THE WAY OF TORAH
“JUDAISM”
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
• HEBREWS
• ISRAELITES
• JEWS
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
HEBREWS: ‘apiru, ‘ibri’
• a floating social stratum of rootless, wandering
peoples that were outsiders because they
lacked citizenship in the more established
societies of the Ancient Near East
• They lived on the fringe of the city-states as
migrant workers, guerrilla bands, mercenaries,
sometimes conscripted as forced laborers
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
HEBREWS
• The Patriarch Abraham and his
descendants (c. 1800 BCE)
• Receives a “call” to start a new ‘nation’:
“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from you
country and your kindred and your father’s
house to the land I will show you. I will make
of you a great nation, and I will bless you and
make your name great, so that you will be a
blessing… So Abram went.” (Gen 12:1-3)
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
ISRAELITES
• Abraham’s grandson Jacob “wrestles” with
a messenger of God and receives the
name “Isra –el,” “He who struggles with El
(God) and wins.”
• According to the tradition, Jacob (Israel)
has 12 sons who become the patriarchs of
the “12 Tribes of Israel.”
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
ISRAELITES
• At the end of Genesis, Jacob and his sons
and their families end up in Egypt
• When the story picks up in Exodus several
hundred years later, the “Israelites” have
been enslaved by Pharaoh [Ramses II, c.
1290-1224 BCE] for his building projects
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
ISRAELITES
• Sometime after 1300 BCE, an Israelite
man who had been raised in Pharaoh’s
household kills an Egyptian construction
boss who was mistreating his people. He
fled to the desert, joined a shepherd’s
family and married his daughter.
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
ISRAELITES
• One day he encounters a mysterious
burning bush where a voice summons him
to return to Egypt to free his people
• The voice identifies itself as the God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
• When Moses presses him for a name, the
voice says, “I am who I am.” [YHWH]
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
ISRAELITES
• After a lengthy and dramatic struggle,
YHWH defeats Pharaoh and his forces
and leads the Israelites into the desert
• Moses and the people enter into a treaty
[Torah] relationship with YHWH [Exodus
20:1-18]
• YHWH promises them a homeland land of
their own, “flowing with milk and honey”
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
ISRAELITES
• Between 1200 and 1000 BCE, the
Israelites conquer and settle the land of
Canaan
• They struggle externally with powerful
enemies and internally with the temptation
to forsake their treaty with YHWH and
worship other “gods” (baals, “lords,” esp.
fertility gods) powers of natural world)
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
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ISRAELITES
They ask their leader, YHWH’s spokesman
Samuel, to make them a king even though
they are warned that the king will make
them slaves again
Saul 1021-1000
David 1000-961 (establishes dynasty)
Solomon 961-922
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
ISRAELITES
• Solomon establishes an impressive
kingdom, centralizes government and
builds a temple in Jerusalem to centralize
worship
• Upon his death, the kingdom splits into
ISRAEL (10 Northern tribes)
JUDAH (2 Southern Tribes)
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
ISRAELITES
• The two kingdoms struggle and compete with
each other and their neighbors until the North
(Israel) is destroyed in 721 BCE by the
Assyrians
• In the meantime, YHWH continues to remind the
people of Israel and Judah of the
Treaty/Covenant that is the basis of their identity
and nationhood.
• YHWH’s spokesmen are called “Prophets”. They
especially challenge the rich and powerful
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
JEWS
• The people of Judah (the “Jews”=i.e., Judeans)
survive until conquered by the Babylonians (c.
