Transcript Judaism - Mr. Doran`s website

Judaism
an introduction
Israel
Major Jewish populations world wide. The
darker the color, the larger the population
Judaism broken down by country.
Basic overview
• Oldest major Western religion
– Seen by many as both a religion and a race/culture—big debate
on whether or not this is historically true.
– Three major sects: Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform
• Founded by Abraham (of Ur) though traditions and
stories predate him from both a religious and historical
point of view. If he existed it was around 2000 BCE.
• Actually only the 12thish largest religion in the world—vast
majority of all Jews live in Israel or the US
• Unquestionably monotheistic—this is why Judaism,
despite its size, is so important to world religions
• Belief in the oneness of the soul and the importance of the
body, and eventual resurrection after death
• Sacred Texts: Tanakh (& Torah), Talmud
• Holy sites: Jerusalem, Western Wall, Temple Mount
(Zion & Moriah), Mt. Sinai
• Holy days: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Passover
Jaffa Gate, Old City Jerusalem
Topics from Intro (pp. 55-66)
for discussion
• Comment on the importance of the origins and
culture of Jewish society in relation to the religion.
• Distinguish between being an Israelite and being
Jewish.
• Outline the differences between the first temple
period, the second temple period, diaspora and
modern times.
• Explain the impact of Israel’s history on the
development of Judaism.
• Analyze the importance of the Ashkenazic Jews to
Judaism.
• To what extent have the other Western Religion’s
(Christianity & Islam) acerbic interactions with
Judaism contributed to the formation of its religious
identity?
Why are we here?
• YHWH or Yahweh, the God of the Jews, created the
world in six days (Sunday-Friday)—and “saw that it was
good”—and rested on the seventh (Saturday)
– God also created the planets, the heavens, the cosmos, etc.
• On the sixth day, God created man (Adam) and woman
(Eve) “in his image” and created a paradise on earth, the
Garden on Eden for them to live in.
• However, God gave them free will, and when Adam and
Eve disobeyed God, he kicked them out of paradise and
forced them to wander the Earth
• God then had several other problems with humans
(Noah’s flood, Sodom & Gomorrah, etc.) before finding
Abraham, who he called to begin the religion of Judaism.
• God chose Abraham and the Jews to be “his people”
What is the human condition?
• God gave man free will.
– Therefor man is continually in a struggle between yetzer hara (bad inclinations) and yetzer ha-tov (good inclinations)
• God made a covenant (a promise) with Abraham, calling
him to be the father of his new people.
– God promises that if Abraham listens to and believe in him,
God will do great things with his progeny
• God has chosen the Jews to be his people, and he is their
god
– (Remember there are tons of gods vying for attention in the
ancient world.)
– Central to Judaism is the idea that the Jewish god is the one
true God and god of everyone, Jewish or not.
• God used to interfere with, reward, and punish humans
regularly, but this has waned a lot in recent years.
Where are we going?
• Of all religions, Judaism is most ambiguous on the afterlife
– A lot of this has to do with the fact that Judaism is a religion based more
around actions and laws not beliefs
• However, some Jewish eschatology does exist and there is a belief in
Olam Ha-Ba (“the world to come”)
– The book of Daniel is the only part of the Hebrew Bible that explores
this
– Rabbinic writings and Sanhedrin decisions have affirmed the belief in
an afterlife
• There is some belief you don’t have to be Jewish to get there as long as you’re
righteous; but you must believe in God and repent and ask God for forgiveness,
etc, regardless.
– Other writings and ideas mention the notion of judgment dividing
people in the three groups: the righteous, the wicked, and those in
between
• The righteous to straight to Gan Eden (heaven)—which is believed to be the
Garden of Eden, transplanted
• The wicked to Genion (hell)
• Big debate about what happens to the third group and whether one can ever get
out of hell
• Finally, central to Judaism is the notion a messiah (anointed one,
savior) who will come to usher in a Messianic Age
How do we get there?
