Transcript 1-15 - Homework Market

first paper topic
A pdf has been placed on Moodle with selections from Jewish
Scriptures and other writings. Read Psalm 137, which appears
on the 12th page of this pdf, p. 364 of the text reproduced there.
Explain the historical and spiritual context of this text. In
particular, explain why singing a song of Zion in an alien land an
issue for the Jewish author of this text. And if it’s not the place
where they are that is the issue, why can’t Jews just sing some
other song? What’s so important to them about singing what is
here called “a song of the Lord?” Be as specific as possible in
sketching in the background of sorrow expressed here.
2 pages, typed and double-spaced.
Due Tuesday January 27th.
Strategies for writing short papers
Good Strategies
Trust your own ability to read and
interpret the text.
Read the text carefully, and make use
of relevant sections of the textbook to
help make sense of the context in
which the text you are considering
appears.
Put your explanation in your own
words. Think of how you might
explain what you’ve learned to a
friend who asked you about the class
you’re taking.
Bad Strategies
Quoting the powerpoint slides
used in class.
Going online to find how others
have interpreted this text.
Plagiarizing online sources.
Forgetting to provide the
explanation asked for in the
assignment.
Optional readings on Moodle
The pdf of readings on Moodle includes a
selection from Philo of Alexandria (pp. 15 –
16 of the pdf); examples drawn from
Mishnah and Talmud are on pp. 19 – 21;
Maimonides’ Thirteen Principles are on p.
22. This is followed by selections from the
Kabalistic text Zohar.
Shema: The Daily Prayer of Judaism
Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One.
Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your might.
And these words that I command you today shall be in your heart.
And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall speak of them
when you sit at home, and when you walk along the way, and when you lie
down and when you rise up.
And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets
between your eyes.
And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
[Deut. 6:4-9]
And it shall come to pass if you surely listen to the commandments
that I command you today, to love the Lord your God,
and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul,
That I will give rain to your land, the early and the late rains,
that you may gather in your grain, your wine and your oil.
And I will give grass in your fields for your cattle and you will eat and you will be
satisfied.
Beware, lest your heart be deceived,
and you turn and serve other gods, and worship them.
And anger of the Lord will blaze against you, and he will close the heavens and there will not
be rain,
and the earth will not give you its fullness,
and you will perish quickly from the good land that the Lord gives you.
So you shall put these, my words, on your heart and on your soul;
and you shall bind them for signs on your hands, and they shall be for frontlets between
your eyes.
And you shall teach them to your children, and you shall speak of them
when you sit in your house, and when you walk on the way, and when you lie down, and
when you rise up.
And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
In order to prolong your days and the days of your children on the land that the Lord
promised
your fathers that he would give them, as long as the days that the heavens are over the
earth.
[Deut. 11: 13-21]
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying...
And they shall be tzitzit for you, and when you look at them you will remember all of the
Lord's commandments
and do them and not follow after your heart
and after your eyes, which lead you astray.
In order to remember and do all My commandments, and be holy for your God.
I am the Lord, your God, who led you from the land of Egypt
to be a god to you. I am the Lord, your God.
[Numbers 15: 37-41]
Prayer: “Tefilah”
• Prayer reminds us of G*d’s presence in our lives and
our relationship to Him.
• Prayer requires a special kind of concentration
known as kavanah, which involves an intensifying of
our awareness of G*d
• Prayers are most commonly said in a group, known
as a minyan; this “quorum” requires at least 10 adult
Jewish men.
Tefillin
 These are leather boxes worn on
the forehead and strapped to the
upper arm during daily recital of
shema.
 Also known as phylacteries, they
contain written copies of the shema
which guard against the temptation
of sin.
Preparing for prayer, with tefillin on head
and arms and wearing Tallit shawl.
Mezuzah (plural: Mezuzot)
• These are small scroll cases
mounted on the doorposts of
Jewish homes.
• The name “mezuzah” applies
to both the scroll and the case
which holds it.
• The scroll contains part of the
text of the shema, and it
should be hand-written, not
mechanically made.
• A dedication ceremony is held
when the mezuzah is installed
on the house, and the mezuzah
should be removed when the
family moves away so that
nothing disrespectful may be
done to the scroll.
Outward signs of Judaism
 Circumcision of males.
 Tallit and Tzitzit: The tallit is a shawl worn during prayer; tzitzit are the
fringes tied onto the corners of this shawl. The tying of fringes onto
four-cornered garments is specified in the Torah as a reminder of the
mitzvot. (This is also part of the Shema)
 Yarmulke: a small cap, also worn during prayer.
Differing views of scriptures
 The traditional Jewish view is that Moses wrote the
Torah after receiving its contents as a revelation on
Mt. Sinai.
 Modern scholarship holds that the text of Torah is a
redaction, a reconstruction done after the return from
Babylon which united several strands of literature into
one document. This view is known as the documentary
hypothesis (see p. 94 of Religions of the West Today for
a more detailed account of this viewpoint).
Judaism in a Hellenic world
• As a result of the Diaspora, Jews found themselves scattered across the
Hellenized Mediterranean world.
• Ideas drawn from Greek philosophy, mathematics, and science
dominated this era. The application of reason (logos) as part of a
systematic investigation of nature was the ruling principle, while the
guidance provided by prophetic revelation was seen as limited in scope.
Given the differences between Hellenic and Judaic cultures, questions of
how to maintain Jewish identity outside of the traditional homeland
became more pressing and difficult to answer.