586 BCE)
• The Babylonian destroy the Jewish capital and
Temple of Solomon and deport the people to
Babylon (The Exile]
• In 538 BCE, the conquering Persian king allows
the Jews to return from exile to their homeland
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
• During the Exile, the traditional oral and
written heritage of Israel and Judah was
compiled into books: Torah “Law”, Nebiim
“Prophets,” and Kethubim
“Writings”=Tanak
• In the “postexilic period”, the Jews rebuild
the temple in Jerusalem, managed by the
Levitical Priesthood, with an effort to
maintain true worship
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
• Another group known as “rabbis”
(“teachers”) or Pharisees develops to
study the Torah and ensure its proper
observance among ordinary people
• Hence what is known as “Post-exilic
Rabbinic Judaism”
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
• In 336 BCE, The Jews are conquered by
the Greeks
• In 168 BCE The Jews gain independence
• In 63 BCE, The Jews are conquered by
the Romans
• In 70 CE, during the Jewish-Roman War
(66-74), the Romans destroy Jerusalem
and the Second Temple.
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
DIASPORA JUDAISM
• Over the centuries, beginning with the 8th
C. defeat of Israel, the people were
(“dispersed”) all over the various empires
• the Judaism of the rabbis spread widely
during and after the Babylonia Exile (6th C)
• This “Diaspora” Judaism centered on
“assemblies” for prayer and study of the
Torah (Hebrew: kahal; Greek: Synagoge)
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
• Late in the first century, the rabbis
established the list of holy books
• With the Temple gone, they focused on
careful observance of the Torah
• Over subsequent centuries they collected
the rabbinic commentaries on Torah dating
as far back as the Exile (Mishnah)
Who are the people known as
“Jews”?
• Later Mishnah was added to interpretive
writing which adapted and applied the
Torah to every aspect of life: Gemara
• When Mishnah and Gemara were
combined, they became Talmud
• Talmud developed in Babylon and in
Palestine
• Talmud includes legal material (Halachah)
and narrative (Haggadah)
WHAT DO JEWS DO?
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Observance of the Torah
According to the Talmud, there are 613
Mitzvah (“commandment”)
248 positive responsibilities (to do)
356 prohibitions (not to do)
Interpretation and application of Mitzvah is
complex and often accompanied by lively
debate
WHAT DO JEWS DO?
• Shabbat (Sabbath) A day of rest and celebration
of Creation commemorating God’s rest after
completing his work. An old saying: “It is not that
the Jews have kept the Sabbath but that the
Sabbath has kept the Jews.” (Friday sundown to
Saturday sundown)
Celebrated especially among family and close
friends with a special meal. Shabbat also
celebrates the freedom from slavery that YHWH
gave them in Exodus
WHAT DO JEWS DO?
• Pesach (Passover) celebrated in the
Spring, Passover commemorates the
liberation of the people from slavery in
Egypt and the gift of the Covenant with
YHWH as his special (chosen) people
WHAT DO JEWS DO?
• Shavuot (Weeks) Fifty days after Pesach
(May-June) celebrates YHWH’s gift of the
Torah (Covenant Law) on Mt. Sinai
• Rosh Hashanah (New Year)
Celebrates the first days of Creation and
includes a preparatory period of penance.
(Sept.-Oct)
WHAT DO JEWS DO?
• Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) A day of
prayer for forgiveness and reconciliation
before Rosh Hashana.
• Sukkot (Feast of Booths or Tabernacles)
Five days after Yom Kippur, commemorates
the Exodus, wandering in the desert and
living in makeshift huts (sukkot).
WHAT DO JEWS DO?
• Chanukah (Rededication) of the Temple)
(Nov-Dec) celebrates the miraculous lasting of lights during
the Jewish revolt against the Syrian Greeks (165 BCE)
when the Temple was recovered and rededicated after
profanation by Greek oppressors. In U.S., stressed because of its proximity to Christmas.
• Purim (Feast of Lots) A joyful feast that commemorates
Esther, a Jewish heroine who saved her people from
massacre during the Persian period. Called “lots”
because of the way the plotters picked the day of the
massacre.
WHAT DO JEWS DO?
• Bar Mitzvah (Son of the Commandment)
When a boy reaches 13, he can serve to
constitute a minyan (“quorum” of 10 adult
men) in the synagogue. He makes his
debut by reading and speaking in
synagogue. The celebration is probably in
part a 14th C. response to Christian
Confirmation. Some modern Jews also
use Bat Mitzvah (Daughter of…)
WHAT DO JEWS DO?