• The number one way is following the various mitzvoth
set down by God and other rabbinic councils
– There are 613 total mitzvoth, many of which pertain to
laws in the Temple
– Judaism cares way more about what you do that what you
believe (but you do have to be a monotheist)
• Judaism also stressed repentance and atonement
– You can be forgiven for anything except 1.) murder, 2.)
gossip, and 3.) defrauding the community
• One part of repentance is asking the person you wronged for
forgiveness and this is impossible in the above three cases
• All this is summed up in the Shema
• Orthodox & Conservative Jews tend to believe you
must also convert to one of the houses of Judaism,
Reform Jews, would like that, but don’t think it is a
necessity
– Goes back to the idea of the necessity of the chosen people
Why are we here?
The Creation & Abraham’s Calling (pp. 82-87)
• Compare and contrast the two different creation
stories and their emphasis at the beginning of
Genesis
• Analyze to social and historical relevance of Eve’s
creation in comparison to Adam.
• Explain God’s covenant with Abraham
• Deduce the importance of circumcision to the
covenant
• To what extent is God’s covenant with Abraham
similar to deals made with Adam and Eve?
The Israelites identified themselves as a people whose ancestors, Abraham and Sarah,
moved from Ur and Haran in Mesopotamia to Canaan; Abraham’s grandson, Jacob,
called “Israel,” resettled his large family in Egypt, where the Israelites were eventually
treated as slaves.
Why are we here?
The Creation according to The Midrash (pp. 230-236)
• Analyze the importance of “Israel married to the
Sabbath” in terms of Jewish law
• Compare and contrast the new creation story in
The Midrash with that found in Genesis. Deduce
the reasons for and importance behind the
changes.
• Explain why Jewish scholars were able to come
up with an alternate story and make changes.
Justify their changes in terms of Jewish practice.
• Comment on the increased anthropomorphizing
of God in The Midrash.
Be’er Sheva – Ancient Israel’s “second
city.” According to the Bible, YHWH
spoke to both Isaac and Jacob here and
Abraham lived here. All told it is
mentioned 33 times in the Bible, second
of all major (real) Israeli cities aside
from Jerusalem
Why are we here?
YHWH
• God of the Jews (and everyone else)
– But, he specifically picked the Jews to be his people
– And he made man “in his image”
• YHWH makes up the sacred name meaning “I am who I am”
– With no vowels it was converted to Yahweh to make it pronounceable
– It is so sacred Jews should not say it out loud (though some of the
more liberal Jews do), instead using several alternate terms for it, most
famously “El”
• Was originally one of many Gods worshiped by the early people
who would become the Jews
– At a time he even had a wife named Asherah
– Probably wasn’t worshipped exclusively unit around 900 BCE
• Eventually won out and turned the Jews to monotheism
• God of the Hebrew Bible is very, very different in personality from
the Christian presentation of God (in the New Testament)
– Tends to be more wrathful and vengeful in the Hebrew Bible—
demands full attention & respect and gets upset when he doesn’t get it
– Rewards and punishes at a whim
• Was very active in Jewish life, but that stopped around 400 BCE
Why are we here?
The Exodus Story (pp. 90-99)
• This is the most important story in Jewish history, and
Moses, its main character is the most important prophet
• Scholars believe it was at this time and this story that the
Jews began to identify as a people and eventually a nation.
• Analyze the significance of the birth and raising
of Moses. Compare it to other stories in the Bible
• Examine God’s choice of Moses to lead the
Exodus.
• Explain key Jewish themes found in the Exodus
story.
• Discuss the events on Mt. Sinai, the Ten
Commandments and their birth of the
importance of law to Judaism
Jericho plains and the ruins of
Jericho:
Where at the Battle of Jericho,
Joshua and co. “blew down the
walls” of the Canaanites
4,000 year-old Canaanite clay
gate
What is the human condition?
