1. 9/9 Ch. 2.3 The Hebrews & Judaism
World Civ
9/9 Ch. 2.3
The Hebrews & Judaism

2. Bellringer

3. Key Terms Judaism Torah Abraham Covenant Patriarch Moses Exodus
Diaspora
Monotheism, etc.

4. Main Questions:
What major events are in the history of the early Hebrews?
How did the Kingdom of Israel develop, and who were some of its key leaders?
What are the basic teachings and sacred texts of Judaism?

5. Who were the Hebrews?
The Hebrews settled in the Fertile Crescent around BCE. The story goes that Abram, a Hebrew shepherd living in the Sumerian city of Ur, heard God, and was told to leave and settle elsewhere. He obeyed, and ended up in Canaan, in the land of the Phoenicians.
Thanks to the Torah, the sacred group of Jewish scripture, we know that the first Hebrew, named Abram, made a covenant (sacred promise) with God, who renamed him Abraham, and promised to give him a special land.
Abraham and his descendants relocated to Canaan, or modern day Israel. His grandson, named Jacob aka Israel, had twelve sons, who became the ancestors of 12 different tribes. Thus, Jacob and Abraham are patriarchs, or ancestral fathers to all Israelites.

6. The Exodus
Some of the Jews made their way to Egypt to avoid a famine in the land. They lived well, and grew in numbers.
However, this worried the Egyptian Pharaoh (leader), so the Torah says that he had all of them enslaved to prevent them taking over.
Eventually, a Jew named Moses arose as their leader and demanded the Jews be freed from their slavery. The Pharaoh refused, until God sent multiple plagues and many Egyptians suffered and died. Vid
The Jews were finally free, and they made their miraculous journey back to Canaan, known as the Exodus.

7. Remembering the Past
The Jews still remember the Exodus by celebrating Passover, once a year in the spring. They have a special dinner (the Seder), with bitter herbs and food that reminds them of their hardships in Egypt as slaves. VID
After leaving Egypt, the Jews wandered for over 40 years in the desert. They came to Mt. Sinai, and there Moses received two stone tablets with 10 Moral Laws, known as the 10 Commandments. Vid
Many Christians (a later branch of Judaism) still learn and believe in the importance of these laws, which have been the foundation for much of Western Civilization, though their importance is less today than it has been in the past.
The Ten Commandments:
Do not have any other god before God.
Do not make idols.
Do not take the Lord's name in vain.
Remember to keep the Sabbath day holy.
Honor your mother and father.
Do not murder.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not steal.
Do not testify false witness against your neighbor.
Do not covet.

8. The Promised Land
After returning to Canaan, the Israelites again fought with the natives, eventually taking over much of it, and calling it Israel.
Loosely organized into their 12 tribes, the Jews lived their lives with judges ruling them. However, in ~1050 BCE, a group called the Philistines attacked them. This caused the Jews to unite under one king, King Saul. Activity
However, he struggled as king. His successor, King David, was quite a popular king, and he helped the kingdom grow into a powerful state.
Thus when his son, Solomon, later became king, the Kingdom of Israel was doing as well as it ever had, trading with other local kingdoms. He built a beautiful temple. Solomon was a good and also a wise king: Vid

9. Debate: King or No King? What are the pros of having a king?
List at least 3 good reasons
Why might having a king be a bad thing?
List at least 3 cons
Discuss what you have considered as a table.
Now, let’s do a fishbowl activity:
Middle table, you will start us off.
If anyone wants to join the conversation, come sit at the middle table, and someone else will leave.

10. Division & Conquest
After Solomon’s death in 931 BCE however, not all was well in Happy Valley. The ten tribes in the north formed a new kingdom, also called the Kingdom of Israel.
Meanwhile, the two tribes in the south formed their own kingdom, the Kingdom of Judah.
In 722 BCE, Israel fell to the Assyrians, and their people were enslaved and scattered. By 586 BCE, Judah and the rest of the Jews were taken by the Chaldeans. The temple was destroyed, and many taken to Babylon. These events are known as the Diaspora, or the spreading of the Jews away from Canaan.
After about 50 years, the Chaldeans were defeated by the Persians. The Persians allowed the Jews to return, and rebuild their city and temple in Jerusalem.

11. Importance of Religion
To the Jews, religion was the most important thing. This still holds true in Judaism today.
Monotheism: the belief in one god is a unique thing that set Jews apart from most other ancient peoples.
The Jews also believe firmly in the idea of justice and righteousness. To them, justice is acting fairly and kindly. Righteousness means to be honest, fair, and true to others and yourself.
These ideas were also carried on by the Christians, and are known today as Judeo-Christian Ethics.
What do you think: Are these ideas important, and worthy to be promoted, or are they discriminatory to others who believe differently?

12. The Law
Jews also follow many other rules besides the Ten Commandments. Called the Mosaic Law, from what they eat, to how many steps they may take on a given day, is outlined. Food that is ok for Jews to eat is known as kosher.
Besides the Torah, the Jews also revere other sacred writings. One of the most important is known as the Talmud, which is full of explanations and interpretations of their other sacred texts.

13. HW For Monday:
Hebrew / Jewish Poster: You will be creating a poster either promoting a king, or wanting to keep Israel the way it is. Check out the rubric for more details. The rest of class is yours to work on that.
Reading: Ch. 2.4 “The Persian Empire” pp
Exit Ticket:
Two hearts and a wish: what 2 things did you like about today’s lesson? Anything that could be better?