UNIT 2 – THE ANCIENT NEAR EASTChapter 5 – Judaism and the Jewish People – Key Terms (Vocabulary & Notes)

Key Terms (Vocabulary):Section 1:

1. monotheism - belief in a single God2. ethics - beliefs about what is right and wrong3. Torah - first five books of the Hebrew Bible4. covenant - binding agreement5. commandment - an order to do something6. Exodus - escape of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt

Section 2:7. Scripture - sacred writing8. prophet - person believed to be chosen by God to bring

truth to the people9. rabbi - Jewish religious teacher10.righteousness - acting or living in a way that is ethically right and

obeys God’s laws11.justice - fairness or fair treatment12.Talmud - collection of oral teachings and commentaries

about the Hebrew Bible ad Jewish law13.Sabbath - weekly day of rest

Section 3:14.judge - in the Hebrew Bible, a leader who could rally the

Israelites to defend their land15.exile - separation from one’s homeland16.synagogue - Jewish house of worship17.Diaspora - Jewish communities outside the ancient Jewish

homeland, from a Greek word meaning dispersion, or scattering

Section 1 – The Origins of JudaismObj: Students will know the story of Abraham and how the Israelite belief in one God became Judaism; the story of Moses and how he led the Israelites out of slavery; that the Israelites settled in Canaan; students will be able to develop awareness of Jewish beliefs based on the Jewish Scriptures; understand the story of MosesExpectations: In this section, students will read “The Origins of Judaism”; analyze the accomplishments of Moses; go “On Assignment” in ancient Israel to collect information about the land and culture.Key Ideas:

The Israelites belief in one God developed into the religion known as Judaism

Jews believe that God freed the Israelites from slavery after sending Moses to lead them

The Israelites eventually settled in Canaan, their Promised Land

Chapter 5 – Section 1 – The Origins of JudaismJudaism first developed as a religion more than 3,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent.

It was the world’s first religion based on one God It helped shape the religions of Christianity and Islam

The Early Israelites and the Worship of One GodAlthough the Israelites were related to others in the Fertile Crescent, they developed a unique culture.

their neighbors worshiped many gods (polytheism) the Israelites practiced monotheism they believed that each person was created in God’s own image they believed that God called on them, to act based on ethics, through laws

of right and wrong. their teachings and practices became known as Judaism, religion of the

Jewish peopleo Judaism is one of the world’s oldest religions

SourcesMost of what Jews believe about the origins of Judaism comes from the Torah

The first five books of the Hebrew Bible, there are 24 books in the Hebrew Bible

Also, the first five books of the Christian Old Testament, which is made up of all of the books of the Hebrew Bible

o The Christian Old Testament contains 39 books (the books are counted differently than in the Hebrew Bible)

The archaeology and history of biblical sited in Egypt and Mesopotamia also help us understand the world of the Torah.

Abraham’s Covenant Abraham is a man who:

o may have been born around 2128 BCo he herded flocks of sheep and other animalso his home was Ur, in Mesopotamiao He died sometime around 1953 BC

According to the Torah:o God told him to leave Ur and travel with his family to a land called

Canaan on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea (also known as Phoenicia and present-day Lebanon, Syria,

Jordan and Israel)o God made a covenant with Abraham

The land of Canaan would belong to his descendants This is why it became known as the Promised Land (see

pg 171)

The PatriarchsAccording to the Torah:

Abraham led his people to Canaan where they lived for a long time, Abraham would live for 175 years

Patriarchs are the forefathers of the Jewish people:o Abraham’s son Isaaco Isaac’s son Jacob

Jacob had 12 sons, each would become the ancestor of at least one large group of related families called a tribe

Jacob would later be renamed Israel

As a result, the 12 tribes descended from Jacob (Israel) would become known as the Israelites

Scholars believe that the stories of the patriarchs were passed down by word of mouth (oral tradition) for hundreds of years.Eventually, they were written down in Genesis, the first book of the Torah.

The ExodusThe last chapters in Genesis describe a famine that occurred in Canaan.According to the Torah:

Egypt had a great surplus of grain Jacob’s family moved there and continued to grow

o At the insistence of a seer named Joseph, who was the 11th son of Jacob.

Lived during the 18th dynasty during the reign of Tao II – Died at the age of 110

The Book of Exodus comes after Genesis in the Torah According to Exodus:

o Jacob’s descendants became so numerous over time, the new pharaoh, who came mistrustful of them.

