Jewish Beliefs and Texts Chapter 7 Section 2 Jewish Beliefs and Texts

Geography and Early China The Big Idea The central ideas and laws of Judaism are contained in sacred texts such as the Torah. Main Ideas Beliefs in God, education, justice, and obedience anchor Jewish society. Jewish beliefs are listed in the Torah, the Hebrew Bible, and the Commentaries. The Dead Sea Scrolls reveal many past Jewish beliefs. The ideas of Judaism have helped shape later cultures.

Jewish Beliefs Anchor Their Society Religion is the foundation upon which the Jews base their whole society. In fact, much of Jewish culture is based directly on Jewish beliefs. The central concepts of Judaism are belief in God, education, justice and righteousness, and observance of religious and moral law.

Belief in One God Judaism is the world’s oldest and possibly the first monotheistic religion. Monotheism is the belief in only one God. The Hebrew name for God is YHWH In the ancient world where most people worshipped many gods, the Jews’ worship of only God set them apart.

Belief in Education Teaching children, mostly boys, has always been important to Jewish society. In ancient Jewish communities, older boys studied with professional teachers to learn their religion.

Justice and Righteousness Jews are expected to be kind and fair in dealing with other people, in a display of justice. They are also supposed to be righteous and do what is proper. Follow the Ten Commandments For Jews, righteous behavior is more important than formal ceremonies.

Observance of Religious and Moral Law Observance of the law is closely related to justice and righteousness. The Jews believe that God is holy and everything and everyone properly related to Him must also be holy Holiness includes purity and separation

Observance of Religious and Moral Law The Jewish laws consist of the Ten Commandments and the Mosaic Laws. The Mosaic Laws consisted of moral laws, ceremonial laws, civil laws, and social laws.

Mosaic Law The Mosaic Law consists of yearly religious events that contains the Sabbath, the Sabbath year, jubilee, Passover, and the festival feasts. Various instructions were given with regard to clean and unclean things and how Israel was to live a holy life that would set them apart from other nations.

Mosaic Law God provided for five different offerings, all were designed to remind worshippers of the holiness of God, the fact that sin had to be dealt with, and that for forgiveness a substitute blood sacrifice was needed. The basic principle underlying all the blood sacrifices was atonement by the substitution of an innocent life for the guilty.

Mosaic Law In token of this substitution, the offerer laid his hand upon the victim’s head, thus indentifying himself with it as his representative. To signify his acceptance of the just penalty of death, the offerer himself slew his victim and then turned it over to the priest for the completion of the ceremony. The Day of Atonement was a special offering for the entire nation by the High Priest

Tabernacle Israelite tribes worshipped God in a tent-like structure called a tabernacle. This tent was taken down and moved from place to place. In Canaan, Israelites erected the tent in a place called Shiloh. The Hebrew Bible says the tabernacle housed the Ark of the Covenant. The ark was a gold-covered wooden chest that held stone slabs, which the Israelites believed were the Ten Commandments.

The Temple The Tabernacle was replaced by the First (built by Solomon) and Second Temple (built by Jews returning from Babylon). The Tabernacle and the Temple was the dwelling place of the Lord; contained the ark; for offerings of incense and sacrifice; for prayer and worship; and a refuge

Western Wall After the Jews revolted against Rome in 66 AD. The Roman captured Jerusalem and destroyed the Second Temple. The only structure left is the Western Wall, which many come to this wall to pray.

Mosaic Law Today Today, Orthodox Jews still strictly follow the Mosaic Law (except for some ceremonial and civil laws). Reform (Liberal) Jews choose not to follow many of the Mosaic Laws. Conservative Jews believe that the law is both binding and subject to change.

Jewish Texts The laws and principles of Judaism are described in several sacred texts, or writings. The main texts are the Torah, the Hebrew Bible, and the Commentaries.

The Torah This is a collection of five books that make up the Torah, the most sacred text in Judaism. Readings from the Torah are central to Jewish religious services today.

The Torah Nearly every synagogue, or Jewish house of worship, has a Torah Synagogue means “gathering-together- places.” Synagogues were developed after the Jews returned from exile, and built wherever they settled in communities.

The Hebrew Bible The Hebrew Bible is called the Tanakh, and consists of the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings. The Hebrew Bible is the Old Testament in the Christian Bible The Books of the Prophets made up of eight books that describe the messages of Jewish prophets. Prophets were individuals who represented God and spoke for him to the Jews. They spoke of future events as a warning and they often spoke out against the society in which they lived.

The Hebrew Bible The Writings is 11 books of poetry, songs, stories, lessons, and history. For example it contains the Book of Daniel, Proverbs, and the Book of the Psalms.

Commentaries For centuries scholars have studied the Torah and Jewish laws. Because some laws are hard to understand, scholars wrote commentaries to explain them. Between 200 and 600 AD, the Talmud was produced as a series of commentaries and lessons for everyday life.

Scrolls Reveal Past Beliefs The Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1947 and it is suspected that they were written between 100 BC and AD 50. The scrolls included prayers, commentaries, letters, and passages from the Hebrew Bible. Scholars were excited about this finding, which helped them learn about the lives of ancient Jews

Judaism and Later Cultures Jewish ideas have greatly influenced other cultures, especially those in Europe and the Americas. Historians call European and American cultures the Western world to distinguish them from the Asian cultures to the east of Europe.

Judaism and Later Cultures Judaism helped shape the largest religion of Western society today, Christianity, as well as Islam. Islam, believes that they, like the Hebrews, were decedents of Abraham.

Judaism and Later Cultures How are Jewish ideas reflected in our society? Many people still look to the Ten Commandments as a guide. Obeying parents, not to murder, and not to lie or cheat.

Judaism and Later Cultures Other Jewish ideas can also be seen in how people live today. For example many people do not work on the weekends in honor of the Sabbath. People also give to charities, which is largely based on Jewish teachings.

Questions pages 208-213 Cambridge answer in a complete sentence What is monotheism, and why did this belief set the ancient Hebrews apart? What is the Jewish view of justice and righteousness? What is the Torah? What are the three parts of the Hebrew Bible? What two major religions have been influenced by Judaism?