Circumstances of Origin: Abraham

• In the year 1900 B.C.E., a boy named Abram was born. God chose Abram to be the father of a great nation. Before the time of Abram, people believed hat there were many gods. God spoke with Abram and they made a covenant, or sacred agreement, that Abram would worship only one God. As a sign of that covenant, Abram’s name was changed to Abraham, “exalted father of a great nation.”

• Abram was born in Ur, grew up in Haran, and eventually moved to Canaan (modern day Israel) because God promised it would become a great nation.

Abram grew up in Ur (ancient Sumer) and moved with his family to Haran.

The important move came when God instructed him to move to Canaan (Israel).

The Old Testament• The religious text in Judaism is the Old Testament of the Bible.

The Old Testament has three parts:1. The Torah – also called the Five Books of Moses, includes

stories of God creating the world, Adam and Eve, Noah and the Flood, Abraham, Moses (Exodus) and the Ten Commandments. The Torah also gives rules for daily life and worship.

2. The Prophets – explain about Jewish history and God’s moral teachings

3. The Psalms/Writings – poems, hymns

The Torah

• The Torah explains about Abram’s life and his conversion to Abraham. It also explains about how he fathered both Isaac and Ishmael.

Judaism traces its beginnings to Abraham

• Hagar was an Egyptian servant belonging to Sarah. After many years of not having a child, Sarah finally gave Hagar to her husband Abraham "to be his wife", so that he might still have children.

• Hagar and Abraham soon had a son and they named him Ishmael.

• Sarah found it difficult to live with Ishmael, and exiled Hagar and Ishmael into the wilderness. (Arabs and Muslims consider themselves descended from Ishmael).

• Soon after Sarah did this, she miraculously gave birth to a son, whom she named Isaac. Jews describe themselves as descended from Isaac.

Clergy and Places of Worship

• Rabbi• Synagogue – places for prayer, learning, and

social activities. Every synagogue has a cabinet at the front called an ark. The ark contains the Torah scrolls.

Holy Days

• Rosh Hashanah – Jewish New Year, beginning of year, birthday of mankind

• Yom Kippur – Day of atonement remembering mankind’s sin and God’s forgiveness of our sins.

• Passover – remembers Moses’ Exodus (which we will read about!) and the Jews’ freedom from slavery in Egypt

Rituals

• Bar Mitzvah – a boy’s coming of age ceremony where he publicly accepts Judaism as his religion.

• Bat Mitzvah – a girl’s coming of age ceremony where she publicly accepts Judaism as her religion. (Not all Jewish people believe girls should undergo this ceremony).

Symbols

• Mezuzah – attached to the right side of the doorpost as you enter a room.

• Yarmulke – a skullcap worn only by men signifying that human begins are beneath, or dependent on god.

• Shofar – a ram’s horn blown during the month prior to Rosh Hashanah to wake people up and remind them of their responsibility to ask forgiveness for their sins.

• Star of David – six-pointed star named after King David, who had a shield with this star on it. This appears on the flag of the State of Israel.

MEZUZAH

YARMULKE

SHOFARSTAR OF DAVID