ABRAJAMIC

RELIGION:
JUDAISM
BRIEF HISTORY, SACRED
TEXTS, AND FUNDAMENTALS
BELIEFS OF JUDAISM;
WHAT IS JUDAISM?

• JUDAISM - is the world’s oldest monotheistic religion, dating back

nearly 4,000 years. Followers of Judaism believe in one god who
revealed himself through ancient prophets. The history of Judaism is
essential to understanding the Jewish faith, which has rich heritage of
law, culture and tradition.
CONTENTS
Judaism Beliefs
Torah
Founder of Judaism
Jewish Temples
Jewish Holy Books
Talmud
Shabbat
Judaism and Persecution
The Creation of Israel
Types of Judaism
Jewish Holidays
 JUDAISM BELIEFS

Jewish people believe there’s only one God who has established a covenant – or special
agreement – with them. Their God communicates to believers through prophets and
rewards good deeds while also punishing evil.

Most Jews (with the exception of a few groups) believe that their Messiah hasn’t yet
come – but will one day.

Jewish people worship in holy places known as synagogues, and their spiritual leaders
are called rabbis. The six – pointed Star of David is the symbol of Judaism.

Today, there are about 14 million Jews worldwide. Most of them live in the United State
and Israel. Traditionally, a person is considered Jewish if his or her mother is Jewish.
 TORAH
The Jewish sacred text is called the Tanakh or the “Hebrew Bible.” It
includes the same books as the Old Testament in the Christian Bible,
but they’re placed in a slightly different order.

The Torah – the first five books of the Tanakh – outlines laws for Jews
to follow. It’s sometimes also referred to as the Pentateuch.
 FOUNDER OF JUDAISM
The origins of Jewish are explained throughout the Torah. According to the text, God first
revealed himself to a Hebrew man named Abraham, who became known as the founder of
Judaism.

Jews believe that God made a special covenant with Abraham and that he and his descendants
were chosen people who would create a great nation.

Abraham’s son Isaac, and his grandson Jacob, also became central figures in ancient Jewish
history. Jacob took the name Israel, and his children and future generations became known as
Israelites.

More than 1,000 years after Abraham, the prophet Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt after
being enslaved for hundreds of years.

According to scriptures, God revealed his laws, kwon as the Ten Commandments, to Moses at
Mt. Sinai.
 JEWISH TEMPLES
Around 1000 B.C ., King David ruled the Jewish people. His son Solomon built the first holy Temple in
Jerusalem, which became the central place of worship for Jews.

The kingdom fell apart around 931 B.C., and the Jewish people split into two groups: Israel in the North
and Judah in the South.

Sometime around 587 B.C., the Babylonians destroyed the first Temple and sent many Jews into exile.

A second Temple was built in about 516 B.C. but was eventually destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.

The destruction of the second Temple was significant because Jewish people no longer had a primary
place to gather, so they shifted their focus to worshipping in local synagogues.
 THE DIFFERENT
TEMPLES OF JEWISH
PEOPLE
The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple
refers to the two now-destroyed religious structures that once
served as the central places of worship for the Israelites and Jews
on the modern-day Temple Mount of Old Jerusalem. According
to the Hebrew Bible, the First Temple was built in the United
Kingdom of Israel under Solomon in the 10th century BCE, and
was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE. Following the
Persian conquest of Babylon, which ended the Jews' Babylonian
captivity, the Second Temple was built as a replacement at the
same location around 516 BCE, and was destroyed by the
Romans in 70 CE.

While projects to build the hypothetical "Third Temple" have not

come to fruition in the modern era, the Temple in Jerusalem still
features prominently in most normative streams of Judaism.
Today, the Temple Mount is the site of the Dome of the Rock and
Al-Aqsa Mosque, with the latter being regarded as the third-
holiest site in Islam.
The Hebrew Bible says that the First Temple was built by King Solomon,[7] completed in 957 BCE.[8]
According to the Book of Deuteronomy, as the sole place of Israelite korban (sacrifice),[9] the Temple
replaced the Tabernacle constructed in the Sinai under the auspices of Moses, as well as local
sanctuaries, and altars in the hills.[10] This Temple was sacked a few decades later by Shoshenq I,
Pharaoh of Egypt.[11]

Although efforts were made at partial reconstruction, it was only in 835 BCE when Jehoash, King of
Judah, in the second year of his reign invested considerable sums in reconstruction, only to have it
stripped again for Sennacherib, King of Assyria c. 700 BCE.[citation needed] The First Temple was totally
destroyed in the Siege of Jerusalem by the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 586 BCE.[c]
According to the Book of Ezra, construction of the Second Temple was called for by
Cyrus the Great and began in 538 BCE,[12] after the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire
the year before
 JEWISH HOLY BOOKS
While the Tanakh (which includes the Torah) is considered the sacred
text of Judaism, many other important manuscripts were composed
in later years. These offered insights into how the Tanakh should be
interpreted and documented oral laws that were previously not
written down.

