JUDAISM

Structure of this Document

• Lesson Plan• Prayers• Glossary of Common Terms• Questions• Stories• Games (Puzzle)• Quiz• Bhajans/Songs (future)• Skits (future)

Lesson Plan

• Introduction to Judaism• Early history of Judaism• The Ten Commandments• Major Jewish Holidays and their significance• Jewish Food

Majority of the text Reference from: Human Values Spiritual Science Book 11

Om Sri Sai Ram

Lesson PlanIntroduction to Judaism

The Semitic Religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam belong to the Semitic group of Religions. Semitic means “belonging to the people descended from Shem – Son of Noah”

Those who believe in Judaism are known as Jews. 

Hebrews: The first person to be called Hebrew was Abraham. It is believed by the Jews (Hebrews) that the people of Abraham came from Ur in Sumeria and had settled in Palestine around 2200 B.C. Cannan, being their promised land, was conquered by them. Later Palestine was ravaged by the Egyptians and Hebrews in great numbers entered Egypt.

Moses was a descendant of Joseph’s family. At the time the Pharaoh passed a law that all new born Hebrew children should be killed. Moses was born of Hebrew parentage. The baby was floated down the river in a basket. The Pharaoh’s daughter found the baby and adopted him. From an early age he would visit the poorer parts of the city where the Israelites, Hebrews lived and showed interest in them. Once he saw a Hebrew being mercilessly whipped by an Egyptian. In ager, he killed the Egyptian. Them he was obliged to flee and hide in the desert.

In the desert one day he came across the burning bush on Mount Sinai and God talked to him to take the sons of Israel back to the promised land. God gave him miraculous powers to guide them. Moses pined to restore the Hebrews to their native land. He urged the sons of Israel, the Hebrews, to revolt and pleaded with the Pharaoh on their behalf but the Pharaoh only hardened his heart against them. It is said Jehovah, to rescue his children, visited upon Egypt 10 plagues. Finally Moses took the Israelites out of Egypt.

The Red sea parted to give them way, but closed again as the Egyptian soldiers were about to cross it. Thus the sons of Israel, led by Moses, could come out of Egypt.

Lesson PlanEarly History of Judaism

They wandered in the desert for 40 years and God provided them with food, called manah. During their journey to Israel, Moses and his men suffered much hardship. At Mount Hereb Moses heard the voice of God. He went up and God told Moses that he was giving him the Ten Commandments which the people must follow. These were inscribed on two slabs by God’s power.

But when he returned to the people he was distressed to see that the men had fallen into immoral ways and he threw the slabs at them. Once again he begged to God to give them the lost Commandment and God granted his wish. He taught his men the Ten Commandments and regenerated them.

Moses did not live in the promised land. As Israel came into view, Moses saw it and breathed his last. His disciple Joshua lead them to their native land.

Moses, thus created a nation out of an enslaved and lost people and gave them the sublime position of a people ruled by God. He taught that religion consisted in obedience to Divine precepts and that there is only One God.

Lesson PlanEarly History of Judaism - Continued

1) I am the Lord, Thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

2) Thou shalt have none other Gods before Me. Thou shalt not make any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in water beneath the earth.

3) Show mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep My commandments.

4) Thou shalt not take The Name of the Lord, thy God, in vain.

5) Keep the Sabbath day to sanctify it as the Lord, thy God, has commanded thee. Six days thou shall labor and do all the work. The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, thy God (Rest for humans, animals and all). Om Sri Sai Ram

6) Honor thy father and thy mother, as the Lord, thy God, has commanded thee, so that thy days may be prolonged.

7) Thou shalt not kill.

8) Neither shalt thou commit adultery.

9) Neither shalt thou steal.

10) Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbor. Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbor’s possessions.

These commandments retain their place as the core of the Jewish religion. They give a simple pure worship of the One God and establish family and social order. A holy prayer in this religion is:“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One”

Lesson PlanThe Ten Commandments

The word Bible is from the Greek word “Biblia” meaning the “Books”. The Bible consists of the Old Testament and New Testament. There are 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.