It was believed for many years that the pharaoh of this time was Ramses II, but new evidence points to Thutmose II as possibly being the pharaoh at the time.

o It describes how the pharaoh enslaved and mistreated the Israelites. Harsh work included farm work and construction work

MosesAccording to the book of Exodus:

Moses was an Israelite who was adopted by the pharaoh’s familyo He lived during the 18th and 19th dynastieso He died at the age of 120

God appeared to Moses and told him to rescue his people from slavery in Egypt

When Moses asked the pharaoh to let his people go, the pharaoh refused.o Moses was approximately 80 years old at the time

When the pharaoh refused, God brought ten plagues to Egypt, which would result in the Exodus (he would allow the Israelites to leave Egypt.)

The ten plagues of Egypt or Biblical Plagues of Egypt:1. Water into blood

a. Nile was changed into bloodb. Fish will diec. River will stinkd. No drinkable water

2. Frogsa. Frogs would engulf all of the Egyptian places (palace, ovens, kneading

troughs, beds, etc)3. Lice

a. Came upon Egyptians and animalsb. The dust throughout the land of Egypt became lice

4. Mixture of wild animalsa. These swarms of creatures capable of harming people came upon

the Egyptians, and not the land of Goshenb. Creatures could include:

i. Scorpions, venomous snakes, venomous anthropods and reptiles, and flies)

5. Diseased livestocka. Horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep and goats.

6. Boilsa. God directed Moses and his brother Aaron to take soot from the

furnace and toss it into the air in the presence of pharaoh.b. This find dust festered boils on both men and animals throughout

Egypt, again not the land of Goshen7. Thunderstorm of Hail and Fire

a. To show his true power God, raised them from the previous plagues and foretold of the worst hailstorm Egypt has ever experienced on the next day.

b. God warned to bring livestock and everything in the fields to shelter because anything left in the fields will die.

c. As the hail hit the ground, flashes of lightning flashed back and forth, as if fire.

8. Locustsa. Again, the Lord promised that tomorrow he would bring locusts if the

pharaoh did not let the people go.b. The locusts covered the ground so it could not be seenc. They will devour what little is left after the hail, including any treed. They will fill your houses of the officials and all Egyptians

9. Darkness for 3 Daysa. The Lord had Moses stretch out his hand toward the sky and

darkness spread over Egyptb. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days

10.Death of firstborna. Every first born shall die, from the firstborn of the pharaoh to the

slave girl and animals as well.b. The Lord said there will be a loud wailing, the likes there has ever

been or will ever be again.i. Before the final plague, God commanded Moses inform all of

the Israelites to mark, in lamb’s blood, above their doors so the “destroyer” to come will pass over their homes.

The escape of the Israelites is called the Exodus.**Each year, Jews celebrate Passover to commemorate God’s passing over their homes and freeing them from slavery in Egypt.The Desert ExperienceThe Exodus is believed to have occurred during the 1200s BC.After the Exodus, according to the Torah:

The Israelites lived in the Sinai desert for 40 years God prepared them for life in the Promised Land God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, a series of laws and instructions

on how God wants man to live.On the journey through the desert to Canaan.According to the Torah:

The Israelites faced harsh conditionso Occasionally battling other peoples

Some Israelites questioned the leadership of Moses or even of Godo They came to believe that if they obeyed God’s commands, God

would provide for them.o It is stated that God even provided them with water and food from

heaven.

The Ten CommandmentsAccording to the Exodus:

The Israelites stopped at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Moses went up the mountain to meet with God He came down with God’s most important 10 laws

o The Torah contains other laws, but these were the most important1. “I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt not have any strange gods

before Me.” 2. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain.”3. “Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.”4. “Honor thy father and mother.”5. “Thou shalt not kill.”6. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”7. “Thou shalt not steal.”8. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”9. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.”10. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.”

The Impact of God’s LawsBecause they believe that each person is created in the image of God, Jes have a strong sense of each person’s worthThey also believe that each person has a responsibility to do what is right,The Ten Commandments and other laws deepened the Israelites’ relationship with God and one another. (which is a duty to God)The accounts of the Exodus and Ten Commandments are important to Jews, Christians, and others, for they believe that if you believe in God and obey his laws, God will protect and support you.

Return to the Promised LandAccording to the Torah:

After receiving God’s laws, they resumed their journey to the Promised Land.

Moses did not, he died before entering the Promised Land His deputy, Joshua, took his place as leader of the Israelites.

