Judaism

By Jamie Argento, Sarah Cok, and Will Barboza

December 2011, Pre-AP World History

The Beginning of Judaism

• Founded around 1500 B.C.E.• Yahweh (God) made a

covenant with Abraham• Started in Ur• The Jews believe

themselves to be descendants of Abraham

• At this time, monotheism was unpopular

Sacred Texts of Judaism

• The Torah• The Talmud

• The Ten Commandments

Writers of the Tanakh • The Exodus - approximately

1440 B.C.E.• Written in Hebrew• Yahweh inspired all of the

authors of the books in the Tanakh. He inspired:–Moses – King Solomon ( a King of

Israel) – Various prophets like Isaiah

and Zechariah

Jewish Contributions to Society

• Architecture – synagogues –Temple Mount

• Jewish Art – tells stories or shows worship to Yaweh–Star of David

Worship in Judaism• Synagogue• Recitation of prayers• The Sabbath is a holy day • Rabbi

Jewish Holiday

Rosh Hashanah

Shabbat

Yom Kippur

Feast of Tabernacles

Purim Passover

Hanukkah

Tu Bishvat

Descrip-tion

New Year Sabbath, a day of rest at the end of each week

Day of Atonement

Fall Festival, celebrates all God’s blessings to his people

Escape from genocide described in book of Esther

When God did not kill the Israelites in the book of Exodus

Dedication, when Jews rededicated the Temple in 164 BCE

Environ-mental day

Time of Year

September

Every Saturday

End of September- beginning of October

End of September- beginning of October

End of February- beg. of March

End of March, beginning of April

End of November- December

End of January- beg. of February

Beliefs

• Behavior – respect Yahweh and each other• In order to be a good person, obey the

Ten Commandments and God• After Death – The body returns to the dust

of the earth and the spirit returns to God• Funerals are simple ceremonies• Purpose of Life – People exist to heal the

world in preparation for the Messiah• Yahweh controls everything that happens

and people cannot completely understand Him or His motives

Women’s Role in Jewish Society• Men and Women are

traditionally separated during services

• Women are responsible for keeping a Jewish home and making sure that Judaism is passed down

• Marriage is very important • Divorce is a fact of life• There are many important

women in the Tanakh – Sarah (Abraham’s wife), Ruth,

Deborah

Jewish Creation Story• Told in Genesis, the first book of the

Torah• God created something on each of

six days, and on the seventh, he rested, which is why Jews take the Sabbath as a day of rest

• On the sixth day, God created humans. The first humans were Adam and Eve, who were created from the dust of the Earth

Suffering and the End of the World

• Messiah will come• Suffering is a test of faith• God is mysterious and gives humans free

will

Works Cited• www.neshamah.net• www.beliefnet.com• www.jewfaq.com• www.innovationslearning.co.uk• www.torah.org• www.interfaithfamily.com • Judaism by Martha A. Morrison and Stephen F. Brown.

Copyright ©2002, Brown Publishing Network• www.bibleplaces.com• Religions of the World by Elizabeth Breuilly, Joanne O’Brien,

and Martin Palmer. Copyright © 1997, Transedition Limited and Fernleigh Books.

• World Religions by John Bowker. Copyright © 1997, DK Publishing, Inc.