Samuel, Saul, David, & Solomon
• After receiving the promised land, a series of great Jewish leaders
emerges
• This is where hagiography and history merge:
– Samuel, a prophet, is told to find David to become king of the Jews
– David beats Goliath to earn the respect of the Jews and becomes king
– David is considered the great king of the Jews and ushers in a golden
age; conquered Jerusalem and made it the holy city of the Jews
– After a series of events, he is succeeded by the wise Solomon, who built
the first Jewish temple
• We know for a fact that Solomon and David were real people
Directions: find a group of between 2-3 in which at least
one person has read each article that was assigned for HW
last night. Discuss and come to a conclusion about the
importance of David in Judaism. Then on a notecard as a
group answer the following: To what extent is David more
important to Judaism than Moses? Explain and defend your
answer in detail with specifics.
Damascus Gate, Old City Jerusalem
Under the Western
Wall
Prayer at the
Western Wall
Notes in the
Western Wall
The Western Wall (of the second Jewish Temple)
Excavation of the City of David
Judaism Socratic Seminar
• Texts: from Job (pp. 139-143); from Ecclesiastes (pp.
144-146); from The Memoirs by Glückel (pp. 427429); from Jerusalem by Mendelssohn (pp. 522-524);
from Moreh Nevukhe Ha-Zeman by Krochmal (pp.
529-533); from The Religious Significance of the State
of Israel by Leibowitz (pp. 690-694); various poetry by
Amichai (pp. 723-730); from The Counterlife by Roth
(pp. 730-732); and “A History of Antisemitism,” which
can be found on my website
• Discussion on the laws, ideas, and beliefs of the
Judaism and how they have evolved over a few
thousand years.
• You will receive the talking points for HW the night
before.
• This is a (50 point) culminating grade.
What is the human condition?
Prophecy
• Central to the beliefs of Judaism is that God endowed man with free
will
– God is omniscient and knows all the choices humans will make; but
humans still get to choose
– God also did not rid the world of evil—by giving humans free will, he
could not
– So people are always torn between yetzer ha-ra and yetzer ha-tov
• From time to time in the Hebrew Bible, God decides he’s had
enough of decadent humans and tells person his plan to punish
them
– Most famous example of this is Noah and the Ark
• This begins the notion of prophecy which is central to all Abrahamic
religions
– The second half of the Hebrew Bible is all based in and around
prophecy
– However, virtually all major sects, save a branch of Christianity called
Mormonism believe that while God used prophets back in the day, he
no longer really does.
• Moses is considered the most important prophet is Judaism
What is the human condition?
More Prophecy
Directions:
Discuss last
night’s critical
reading on
prophecy; make
sure everyone at
your group
understands
Overholt’s
diagram,
argument,
model and steps
and can apply
them to an
example of
prophecy
Supernatural
Prophet
P1
F
P2
Audience
What is the human condition?
Prophecy mini-project
• You will read excerpts from one of five prophetical
books found in the Miles book. You will analyze these
in terms of the prophetic model given by Overholt. You
will also do further research to analyze their overall
effectiveness, illustrated values of Judaism, and
importance to the Jewish faith. You will make a short
presentation (3-5 minutes) explaining your findings to
your classmates. You will also turn the presentation
notes in to me. Your prophets are:
–
–
–
–
–
Hosea (pp. 114-117)
Amos (pp. 117-118)
Isaiah (pp. 119-125)
Jeremiah (pp. 125-127)
Ezekiel (pp. 127-129)
Where are we going?
The Messianic Age
• Judaism was the first religion to have the idea of a messiah
(literally “anointed one”) who would save the Jewish people and
usher in a Golden Age of peace and prosperity for 1,000 years.
