BCE: Abraham and the Patriarchs BCE Kings Saul, David and Solomon BCE Kingdoms of Israel and Judah 605 BCE Babylon conquers Egypt, now rules Judah 586 BCE Destruction of the First Temple 70 CE Destruction of the Second Temple CE Maimonides

The principles of Judaism are called the Halahkah. This is a list of 613 commandments described by God in the Torah. Due to circumstance and change in political structure, only 271 mitzvah apply to modern life. Unlike the other Abrahamic religions, Judaism makes no attempt to convert others. Also, Judaism believes that you do not have to be Jewish in order to go to heaven.

Abraham: Abraham is considered the founder of the Jewish faith. God spoke to Abraham and told him that if he left his home, God would give him a great nation for likeminded people. Moses: Moses led the Exodus from Egypt, and was given the Ten Commandments by God. He is the most important prophet in Jewish tradition. Maimonides: Maimonides was a Jewish Scholar in Moorish Spain. He is renown for his Thirteen Principles of Faith, which is similar to Christianity’s Ten Commandments.

Jewish worship is usually lead by a rabbi, who roughly corresponds to a minister. Synagogues are usually administered over by a council of elders, similar to deacons is Christianity. Though the synagogue is seen as a place of worship, religious life is seen as centered around the home.

The Jewish holy book, the Tanakh, was given to Moses by God God also gave Moses oral commentary, which is now written in the Talmud. Completing this is the Midrashim, which is a compendium of other writing and stories considered important by the Jews. Collectively these components are called the Torah.

The menorah is one of the oldest Jewish symbols, and was the candelabra used in Solomon’s Temple. The most commonly known Jewish symbol is the Star of David. It emerged in the middle ages, and is far from the oldest or most significant Jewish symbol. The most recognizable piece of Jewish garb is the yarmulke, which ironically has very little religious significance

The 613 mitzvah are the basic of our modern values, because they were in turn adopted by Christianity and spread all over the world. The concept of compound interest, devised in Mesopotamia, was instituted and practiced by the Jews. Compound interest is a driving force in our economy, and funds our banking system.

One of the greatest influences the Jews has was their institution of courts. While not directly affecting art and science, Judaism is the foundation of Christianity and Islam, which have both had profound implications in Art and Science.

In Judaism, women are considered separate, but equal, to men. They may have different responsibilities, but are not seen as less important. Women are said to have more intuition and understanding than men. Reform Jews are much less traditional, recently, female rabbi’s have been allowed.

There are approximately 13.3 million Jewish people in the world The US and Israel have the largest Jewish populations, with 85% of the Jewish demographic between them.

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