JudaismJudaism RELS 110: World Religions. Slide 2. Possible exam questions List as many of Moses Maimonides’ 13 principles as you can remember, and explain

JudaismJudaismJudaismJudaism

RELS 110: World ReligionsRELS 110: World ReligionsRELS 110: World ReligionsRELS 110: World Religions

Slide 2.

Possible exam questionsPossible exam questionsPossible exam questionsPossible exam questions

• List as many of Moses Maimonides’ 13 principles as you can remember, and explain them in a sentence or two each.

Slide 3.

Divine NameDivine NameDivine NameDivine Name

• Originally, the Israelites’ name for God was “Yahweh”, written as the consonants YHWH

• Jews stopped pronouncing the name of God• They would substitute another word, either

• The Name (“HaShem”)• LORD (all in capital letters to indicate it stands

for the divine name, not the usual word for “lord”).

Slide 4.

Monotheism in JudaismMonotheism in JudaismMonotheism in JudaismMonotheism in Judaism

• The religion that first developed the concept of monotheism

• belief in and worship of a single God. • monotheism developed gradually

• Abraham and other early Jewish figures accepted the prevailing belief that there were many gods.

• What made the Jews unique: they chose to recognize and worship only one god who traveled with them wherever they went.

Slide 5.

Representations of God Representations of God in Judaismin Judaism

Representations of God Representations of God in Judaismin Judaism

• the god of the Jews is an invisible god.

• In the Bible God declared himself to be beyond depiction or imagination.

• unusual among the cultures in which Judaism first arose.

• Judaism still ptohibits making images of God.

Slide 6.

The Chosen PeopleThe Chosen PeopleThe Chosen PeopleThe Chosen People• Jews claimed a special relationship to their God

• He had chosen them to be his people. • This relationship is referred to as a covenant:

• God made promises to the Hebrew people • they in turn promised fidelity to him alone.

• this developed into the conviction that this god was in fact the only God, of the universe and of all peoples.

• Judaism eventually committed itself to a strict monotheism.

• How to combine chosenness with one God for everyone?

• God had chosen the Jews for a special mission in the world.

• Jews feel responsible to a higher standard than other peoples since they were appointed by God to be “a light to the world.”

Slide 7.

An Ethnic ReligionAn Ethnic ReligionAn Ethnic ReligionAn Ethnic Religion

• Judaism has functioned both as an ethnic group and a religion

• Many people today consider themselves Jews solely because of their familial relations and not because of any religious beliefs or practices they follow.

• The rest of the world, in its turn, has tended to regard Jews the same way.

• Compare Hinduism, Shinto, Daoism.• More so in Judaism because it has been a

minority religion

Slide 8.

The Sacred in HistoryThe Sacred in HistoryThe Sacred in HistoryThe Sacred in History

• Other religions had myths and legends, stories of creation and the interaction of important ancestors with the gods.

• Judaism made these interactions a continuing saga of God’s relationship to his chosen people.

• History doesn’t move in cycles; it is linear,

• it had a beginning • It will some day have an end.

Slide 9.

OrthopraxisOrthopraxisOrthopraxisOrthopraxis

• concern for the people’s ongoing relationship to God.

• Not so much what individuals believed about God,

• But how the community related to God. • most important facet of Judaism

became not orthodoxy, or correct belief, but orthopraxis, or correct practice.

Slide 10.

Jewish TheologyJewish TheologyJewish TheologyJewish Theology• Being a good Jew is mostly about

following Jewish law, not about believing anything in particular about God.

• theology (literally, the study of God) is not as important as in Christianity.

• Still, Jews have at times articulated Jewish beliefs about God.

• One of the most famous of these articulations is the “Thirteen Principles of Faith” authored by Moses Maimonides, a rabbi who lived in the twelfth century CE in Spain.

Slide 11.

Thirteen Principles of Thirteen Principles of FaithFaith

Thirteen Principles of Thirteen Principles of FaithFaith

1. God is Creator and Guide.2. God is One in a unique Way.3. God does not have a physical form.4. God is eternal.5. God and God alone is to be worshiped.6. God is all-knowing.7. God gives rewards and punishments.8. God has revealed his will through the prophets.9. Moses is the greatest of the prophets.10. The Torah was revealed to Moses.11. The Torah is eternal and unchanging.12. The Messiah will come.13. The dead will be resurrected.

(Moses Maimonides, 13th C.)

Slide 12.

Summary: Basic Summary: Basic Principles of JudaismPrinciples of Judaism

Summary: Basic Summary: Basic Principles of JudaismPrinciples of Judaism

• Judaism is best known as the first monotheistic religion.

• Jews developed the doctrine of monotheism gradually over their early history.

• Judaism is both an ethnic group and a religion, and the two identities are brought together in the belief that Jews are “the chosen people.”

