The Hebrews and Judaism Standard 6-1, Indicator 6-1.4

The Hebrews and Judaism Vocabulary Exodus Ten Commandments Monotheism Torah Synagogue Prophets Dead Sea Scrolls

The Hebrews and Judaism Connections According to the Hebrew Bible, Abraham was from Mesopotamia The Israelites will be enslaved in Egypt – the Pharaoh was Ramses the Great (his reign was the longest in Egyptian history) Israel will be defeated by the Assyrians (Remember….in Mesopotamia, they took control from the Kassites) Judah was defeated by the Chaldeans (Remember….in Mesopotamia, they defeated the Assyrians – Nebuchadnezzar)

The Early Hebrews Between 2000 and 1500 BC – Hebrews appeared in Southwest Asia Hebrews: ancestors of the Israelites and Jews Much of what is known about their early history comes from the work of archaeologists and the Hebrew Bible Hebrew Bible also tells the laws of Judaism Hebrew Bible is mostly the same as the Old Testament of the Christian Bible

The Early Hebrews The Beginnings in Canaan and Egypt The Hebrew Bible traces the Hebrews back to a man named Abraham – father of the Hebrews God (Yahweh) told Abraham to leave Mesopotamia, and to take his family on a long journey west God promised to lead Abraham to a new land and make his descendants into a mighty nation Abraham and his family settled in Canaan, on the Mediterranean Sea. Some of his descendants, the Israelites, lived in Canaan for many years. Later, some moved to Egypt and their population grew The Pharaoh feared that they would become too powerful and made them slaves.

The Early Hebrews Moses and The Exodus “The Prince of Egypt” The Plagues The Exodus – proved that God was protecting and watching over them Throughout history, enslaved people have found hope in the story – before the Civil War, American slaves sang about Moses to keep their hopes of freedom alive. Mt, Sinai – The Ten Commandments: shaped the development of their society They eventually reached the land of Canaan but had to fight the people living there to gain control before they could settle

The Ten Commandments “I the Lord am your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage: You shall have no other gods besides Me… You shall not swear falsely by the name of the Lord your God; for the Lord will not clear one who swears falsely by his name. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy… Honor your father and your mother, that you may long endure on the land that the Lord your God is assigning to you. You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house:… or anything that is your neighbor’s.” - Exodus 20:2-14

The Early Hebrews Moses and The Exodus In Canaan The Israelites lived in small, scattered communities with no central government – each community selected judges as leaders However, a threat arose the required a new kind of leadership – the Philistines

Early Hebrew History

Jewish Beliefs and Texts Belief in One God Hebrew name for God is Yahweh – never pronounced by the Jews because it is considered to be too holy Monotheism – set them apart Worship of God shaped Jewish society Belief in Education Teaching children the basics of Judaism In ancient Jewish communities, older boys – not girls – studied with professional teachers to learn their religion Today, education and study are central to Jewish life

Jewish Beliefs and Texts Belief in Justice and Righteousness Justice means kindness and fairness in dealing with other people Everyone deserves justice Expected to give aid to those who need it Expected to be fair in business dealings Righteousness – doing what is proper Expected to behave properly, even if others do not

Jewish Beliefs and Texts Observance of Religious and Moral Law Believe that God gave them laws to be followed Most important Jewish laws – the Ten Commandments Believe that Moses recorded a whole system of laws that God had set down for them to obey – called Mosaic Law Guide many areas of Jews’ daily lives Governs how people pray and celebrate holidays Forbid Jews to work on holidays or on the Sabbath (begins at sundown Friday and ends at nightfall Saturday) Rules about food that Jews can eat and rules that must be followed in preparing them – today called kosher, or fit

Jewish Beliefs and Texts The Torah Five books that are the most sacred texts of Judaism In addition to laws, the Torah includes a history of the Jews until the death of Moses. Torah is read in synagogue Readers do not touch the Torah out of respect. They use special pointers to mark their places in the text.

Jewish Beliefs and Texts The Hebrew Bible The Torah is the first of three parts of a group of writings called the Hebrew Bible 2nd Part – 8 books that describe the messages of Jewish prophets 3rd part – 11 books of poetry, songs, stories, lessons, and history; the Proverbs – short expressions of Jewish wisdom; the Book of Psalms – poems or songs of praise to God

Jewish Beliefs and Texts The Dead Sea Scrolls - 1947

Judaism and Other Cultures Christianity Islam