Classifications
Is this religion mono/poly/heno?
Monotheistic
Jewish followers believe in only one god, making them monotheistic.
Monotheistic
Jewish followers believe in only one god, making them monotheistic.
Founding Story
How did this religion begin?
Abraham
The early history of the Jewish people took place in what is now the state of Israel. In those days, however, this land located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, was called Canaan. Much later it became known as Palestine. When a Jewish homeland was established there in 1948, it was thereafter called Israel. Until then, Mesopotamia was a large region located in what is now the middle east. (Today, much of the region makes up the modern nation of Iraq.) It was situated between two mighty rivers." Its name means "land between the rivers." I is here that our story of Jewish history begins about 4,000 years ago. As stated, Jewish history begins with Abraham. Abraham was the patriarch, or head, of the tribe. A tribe is a group of people descended from a common ancestor. In short, a tribe is like one big family!Abraham had many responsibilities. As head of his tribe, he had a hand in everything. He settled disputes and punished lawbreakers. He officiated at religious ceremonies, saying prayers and offering sacrifices at the altar. He led his tribe into wars with other tribes. It was Haran that God is said to have revealed himself in Mesopotamia while he was being a Shepard. It was also Haran that Jews (an Christians) believe God gave Abraham the following instructions, as recorded in Genesis 12:1 of the Old Testament. One day when Terah was out of the shop, Abraham took a hammer and smashed all the idols except the largest one. When his father returned and stood aghast at the damage, Abraham is believed to have said "Father while you were gone the idols got into a fight, the big one who is now holding the hammer won." his father had said "That's ridiculous. Idols cant think. Idols have no power. They are incapable of doing anything." and his son Abraham says "Then why do you worship them?"
Abraham
The early history of the Jewish people took place in what is now the state of Israel. In those days, however, this land located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, was called Canaan. Much later it became known as Palestine. When a Jewish homeland was established there in 1948, it was thereafter called Israel. Until then, Mesopotamia was a large region located in what is now the middle east. (Today, much of the region makes up the modern nation of Iraq.) It was situated between two mighty rivers." Its name means "land between the rivers." I is here that our story of Jewish history begins about 4,000 years ago. As stated, Jewish history begins with Abraham. Abraham was the patriarch, or head, of the tribe. A tribe is a group of people descended from a common ancestor. In short, a tribe is like one big family!Abraham had many responsibilities. As head of his tribe, he had a hand in everything. He settled disputes and punished lawbreakers. He officiated at religious ceremonies, saying prayers and offering sacrifices at the altar. He led his tribe into wars with other tribes. It was Haran that God is said to have revealed himself in Mesopotamia while he was being a Shepard. It was also Haran that Jews (an Christians) believe God gave Abraham the following instructions, as recorded in Genesis 12:1 of the Old Testament. One day when Terah was out of the shop, Abraham took a hammer and smashed all the idols except the largest one. When his father returned and stood aghast at the damage, Abraham is believed to have said "Father while you were gone the idols got into a fight, the big one who is now holding the hammer won." his father had said "That's ridiculous. Idols cant think. Idols have no power. They are incapable of doing anything." and his son Abraham says "Then why do you worship them?"
Key Figures
Important people to the story?
Moses
The two most important people to the story were Abraham and Moses. But since I talked about Abraham already we are switching gears to Moses. After awhile, a famine forced the Hebrews to leave Canaan and go to Egypt. Some, who came to be called Israelite's, had gone there earlier. There they lived in peace for some time, prospering in a part of Egypt called the "Land of Goshen." After about 400 years, however, they were made slaves by the Egyptians, and remained in bondage for several centuries. Enter Moses, the second great leader of the ancient Hebrews. His story is told in the Bible in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These books, along with Genesis, are referred to as the Pentateuch, in Greek, means "five books." Moses was born in Egypt sometime in the 13th century B.C. It was not a good time to be born, for the Pharaoh, or king, of Egypt had decreed that every son born of the Nile River. The Pharaoh believed that Hebrews had grown in such numbers that they posed a threat to his regime. His order to kill all male babies was an attempt to reduce the Hebrew population. Yocheved, Moses' mother, hid him for several months in her home. Then she put him in a basket along the banks of the Nile River, hoping for the best. Luckily, he was found by a daughter of the Pharaoh, who took him home to her father's palace and raised him as her son. Moses grew up to be a prince. He learned to read and write, and he became quite important to the court. However, something happened that caused him to leave Egypt. One day he saw an Egyptian beating an old man and to save the old mans life he was forced to flee. He went to the red sea where the northern part of the red sea was located. There he lived among Midianites. Eventually married a women that was Midianites, had two children, and lived there as a shepherd for 40 years. One day while Moses was tending his father-in-law's flock, God is said to have appeared to him in the form of a burning bush. The ancient Hebrews believed that as Moses stood dumbfounded, God gave him instructions to return to Egypt and lead the Hebrews out of captivity. Although Moses was a little reluctant, he knew he had to obey God's command. Moses left midian and returned to Egypt. Because he had a problem with his speech, he asked his brother Aaron to speak for him when they went to see Pharaoh. They asked Pharaoh to free the Israelite's and to allow them to return to Canaan. The Pharaoh refused. The book of Exodus then states the God sent ten plagues to punish Egypt. These Plagues ranged from turning the waters into blood to flooding the land with flies and locust. But the Pharaoh held firm until the tenth plague, which was by far the worst. The tenth plague was for the Angel of Death, which is to visit each Egyptian home and take the life of the first born child. Even Pharaoh's first born child was not spared. The Angel however, passed over the houses of the Israelites and did not harm their first born children. At the end Israelites were all set free and everyone went to Canaan and they lived in happiness and no harm.