• God is believed to be actively involved in historical events in Judaism, sometimes in a way that permanently changes the relationship between God and God’s people.

• Judaism is a religion of orthopraxis, valuing ritual and the keeping of God’s laws over holding particular beliefs about God.

Slide 13.

Quiz funQuiz funQuiz funQuiz fun

Slide 14.

Possible Exam QuestionPossible Exam QuestionPossible Exam QuestionPossible Exam Question

• What, according to Proverbs, are the differences between the “wise” and the “foolish” in terms of their (a) thinking, (b) behaviour, and (c) fortunes?

Slide 15.

ProverbsProverbsProverbsProverbs• Introduces us to the Material, convictions, worldview

shared by Jews, Christians, Muslims alike.• Proverbs 12:15: “Fools think their own way is right; the

wise listen to advice”• Same kind of thing we would say today. Sounds the same;

meaning a bit different.• Divides people into two categories: Fool or wise.• An Observation – this is not a command.

• Proverbs 12:16: “Fools show their anger at once; but the prudent ignore an insult.”

• Two groups of people: (1) principled; (2) immediate moment.

• Proverbs 12:19: Truthful lips endure forever; but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.

• 12:21: No harm comes to the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble.

• 12:22: Lying lips are an abomination; faithful are his delight.

Slide 16.

Proverbs’ View of RealityProverbs’ View of RealityProverbs’ View of RealityProverbs’ View of Reality

• Concerns are universal, not nation-specific.• Israel is not mentioned at all.

• Concerns are with this life, not the afterlife.• With the way of wisdom-created world.

• Stresses importance of human choice• Like Islam: Sayyed Hossein Nasr: Everything in

the Universe is Muslim except for Man.• Wise=righteous will prosper; foolish=wicked

do not.• God’s wisdom is reflected in the moral order,

as in the physical order• “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of

wisdom”• Wisdom begins by taking God into account.

Slide 17.

Choice (in Proverbs’ Choice (in Proverbs’ worldview)worldview)

Choice (in Proverbs’ Choice (in Proverbs’ worldview)worldview)

• Not: a fork in the road, and no one to tell us one is right and one is wrong.

• Rather: a beautiful intricate rug & a child with muddy boots.

• It is appropriate to take the boots off.• We didn’t make the world; it was made a

certain way we didn’t determine.• Will we respect the way the world is

made?• Will we be insensitive, stupid, mean?

Judaism video 00-06Judaism video 00-06Judaism video 00-06Judaism video 00-06

1. What is the significance of Canaan and where is it today?

2. What is monotheism? How does it define Judaism?

Slide 19.

Cultural Context of Cultural Context of JudaismJudaism

Cultural Context of Cultural Context of JudaismJudaism

• For roughly the last two thousand years, Judaism has existed as a minority religion which has been key in the formation of Jewish identity.

• Jews have faced anti-Semitism in many different lands.

• Historically, the most vicious anti-Semitism was that of Christians who blamed Jews for the death of Jesus.

• Especially in Europe, Jews were prevented from owning land or working in many different professions, and were kept in segregated Jewish neighborhoods called ghettoes.

• The worst and most recent persecution of Jews was the Holocaust, in which the government of Nazi Germany attempted to eradicate the European Jewish population under the pretext that they were racially inferior to other Europeans.

Slide 20.

Game time!Game time!Game time!Game time!

Slide 21.

Summary of Genesis 1-Summary of Genesis 1-1111

Summary of Genesis 1-Summary of Genesis 1-1111

• Creation: good, way good.• Paradise: everything ideal.• Flood (Noah)

• Gen 8:21: I’m not going to curse them. Why? Not because they’re good, but because evil is their nature.

• Believe in these stories: literally or not?• Some do, some don’t. Even early interpreters

were divided.• These stories tell us important things about the

human condition.• Important convictions are told by the way of

story.• Easy to sum up the basic principles/convictions:

• The Vision of Reality in Genesis 1-11 …

Slide 22.

1. The universe is created 1. The universe is created by God and good.by God and good.

1. The universe is created 1. The universe is created by God and good.by God and good.

• Huston Smith on “the little word ‘very’ gives a lilt to the entire religion. The Jews refused to abandon the physical aspects of existence as illusory, defective, or unimportant. Fresh as the morning of creation, they were to be relished with zest.

• In Jewish faith, there is a strict division of creation and creator.

• Don’t worship nature (Mother Earth). She is sister earth, a creature, as we are.

Slide 23.

2. Humans are created 2. Humans are created in the image of Godin the image of God

2. Humans are created 2. Humans are created in the image of Godin the image of God

• (Genesis 1:27) What does the “image” imply?• God rules all, so people are given rule over the rest

of God’s earthly creation (Dominion, in 1:28).• Not exploit/devastate• Rule is always given to be exercised for the good of

those ruled• OR: People are made with a capacity to enjoy God

in ways other creatures cannot.• The ideal is someone who “walks with God” – has

communion with God• OR: people can serve God in ways other creatures

cannot.• Instinctive action vs. moral action: we can do what is

right as a moral choice.• OR: People can reflect God’s character in ways that

other creatures cannot.

