Judaism Judaism The oldest of the worlds monotheistic

Judaism

Judaism �The oldest of the world’s monotheistic religions ◦ Define monotheistic �Began approximately 4, 000 years ago and was developed by the Israelites

Abraham and his Covenant �Began with a man named Abraham. �Abraham was from the town of Ur, located in Mesopotamia. �Abraham migrated his family and animals to a region called Canaan.

Abraham and his Covenant �Abraham made a covenant with God. ◦ Define covenant (Hint: Look at Frontloading Vocab) �The covenant declared: ◦ 1) Abrahams descendants would view themselves as “the chosen people” because of their special relationship with God ◦ 2) The land in which Abraham lived would be known as “the promised land” � Abraham is considered a prophet because he was chosen by God to speak to people and pass on a message or teaching

12 Tribes of Israel �Abraham had a grandson names Jacob later became known as “Israel” �Jacob had 12 sons. Each son was given a region of Israel. The descendants of each son became known as the “ 12 Tribes of Israel”

Leaving Israel �Drought and famine made Jacob and his sons leave Israel for Egypt. �When the Israelites arrived in Egypt, they were enslaved by the pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt �The Pharaoh orders the death of all male Hebrew children. ◦ Why do you think the pharaoh would do this?

Escape from Egypt �The Israelites lived as slaves in Egypt for many years �A descendant of the line of Levi (one of Jacob’s sons), was named Moses �Moses freed the enslaved Israelites from the Egyptians in what is known as the exodus ◦ Define exodus

Escape from Egypt �After escaping from Egypt, Moses and the Israelites reached Mt. Sinai where God spoke to Moses and gave him laws to follow known as The Ten Commandments ◦ Can anyone name any of The Ten Commandments? �The Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years before they returned to Canaan. Moses died before they reached Canaan �Each year, the Jews celebrate Passover to celebrate Moses leading the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. (See Jewish Festivals Section)

Life After the Return to Canaan �After the Israelites returned to Canaan, there was a period of warfare between the tribes and the Philistines. �After victory over the Philistines, a man named David emerged as the king of Israel. �David established the capital of Israel in Jerusalem and united the 12 tribes of Israel.

Life After the Return to Canaan � After the unification of the tribes under David, there were centuries of war for the Jewish people including the conquering of Hebrews by the Babylonians and by the Greeks. � As the lands of the Hebrews were conquered by the Babylonians, the Jewish people left the conquered area to avoid Babylonian rule. This movement was known as the Diaspora. � The Greeks ruled over the Jewish people and turned all temples into places to worship Greek Gods. In 165 BC (or BCE), Judah Maccabee led a revolt against the Greeks to regain control of their land Jerusalem. � Judah’s revolt was successful and the Jews rededicated the temple of Jersulam to God. Hanukkah is now celebrated to remember the return of the Jewish temple to God and Judaism.

Torah � The Torah is the most sacred text of Judaism. ◦ What does sacred mean? � The Torah contains the 5 books revealed to Moses on Mt. Sinai The books are: ◦ ◦ ◦ Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy � These books also make up the first 5 books of the Old Testament in the Holy Bible for Christianity (We’ll get to Christianity next!) � The Torah is so special that no one is allowed to touch it. They must use a yad, which is a special pointer used to follow the words when reading it.

Jewish Belief �Jews believe in an all-knowing God. Each member of the Jewish faith believes they can have an individual and personal relationship with God. �Jewish people worship God in a synagogue where men an woman sit separately. Men cover their heads with a yarmulke �Jewish spiritual leaders are known as rabbis

Can you name these Jewish symbols?

Can you name these Jewish symbols? Star of David Dreidel Torah Menorah Mezuzah

Review �Who made a covenant with God and began what we know as Judaism? �Why did the Israelites leave Canaan? (2 Reasons) �Who led the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt? �What are the laws from God that the Jewish people needed to follow called? �What is the most sacred text of Judaism? �What is the celebration of the rededication of the temple of Jerusalem called?