According to the book of Joshua in the Bible: The Israelites entered Canaan from the east

o Conquering Jericho first

o They went on to conquer several other kingdoms in Canaan Each of the tribes descended from Jacob’s sons settled in a different area.

o Tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin settles in the south, near the Dead Sea.

o Others settles in lands to the north along the Jordan River Unlike the Israelites, the Canaanites worshiped many gods:

o Baal and Elo The goddess Asherah

The Canaanites worshiped idols, or carved images of their gods.According to the Bible:

Israelites maintained their identityo Being human and with free will, they sometimes sinned and were

punishedo But they always returned to the teachings of the Torah, including the

belief in only one God.

Section 2 – The Teachings of JudaismObj: Students will know that Judaism is based on the Hebrew Bible; that Jewish people value studying and understanding God’s law; that Judaism teaches how people relate to God and one another; students will be able to understand Jewish teachings and practices; analyze the importance of law and learning in JudaismExpectations: In this section, students will read “The Teachings of Judaism”; explore how the Bible serves as the basis of Jewish practices; go “On Assignment” in the land of Israel and write an article or make a multimedia slideshow about Judaism and Jewish culture.Key Ideas:

The Hebrew Bible is the basis of Jewish teaching and practice Jewish people give special importance to studying and understanding God’s

laws The teachings of Judaism deal with how people should relate to God and to

one another

Chapter 5 – Section 2 – The Teachings of JudaismThe Torah forms the basis for the Jewish religion and its teachings.The teachings mainly have to do with how people should relate to God and to one another.

The Hebrew BibleJews are often called “People of the Book”.The “Scriptures”, or sacred writings are the source of Jewish teachingsThe Jewish Scriptures are also known as the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh.

They believe it’s not just a history of their ancestors, they believe it reveals God’s will as carried out in human events.

o This unites Jews all over the world with a common set of teachingsThe Hebrew Bible also forms the basis for the Christian Old Testament

They include the books of the Hebrew Bible but in a different orderThe Hebrew Bible describes events believed to have happened hundreds of years before the Bible was put into writing.It is divided into three sections.

1. The Torah - the first five books of the Hebrew Biblea. Tells the story of God’s creation of the world and the first peopleb. Tells of Noah who escaped a great flood on an arkc. Tells of the life of Abraham and his covenant with God

d. Then tells of Abraham’s son Isaac, his grandson Jacob and Jacob’s descendants, the Israelites

i. It follows their journey from Egypt back to the promised lande. It is also called the Law of Moses

i. It contains the Ten Commandments and many other rules and laws

2. The Prophets – this section contains books by or about Jewish prophetsa. A prophet is believed to be chosen by God as a messenger to bring

truth to the peopleb. Prophets were: (see pg 177)

i. Preachers, poets, and reformersc. they minded people to obey God’s lawsd. they trace the history of Judaism and the Jewish people

i. beginning with the book of Joshuaii. it continues the stories of the Israelites

iii. it describes their arrival to the Promised Lande. other books deal with the creation of the kingdom of Israel

3. The Writings – the last section the includes great Hebrew literature such as the Psalms, the Proverbs, and the Song of Songs

a. Psalms – poems or songs offering praises or prayers to Godb. Proverbs – contains wise sayings and many give advice to young

people.c. Other writings – tell about heroes such as Esther, Ruth, and Job. They

contain books, such as Chronicles, a history of the early Jewish people.

The Importance of Law and LearningThe Hebrew Bible and its commentaries are the source of Jews’ most important teachings including teachings about ethics.Laws, the Talmud, and CommentariesRespect for God’s law is basic to Judaism.The Torah contains many laws in addition to the Ten Commandments.

Many of these laws give directions for religious rituals. Others describe:

o how to have a fair societyo How to help those in need

o How to protect the health of the community through cleanliness and sanitation.

Many centuries after Moses, prominent Jewish rabbis recorded oral laws that they believed had come down from the teachings of Moses.Other rabbis discussed how law should be interpreted in different situations.Eventually, they wrote down their commentaries, or discussions, about the laws……the Talmud.The Talmud was completed around AD 600.

It is a collection of oral teachings and commentaries about the Hebrew Bible and Jewish law.

It is still studied and discussed todayThe Need to StudyThe Hebrew Bible and the Torah are still valued to study, and Jewish scholars still write commentaries on the Scriptures today.Many Jewish people try to learn to read Hebrew – it is the language that the Hebrew Bible is mostly written in.Some also learn Aramaic, the language of most of the Talmud.

Basic TeachingsThe Jews’ idea of God was unique in the ancient world.Other early religions were polytheist.

They had images of their gods made of wood, stone, pottery or metal. They believed that each god lived in a certain place.