Slide 24.

3. Humans are created 3. Humans are created male and femalemale and female

3. Humans are created 3. Humans are created male and femalemale and female

• For companionship (2:18)• Propagation (1:28)• Marriage and family are divine

institutions, part of the ‘order’ of creation.

Slide 25.

4. Humans remain 4. Humans remain creaturescreatures

4. Humans remain 4. Humans remain creaturescreatures

• Humans remain dependent on God.• They need to recognize their limits.

• One command, to remind of limitations• Tower of Babel

Slide 26.

5. Human existence is 5. Human existence is spoiledspoiled

5. Human existence is 5. Human existence is spoiledspoiled

• Human existence, and all creation, is spoiled by human pretensions of autonomy.

• When they think they can make their own rules …• when they try to do what they themselves want,

independently from God …• When humans choose their own interests, not those of

creation … • Jews think people have an evil inclination and a good

inclination, with a constant struggle.• People can overcome the evil inclination.• That’s why the solution is guidance regarding what to do. It

is not beyond you.• Christians say humans cannot help but sin.

• It is such a part of human nature.• A more pessimistic problem; a more radical solution.

• Islam: forgetfulness is the problem; in principle we can do it, when reminded.

• Adam repented and became a prophet.

Slide 27.

5. Human existence is 5. Human existence is spoiled (continued)spoiled (continued)

5. Human existence is 5. Human existence is spoiled (continued)spoiled (continued)

• Chaim Pearl:• “Our stories imply that man has a

tendency to sin. But that is very different from the concept that he has the destiny to sin.”

Slide 28.

6. God’s commitment to the 6. God’s commitment to the goodness of creationgoodness of creation

6. God’s commitment to the 6. God’s commitment to the goodness of creationgoodness of creation

• God’s commitment to the goodness of creation is expressed both in divine judgement and in redemption.

• He won’t allow it to be spoiled by humans.

• God is merciful, compassionate, patient.

Slide 29.

The Jewish ScripturesThe Jewish ScripturesThe Jewish ScripturesThe Jewish Scriptures

• The Hebrew Bible is composed of many of the same books as the Christian Old Testament.

• The Hebrew Bible consists of three major sections, the most important of which is the Torah, or first five books of the Bible.

Slide 30.


• Torah or Pentateuch: Books of Moses

• Nevi’im “prophets”• Ketuvim “writings”

Slide 31.


• The Hebrew Bible was written between approximately 900 and 200 BCE.

• The Talmud, which is an interpretation of the Torah, is regarded as authoritative by the Jewish religion.

• The Talmud, sometimes called the “oral Torah,” brings the Torah into conversation with continuing events in the life of the Jewish people via the practice of midrash, or “reading scripture forward” to find its significance for present times.

Slide 32.

Possible Test QuestionsPossible Test QuestionsPossible Test QuestionsPossible Test Questions

• What is meant by “Torah”? • What role does “Torah” play in

Judaism?

Slide 33.

TorahTorahTorahTorah• Means “guidance, instruction, law”• Used for:

• All revelation (all God says to humans)• The Pentateuch (Genesis, Exod., Leviticus,

Numbers, Deut.)• Sum of all the commandments God is believed

to have given Moses on Mt. Sinai. Includes:• “written Torah” in Exodus, Leviticus, some in

Numbers and Deuteronomy• Supplemented by “Oral Torah”

• Torah is to be the law for a whole community. A community cannon have various implementations. Not every detail is given (what is work?). Adapt Torah to new situations.

• Includes Halachah and Haggadah.

Slide 34.

Oral TorahOral TorahOral TorahOral Torah• Halakhah

• Tells people what they should do.• Spells out precise terms of Israel’s

obligations under the covenant.• Haggadah

• Narratives, illustrating and encouraging proper behaviour.

• Collections of “Oral Torah” include:• Mishnah• Talmud(s) – Babylonian and Palestinian• Midrashim – commentaries on biblical

books, containing both halakhah and haggadah.

Slide 35.

MishnahMishnahMishnahMishnah• A collections of laws – hard reading – concise,

formulaic.• Majoring in minors: E.g., Don’t do any work: What

constitutes “work”? The main classes of work are … separating two threads.

• This is how we serve God – by submitting every detail to Him.

• Most famous section: Avot (or Aboth, or Pirke Avot)• Near the beginning of Avot: On three things the world

stands: On Torah, Worship (Service) and Loving Deeds• It is our part to be faithful, even if we don’t

understand.• The fear of God comes before wisdom.

Slide 36.

Quiz GameQuiz GameQuiz GameQuiz Game

• Hebrew Scriptures

Slide 37.

