature of almighty: god as one


  • The belief that God is One marked the Israelites out from neighbouring tribes and is the central

  commitment of the covenant - to worship and obey the one God. The oneness of God is supported by

  the 1st Commandment, "You shall have no other gods before me." (Exodus)

  • The first line of the Shema states, "Hear O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one," reminding Jews of

  this central teaching about the oneness of the Almighty. The Shema is recited daily by Jews and worn in

  the tefillin for prayer. The words are also placed in the mezuzah case and fixed to the doorpost where it

  is touched on entering the house (in some households, every room) as a constant reminder of the

  oneness of God.
• Nature of the almighty: god as the creator


  • The Torah opens with the creation story. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

  (Genesis) The story emphasises God's great power - he creates with just a spoken command.

  • The Tenakh reminds Jews that the world belongs to God - "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."

  (Psalms)

  • Jews celebrate Shabbat every week as a reminder of God's work as creator. The 4th Commandment

  states, "RemembertheSabbath

  day by keeping it holy...

  For in six days the

  Lord

  made the heavens and

  the earth,

  the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested

  on the seventh day." (Exodus)

  • Human beings are created "In the image of God" (Genesis) and have been given the responsibility to care

  for creation as God's stewards.
• Nature of the almighty: god as a law giver


  • the giving of the law on mount Sinai is one of the key moments in Jewish history. Observing the law is the defining characteristic of Judaism and is at the heart of the covenant relationship between Jews and god. God tells Moses, "If you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. You will be for me "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (exodus)

  • Before he died, Moses reminded the Israelites to observe the mitzvot, saying, "They are not just idle

  words for you - they are your life." (Deuteronomy)

  • The Talmud states, "The mitzvot were given for the purpose of refining people."

  Halakhah is the term for all the rules which govern every aspect of an Orthodox Jew's daily life, from how

  to pray, what clothes to wear, what food to eat, how to conduct business, relationships between husband

  and wife, parent and child etc. When a Jewish child reaches the age of 12/13, they become Bat or Bar

  Mitzvah, meaning Daughter / Son of the Commandment or Law, showing the significance of God as Law
• Judge


  • Jews are judged by God according to whether or not they fulfil the Law. God's Judgement is something

  which Jews are aware of happening all the time, so it must be a key characteristic of God. The Tenakh

  says, "The Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our King." (Isaiah)

  • God has given the Jews the Law but it is up to them to make the choice to keep it and God will judge

  them accordingly. Before he died, Moses said to the Israelites, "I have set before you life and death,

  blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." (Deuteronomy)

  • Knowing that God is a judge reminds Jews of the need to treat others fairly.
• What does shekhinah mean?

  The divine presence of God
• What is the Ark of the Covenant?

  the chest that kept the Ten Commandments written on stone tablets
• What is the tabernacle?

  Temporary shelter for the ark of the covenant
• What is the holy of holies?

  Replaces the tabernacle in the temple where the ark of the covenant is kept
• Give three examples of how shekhinah is shown or understood?

  - thunder and lightning

  - a cloud

  - burning bush
• How does the Talmud describe the shekhinah? Which protrays the shekhinah as more of a comforting presence i

  - "whenever ten are gathered for prayer, there the shekhinah rests"

  - " the shekhinah dwells over the head of the sick person's bed"

  - " wherever they were exiled, the shekhinah went with them"
• Some Jews regard the shekhinah as representing the


  Feminine attributes of the presence of God since it is a feminine word in Hebrew
• What is shekhinah a reminder of?

  God is omnipresent in times of hardship
• Which other characteristics of the almighty might the shekhinah be linked to?

  - omnipresent

  - God is one

  - omnibenevolent
• Why is the shekhinah important to Jews?


  - for comfort

  - reminds Jews of community and hardship

  - the different characteristics of god
• The shekhinah


  • The term Shekhinah refers to the divine presence of God amongst human beings. Although the actual

  word Shekhinah is not found in the Tenakh, there are lots of examples of God's presence being felt by

  human beings, for example, when God spoke to Moses through the burning bush, or when God guided

  the Israelites through the wilderness as a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night.

  •The Israelites were commanded by God to build a Tabernacle, a portable dwelling place for God's

  presence. This was later replaced by the Holy of Holies when the Temple was built. According to the

  When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the

  Tenakh, the Shekhinah filled the place Holy of Holies - "

  temple." (2 Chronicles:7)
• What does the messiah mean?


  'anointed one
• The Messiah


  - The Messiah is a person chosen by God to bring in an age of justice and righteousness

  under God's rule.