Moses
The two most important people to the story were Abraham and Moses. But since I talked about Abraham already we are switching gears to Moses. After awhile, a famine forced the Hebrews to leave Canaan and go to Egypt. Some, who came to be called Israelite's, had gone there earlier. There they lived in peace for some time, prospering in a part of Egypt called the "Land of Goshen." After about 400 years, however, they were made slaves by the Egyptians, and remained in bondage for several centuries. Enter Moses, the second great leader of the ancient Hebrews. His story is told in the Bible in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. These books, along with Genesis, are referred to as the Pentateuch, in Greek, means "five books." Moses was born in Egypt sometime in the 13th century B.C. It was not a good time to be born, for the Pharaoh, or king, of Egypt had decreed that every son born of the Nile River. The Pharaoh believed that Hebrews had grown in such numbers that they posed a threat to his regime. His order to kill all male babies was an attempt to reduce the Hebrew population. Yocheved, Moses' mother, hid him for several months in her home. Then she put him in a basket along the banks of the Nile River, hoping for the best. Luckily, he was found by a daughter of the Pharaoh, who took him home to her father's palace and raised him as her son. Moses grew up to be a prince. He learned to read and write, and he became quite important to the court. However, something happened that caused him to leave Egypt. One day he saw an Egyptian beating an old man and to save the old mans life he was forced to flee. He went to the red sea where the northern part of the red sea was located. There he lived among Midianites. Eventually married a women that was Midianites, had two children, and lived there as a shepherd for 40 years. One day while Moses was tending his father-in-law's flock, God is said to have appeared to him in the form of a burning bush. The ancient Hebrews believed that as Moses stood dumbfounded, God gave him instructions to return to Egypt and lead the Hebrews out of captivity. Although Moses was a little reluctant, he knew he had to obey God's command. Moses left midian and returned to Egypt. Because he had a problem with his speech, he asked his brother Aaron to speak for him when they went to see Pharaoh. They asked Pharaoh to free the Israelite's and to allow them to return to Canaan. The Pharaoh refused. The book of Exodus then states the God sent ten plagues to punish Egypt. These Plagues ranged from turning the waters into blood to flooding the land with flies and locust. But the Pharaoh held firm until the tenth plague, which was by far the worst. The tenth plague was for the Angel of Death, which is to visit each Egyptian home and take the life of the first born child. Even Pharaoh's first born child was not spared. The Angel however, passed over the houses of the Israelites and did not harm their first born children. At the end Israelites were all set free and everyone went to Canaan and they lived in happiness and no harm.
Religious Authority
Who or what makes the rules?
Bible
The Bible is the most famous book in all of history. The Jewish Bible was originally written in Hebrew, which is a very old language from the Middle East. Hebrew is written and read from right to left instead of left to right as we read and write in English. Another Jewish name for the bible is Tanakh. Tanakh is a word created by taking the first letters of the Hebrew names for the three sections of the Hebrew Bible-Torah (the first five books); Nevee'eem (Prophets-books like Joshua, Samuel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, an others); Ketuvim( Writings,including books like proverbs, Psalms, Esther, Ruth, Lamentations, and others). The kind of Bible that you find most often in bookstores and hotel rooms is a Christian Bible. There are two differences between a Jewish Bible and a Christian Bible. First, the Christian Bible arranges the books from the Jewish Bible in a different order. Second, the Christian Bible contains 27 extra books that tell the story of Jesus and the spread of Christianity. Sometimes you hear Christians refer to the Jewish part of their Bible as the "Old Testament" and the Christian part as the "New testament." Christians usually call the second part of the Bible the "New testament" because they believe that the Tanakh has been replaced. Therefore Jews and some Christians refer to the two parts of the Christian Bible as the "Hebrew Testament" and the "Greek Testament." The early Hebrews came to believe that God was taking in their history. As a result, they recorded events and laws in the Torah, their most sacred text. The Torah as well as the Talmud are texts that are looked at upon as vital documents in Judaism.