Possible Test QuestionPossible Test QuestionPossible Test QuestionPossible Test Question

• Discuss briefly the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) as a drama of the relationship of God with humanity.

Slide 38.

1. Patriarchal Period1. Patriarchal Period1. Patriarchal Period1. Patriarchal Period

• Abraham & Sarah• Isaac & Rebekah• Jacob & Rachel&Leah• 12 sons of Jacob (including Levi,

Judah, Joseph) = the 12 tribes of Israel

Slide 39.

2. Egypt & the Exodus2. Egypt & the Exodus2. Egypt & the Exodus2. Egypt & the Exodus

• Moses & Aaron• (typical protest against his call, but

even more than usual)• Pharaoh doesn’t know God• Plagues

Slide 40.

3. Wilderness & Mt. Sinai3. Wilderness & Mt. Sinai3. Wilderness & Mt. Sinai3. Wilderness & Mt. Sinai

• Moses & Aaron• Laws• Instructions for tabernacle carried out: sanctuary• How unbelieving Israel was – God kept coming

through• Jews see this as their past, but also their

present.• E.g., Abraham gets promises of people & land,

but does not possess people or land.• Or: story of wilderness: don’t be like that

generation in the wilderness because of their unbelief.

• Warning of prosperity and danger of pride. Depend on God. Don’t adopt religions of other nations.

Slide 41.

4. Conquest & 4. Conquest & SettlementSettlement

4. Conquest & 4. Conquest & SettlementSettlement

• Joshua & Judges (Also Deborah, Gideon, Samson, Samuel)

• People who deliver them when they cry out from oppression.

• A repeated cycle.• Finally they demand a king.

Slide 42.

5. United Monarchy5. United Monarchy5. United Monarchy5. United Monarchy

• Kings: Saul, David, Solomon• Saul disobeys God.

• The lineage is taken from him.• God makes a commitment to David (2

Samuel 7):• Your sons will be on the throne forever

• Solomon builds the temple in Jerusalem.• Has women trouble; foreign gods.

Slide 43.

6. Divided Monarchy6. Divided Monarchy6. Divided Monarchy6. Divided Monarchy

• Northern Kingdom (Israel)• Capital came to be in Samaria• Various dynasties

• Southern Kingdom (Judah)• David captured Jerusalem• Davidic dynasty: 400 years.

• Assyrians captured Samaria in 722 BCE.

Slide 44.

7. Judah Alone7. Judah Alone7. Judah Alone7. Judah Alone

• Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 587 or 586 BCE.

• After a series of prophets had warned them to reform their ways.

Slide 45.

8. Babylonian Exile8. Babylonian Exile8. Babylonian Exile8. Babylonian Exile

• Nebuchadnezzar (-538) captured Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple.

Slide 46.

9. Postexilic Period9. Postexilic Period9. Postexilic Period9. Postexilic Period

• Persian king Cyrus conquered the Babylonians

• Cyrus allowed Jews to return to their home land.

• Ezra (scribe), Nehemiah (rebuilt Jerusalem’s walls)

• 515 BCE- Second Temple period begins

Slide 47.

Quiz GameQuiz GameQuiz GameQuiz Game

• Ancient History of Judaism

Slide 48.


• Summarize the message of the following prophets to their contemporaries and the themes in their prophecies that are important in Judaism:

• Amos• Isaiah.

Slide 49.

ProphecyProphecyProphecyProphecy• Prophets are intermediary figures, conveying to ordinary people

messages from deity / spiritual world / supernatural world that aren’t accessible to ordinary people.

• Prophecy is a form of intuitive mediation (rather than inductive mediation, which is recognizing what is there, e.g., divination).

• Prophetic activity follows a divine commission (e.g., Amos, Jonah).• Prophecy is more than foretelling the future – this is an element, but not

the core.• Social justice – another important characteristic, but it’s note what

makes them prophets.• At Sinai, people say to Moses, “We can’t bear to hear the Lord directly;

you go and tell us what he said.”• Early examples of prophets in Israel:

• Moses (prototype)• Samuel (also a judge)• Nathan (a court prophet; 2 Samuel 11-12): doesn’t rubber-stamp what

the king wants. Tells a story of a rich man. To pronounce upon rights & wrongs of establishment.

• Elijah – Ahab & Naboth (1 Kings 21)

Slide 50.

David & NathanDavid & NathanDavid & NathanDavid & Nathan• But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord, 12 1

and the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him, and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor. 2 The rich man had very many flocks and herds; 3 but the poor man had nothing but one little ewe lamb, which he had bought. He brought it up, and it grew up with him and with his children; it used to eat of his meager fare, and drink from his cup, and lie in his bosom, and it was like a daughter to him. 4 Now there came a traveler to the rich man, and he was loath to take one of his own flock or herd to prepare for the wayfarer who had come to him, but he took the poor man’s lamb, and prepared that for the guest who had come to him.” 5 Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man. He said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die; 6 he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.”

