Judaism: Do Now: 2 minutesWrite down 8 things you learned from the video.

Who is Jewish?

• Ethnicity• Faith• Culture• Self-identification

Unifying feature

Belief in the ONENESS of God who

works through HISTORY and who has

CHOSEN the Jewish people

Today

14 million Jews

Many are non-practicing

Story of God’s acts through history

Abranham

father of

Isaac

father of

Jacob

father of

Twelve Sons

These are the patriachs. They were nomads, following flocks.

Stories

No systematic presentation of beliefs.

Stories that said: Worship ONE GOD with

burned animal sacrifices.

Heart of Jewish Story

Exodus

End of Genesis – Abraham’s

descendants were slaves

Exodus – story of Moses, leading people

out of slavery toward becoming a nation

Sinai and the Law

Focused on

- Obedience and loyalty to God

- How to treat others

Judaism became a religion of law. Jews

were people who were obedient.

Ten Commandments

After Sinai

Israelites conquer Canaan.

Hebrew Monarchy

King David

1) Israel became a miliary power

2) Wanted to rebuild temple

(Solomon did)

Exile and Return

Northern - Isael

enslaved and disappeared

Southern – Judah

take captive, but

kept identity

Diaspora - scattering

Babylon

Persia

Egypt

Once out of Israel, Jews had to change

Synagogue

Scripture = Torah

10 adult males

Rabbi (religious leader)

study scripture

teach community

debated how to interpret and apply

laws

Jews lived apart

no work on the sabbath

keep kosher dietary laws

At time of diaspora -

hope for a messiah to re-establish the

kingdom

Jewish Scripture - Tanak

T – Torah (Law)

A

N – Neviim (prohphets)

A

K – Ketuvim (writings)

Other writings

Rabbis wrote interpretation of law

- Talmud

- Mishnah

- Gemara (analysis of Mishnah)

Kabbalah

Mystical Judaism

Not widely practiced

Writing = book of Zohar

Four major beliefs

One one God

Four major beliefs

This God has chosen only the Jews

to be his people on earth

Four major beliefs

God’s choice of the Jews in an

expression of love, but also a call to

obedience of the law

Four major beliefs

Special reward – eternity

Gentiltes, too – for living right