• Kosher (kashrut = “fitness,” “fit”) Jewish dietary
laws for dealing with food from the flesh and/or
the products of living creatures (animals).
Includes animals that are fit for eating and those
that are not, as well as their preparation of and
combination. Based mainly on rules in Lev 11
and Deut 14 and the interpretation and
application by the rabbis over time. Adaptations
continue.
Various reasons are given. The most compelling is
that these are divine ordinances, part of the
covenant with YHWH.
JEWISH VARIATIONS
• Variations within the Israelite covenant tradition
go back to the beginnings of the settlement of
tribal territories
• Despite efforts at standardization in practice and
worship by kings from Solomon onward,
important differences continued between the
Northern and Southern kingdoms, evidenced by
the differences in the sources of Pentateuchal
(Torah) literature
JEWISH VARIATIONS
• With Diaspora came further variants. In the postexilic period, the increased focus on written
Torah and other books helped develop common
practice.
• By the first century CE, distinct parties of belief
and practice were evident (NB: Sadducees,
Pharisees, Essenes, Zealots)
• Significant difference developed between
Palestinian and Hellenistic Jews
• After the destruction of the Temple (70 CE) and
the loss in the Jewish-Roman War (66-74 CE),
the rabbis firmed up focus on the scriptures
JEWISH VARIATIONS
• Ashkenazim During the Middle Ages,
central and eastern European Jews
developed distinctive cultural and linguistic
(Yiddish) traditions based on interaction
with German, Polish, Russian, Romanian
peoples. The majority of U.S. Jews are
Ashkenazi.
JEWISH VARIATIONS
• Sephardim Jews descending from
families in Spain and Portugal spoke
Ladino, based on medieval Spanish. After
the expulsion in 1492, they settled in North
Africa and the Middle East. Sephardic
traditions influenced Spanish America.
JEWISH VARIATIONS
• Kabbalah Jewish mysticism. Rooted
perhaps in aspects of prophetic visionary
experiences (cf. Isaiah, Ezekiel), attention
to esoteric and exotic experience grew up
in the early centuries of the Christian era,
perhaps with Hellenistic and Gnostic
influence. It underwent significant
synthesis and development in the 12th and
13th Centuries. (Cf. Sefer Ha-Zohar)
JEWISH VARIATIONS
• Hasidim (“The pious ones”)
A popular devotional mystical movement
beginning in 18th C. Ukraine, spreading
throughout eastern Europe. Small ascetic
groups grew into a major social
movement. Stessed detachment from
worldly pleasures in order to find mystical
union with God
JEWISH VARIATIONS
• A certain diversity has always existed in
the tradition, its interpretation and practice
• Modern Jewish variations continue this
• Reform Beginning in 18th C. Europe as a
response to the Protestant Reformation
and the Enlightenment. Stresses adaptation to one’s birth country, limiting
practices of separatism (e.g., language,
diet, dress)
JEWISH VARIATIONS
• Orthodox A reassertion of traditional
forms in response to Reform Judaism.
Accepts Torah in its entirety as given by
God and its strict observance as essential
to Jewish identity. This includes adherence
to the tradition of rabbinic interpretation.
Involvement in the non-Jewish world
should be limited. Not uniform in practice.
JEWISH VARIATIONS
• Conservative A modern (late 19th) Jewish
movement that attempts to moderate
between tradition and change. Also called
“Historical Judaism.” Stresses the
ongoing, developing collective awareness
of the Jewish people in dialogue with the
times and culture. Strives to rejuvenate
key practices of Torah.
JEWISH VARIATIONS
• Zionism A modern political movement
seeking restoration of the Jewish
homeland (“Zion”). Rooted in the ancient
hope for return from Diaspora. Various
factions have represented various motives
and visions of what this could mean.
Culminated in the modern state of Israel in
1948.