• 7 Nathan said to David, “You are the man! ” 2 Samuel 11:27-12:15.

Slide 51.

Amos, c. 750 BCEAmos, c. 750 BCEAmos, c. 750 BCEAmos, c. 750 BCE• The first prophet whose words form the

substance of a biblical book.• Why? His words were directed to the people as a

whole? He was told to go away, and had no venue?• Shepherd from the South (Judah) with a

message for the North (Israel)• Prophetic career in North lasted less than a year

(2 years before earthquake)• Foretold destruction of Northern Kingdom

(prosperous, complacent). Was vindicated.• Offended people by parodying and dismissing

their piety.• Alas for you who desire the “day of the Lord”

(when deliverance would come)

Slide 52.

Amos’ MessageAmos’ MessageAmos’ MessageAmos’ Message• Amos denounces Israel’s neighbours for

crimes against humanity: All nations are responsible before God: compassion, no war crimes, selling slaves, defiling the dead.

• This would delight Israel, but then he moves on to condemn Israel, too. Amos 9:7 says in effect, “You have no special immunity.”

• Are you not like the Ethiopians to me, • O people of Israel? says the Lord. • Did I not bring Israel up from the land of

Egypt, • and the Philistines from Caphtor and the

Arameans from Kir?

Slide 53.

Amos’ MessageAmos’ MessageAmos’ MessageAmos’ Message

• Amos 3:1-2 – your special relationship means a special responsibility:

• Hear this word that the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt:

• You only have I known • of all the families of the earth; • therefore I will punish you • for all your iniquities.

Slide 54.

Amos’ MessageAmos’ MessageAmos’ MessageAmos’ Message• Pronounced pending doom on religious people

lacking a social conscience.• Chapter 6: beds of ivory, sing idle songs, drink

wine, but are not grieved.• Amos 5:21-24

• I hate, I despise your festivals, • and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. • Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and

grain offerings, • I will not accept them; • and the offerings of well-being of your fatted animals • I will not look upon. • Take away from me the noise of your songs; • I will not listen to the melody of your harps. • But let justice roll down like waters, • and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

Slide 55.

Summary of AmosSummary of AmosSummary of AmosSummary of Amos

• Insistence that God is concerned about justice for all nations (Edomites, etc.)

• Israel’s special relationship entails special responsibilities.

• Religious worship was acceptable only when they practices social justice.

• Only when they had compassion on the poor

Slide 56.

““Major” ProphetsMajor” Prophets““Major” ProphetsMajor” Prophets

• Two of the “major” prophets are assigned for this course.

• The difference between “major” and “minor” prophets is the length of the books.

• Isaiah: active before 722 BCE (for over 40 years)

• Commissioning – told in Isaiah 6: vision of Lord in the temple; seraphim; Holy, Holy Holy.• Whom will I send? I will. Nobody will listen.

Slide 57.

Isaiah 1:10-17Isaiah 1:10-17Isaiah 1:10-17Isaiah 1:10-17

• Sodom & Gomorrah were sinful cities (see Genesis 18&19) destroyed before Isaiah’s time.

• Who are Sodom & Gomorrah for him? Sinners in general? Jerusalem.

• Expect the same kind of judgement as S&G.• Your offerings are abominations; learn to do

good & seek justice.• God is looking for justice; failing that he is not

interested in religiosity of people who oppress.

Slide 58.

Ethical MonotheismEthical MonotheismEthical MonotheismEthical Monotheism

• In the past (1880-1960/1970) the religion of the prophets was reduced (by scholars) to “ethical monotheism”

• (In contrast to books of the law) against the temple of Jerusalem. God wasn’t interested in religious ritual.

• More recently, there has been a backlash against making the prophets in our own image.

Slide 59.

Isaiah 5Isaiah 5Isaiah 5Isaiah 5

• Song of the Vineyard• Produced sour grapes – I can’t do

anything for it anymore.• Looked for righteousness; found

oppression.

Slide 60.

Isaiah 11:1-9Isaiah 11:1-9Isaiah 11:1-9Isaiah 11:1-9

• Paradise restored, when Davidic king is reinstalled.

• The wolf will lie down with the lamb.

Slide 61.

ReviewReviewReviewReview• Amos, c. 750 BCE, Shepherd from the South (Judah)

with a message for the North (Israel)• Amos’ Message

• Insistence that God is concerned about justice for all nations (Edomites, etc.)

• Israel’s special relationship entails special responsibilities.• Religious worship was acceptable only when they

practiced social justice.• Ethical Monotheism• Isaiah: before 722 BCE

• Isaiah 6: Commissioning in the temple.• Isaiah 1:10-17: God is looking for justice rather than

religiosity.• Isaiah 5: Song of the Vineyard. Looked for righteousness;

found oppression.• Isaiah 11:1-9: Paradise restored, when Davidic king is

reinstalled.

