Transcript The Jewish Faith

THE JEWISH FAITH
CHANGES
• The Jewish faith has evolved continuously over its 4000 year history
•
The early Israelites were polytheistic, believing in multiple Mesopotamian gods
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They became henotheistic, believing in multiple gods but believing only one worthy of worship
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Probably after the Babylonian captivity, the Israelites became monotheistic, believing in only one god.
YHWH
• Original pronunciation lost centuries ago
• Means “He who creates”
• Brought to Israelites from southern Canaan in
the 14th century BCE, eventually rose to
prominence
• May have evolved out of the Bronze Age god El
FIRST TEMPLE PERIOD
• YHWH was worshipped in a variety of ways
during this time period:
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Some people worshipped only YHWH
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Others worshiped only YHWH while using
figurines, shrines, etc of other gods
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Some worshiped YHWH alongside other gods
SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD
• By the end of the Babylonian Captivity, YHWH
alone is worshipped as god, acknowledged as a
god
• YHWH’s name is no longer spoken, except by the
high priest on the day of atonement
• After the destruction of the second temple, the
name is no longer spoken at all
THE NAMES OF GOD
• Since YHWH is not spoken or written, Jews use
many alternate names for god
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Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh: I Am that I Am
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Adonai: Lord
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HaShem: The Name
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Elohim: The one God
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And many, many more
CORE BELIEFS OF JEWS
• There is one God, YHWH
• The Jews are God’s chosen people-selected to
make the world more perfect
• Canaan/Israel is the “promised land”
• God has spoken through prophets
• God will reward the good and punish the wicked
• A Messiah will come to restore Israel, rebuild
the temple, & defeat evil
• The dead will be resurrected
TIMELINE
• 2000 years from the fall of Adam to Abraham:
desolation
• 2000 years from Abraham to the Diaspora: The
Torah period, flourishing
• 2000 years from the Diaspora to…???: Waiting
for the Messiah
• Currently year 5775
HOLY TEXTS
• The Tanakh-The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament
•
The Torah-The first five books, Genesis through
Deuteronomy. Written by Moses.
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Nevi’im-The teachings of the prophets
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Ketuvim-Mostly poetic books
• The Talmud-The teaching and opinions of rabbis
on subjects like law, ethics, philosophy, history,
etc.
HOLY DAYS
• Rosh Hashanah-The Jewish new year
• Yom Kippur-The Day of Atonement, Jews fast on
this day for forgiveness of sin
• Hanukkah-Festival of lights, celebration of
Maccabee victory
• Passover-Celebrates the Exodus from Egypt
• Shabbat-The Sabbath day, from sundown Friday
to sundown Saturday
SACRED SYMBOLS & OBJECTS-THE STAR OF DAVID
• The Star of David is a symbol of Judaism, the
Jewish people, and the state of Israel
• Today, the Star of David is on the flag of Israel
SACRED SYMBOLS & OBJECTS-THE MENORAH
• A ceremonial lamp used to celebrate Hanukkah
• One candle is lit every night for eight nights
• Celebration of the Maccabee victory
SACRED SYMBOLS AND OBJECTS-THE MEZUZAH
• Hung on door frames in Jewish homes
• States the Shema Yisrael prayer: “Hear, O Israel,
the Lord is our God! The Lord is One!”
• The Tanakh issues a mitzvah, or command, that
the Shema Yisrael be “inscribed on the
doorposts of your house.”
SACRED SYMBOLS & OBJECTS-TEFILLIN
• Small, black leather boxes containing verses
from the Torah
• Worn on the forehead and arm while praying
• The Torah commands they be worn as a
remembrance of the Exodus
SACRED SYMBOLS AND OBJECTS-TZITZIT
• Specifically knotted ritual fringes or tassels
• Through numerology, the knots and threads add
up to 613, the same as the number of mitzvah in
the Torah
SACRED SYMBOLS AND OBJECTS-TALLIT
• Prayer shawl worn during morning prayers and
during all prayer on Yom Kippur
• The Tzitzit are attached at the four corners
SACRED SYMBOLS & OBJECTS-YARMULKE
• A cap covering the top of the head
• Worn during prayers by men
HOLY PLACES-THE TEMPLE MOUNT
• The site of the original two temples in Jerusalem
• The holiest place in Judaism, where the
presence of God is most strongly felt
• A holy place for Jews, Christians, and Muslims
HOLY PLACES-THE WESTERN WALL
• The remnants of an ancient wall that
surrounded the temple courtyard
• Many Jews face toward the wall when praying
• Millions of prayer notes are left in the cracks of
the wall every year
DIVISIONS
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Religious Branches
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Orthodox
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Conservative
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Reform
Cultural Differences
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Ashkanazi-Jews of Central and Eastern Europe
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Sephardic-Jews of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula
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Mizrahi-Jews of the Middle East
Crucial Question: Who is a Jew?
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Is it a religious label?
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Is it an ethnic label?
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Is it a cultural label?