Around 200 A.D., scholars compiled the Mishnah – a text that

describes and explains the Jewish code of law that was previously
orally communicated.
 TALMUD
Later, the Talmud, a collection of teachings and commentaries on Jewish law, was
created. The Talmud contains the Mishnah and another text known as the Gemara
(which examines the Mishnah). It includes the interpretations of thousands of
rabbis and outlines the importance of 613 commandments of Jewish law.

The first version of the Talmud was finalized around the 3rd century A.D. The
second form was completed during the 5th century A.D.

Judaism embraces several other written texts and commentaries. One example is
the 13 Articles of Faith, which was written by a Jewish philosopher named
Maimonides.
 SHABBAT
Shabbat is recognized as a day of rest and prayer for Jews. It typically begins
at sunset on Friday and last until nightfall on Saturday.

Observing Shabbat can take many forms, depending on the type of Judaism
that a Jewish family may follow. Orthodox and conservative Jews, for
example, may refrain form performing any physical labor, using any
electrical device or other prohibited activities.

Most observant Jews celebrate Shabbat by reading or discussing the Torah,

attending a synagogue or socializing with other Jews at Shabbat meals.
 JUDAISM AND PERSECUTION
Throughout history, Jewish people have been persecuted for their religious beliefs. Some well
known events include:

1066 Granada Massacre: on December 30, 1066 a Muslim mob stormed the royal palace in
Granada and killed more than 1,000 Jewish families. The group also kidnapped and crucified Joseph
ibn Naghrela, the Jewish vizier to the Berber king.

The First Crusade: In the first of the Crusades – a series of medieval holy wars involving Christians
and Muslims – thousands of jews were killed, and many were forced to convert to Christianity.

The Spanish Expulsion: In 1492 Spain’s rulers issued a royal edict that declared all Jews who refused
to convert to Christianity would be expelled from the country. Experts estimate about 200,000
people were ousted and tens of thousands died while trying to reach safety.

The Holocaust: In the Holocaust, the most infamous of modern-day atrocities, the Naris murdered
than 6 million Jews.
 THE CREATION OF ISRAEL
During and after the Holocaust, many Jews returned to their homeland (in the
Middle East region known as Palestine) and embraced Zionism, a movement for the
creation of a Jewish state that emerged in 19 th century Europe.

In 1948, Israel officially became an independent nation. David Ben-Gurion, one of

the leading promoters of a Jewish nation state, was given the title of prime minister.

This event was considered a success for the Jewish people who had tirelessly
petitioned for an independent sate in their homeland. However, tensions between
Jews and Arabs living in Palestine escalated in the year since Israel became a state
and are still ongoing today.
 TYPES OF JUDAISM
There are several sects in Judaism, which include:

Orthodox Judaism: Orthodox Jews are typically known for their strict observance of traditional
Jewish law and rituals. For instance, most believe Shabbat shouldn’t involve working, driving or
handling money.

Orthodox Judaism is diverse sect that includes several subgroups, including Hasidic Jews. This
from started in the 18th century in Eastern Europe and holds different values than traditional or
ultra Orthodox Judaism. Hasidic Jews emphasize a mystical experience with God that involves
direct communion through prayer and worship. Chabad is a well-known Orthodox Jewish,
Hasidic movement.

Reform Judaism: Reform Judaism is considered a liberal category of the religion that values
ethical traditions over strict observance of Jewish law. Followers promote progressive ideas and
adaption. Most of the Jews living in the United State follow Reform Judaic traditions.
Conservative Judaism: many people consider this form of Judaism
somewhere in between Orthodox and Reform Judaism. Typically, conservative
Jews honor the traditions of Judaism while allowing for some modernization.

Reconstructionist Judaism: Reconstructionism dates back to 1922 when

Mordecai Kaplan founded the Society for the Advancement of Judaism. This
sect believes that Judaism is a religious civilization that’s constantly evolving.

Humanistic Judaism: Rabbi Sherwin Wine founded this denomination of

Judaism in 1963. Humanistic Jews celebrate Jewish history and culture
without an emphasis on God.

While there are various denominations of Judaism, many Jews don’t identify
with a particular classification and simply refer to themselves as Jewish.
 JEWISH HOLIDAYS
Jewish people observe several important days and events in history, such as:

Passover: This holiday lasts seven or eight days and celebrates Jewish freedom
from slavery in Egypt. Specifically, Passover refers to the biblical story of when the
Hebrew God “passed over” houses of Jewish families and saved their children
during a plague that was said to have killed all other first-born babies in Egypt.

Ros Hashanah: Jews celebrate the birth of the universe and humanity during his
holiday, which is also known as the Jewish New Year.

Yom Kippur: This ‘Day of Atonement” is considered the holiest day of the year for
Jews who typically spend it fasting and praying.
 [[

High Holy Days: The 10 days starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending
with Yom Kippur are also known as the High Holidays, the days of Awe
or Yamim Noraim. The High Holy Days are considered a time of
repentance for Jewish people.

Hanukkah: This Jewish celebration, also known as the “Festival of

Lights,” last eight days. Hanukkah commemorates the rededication of
the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem after the Maccabees defeated the
Syrian-Greeks over 2,000 years ago.

Purim: This is a joyous holiday that celebrates a time when the Jewish
people in Persia were saved from extermination.