In contrast, the God of the Israelites did not live in stones, rocks, or the sea.The God of the Israelites did not take a human or animal form.The God of the Israelites was invisible, and yet everywhere.Ethical MonotheismAccording to the Bible, in the Sinai desert the Israelites made a covenant with God to follow a code of laws, including the Ten Commandments.Jews also follow other teachings from the Torah, as interpreted by the Talmud and other commentaries. Many of these teachings have to do with ethics.Ethic monotheism is probably the most important teaching of Judaism. (see pg 179)This is the idea that there is one God who sets down ethical rules (rules about right and wrong), and being faithful to God means following these rules.

Righteousness and JusticeEthical monotheism plays an important role in the lives of Jews.Righteousness is acting or living in a way that is ethically right and obeys God’s laws.Jews believe each person has a value and worth because he or she is created in the image of God.

along with that individual worth comes individual responsibility to God and the responsibility to at righteously in God’s eyes.

o Righteousness was a key concern of the prophets. They reminded the people to be honest and kind to each

other. They criticized rulers who were cruel to the poor and weak They urged people to work for justice.

Justice is fairness or fair treatment for everyone.Jewish teachers also expected everyone to help those in need.Observance of LawThe laws and other rules that Jews follow are seen as part of the Jewish people’s covenant with God,According to the Torah:

God had a special relationship with the Israelites In return, the Israelites believed that they had a responsibility to obey

God’s laws and commandments. They believed in equality for every Jewish person based on the application

of the Jewish idea of individual responsibilityo This means God’s laws apply equally to leaders such as Moss and to

the ordinary person who follow them.Love for OthersThe Hebrew Bible commands…”Love your fellow as yourself”.Jewish people are required to help others.As a result, they have been involved in many efforts to fight discriminationJewish people are also charitable due to this teaching.These ideas have influenced modern thinking about human rights.Other Key TeachingsAnother important Jewish teaching is to observe the Sabbath.For Jews, this falls on the 7th day of the week (Sunday being the first) on Saturday.According to Jewish teaching, this should be a day free from work

many nations have adopted the idea of a weekly day of rest

Jewish teachings also stresses the importance of study and prayer.Jewish people also value prayer as a way of communicating with God.Jewish teachings also include Jewish people’s ties to the Land of Israel.

This is the land that was promised to Abraham, according to the Toraho It includes the modern state of Israel

Many Jewish people feel a deep connection to this land because of its place in the Jewish Scriptures and Jewish history.

Section 3 – The Jewish PeopleObj: Students will know key events in the history of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah; how the Diaspora occurred and where Jews have lived; how Judaism has affected our world today; students will be able to understand the effects of the Diaspora; summarize Judaism’s effect on the worldExpectations: In this section, students will read “The Jewish People”; learn where modern Jewish people live because of the Diaspora; go “On Assignment” in the land of Israel and work on the chapter assignment.Key Ideas:

A kingdom emerged in the Land of Israel, but it was later divided and conquered.

Over time, Jewish communities spread to many different parts of the ancient world

The religious and ethical teachings of Judaism influenced later religions and civilizations

Chapter 5 – Section 3 – The Jewish PeopleAfter the Israelites settled in the Land of Israel, the lived as a group of separate tribes before joining to form a kingdom.After about 70 years, the kingdom split, and the Israelites were later conquered by foreign empires.The descendants of the Israelites, known as Jews, later spread to many parts of the world.

The Kingdom of IsraelMost of what we know about early Jewish History comes from the Hebrew Bible.Archaeologists have found evidence for some of the events mentioned in the Bible before around 900 BC.There is even more evidence from other written sources and archaeology for events after that date.

The Time of the JudgesJoshua led the Israelites in the conquest of Canaan.After Joshua died, the Israelites remained a group of tribes without a common government.They faced a number of conflicts with other peoples.In times of distress, the Israelites often rallied around leaders called judges.

Judges did not pass leadership to their descendants Prophet Deborah because the only female judge

o She inspired an army to win a great battleAccording to the Bible, the time of the judges ended when the warrior Saul became the first king of Israel.

David and SolomonThe Hebrew Bible states that one of Saul’s best fighters was David.

A young shepherd A musician The next king of Israel About 1000 BC he captured Jerusalem and made it his capital He extended the borders of the kingdom Believed to have written beautiful psalms in the Bible

David’s son Solomon ruled after him. He commissioned the great First Temple in Jerusalem Wrote many of the wise sayings n the Bible’s Book of Proverbs Died around 900 BC

The Kingdom Divides (see pg 183)After Solomon’s death, the kingdom of Israel split into two partsSolomon’s descendants ruled the kingdom of Judah, in the south.