Judaism video 06-24Judaism video 06-24Judaism video 06-24Judaism video 06-24

3. What was Abraham’s Covenant with God?

4. What did Moses contribute to Judaism after his meeting with God on Mount Sinai?

5. What is the Torah?

6. Who are Saul, David and Solomon, and what did they do to help establish a Jewish homeland?

7. What happened to the Israelites between the reign of Solomon and the building of the second Temple?

8. What are the three parts of the Hebrew Bible?

Slide 63.


• How do the major groupings of Judaism today differ in practice and beliefs?

Judaism video 24-Judaism video 24-Judaism video 24-Judaism video 24-

9. How did the Jews fare under Roman rule?

10. How did Judaism change as it became synagogue-centered rather than temple-centered after 70 C.E.?

11. What is the purpose of the Talmud?

12. What impact did Islam have on the evolution of Judaism?

Slide 65.

The Jewish DiasporaThe Jewish DiasporaThe Jewish DiasporaThe Jewish Diaspora

• • The Diaspora, or dispersion from the land of Israel, provoked a major transition in Judaism from being a religion of temple and sacrifice to a religion of synagogue and scripture.

• • After the Diaspora, Jews settled throughout Europe and the Middle East, eventually splitting into two major groups, the Ashkenazim and the Sephardim, who developed somewhat different languages and customs.

• • A mystical tradition of Judaism, Kabbalah, developed during the Middle Ages in Europe.

• • The pressure of living as a stigmatized minority religion in Europe led Jews to develop more charismatic movements like Hasidism, to look forward eagerly to the coming of the Messiah, and to begin to redefine Judaism in ways that would make it fit more easily into European culture.

Slide 66.

The Jewish DiasporaThe Jewish DiasporaThe Jewish DiasporaThe Jewish Diaspora

• Practice

Judaism video 35-Judaism video 35-Judaism video 35-Judaism video 35-

13. What is the role of education in Judaism?

14. What are the diverse roles of the synagogue today?

15. What is the importance of the Jewish Sabbath?

16. What are the most sacred of the High Holy Days during the Jewish religious year?

17. What three laws take precedent over the preservation of a human life?

18. What does being kosher mean?

19. How does Jerusalem serve as a central theme in Judaism?

20. What is the Zionist movement? What was its main goal?

Slide 68.

Psalms: Origins and UsePsalms: Origins and UsePsalms: Origins and UsePsalms: Origins and Use

• What sorts of things happened in the ancient temple?

• Feasts, hymns, individual sacrifice, confession, vows.• Psalms were composed / adopted by professional

singers in the temple.• Appropriate psalms were performed to suit

occasion of the community’s or individual’s worship

• What would be the kind of ceremony at the temple, at which each Psalm would have been used?

• “I was glad when they said to me, let us go up to the house of the Lord.” (triumph)

• “Have mercy on me, O God; blot out my transgressions” (confession)

Slide 69.

Psalms: Origins and UsePsalms: Origins and UsePsalms: Origins and UsePsalms: Origins and Use

• Each guild of singers (Asa, Korah, etc.) had its own repertoire of psalms.

• In time, collections of psalms were assembled into a scroll. Thereafter, used as private as well as community devotion.

• People for 2000 years have found in the Psalms what they wanted to say but couldn’t find the words. A treasured collection.

Slide 70.

Psalms: Themes / Psalms: Themes / WorldviewWorldview

Psalms: Themes / Psalms: Themes / WorldviewWorldview

• It is fitting and right for God’s creatures to celebrate his goodness.

• It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;” (Ps 92:1).

• Humans are all part of God’s created order• Whereas human beings are frail and mortal, God

is eternal, faithful, merciful.• Human life is full of trouble, from which God

alone can deliver.• God is righteous and will enforce justice in the

world.• This is both a hope for the righteous and a cause

for celebration for the whole world.• God’s presence is to be enjoyed at his Temple.

He himself is the true reward.

Slide 71.

Judaism in AmericaJudaism in AmericaJudaism in AmericaJudaism in America

• Practice

Slide 72.

Judaism in AmericaJudaism in AmericaJudaism in AmericaJudaism in America• • More Jews now live in the U.S. than anywhere else in

the world.• • Jews immigrated to the United States in two major

waves: the first group came from Germany, mostly in the nineteenth century, while the second group came from Eastern Europe and Russia in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

• • Four branches of Judaism exist in America: Reform, Conservative, Orthodox, and Reconstructionist.

• • Those who stayed closest to Jewish law remained Orthodox, while those who were interested in molding Judaism to some extent to help it flourish in its new environment became Conservative Jews.

• • Marriage between Jews and non-Jews has driven the various branches of Judaism to grapple with questions of Jewish identity.