  - when Jerusalem was captured,

  the Temple destroyed and the Israelites scattered. Belief in the coming of the Messiah comforted them and

  gave them hope that God would put things right.

  - There are many different ideas about when the Messiah will come; some say when all the Jews observe the

  mitzvot fully, others say if all the Jews observe a single Shabbat properly, another idea is that Messiah will

  come in a time of great despair when a generation loses hope. Many Jews agree with Maimonides that only

  God knows when he will send the Messiah.

  - many reform and liberal Jews don't expect god to send an individual messiah, instead they see descriptions of the messianic age asa an ideal to aspire and work towards peace and justice for the world in the way they live their lives
• What will the Messiah be like?(Most references to the Messiah come from the book of Isaiah, which gives the following description:)

  • He will be a descendant of King David.

  • "The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him." (Isaiah)

  • He will be a messenger of peace.

  • He will rule with wisdom and justice.
• What will the Messianic Age be like?

  - all creatures, including human beings, will live side

  by side in harmony

  • There will be justice for the poor and the needy:

  "with righteousness he will judge the needy,

  with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth." (Isaiah)

  • The Temple will be rebuilt.

  • All the Jews in exile will return to Israel (Isaiah 11).

  • There will be peace among all nations and people will turn their weapons into farming implements

  •Everyone will come to recognise and accept God, "The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that

  day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name." (Zechariah)
• The Tenakh


  The Hebrew Scriptures are known as the Tenakh. The term Tenakh is derived from the three sections which make up the scriptures, the Torah (law) contains 613 mitzvot. the Nevi'im (the Prophets) and the Ketuvim (the writings).
• The Mitzvot


  - mitzvah' means 'commandment', but it is also close linked to the Hebrew word for 'connection'. Jews regard the mitzvot as their way of connecting with God.

  • Jews believe that the mitzvot were given to Moses and the Israelites by God on Mount Sinai. They are contained in the Torah. Observing the mitzvot is what sets the Jews apart from other people. God told Moses, "If you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Exodus)

  • The Talmud states that, "The mitzvot were given for the purpose of refining people."

  • The Talmud teaches that there are 613 mitzvot. 365 of these are negative mitzvot, in other words, commands to 'not do'. The other 248 are positive mitzvot, commands 'to do'. However, the Talmud does not actually list all the mitzvot.
• Traditionally, Jews have used three terms to describe the different types of mitzvot:

  ➢ Mishpatim - The mishpatim are laws which seem self-evident. They are laws we might expect to find

  in any civilised society, eg do not steal, do not murder.

  ➢ Edot - The edot are religious rules which make sense if you understand the history and teachings of Judaism, eg not working on Shabbat makes sense if you know the Jewish creation story. circumcising baby boys

  ➢ Chukim - These are commands with no obvious explanation, eg kosher laws: don't eat milk and meat together and the instruction not to wear clothing made of wool and linen. Orthodox Jews traditionally regard observation of the chukim as a test of faith and obedience to God. Liberal and Reform Jews may choose not to observe the chukim if they do not feel they improve their relationship with God.
• The Mitzvot and free will

  The creation story in the Book of Genesis states that human beings were created "in the image of God". One way of understanding this is to say that human beings were created with the ability to choose to do good or evil, to obey God or to turn away from him. The Jews are expected to keep the mitzvot as part of the covenant with Abraham and with Moses, but ultimately, it is up to them to decide to obey or to ignore them. This is shown in the Torah, when Moses had finished delivering the Law to the Israelites and said to them,

  "Now choose life, so that you and your children may live." (Deuteronomy)

  In this passage, "choose life" means choose to obey the mitzvot.
• Halakhah

  Halakhah is the term used for the Jewish Law which covers every aspect of life from what to eat, what to wear, rules for marriage and divorce, how to treat criminals and how to conduct business transactions.
• The Halakhah comes from a variety of sources:

  • Written Torah - the five Books given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, containing the 613 mitzvot.

  • Oral Torah - the verbal explanation of the Torah given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. Passed on by word of mouth.

  • Talmud - contains the written version of the Oral Torah (Mishnah) along with all the discussions and arguments about how the mitzvot should be applied in specific situations.

  • Responsa - answers to questions sent to respected Rabbis over the centuries when new situations arose. Halakhah is constantly updated as new technologies and new situations develop. Most ordinary Jews will

  consult their Rabbi if they need guidance as the study of the Law is a major element of a Rabbi's training.
• Jewish attitudes to the value of human life

  ➢ Genesis teaches that human beings are the only creatures to be made "in the image of God." (Genesis) This shows that they have a special value and status in God's eyes.

