JUDAISM Founded in 1300 BC Founder: Abraham

THE HEBREW BIBLE, CA BCE  The interconnected group of writings tat are central to Jewish belief are known collectively in Hebrew as the Torah, which can translate to “instruction” or “guidance” or “law”  AKA, the Old Testament, the five books of Moses, or the Pentateuch (five scrolls)

THE HEBREW BIBLE, CA BCE  The narrative parts of the Torah tell a continuous story:  From the creation of the world to  The sojourn in Egypt to  The Israelites’ exodus from Egypt to  Their wandering led by Moses, and finally to Moses’ death just before entry to the promised land

THE PENTATEUCH  Those first 5 books of the Old Testament are…  Genesis, which is about beginnings, creations, and first families  Exodus, in which Moses receives the law on Mt. Sinai (10 Commandments)  Leviticus  Numbers  Deuteronomy

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OTHER TERMS, PEOPLE, & PLACES YOU SHOULD KNOW FROM THE TORAH  The Torah: aka the Penteteuch, or the first 5 books of the Old Testament; it is generally, the central concept of the Judaic religious tradition. The term Torah means instruction and offers a way of life for those who follow it. However, it’s much more complicated than that; it can also refer to the rabbinical commentaries that accompany the verses themselves. Common to all these meanings, Torah consists of the foundational narrative of the Jewish people: their call into being by God, their trials and tribulations, and their covenant with their God, which involves following a way of life embodied in a set of moral and religious obligations and civil laws.their covenant  The form of Torah is that of a narrative, from the beginning of God's creating the world, through the beginnings of the people of Israel, their descent into Egypt, and the giving of the Torah at Mt. Sinai. It ends with the death of Moses, just before the people of Israel cross to the promised land.narrative

BELOW IS SOME INFORMATION RELATED TO KEY FACTS ASSOCIATED WITH JUDAISM. What do Jews believe? Jews believe that there is a single God who not only created the universe, but with whom every Jew can have an individual and personal relationship. Who is the founder of Judaism? Jewish history begins with the covenant established between God and Abraham around 1812 BC, during the Bronze Age, in the Middle East. Abraham is considered as the father of the family of Jews. Who is Abraham? Abraham is the father of the Jewish people. Jews see Abraham as a symbol of trusting and obeying God. Judaism originated around 4000 years ago. It's also the smallest major religion, with only about 15 million followers around the world. Holy book The Torah. Main Branches (Denominations) today Orthodox, Reform and Conservative.

TERMS, PEOPLE, & PLACES YOU SHOULD KNOW FROM THE TORAH  The Talmud: The book of 762 laws. The Talmud contains the teachings and opinions of thousands of rabbis on a variety of subjects, including Halakha (law), Jewish ethics, philosophy, customs,, history, lore and many other topicsHalakha  Dominion: mankind has control and accessibility over material items on Earth – “let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air…”  Covenant: a sacred contract between God and man.  Esau: Grandson of Abraham, son of Isaac, twin to Jacob  Job : a Prophet who is tested by God – does not waiver to tests/famine/sickness - shows commitment to teachings.  Canaan: Canaanites of Israel and Palestine – also considered by Ancient Greeks to be Phoenicians. The Land of Canaan is often seen in literature as an allusion. It means the promised land.  Euphrates River: Spreading from Turkey, through Iraq, into the Persian Gulf. Often paired w/the Tigris River.

TERMS, PEOPLE, & PLACES YOU SHOULD KNOW FROM THE TORAH  The Talmud: The book of 762 laws. The Talmud contains the teachings and opinions of thousands of rabbis on a variety of subjects, including Halakha (law), Jewish ethics, philosophy, customs, history, lore and many other topicsHalakha Knows these vocab. terms: Dominion and Covenant Know these places:  Land of Canaan, Sodom and Gomorrah Know these people by the end of this unit: Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Esau, Noah, Lot and his wife, Job

SACRED TIME – SHABBAT 1. Shabbat : 7 th day of the week – – epitome of sacred time  Begins at sundown of the prior evening and ends at nightfall on Saturday 2. Kabbalat Shabbat: Lighting and blessing of Candles at home, a Friday evening service  Various prayers – invocation, sanctification, breaking and sharing of bread

SHABBAT PRACTICES Observant Jews refrain from forms of work or the act of creation:  all conventional weekday activities  using electricity  traveling  shopping  Writing  Cooking  Driving  Shabbat activities: prayer, Torah study, eating, relaxing, and sleeping.

HOLY DAYS  Pesach – seven day spring festival that commemorates the exodus of Jews from Egyptian slavery  Shavuot – seven weeks after Pesach – spring harvest in the Land of Israel - day of the Torah’s presentation  Rosh Ha-shanah – Jewish New Year – inaugurates 10 days of Penitence  Yom Kippur – conclusion of Rosh Ha-shanah – Day of Attonement  Five Days after Yom Kippur – Sukkot – Tabernacles – 7 day pilgrimage festival commemorating the fall harvest  Hannukkah – eight day winter solstice – victory of the Maccabee warriors against the Greek rulers of Israel

SACRED SPACE  Observant Jews worship 3x a day  Face in the direction of Jerusalem during the recitation of the Amidah prayer  Synagogue (considered temporary spaces) with no idolatry or graven images  Torah – the Five Books of Moses  Menorah represents Eternal life – commemorative symbolizing the eternal light

JEWISH SYMBOLS  Avoid the use of any symbolic representation of worship especially human-like figures  Most synagogues are devoid of any religious art  Magen David: star of David/shield of God. Comes from King David in Psalm 18 when God is compared to a shield  Candelabra: Seven pronged Menorah – laws brought down by Moses – 7 tablets of the law

TEN COMMANDMENTS  Worship no other gods.  Do not worship idols.  Do not misuse the name of the Lord.  Keep the Sabbath holy.  Honor your father and mother.  Do not murder.  Do not commit adultery.  Do not steal.  Do not give false testimony  Do not covet. {2}

13 ARTICLES OF FAITH  God exists  God is one and unique  God is incorporeal  God is eternal  Prayer is to God only.  The prophets spoke truth.  Moses was the greatest of the prophets.  The Written and Oral Torah were given to Moses.  There will be no other Torah.  God knows the thoughts and deeds of men.  God will reward the good and punish the wicked.  The Messiah will come.  The dead will be resurrected.