• Judaism
The Dead Sea Scrolls
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Introduction
• Judaism was the first monotheistic religion
• Both Christianity and Islam have their roots in
Judaism
Introduction
•
As of 2010, there were nearly 13.5 million Jews worldwide:
www.jewishdatabank.org
Israel: 5.7 million
U.S. : 5.2 million
Europe: just under 1 million
Russia and Ukraine: 272,000
• According to the Jewish faith, anyone may be considered to
be a Jew if:
1. they were born to a Jewish mother
2. they are a convert to Judaism
Origins
• The founder of Judaism was Abraham (Abram)
• Abram was born in the Sumerian city of Ur around
1800 B.C.
• Abram left Ur, wandered up the Euphrates, and
settled in Haran
• God called out to Abram, offering to make him the
father of a great nation, if he would leave Haran.
• Abram took his wife Sarai, left Haran, and eventually
settled in the land of Canaan
Origins
Route Abraham took to Canaan
Origins
• Abram entered into a covenant with his god,
who promised him a son. Abram was renamed Abraham, which means “father of
many”
• His wife Sarai was re-named Sarah, which
means “princess”
• Abraham had two sons:
Isaac = forefather of the Jewish people
Ishmael = forefather of the Arabic people
The Exodus
• Abraham’s great-grandson Joseph led the Hebrews into the
land of Egypt
• The Hebrews were eventually enslaved by the Egyptians
• Were led out of Egypt by Moses. This was known as the
Exodus (around 1200 B.C.)
• Moses led his people back to the land of Canaan. They were
given the Ten Commandments by God as their rule of law.
Kingdom of Israel
• Under their great king David, the
Hebrew people created a kingdom in
Canaan, which was located in modern
day Israel and Jordan (around 1000
B.C.)
• Established Jerusalem as the religious
and political capital
• This kingdom grew wealthy and
powerful under David’s son, King
Solomon
Kingdom of Israel
• Solomon built a magnificent temple to house
the Ark of the Covenant, which is said to have
contained the Ten Commandments
First Diaspora
• After Solomon’s death, the Kingdom of Israel
experienced a period of conflict and discontent
• Split into two kingdoms:
Israel = Northern Kingdom: destroyed by
Assyria in 722 B.C.
Judah = Southern Kingdom: conquered by
Babylon in 586 B.C.
First Diaspora
• Under the Babylonian conquest, the Temple of Solomon was
destroyed and the Jews were taken away into captivity
• This scattering of the Jews from their homeland was known as
the Diaspora
• After Babylon was conquered by Persia (around 500 B.C.) the
Jews were allowed to return to their homeland, practice their
religion, rebuild the Temple, and reestablish their identity
Second Diaspora
• By the 1st century B.C., the Jews living in Israel came under the
control of Rome. Region was known as Judaea
• In 70 A.D., the Jews revolted against Roman rule. The Temple
was destroyed again, and the Jews were again forced into exile
• As further punishment, the Romans renamed the area Palestine
Key Teachings of Judaism
1.
There is only one God and God provides standards of right and
wrong that people should follow. Judaism introduced this belief,
called ethical monotheism, to the world.
– Judaism teaches that there is such a thing as “right” and “wrong” and
that people have an obligation to do what is right.
2. Treat others well. Since the Hebrew Bible states that all people are
created in the image of God, Jews believe that every individual is
important and deserves to be treated with respect.
1. Honor the Sabbath. Judaism teaches that Jews should spend one
day a week, the Sabbath, focusing on things other than work and
material concerns.
– This is the origin of the idea of a weekly day of rest that is part of many
religions and is widely followed in many parts of the world.
Key Teachings of Judaism
4. Pray. Judaism teaches that people can communicate with
God through prayer.
– Traditionally observant Jews have daily prayers in the morning,
afternoon, and evening, and also pray before and after meals.
5. Study. Judaism teaches that studying the Hebrew Bible and
other Jewish texts leads to wisdom and good deeds, so
Jewish culture emphasizes the importance of learning.
6. The Land of Israel is Judaism’s most important spiritual
center.
– Most of the events in sacred Jewish scripture occurred there.
Judaism’s most sacred sites are there, including Jerusalem, which is its
holiest city and the site where the Jewish Temple once stood.
Key Terms
Synagogues – Jewish places of worship
The Torah – the most sacred text in Judaism
The Talmud – along with Hebrew Bible, the
foundation of Jewish ethics and
religious practices
Key Terms
Ethical monotheism – belief in one God and that
God wants humans to lead moral lives
Israel– ancestral homeland of Jewish people and
site of Judaism’s holiest places
The Hebrew Bible - adopted as Old Testament
by Christianity Tanakh
(three books)
Key Terms
Social justice– idea that individuals and groups
should receive fair treatment in all
areas of society
Rabbis– Jewish religious leaders
Diaspora – forced exile of the Jews from Israel;
scattered all over the world
Sects of Judaism
Orthodox– most traditional branch; emphasizes
observance of moral and ritual obligations
Reform– not as strict on ritual laws
Conservative – middle ground; emphasizes the
study of traditional Jewish texts
Reconstructionist – believes Judaism is also a
civilization as well as a religion; still evolving
Jewish Holidays
Shabbat– day of rest: sundown Friday until nightfall
Saturday
Rosh Hashanah– Jewish New Year; reflect on past
actions and think on how to
improve
Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement; fasting and prayer
Sukkot – fall harvest festival; build tents which they
adorn with fruits and vegetables
Jewish Holidays
Chanukah– Festival of Lights; observed by lighting a
special candleholder called a menorah
Purim– give money to the poor; exchange gifts with
friends; eat fruit-filled cookies; remembers
foiling a plot to kill Jews in ancient Persia
Passover – celebrates deliverance of Jews from
slavery in Egypt
Shavuot – commemorates giving of Jewish law;
observed by staying up all night to study!
Jewish Holidays
Images m
of Jewish Holidays
Each i age on this o
page rp resents a Jewish H liday. R ad “ew ish H lidays” and Je
then write the name of the appropriate holiday above each image.
Every holiday will be used once.
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