  ➢ The Talmud teaches that the other creatures were created in large numbers by God, but the first human being, Adam, was created alone, followed by Eve, to teach us that that every human being is an entire world in themselves.

  ➢ The sanctity of life is the belief that human life is a precious and sacred gift from God. Only God has the right to give and take life. This will affect Jewish attitudes to many issues, such as abortion, euthanasia and war.

  ➢ Pikuach nefesh is the term used for the idea that preservation of human life takes precedence over everything else. Jews may set aside the usual rules to preserve life, eg using a telephone to call for help or driving a car to take someone to hospital on Shabbat.

  Leviticus 18 states, "Keep my decrees and laws, for the person who obeys them will live by them. I am the Lord." The Talmud explains that this means Jews should live by the mitzvot, not die because of them and justifies the breaking of the mitzvot to save life.

  Leviticus 19 adds, "You shall not stand by the blood of your fellow." The Talmud interprets this to mean that you should not stand by without helping someone whose life is in danger; Jews have a duty to help others.
• Non religious argument against abortion


  - you can give the child for adoption as it can be a great act of love

  - killing is killing

  - abortion is the easy way out, we should make sure that everyone has enough to live on

  - if a person chooses to have sex they should be prepared to accept the potential consequences, abortion shouldn't be used as a quick solution
• Non religious arguments for abortion


  - a woman has the right to choose it's her body

  - if a child is going to be born severely handicapped then it is better not to be born

  - abortion is less stressful than giving up a child for adoption
• Most Jews are against abortion because:


  • They believe in the sanctity of life. Genesis states that human beings are made in the image of God and Jews believe that only God has the right to take a life.

  • The Tenakh teaches that God has a plan for each person even before they are born. "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart." (Jeremiah) This shows that the foetus is important.

  • Family life is at the heart of Judaism and God's first instruction to Adam and Eve was to be fruitful and multiply. Abortion goes against the mitzvah to have children.
• However, all Jews permit abortion if the life of the mother is in danger because:


  • The principle of Pikuach Nefesh means that the life of the mother should be preserved through abortion.

  • In Jewish thought, the foetus does not have the same status as someone who has already been born. In

  the Torah, it states,

  "If some men are fighting and hurt a pregnant woman so that she loses her child, but she is not injured in any other way, the one who hurt her is to be fined whatever amount the woman's husband demands, subject to the approval of the judges. But if the woman herself is injured, the punishment shall be life for life..." (Exodus)

  This passage suggests that the life of the foetus does not have the same status as the life of the mother because causing the death of the foetus only warrants a fine, whereas killing the mother is seen as murder, for which the punishment is death.

  • From early times, rabbis agreed that the life of the mother takes precedence over that of the foetus and that her life should be saved through abortion up until birth:

  "If a woman is having difficulty in childbirth, one may dismember the foetus within her and remove it limb by limb, because her life takes precedence over its. If the majority of the

  foetus has emerged, one may not harm it, because one may not push aside one life for the sake of another life." (Talmud)

  • Finally, if the life of the mother is endangered by pregnancy, the foetus may classed as a rodef or 'pursuer', who is trying to harm the mother. Jewish law permits killing in self-defence and therefore allows abortion to prevent the mother being killed. Maimonides wrote,

  "If a woman is in hard travail the embryo is removed, either by drugs or surgery: because it is regarded as one pursuing her and trying to kill her."

  Reform and Liberal Jews may also accept abortion in cases of rape, severe mental distress of the mother and the likeli
• Ethical theories and abortion

  ❖ A situation ethicist aims to do the most loving thing in each situation A situation ethicist may feel that abortion is the most loving thing if, for example, the mother was very young or had become pregnant through rape.

  ❖ Utilitarians aim to bring about the greatest good for the greatest number by maximising pleasure and minimising pain. A utilitarian may feel that abortion brings the greatest good for the greatest number in some situations, eg if a foetus was found to have a severe abnormality which would cause it to suffer once born. In this case, abortion would prevent a life of suffering for the child and possibly for the parents in the long term.
• Euthanasia


  a gentle and easy death.
• Voluntary euthanasia


  when a seriously ill person asks someone else to help them die painlessly by administering drugs which will end their life. Voluntary euthanasia is illegal in the UK.
• Assisted suicide


  providing a seriously ill person with the means to commit suicide. Illegal in the UK.
• Non-voluntary euthanasia


  ending someone's life painlessly when they are unable to ask, but you have good reason for thinking they would want you to do so. Eg switching off a life-support machine. Legal in the UK.