• Some Jews became assimilated to the wider culture, while others formed
isolated Jewish communities, such as the Essenes.
• Intellectually, allegorical interpretation was developed as a means of
integrating Judaism with Greek philosophy; this is a method of reading
texts symbolically. Philo of Alexandria is a good example of a Jewish
thinker who engages in this kind of reading of the traditional scriptures.
Apocalyptic Judaism
• “Apocalypse” is a Greek word meaning “unconcealed” or “out
of hiding.”
• In the centuries following the return from exile, as Jewish
communities came into contact with other cultures to a greater
extent than before, some Jews withdrew into isolated
communities. In these communities, the idea that God’s plan
for the world was still in place (and hence yet to be revealed) led
to a variety of apocalyptic traditions.
• It was in this context that the traditions surrounding the
coming of the Moshiach developed.
Moshiach: the anointed one
• The Moshiach (or Mashiah) will be both a spiritual and a secular
ruler, a human appearing in the end times. Jewish eschatology
holds that this will inaugurate “The World To Come,” not an
afterlife but rather a period of peace and prosperity for the world.
• He will restore the temple in Jerusalem.
• He will be of the line of David.
• He will be a great military leader, and also a judge who establishes
Jewish Law.
• In every generation, the potential exists for the Moshiach to arise,
should conditions on Earth call for it (either great sinfulness or
great goodness).
• Christians believe that Jesus was the Moshiach, but Jews do not
accept this claim, believing instead that The World To Come still
lies in the future.
The “Dual Torah”
Jews believe that in addition to the written
Torah handed to Moses at Sinai, there was
an oral tradition also transmitted at Sinai
but never written down until after the
destruction of the second temple. This oral
tradition became the Mishnah. Not all
movements of Judaism accept this tradition,
as some movements focus simply on the
traditional written Torah.
More Texts of Judaism
• Mishnah: written down around 200 c.e., these are rabbinical
commentaries on the Torah (also believed to be the oral Torah).
• Gemara: These texts are completed between 400 and 600 c.e. by
Jewish communities in Jerusalem and Babylonia (there are two
distinct collections of commentary). These are Rabbinical
commentaries on the Mishnah.
• Talmud: Talmud comprises both Mishnah and Gemara. The
Talmudic tradition of commentary and interpretation continues to
this day. While it is mainly a scholarly tradition, the idea that
continual discussion and debate over the meaning of scriptural texts
is at the heart of Jewish experience for anyone who identifies as a
Jew.
• Midrash: these “investigations” are commentaries written by Rabbis
in the early centuries of the common era. Midrash has come to be a
general term for any commentary on scripture intended to provide
advice for Jews seeking guidance in life.
Halakhah: Jewish Law
“the path that one walks.”
– Mitzvot: commandments from the Torah.
– Gezirah: (“a fence around the Torah”) laws instituted by
Rabbis to help uphold the Mitzvot (e.g., a requirement to
not even handle implements of work on Shabbat, things
like pencils, calculators, etc.).
– Takkanah: laws instituted by Rabbis, but with no special
reference to the Torah (e.g., the requirement to light
candles on Hanukkah).
– Minhag: customs which have been recognized as having
the status of law (e.g., extending the observance of
holidays to a second day so that the astronomical timing
of the day will not be interfered with).
Rabbinical Judaism
• The age of cogency (640 – 1800 c.e.) saw a growth in
the power of Rabbis (teachers) within the Jewish
community. Rabbis are authorities on Halakhah, and
they advise Jews on difficult questions of legal and
moral interpretation.
• It is the Rabbis who develop and maintain the
Mishnah and Talmud, systematizing the substance of
Jewish belief.
• The 13 principles of faith developed by Moses Ben
Maimon (Maimonides) is an emblematic statement of
Rabbinical authority.
Officials of the Jewish Community
 Kohein: a priest who is charged with the duty of
carrying out sacrifice in the Temple; traditionally
identified as descendants of Aaron. (Levites were also
charged with special duties pertaining to the
maintenance of the temple.)
 Rabbi: a teacher; someone well-versed in halakah;
Rabbis are not necessarily kohein and so do not
perform any sacrificial rituals.
 Chazzan: a cantor who leads the group attending
synagogue in singing and prayers.
Synagogue:
The House of Assembly and Prayer
• Synagogue is the term used by Conservative Jews to
refer to the place of worship; this word literally
means “house of assembly” (Hebrew: beit k’nesset).
• Reform Jews call it a temple, since they believe that
the ancient temple is remade wherever and whenever
they gather.
• Orthodox Jews call it a Shul (derived from the
German word for school; a place of learning).
 The synagogue is the
center of the Jewish
community, and it
serves as
– The place of worship
or prayer
– The place for rituals,
such as the Bar
Mitzvah
– A place for social
gatherings
A Torah Scroll
 Every Synagogue has a Torah
scroll (called a Sefer Torah), kept in
an Ark (Hebrew: aron kodesh, or
holy cabinet). This Ark has both a
curtain and doors, which are
opened and closed as part of
worship services. The ark usually
faces Jerusalem. In front of this is
an oil lamp, satisfying the mitzvah
to keep a light burning outside the
Ark. A bimah (altar) is placed in
front of the Ark, and the scroll is
placed here to be read from during
services.
 In Orthodox synagogues, women
are separated from men, sometimes
by a curtain or a wall. (This is
meant to minimize distraction for
the men while they are praying.)
Aron Kodesh
Torah Scroll on Bimah