Slide 73.

Zionism & the State of Zionism & the State of IsraelIsrael


• • The Zionist Movement inspired the creation of the modern state of Israel.

• • The first leader of the Zionist Movement, Theodor Herzl, was a secular Jew.

• • Other possible Jewish homelands were considered by the Zionist Movement.

• • Israel came to be in its present form through a series of directives from Great Britain and the United Nations as well as persistent conflicts with its Arab neighbours.

• • Religious and political conflict persist within Israel today, not only between Jews and non-Jews, but between different sorts of Jews.

• • Any Jew anywhere in the world is welcome to move to Israel and become a citizen.

Slide 74.



• Practice

Slide 75.

Jewish PracticeJewish PracticeJewish PracticeJewish Practice• • Jews pray and worship both at home and at

synagogue.• • Communal prayer requires the presence of a

minyan (ten Jews).• • The Sabbath is the most important Jewish

holiday and is celebrated every week as a day of rest.

• • A portion of the Torah is read each week in synagogue services.

• • Jews respect certain dietary rules known as the laws of kashrut (kosher).

• • Many Jews do not pray regularly, observe the Sabbath, attend synagogue, or keep a kosher diet, but they are still regarded as Jews.

Slide 76.

Jewish Rites of PassageJewish Rites of PassageJewish Rites of PassageJewish Rites of Passage

• Jews bring their children into the covenant that God made with Abraham through special services for infants: brit milah for boys and naming services for girls.

• Sons are welcomed into the covenant as infants via circumcision.

• Jews mourn the deaths of their close relatives by sitting shivah and reciting a special prayer for a year after the death.

Slide 77.

Bar MitzvahBar MitzvahBar MitzvahBar Mitzvah• Coming-of-age services (bar mitzvah and bat

mitzvah) mark a transition into religious adulthood for Jews.

• The many obligations placed upon Jews according to Jewish law are reserved for adults, but traditionally Jewish children become adults at a comparatively young age: thirteen.

• The bar mitzvah service officially recognizes a boy’s religious coming-of-age.

• After his bar mitzvah, a Jewish boy, if he is observant, is expected to wear tallit and tefillin and to pray three times a day.

• Recently, coming-of-age services have been established for girls (bat mitzvah).

Slide 78.

MarriageMarriageMarriageMarriage

• A Jewish marriage contract is called a “ketubah.”

• Jewish weddings include seven blessings and the breaking of a glass to commemorate the destruction of the Second Temple, and take place under a canopy.

Slide 79.

Jewish HolidaysJewish HolidaysJewish HolidaysJewish Holidays

• • The Jewish calendar is a lunar calendar that is corrected each year to stay roughly synchronized with the solar calendar.

• • The major Jewish holidays are both seasonal celebrations and commemorations of historical events.

• • The most recently created Jewish holiday is Yom Hashoah, a commemoration of the Holocaust and those who died in it.

Slide 80.

High Holy DaysHigh Holy DaysHigh Holy DaysHigh Holy Days• The most important holidays of the Jewish year are called

the high holy days.• Rosh Hashanah

• They begin with Rosh Hashanah, a New Year’s festival that usually falls in September.

• The hallmark of Rosh Hashanah is the blowing of the shofar, or ram’s horn.

• According to Jewish tradition, Jews must attend synagogue so that their names will be put down in the book of life for the next year.

• Rosh Hashanah is a happy day, celebrated with sweet foods like apples and honey.

• Yom Kippur• Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the most solemn day of

the Jewish year, falls ten days after Rosh Hashanah.• On Yom Kippur adult Jews are expected to fast from sundown

to sundown, and to attend synagogue services where they collectively apologize to God for all the wrongs they have committed in the course of the year.

Slide 81.

Minor Jewish HolidaysMinor Jewish HolidaysMinor Jewish HolidaysMinor Jewish Holidays

• There are a number of minor Jewish holidays commemorating events in the history of the Jewish people.

• Hanukkah• One of the most famous in the United States is Hanukkah, a

relatively minor holiday in the Jewish year that has become important as a way of giving Jewish children a holiday to celebrate that is full of gifts and lights, as is Christmas, which also falls in December.

• Purim• Late in winter comes the holiday of Purim, which honours

Queen Esther and her cousin Mordechai, who successfully fended off a persecution of the Jews in Mesopotamia. The Book of Esther, which recounts the story of Purim, is read aloud in the synagogue. Whenever the name of the villain of the tale, Haman, is spoken, the congregation reacts with boos and hisses and the grinding sound of noisemakers called graggers. Purim is also a time for carnivals. Children dress up as the heroes and villains of the tale or in whatever costumes they wish. There are often games, mask making, and dancing.

Slide 82.

Jewish HolidaysJewish HolidaysJewish HolidaysJewish Holidays

• Practice

Slide 83.