The first chapter was written by Moses around 1500 BC. The last chapter was written by Jesus Christ’s Apostle, John in 96 AD. The Bible is the most widely circulated book in the world and has been translated and printed in more than 1154 languages of the world. It has an eternal message for all races as it has God as its Inspirer.

The Old Testament originally written in Hebrew carries the history of the human race, its errors and failures and conveys the word of God through holy prophets. The Old Testament deals with the ancient Prophets and kings of the Hebrews. The First Book of the Pentateuch – commonly termed Genesis describes the act of creation ending with the creation of Adam and Eve. The Law comprises of 5 books of Moses called the TORAH. The book of Judges, Samuel and Kings gives a collection of National Tradition. The Psalms are distinguished by their appeal to God, in the midst of trouble, life is associated with God in such way that the human and the Divine meet each other.

The Old Testament is accepted by the Jews as well as the Christians, as revelations from God. As man cannot save himself from evil forces by himself, God sends down prophets to help him. Thus the Old Testament is prophetic and is a book of Promise. God has promised to send a Savior to rescue mankind.

The New Testament is written in Greek. It is a record of how God fulfilled His promise and sent the Promised Savior – Jesus Christ. The Old Testament is therefore a book of Promise, while the New Testament is a record of fulfillment.

Lesson PlanThe Bible

Lesson PlanMajor Jewish Holidays and their significance

Rosh HashanahBegins sunset of  Sunday, September 13, 2015 Ends nightfall of  Tuesday, September 15, 2015Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. It is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, and a day of judgment and coronation of G d ‑as king.

Yom KippurSeptember 22–23, 2015Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year—the day on which we are closest to G d and to the quintessence of our own souls. It is the Day of ‑Atonement—“For on this day He will forgive you, to purify you, that you be cleansed from all your sins before G d” (Leviticus 16:30).‑

Lesson PlanMajor Jewish Holidays and their significance - continuedSukkot September 27–October 4, 2015

For forty years, as their ancestors traversed the Sinai Desert, following the Exodus from Egypt, miraculous "clouds of glory" surrounded and hovered over them, shielding them from the dangers and discomforts of the desert. Ever since, they remember G-d's kindness and reaffirm our trust in His providence by dwelling in a sukkah--a hut of temporary construction with a roof covering of branches--for the duration of the Sukkot festival (on the Jewish calendar Tishrei 15-21). For seven days and nights, they eat all their meals in the sukkah and otherwise regard it as their home.

Chanukah (Hanukah)Begins sunset of Sunday, December 6, 2015 Ends nightfall of Monday, December 14, 2015

Chanukah -- the eight-day festival of light that begins on the eve of the 25th of the Jewish month of Kislev -- celebrates the triumph of light over darkness, of purity over adulteration, of spirituality over materiality.

Lesson PlanMajor Jewish Holidays and their significance - continued

Chanukah (Hanukah) continued

In the Hebrew, Chanukah is pronounced with the letter chet. The chet’s “ch” sound is not enunciated like the “ch” in child; rather it’s a guttural, throaty sound—like the “ch” in Johann Bach—which does not have an English equivalent. The letter “H” is the closest, but it’s not really it. So while some people spell and pronounce it “Chanukah” and others settle for “Hanukkah,” they really are one and the same.

More than twenty-one centuries ago, the Holy Land was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who sought to forcefully Hellenize the people of Israel. Against all odds, a small band of faithful Jews defeated one of the mightiest armies on earth, drove the Greeks from the land, reclaimed the Holy Temple in Jerusalem and rededicated it to the service of G-d.

When they sought to light the Temple's menorah (the seven branched candelabrum), they found only a single cruse of olive oil that had escaped contamination by the Greeks; miraculously, the one-day supply burned for eight days, until new oil could be prepared under conditions of ritual purity.

To commemorate and publicize these miracles, the sages instituted the festival of Chanukah. At the heart of the festival is the nightly menorah (candelabrum) lighting: a single flame on the first night, two on the second evening, and so on till the eighth night of Chanukah, when all eight lights are kindled.