Bible
The Bible is the most famous book in all of history. The Jewish Bible was originally written in Hebrew, which is a very old language from the Middle East. Hebrew is written and read from right to left instead of left to right as we read and write in English. Another Jewish name for the bible is Tanakh. Tanakh is a word created by taking the first letters of the Hebrew names for the three sections of the Hebrew Bible-Torah (the first five books); Nevee'eem (Prophets-books like Joshua, Samuel, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, an others); Ketuvim( Writings,including books like proverbs, Psalms, Esther, Ruth, Lamentations, and others). The kind of Bible that you find most often in bookstores and hotel rooms is a Christian Bible. There are two differences between a Jewish Bible and a Christian Bible. First, the Christian Bible arranges the books from the Jewish Bible in a different order. Second, the Christian Bible contains 27 extra books that tell the story of Jesus and the spread of Christianity. Sometimes you hear Christians refer to the Jewish part of their Bible as the "Old Testament" and the Christian part as the "New testament." Christians usually call the second part of the Bible the "New testament" because they believe that the Tanakh has been replaced. Therefore Jews and some Christians refer to the two parts of the Christian Bible as the "Hebrew Testament" and the "Greek Testament." The early Hebrews came to believe that God was taking in their history. As a result, they recorded events and laws in the Torah, their most sacred text. The Torah as well as the Talmud are texts that are looked at upon as vital documents in Judaism.
Core Believes
Goals:
To have certain relationship with God and when the savior comes or when you die your goal is heaven or thats atleast where you want to end up.
To have certain relationship with God and when the savior comes or when you die your goal is heaven or thats atleast where you want to end up.
Beliefs about the after life:
Main beliefs
*They go to heaven
*There is only one God
*God made the world and created Man in his own image
*The Jews are God's chosen people
*Canaan (Palestine) is the Promised Land that God pledged to the Jews through Abraham in return for adherence to His laws, which were delivered through Moses
*One day a Messiah will come to rebuild the Temple, gather all Jews back to the land of Israel, and bring peace to the world
*All people are equal and should be treated with respect and love
Main laws
*All meat must be kosher
*Forbidden foods: meat taken from animals that do not have scales and fins, and particular birds
*Meat and milk should not be used together
*No work or reading of the Torah should be done on the Sabbath
Main beliefs
*They go to heaven
*There is only one God
*God made the world and created Man in his own image
*The Jews are God's chosen people
*Canaan (Palestine) is the Promised Land that God pledged to the Jews through Abraham in return for adherence to His laws, which were delivered through Moses
*One day a Messiah will come to rebuild the Temple, gather all Jews back to the land of Israel, and bring peace to the world
*All people are equal and should be treated with respect and love
Main laws
*All meat must be kosher
*Forbidden foods: meat taken from animals that do not have scales and fins, and particular birds
*Meat and milk should not be used together
*No work or reading of the Torah should be done on the Sabbath
Rules/guidelines for daily life:
The Ten Commandments
1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make for yourselves an idol.
3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor
10. You shall not covet.
The Ten Commandments
1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make for yourselves an idol.
3. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.
4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor
10. You shall not covet.
Concept of higher power:
God is there only concept of higher power.
God is there only concept of higher power.
Key holidays:
Festivals and holy days
*Purim (Feast of Lots)
*Pesach (Passover)
*Yom Ha-Shoah (holocaust Day)
*Shavuot (Pentecost)
*Rosh Hashanah (New year)
*Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
*Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)
*Shemini (Eighth Day of the Solemn Assembly)
*Hanukkah (Feast of Dedication/Festival of Lights)
Festivals and holy days
*Purim (Feast of Lots)
*Pesach (Passover)
*Yom Ha-Shoah (holocaust Day)
*Shavuot (Pentecost)
*Rosh Hashanah (New year)
*Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)
*Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles)
*Shemini (Eighth Day of the Solemn Assembly)
*Hanukkah (Feast of Dedication/Festival of Lights)
Sites and Symbols
Famous places and images of the religion:
Jewish symbols
*Star of David (six-pointed star)
*Menorah (seven-branched candlestick)
Jewish symbols
*Star of David (six-pointed star)
*Menorah (seven-branched candlestick)
Sects and Branches
Reform - Was basically the Sabbath and the rule of kosher or what we call a strict religion.
Orthodox - Asserted that every letter of the Torah was given to Moses on Mount Sinai, along with a detailed commentary.
Conservative - Prayers to reflect modern concerns
Orthodox - Asserted that every letter of the Torah was given to Moses on Mount Sinai, along with a detailed commentary.
Conservative - Prayers to reflect modern concerns