JUDAISM
Founded in 1300 BC
Founder: Abraham
THE HEBREW BIBLE, CA. 1000-300BCE
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. 1000-300BCE
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
REMEMBER THIS?
BELOW IS SOME INFORMATION RELATED TO
KEY FACTS ASSOCIATED WITH JUDAISM
.
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.
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.
Holy book
The Torah.
Main Branches (Denominations)
today Orthodox, Reform and
Conservative.
It's also the smallest major
religion, with only about 15
million followers around the
world.
TERMS, PEOPLE, & PLACES YOU
SHOULD KNOW FROM THE TORAH
 The Talmud: The book of 762 laws. The Talmud contains the teachings and
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opinions of thousands of rabbis on a variety of subjects,
including Halakha (law), Jewish ethics, philosophy, customs,, history, lore and
many other topics
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 topics
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 : 7th 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.
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.