– Some say that when this occurs, people will be resurrected and
rejoined with God and their loved ones
• This is why it was originally important to bury and not cremate the body
• Isaiah (most notably 9:1-6) is cited by many, especially Christians
for making this prophecy
– But, the prophecy of the Jewish messiah also says:
• War will cease, everything will be at peace (i.e. even animals will stop fighting)
• Crime will cease, as will prejudice, hunger, and illness
• The Jews will be restored to the Temple (which hasn’t existed since the
Romans destroyed it in 70 CE) and their home of Israel
• Knowledge of God will fill the world
• They will be able to carry out all their mitzvoth—many of which they cannot
carry out now because they are required to do so in the Temple
• The messiah will be a king
– As a result, many Jews point to this list (which is not exhaustive) as why they do not
believe Jesus of Nazareth to be the messiah
• According to most Jewish orthodox prophecy/astrology the
messiah will come before 2240 CE; likely as soon as 2120 CE
Mt of Olives; (top left) Jewish graves
halfway up; (bottom left) from the other
side, traditional location of Garden of
Gethsemane
Jewish tombs on the Mt. of
Olives. (It is the most sacred
place in Judaism to be buried as
it is believed the resurrection will
begin from there.)
Jerusalem
from the
Mt. of
Olives
Where are we going?
Daniel and the afterlife (pp. 147-149 & 159-163)
• Explain the symbolism found in Daniel. Deduce the
meanings and importance behind the imagery,
particularly that of the various beasts.
• To what extent does Daniel give comfort to the
possibility of a Jewish afterlife?
• Compare and contrast Enoch’s vision with that of
Daniel’s.
• Outline the key elements in Enoch’s version. Explain
the symbolism and imagery and deduce its
importance.
• To what extent are both these visions a product of the
time and circumstances in which they were written?
How do we get there?
Mitzvoth & Repentance
• Remember: Judaism is a religion of laws and actions way more than
it is a religion of beliefs.
• As a result, central to Judaism is the idea of mitzvah (law; plural =
mitzvoth)
– God has set down certain laws, beginning with the Ten Commandments
that all Jews must follow
– While there are major moralistic ones, the vast majority involve
cleanliness or sacrifices in the temple
– There are 613; if you’re bored tonight or cannot go to sleep, go read (pp.
99-106) to see examples
• Once they have a bar/bat mitzvah (coming of age), Jews are
expected to follow as many of the laws as is reasonably possible
– But this varies based sect of Judaism
• Another central notion is that of atonement: if Jews make a mistake
and 1.) are sincerely repentant for it, 2.) ask for repentance—
apologizing to the person and God, 3.) try to make amends and 4.)
live a better life without making the same mistake in the future, God
will forgive them, and whomever they wronged should too
– This does not apply to 1.) murder 2.) gossip or 3.) defrauding the
community
How do we get there?
The Shema
• The central prayer and affirmation of
monotheism for Jews is known as the Shema. It
constitutes, in a few words, what are believe to be
the core principals of Judaism. It is meant to the
be central prayer in the morning and evening for
a Jewish service or on a personal level. It is less
central in Reform Judaism. It is a combination of
(Deut 6:4-9; Deut 11:13-21; and Num 15:37-41)—
though most Jews only (hardcore) care about and
recite the first part of the text and the very end.
• Jews are told to live by the Shema
How do we get there?
The Shema – full text of the most common parts
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 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 on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your
children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when
you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.
You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as
frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of
your house and on your gates…. The LORD said to Moses, “Speak to
the people of Israel, and tell them to make tassels on the corners of
their garments throughout their generations, and to put a cord of
blue on the tassel of each corner. And it shall be a tassel for you to
look at and remember all the commandments of the LORD, to do
them, not to follow after your own heart and your own eyes, which
you are inclined to whore after. So you shall remember and do all my
commandments, and be holy to your God. I am the LORD your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt to be your God: I am the
LORD your God.” (Deut 6:4-9 & Num 15:37-41)
How do we get there?
Various sects of Judaism
Directions: While there are many subsects of Judaism,
the three main sects are Orthodox, Conservative, and
Reform—the vast number of American Jews are of the
Reform sect. However, you need to do research on all
three. You need to find reliable sources and physically
(i.e. something you can turn in) show the key difference
between the three sects. Be sure to consider how they
worship, dress, what mitzvoth they follow, how they
differ in their understanding of Sabbath, in rabbinical
teaching, marriage, family values, etc. Be sure to be
thorough but also brief enough you can use this as a
quick comparative reference to better understand
Judaism. These are your notes—while I will take
questions of understanding there will be no additional
lecture on this material.