Lesson PlanMajor Jewish Holidays and their significance - continued

PassoverBegins sunset of  Friday, April 22, 2016 Ends nightfall of  Saturday, April 30, 2016

After many decades of slavery to the Egyptian pharaohs, during which time the Israelites were subjected to backbreaking labor and unbearable horrors, G d saw the people’s distress and ‑sent Moses to Pharaoh with a message: “Send forth My people, so that they may serve Me.” But despite numerous warnings, Pharaoh refused to heed G d’s command. G d then sent upon Egypt ‑ ‑ten devastating plagues, afflicting them and destroying everything from their livestock to their crops.

At the stroke of midnight of 15 Nissan in the year 2448 from creation (1313 BCE), G d visited the ‑last of the ten plagues on the Egyptians, killing all their firstborn. While doing so, G d spared the ‑Children of Israel, “passing over” their homes—hence the name of the holiday. Pharaoh’s resistance was broken, and he virtually chased his former slaves out of the land. The Israelites left in such a hurry, in fact, that the bread they baked as provisions for the way did not have time to rise. Six hundred thousand adult males, plus many more women and children, left Egypt on that day, and began the trek to Mount Sinai and their birth as God’s chosen people.

Challah The braided challah, which is made with eggs, is the Jewish Sabbath and holiday bread.‑ ‑Kosher deli Kosher is Hebrew for appropriate or fitting. It refers to the Jewish religious food rules. Deli is short for delicatessen, which comes from German words meaning yummy food. Just to be confusing, sometimes food combinations that aren't actually kosher are part of kosher deli food--because the term refers to Eastern European Jewish food in general.

Macaroons A cookie made with egg whites, sugar and coconut or almonds. Some are made in the Italian style out of apricot kernels.

Matzah Matzah is the unleavened bread made of flour and water, eaten on Passover.

Borscht Borscht comes from the Russian and Polish words for soup which has cold beet.

Apple kuchen Kuchen is German for cake; yeasted coffee cake with apple filling and streusel topping.

Om Sri Sai Ram

Lesson PlanPopular Jewish Food

Honor the LORD with your substance (produce, possessions and gains) and with the first fruits of all your increase. So shall your stores be filled with plenty and your presses shall burst out with various drinks. My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of His correction; For whom the Lord loves He corrects; even as a father the son in whom he delights. [Holy Bible, Old Testament The PROVERBS, 3:9-12]

The essence of Judaism is expressed in the verse: “Ye shall be holy for I The Lord your God am Holy”. Man should emulate God and “Walk in the ways of God”.

Sh'ma Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Eḥad - "Hear, O Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD is One.“

For an observant Jew, prayer is not simply something that happens in synagogue once a week (or even three times a day). Prayer is an integral part of everyday life. In fact, one of the most important prayers in Judaism, the Birkat Ha-Mazon, is never recited in synagogue!

Traditional Judaism has always stressed the importance of praying in Hebrew. A traditional Chasidic story speaks glowingly of the prayer of an uneducated Jew who wanted to pray but did not speak Hebrew. The man began to recite the only Hebrew he knew: the alphabet. He recited it over and over again, until a rabbi asked what he was doing. The man told the rabbi, "The Holy One, Blessed is He, knows what is in my heart. I will give Him the letters, and He can put the words together."

Om Sri Sai Ram

Prayer – Tefilah in Hebrew

• G-d God

• Hashem Refer G-d in a mundane manner

• Star of David Symbol of Judaism

• Jews Judaism Followers

• Shivah Mourning Period

• Synagogue Jewish house of worship

• Kaddish Prayers of sanctification that separate portions of the prayer service

• Mitzvah Divine Commandment

• Shema Prayer affirming a Jewish belief in One G-d

• Shabbat The seventh day of the week on which G-d rested from His creation of the world

• Torah The five books of Moses; the whole body of Judaism's religious ethical literature

• Yarmulke Skull CapOm Sri Sai Ram

Glossary of Common Terms

• Explain briefly the earlier history of the Jews

• Who was Moses? How did God help him to make the Jews a people ruled by God?

• What do you know about the Ten Commandments?

• Give a brief account of the Bible

Questions

Stories Yaakov & Isaac: An Act of Kindness http://www.chabad.org/kids

Games (Crossword Puzzle)

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Quiz (http://www.educationquizzes.com/us/specialist/judaism/getting-to-know/print)

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Om Sri Sai Ram