Judaism came from the religion of the Israelites of Judah Descendants of the Israelites of Judah became known as Jews

The north kept the name of the kingdom of Israel. About 722 BC – the Assyrian empire conquered the kingdom

o The Assyrians were brutal rulers Thousands of Israelites were sent to distant parts of the empire

o Others avoided capture by fleeing to JudahOne hundred years later – the city-state of Babylon (in present-day Iraq) rebelled against Assyria and began, what is known, as the second Babylonian empire (many who rebelled were descendants of the original Babylonian empire).Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon’s greatest ruler, would go on to conquer Judah.

About 587 BC, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, including Solomon’s First Temple.

The Babylonian CaptivityThe Babylonians took thousands of people from Judah, later known as Jews, to faraway Babylon

Jewish prophets urged the Jews to obey the Hebrew Scriptures while living in exile

Some Jews, such as Daniel, became important people in the Babylonian empire.

Most Jews wished to return to their homelandCyrus the Great, king of the Persian empire (present-day Iran), conquered the Babylonian empire

He now controlled most of Southwest Asia 538 BC – he allowed the Jews to go home

o Many did return to Judah o Jewish leaders built the Second Temple

which they completed in 515 BC They later rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem as well.

The Diaspora (see pg 185)With the Babylonian exile, communities of Jews now lived throughout the Babylonian empire, which stretched across the Fertile Crescent.

These communities outside of the Land of Israel became known as Diaspora

Land of the Diaspora (see graph on pg 186)After the Persians conquered Babylon, their empire spread across all of Southwest Asia.The Persian empire included:

The Land of Israel Egypt Asia Minor (present-day Turkey) Mesopotamia (what is now Iran) Parts of Central Asia

Jewish people spread across these regionsOne story according to the Bible:

Esther, a Jewo married the Persian emperoro one of his advisors planned to kill all Jewish peopleo she convinced the emperor to reject this plan

330 BC – Alexander the Great (from present-day Greece), conquered the Persian empire.

After his death, Greek empires ruled the Land of Israel, the reason of Southwest Asia, Egypt, and parts of southern Europe

In the years that followed, Jewish people settled in all of these regions. Some even settled as far south as Arabia and Africa Others settled to the east in many parts of Asia

Even though Jews lived everywhere, they still looked to Jerusalem as their spiritual home.

New Ways to WorshipThe Diaspora changed ways in which Jews worshiped.Because many were far from Jerusalem and its Temple, that had to practice their faith wherever they were.

Synagogues became an important place of worshipo It was a gathering, or meeting placeo Jews could pray and discuss Scripture

Those who knew Scripture well would become the group rabbi

Greek and Roman RuleAfter the Babylonian exile and the Diaspora, Jews faced harsh and unfair treatment by the rulers of the Greek and Roman empires.Jews rebelled against harsh Greek rule:

100s BC – a family known as the Maccabees rebelled and won independence from Greek rulers who had tried to ban import parts of Judaism:

o The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah celebrates this victory – when the Maccabees reclaimed the Temple.

AD 6 – the Land of Israel became part of the Roman Empireo By this time it was called Judaea (land of the Jewish people)o Jews rebelled against Rome

AD 70 – the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, including the Second Temple

More DispersionsThe Romans also killed or enslaved thousands of Jews.Thousands more fled to other lands inside and outside of the empire.During the war, Yohanan ben Zaccai, a teacher from the Second Temple, received permission from a Roman commander to set up a center for Jewish scholars in another part of Judaea.

The Temple was gone, but learning survived and remained important to the Jews.

AD 135 - After another Jewish rebellion, the Romans changed the name of the province to Palestine, after the ancient Israelite’s enemies the Philistines.

The Legacy of JudaismToday, nearly 14 million Jewish people live throughout the world.A majority live in the United States or Israel.Judaism’s legacies, concepts and values has given the world, include:

teachings of one supreme being an invisible God who created everything Christians and Muslims

o Like the Jews, they honor Abraham as a founding figureo Also, Moses as the messenger of Godo Both share, along with the Jews, the belief in a single God

The ethical teachings of Judaism have influenced spiritual leaders in all parts of the world.

The Hebrew Bible is another legacy. Its beautiful language Dramatic stories Unforgettable characters:

o Moseso Davido Esther

One of the greatest legacies of Judaism is the Judeo-Christian tradition. The set of values shared that are part of a lasting moral and ethical

tradition. These values form the basis for modern democratic societies (i.e. the

United States)o These values include:

The importance of every individual Individual freedom and responsibility Community responsibility The importance of human rights and justice