Erev Limmud
Jewish Top Ten:
Personalities, Events, and Ideas that Shaped Jewish History
November 7, 14, 21, 2013
“Events”
1.
The Revelation at Mt. Sinai
2.
Prophet Amos
3.
Hasmonean Revolution
4.
Hillel’s Promulgation of the Prosbul
5.
The Emergence of Hassidism
6.
The Emergence of Reform Judaism
7.
The Rise of the Zionism Movement
8.
The Holocaust and the Birth of Israel
9.
The Soviet Jewry Movement
10. Your Choice for #10
#1 The Revelation at Mt. Sinai
The Revelation at Mt. Sinai represents the formation of the Jewish People in a covenant with
God. The Israelites and the ‘mixed multitude” became one people bound by the Torah as the
contract between them and God. This became their moral and religious compass for their
journey in history.
From Emet v’Emunah: Conservative Judaism affirms its belief in revelation, the uncovering of
an external source of truth emanating from God. This affirmation emphasizes that although
truths are transmitted by humans, they are not a human invention. The Torah teaches us about
God and about our role in God’s world. As such, we reject relativism, which denies any
objective source of authoritative truth. We also reject fundamentalism and literalism, which do
not admit a human component in revelation… The single greatest event in the history of God’s
revelation took place at Sinai, but was not limited to it… The process of revelation did not end
there; it remains alive in the Codes and Responsa to the present day.
Mt. Sinai is not a holy place among Jews (even if we knew where it was located). Rather
holiness is what we take with us through our thoughts, emotions, commitments, and deeds. It is
something we impart by the way we live.
#2 Prophet Amos
The Prophet Amos and the Book of Amos inaugurates a new stage in Jewish religious
development. He is the first of the literary prophets whose works were preserved by their
disciples. Amos consists of prophecies he delivered to the Jews of Israel between 775 and 750
B.C. E. He directs his anger against wealthy Jews who are scrupulous in their observance of the
Temple sacrifices and rites but who treat their fellow Jews unethically. Amos warns Jews that
they cannot expect favoured treatment because they are the Chosen People. Instead, he
proclaims, “Let justice well up like water, righteousness like a mighty stream.”
Prophets become the voice for social justice and establish a tradition of self-criticism not found
in Christianity or Islam.
#3 Hasmonean Revolution
The Hasmonean (also known as the Maccabean) Revolution represents another turning point in
the history of the Jewish people. One of the sadder ironies of Jewish history is that the
Maccabees led a successful revolt against King Antiochus’s anti-semitic oppression only to turn
into the oppressors of the Jews themselves (which is why they are not mentioned in the
Talmud).
Story: Revolt in 167 C.E. in Modi’in (17m nw of Jerusalem) following desecration of the
Temple. Permitted self-defense on Shabbat (precedent- Yom Kippur War). They usurped High
Priests and disrupted the Davidic line of heredity. This spelled the beginning of the end for the
Priesthood and the emergence of the rabbinic class. Holiday celebrated as a spiritual day
focused on religious freedom rather than on the military victory (Nicanor Day), hence the
miracle of the oil lasting 8 days.
#4 Hillel’s Promulgation of the Prosbul
Hillel was one of the greatest rabbis of the 1 st Century C.E. who influenced Jewish life
significantly in his day and thereafter. His most impactful piece of judicial legislation
concerned loans and debt collection. Apparently with the goal of preventing the creation of a
permanent underclass of debtors, the Torah legislated that personal debts were to be canceled
every seventh year (Deut.15:1-2). While it may have worked in an agrarian society, it was
harmful to the poor because it meant that they would be denied loans toward the end of the
seven year cycle. Hillel sought to find a way to circumvent this Torah law and reasoned that the
Torah cancelled personal debts but not debts due to a court. He therefore instituted a procedure
called the prosbul by which the lender only had to note before the court that he was going to
collect his debt. The debt was then automatically transferred from the lender to the court.
This represented an overturning of Torah law through a system much like the US Constitution
in later history.
#5 The Emergence of Hasidism
Hasidism was a religious movement that arose in the 18 th c. in Eastern Europe and was
originally regarded as revolutionary and religiously liberal. Its founder, Israel Ba’al Shem Tov
(Besht- Master of a Good Name) revealed himself in 1736 as a healer and a leader. He moved
to Meziboz, on the border of Poland and Ukraine near Lithuania. His teachings focused on an
individual’s personal relationship with God and his fellows and also emphasized aspects of the
heart/emotion. He believed the world was filled with joy and that pleasure was to be welcomed.
This was expressed through song, dancing and prayer. A unique aspect of Hasidism is its
identification of people who were considered “Tzadikim- righteous” leaders worthy of
emulation. These rebbes became associated with specific Hasidic sects and formed dynasties
that continue to this day (Lubavitch, Satmar, etc.).
The Hasidim were opposed by the Mitnagdim (Gaon of Vilna) who were more ascetic and
rational about the observance of Judaism. In the light of the Haskalah, they became more
accepting of each other.
#6 The Emergence of Reform Judaism
Reform Judaism arose in Germany in the early 1800’s as an embrace of Jews being granted
civil rights and as a reaction against Orthodox rigidity. After initial changes in which sermons
were given in the vernacular and the spoken language appeared as the translation of the Hebrew
in the siddur, the Reform Movement became more radical in its theology and observance of
Judaism. For example, the Reform Movement rejected the idea of the Chosen People, the
resurrection of the dead, and dropped many traditional practices such as kashrut. Classical
Reform Judaism rejected the notion of the literal revelation of Torah on Mt. Sinai and the
binding nature of Halacha. Instead it championed the notion of individual autonomy.
Reform Judaism’s impact on the religious life of Judaism has been monumental akin to the
Protestant Reformation.
#7 The Rise of the Zionism Movement
The emergence of Zionism as a viable movement to re-establish the Jewish State in the land of
Israel would have profound implications for the future of Diaspora Jewish life and the Jewish
People as a whole. The rebuilding of the Jewish homeland in the early 19 th century resulted in
the creation of an infrastructure for the future State of Israel. With the end of WWII and the
plight of Jewish survivors looming heavily upon world Jewish leaders, the formation of the new
Jewish State would become the solution to their displacement. The State of Israel represented
the long awaited return and fulfillment of aspirations from the Exile/Diaspora to the birthplace
of the Jewish People and the normalization of Israel among the nations of the world.
#8 The Holocaust and the Birth of Israel
The unimaginable horrors perpetrated against the Jewish People during the Holocaust would
decimate the population and culture of much of Western and East European Jewry. The
emotional, physical, and theological challenges to Judaism would become immense and would
be largely addressed by the creation of the State of Israel. The Jewish homeland welcomed and
honoured Holocaust survivors and provided them with the opportunities to become productive
citizens as they helped rebuild the Jewish future. The survival of the fledging state and its
evolution toward becoming the most powerful military force in the Middle East would have a
dramatic impact on the region and the world.
#9 The Soviet Jewry Movement
An entire generation of post-Holocaust Jews rose up to the defense of the Soviet Jewish
emigration movement out of a commitment to “never again” allow the destruction of a Jewish
community. Young Jews throughout N. America protested against Soviet oppression of Jewish
activists/refuseniks and eventually leveled enough pressure on the Soviet Union to allow a mass
emigration of Soviet Jews to Israel and N. America. The Soviet Jewry Movement became one
of the most successful protest movements of the 20th century.
#10 Your Choice