1. Central Beliefs

2. The Shema The Hebrew word Shema means hear or listen
It sums up the Jewish scriptures (Tanakh)
One of the most important Jewish prayers
One of the first prayers that Jewish children learn
Religious Jews say the Shema three times each day as part of their regular prayers, and it is included in almost every synagogue service
The Shema reminds Jews that:
There is only one God
God is good and loves them and they should love Him
God’s rules apply to every part of a person’s life
Children should be taught about Torah

3. The Tanakh
Presents the core teachings of Jewish faith in the form of a story
Basic story is found in the Torah, the first five books of the scriptures
Tells of God making a covenant with the people
God and Noah: God would never again flood the Earth
God and Abraham: God promised Abraham land and many children and in turn Abraham promises to worship only God
God and Moses: God promised all of the Jews (Israelites) land, descendents, and in turn the must keep the 10 commandments
God and King David: People will be happy under David’s rule and have Eternal Royal Dynasty

6. The Torah Word of God Teachings of Judaism in story form
First five books of Tanakh
Genesis, the first book of the Torah, contains the two stories of creation
In the first story, God creates the world in 6 days, creates humans on the 6th day, and rests on the 7th day, making that day holy
In the second story, God creates Adam and Eve, then banishes them from the garden of Eden when they eat the fruit of the forbidden tree

7. The Story of Abraham and Sarah
Genesis also tells the story of Abraham and his wife Sarah
God asks Abraham (then called Abram) to leave his home and go to a new land, where God will make him the father of a new people
Abram’s faith in God is tested many times, but never wavers
The rest of Genesis tells the story of God’s faithfulness to his covenant with Abraham

8. The Story of Moses The second book of the Torah is Exodus
Story picks up when Abraham’s descendants,
had become slaves to the Egyptians
Moses was called by God, through the burning bush, to lead God’s people out of slavery
Moses showed Pharaoh the power of the Lord through the 10 plagues, then Pharaoh agreed to let people of Israel go
When Pharaoh sent his chariots after them, the Red Sea parted to let the Israelites through, but drowned Pharaoh’s men
At Mount Sinai, God made a covenant with Moses and gave him the Ten Commandments and the rest of the Law

9. The Story of David The story of David is in the book of Kings
David was Israel’s second king and he united all the tribes into one kingdom
David’s son Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem

10. The Talmud Second most important Jewish sacred writing
Huge book of civil and religious laws and ethical teachings
Contains layer upon layer of interpretations of the Torah made by rabbis between the 1st and 5th centuries

11. The Halakhah (Oral Torah)
Contains prescribed ways to apply the commandments in the Torah to daily life
It includes laws about ritual purity, such as what foods cannot be eaten, and other impure things to avoid
These laws were first kept by priests in the Temple in Jerusalem
Later, the Pharisees also kept them, and these ritual laws of purity became part of Jewish life
After the second defeat by the Romans in 135 CE, the rabbis began to write down and interpret the oral Torah, and this written material became the Talmud
This process happened in two different places by different rabbis, so there are two versions of the Talmud
The more extensive, most commonly used version is called the Babylonian Talmud
The other is the Jerusalem Talmud

12. Homework
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