Women in JudaismWomen in JudaismWomen in JudaismWomen in Judaism• Women have played important roles in Jewish

history as recorded in the Hebrew scriptures.• Many Jewish laws do not apply to women.• The laws of niddah, or sexual purity, are a

special obligation for Jewish women.• Jewish marriage law protects a woman’s rights

in marriage but limits her opportunities for divorce.

• Jewish feminists have recently challenged and often changed Jewish tradition to make more room for female participation, leadership, and equality with men.

• (practice)

Slide 84.

Midterm test question Midterm test question possibilities for Judaismpossibilities for JudaismMidterm test question Midterm test question

possibilities for Judaismpossibilities for Judaism• Multiple Choice (on textbook and lectures)• Passage Identification (on scripture readings and lectures):

Proverbs, Genesis, Exodus, Psalms, Amos, Isaiah, Jeremiah• Paragraph questions (on lectures and textbook)

• Discuss briefly the Jewish Scriptures (Old Testament) as a drama of the relationship of God with humanity.

• What is in each of the three parts of the Jewish scriptures?• What, according to Proverbs, are the differences between the

“wise” and the “foolish” in terms of their (a) thinking, (b) behaviour, and (c) fortunes?

• What view of human nature and potential is reflected in the first three chapters of Genesis?

• What is meant by “Torah”? What role does “Torah” play in Judaism?• Summarize the message of the following prophets to their

contemporaries and the themes in their prophecies that are important in Judaism: Amos, Isaiah.

• How do the major groupings of contemporary Judaism differ in practice and beliefs?

• List as many of Moses Maimonides’ 13 articles as you can remember, and explain them in a sentence or two each.

Slide 85.

CovenantsCovenantsCovenantsCovenants

• Formal arrangements establishing terms of relationship between two parties, based on solemn undertakings of obligations by one or both parties

• Divine covenants reflect:• Divine concern for relationships with

humanity• Divine involvement in history

Slide 86.

CovenantsCovenantsCovenantsCovenants• Abraham Heschel:

• “Judaism is a religion of history, a religion of time. The God of Israel was not found primarily in the facts of nature. He spoke through the events in history. While the deities of other peoples were associated with places or things, the God of the prophets was the God of events..."

• “The term, ‘God of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob’ is semantically different from a term such as ‘the God of truth, goodness, & beauty.’ Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob do not signify ideas, principles, or abstract values. Nor do they stand for teachers or thinkers… [They] are not principles to be comprehended but lives to be continued.”

• “To be a Jew is to renounce allegiance to false gods; to be sensitive to God’s infinite stake in every finite situation; to bear witness to God’s presence in the hours of God’s concealment; to remember that the world is unreedemed.”

Slide 87.

Divine CovenantsDivine CovenantsDivine CovenantsDivine Covenants

• Made with• Abraham & his descendents• Israel at Mt. Sinai

• In a sense, a reaffirmation – they swear they will keep the ordinances

• David and his descendents (2 Samuel 7:12-16)• Prophets themselves had prophesied. A covenant

cannot fail, if begun by God.• On the throne forever. Even if interrupted, it must

have a future. Basis for hope for Messiah in Judaism.

Slide 88.

Sanctuaries of IsraelSanctuaries of IsraelSanctuaries of IsraelSanctuaries of Israel

• Where did people worship?• Patriarchal Period: Altars at sites of

theophanies• Wilderness Period: Tabernacle /tent of meeting

• Courtyard with bronze altar• Holy place: lampstand (menorah), table, altar of

incense• Most Holy Place: Ark of the covenant and mercy

seat• Solomon’s Temple (1st Temple period) on Mt.

Zion in Jerusalem• Resembled tabernacle• Destroyed 587/586 by Nebuchadnezzar

Slide 89.

Sanctuaries of IsraelSanctuaries of IsraelSanctuaries of IsraelSanctuaries of Israel• Second Temple (includes Herod’s Temple)

515BCE-70CE• God was said to dwell (Gen. 25) above the ark of

the covenant• Did they think he actually was confined there?

• Some unsophisticated people probably did.• Others said God cannot be contained there, yet

he has chosen to meet his people there, in the appointed place.

• It came to be seen that sacrifices were only to be made in Jerusalem. Therefore festivals also must be celebrated in Jerusalem: 3 pilgrimage feasts:• Tabernacles, Weeks, Passover.

• (Only priests could enter the temple. People could only go to the surrounding court.)

Slide 90.

Sanctuaries of IsraelSanctuaries of IsraelSanctuaries of IsraelSanctuaries of Israel

• Synagogues: Meeting places for people, not dwelling.• Perhaps already in exilic period, at least in

post-exilic period.

Documents

JudaismJudaism RELS 110: World Religions. Slide 2. Possible exam questions List as many of Moses Maimonides’ 13 principles as you can remember, and explain