Religion Study Guide - Judaism

  • Torah: The central reference of the religious Judaic tradition, consisting of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

  • Talmud: A compilation of teachings and interpretations of the Torah, serving as a guide for Jewish law and ethics.

  • Synagogue: A place of worship and community gathering for Jewish people, where prayer and study occur.

  • Rabbi: A Jewish teacher or scholar, particularly one who is trained in Jewish law and theology, often serving as a spiritual leader within the community.

  • Nevi’im: Book of prophets

  • Central teachings:

    • covenant between God and the people

    • Shema: the basic theological statement staarting with: “Hear, Oh Israel; the lord is our God, the lord alone”

  • Why do Jews avoid saying Gods name? — it is too holy to be spoken by humans

  • Moses is thought to have written the Torah

    • contains the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, which are considered the foundational texts of Judaism.

    • The Mishnas and the Talmud makeup the “Oral Torah”, given by the great Rabbi’s of antiquity

  • Traditionally, the torah is believed to have been revealed by God to Moses and it is the central statement of Judaisims religious laws

  • The Torah defines both worship and ethical conduct

  • Jews are best described as being an ethnic group that shares a common history and religion

  • The most important events in Israelite history:

    • The exodus from egypt

    • The revelation on Mt. Sinai

  • The central figure of these events is considered the greatest prophet (moses)

  • King Moses reigned during the height of the monarchys power and influence

  • his son, Soloman, built the temple in jerusalem

    • was magnificent and became the center of israelites worship

  • David was the prototype for the Messiah

  • The Diaspora: refers to the dispersion of Jews beyond Israel, particularly after the Babylonian exile

  • Spanish Inquisition (1492) was a period marked by the forced conversion of Jews to Christianity and the persecution of those who refused to abandon their faith.

  • The holocaust is the greatest tragedy to befall on the Jews, killing 6 million people

  • Zionism: a rerm reffering to a great desire to return to the homeland

  • Anti-Semitism: persistent prejudice against Jews, which has led to widespread discrimination and violence throughout history.

  • 3 Sects of Judaism:

    • Orthodox: Strict adherence to Torah; maintain traditional practices and beliefs like modest dress and morships in hebrew

      • Hasidism/Hasidic Jews: Believe the importance of a leader (zadic) in community

    • Conservative: Falls in the middle of Orthodox and Reformist; most americans are conservative

    • Reformed: Emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism and encourages modern interpretations of the Torah; most converts are reformist

  • Sashima: a prayer from Deuteronomy that starts with “here o lord”

  • Jewish Sabbath is on a Saturday because it is considered a day of rest, commemorating God's day of rest after creating the world.

  • Rashashana: The Jewish New Years

  • Children are named on the 8th day of their lives

  • Barmitzva/Batmitzva: A coming-of-age ceremony for Jewish boys and girls

  • Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement, a significant holy day dedicated to fasting and repentance.

  • Jewish marriage look to adam and eve as the ideal

  • Kaddish: prayer offered to the dead

  • Jews worship in the synogouge and at home

  • they prioritize practice over belief

  • God is directly involved with the Jewish people

  • muslims invade/conquer Palestine in 7th Cen. AD

  • Abrahams grandson is Jacob

  • The romans destroyed the 2nd temple

  • pentateuch is the greek term for the first five books of the Hebrew Bible

  • the dinner during the passover is called: Seder, which includes symbolic foods and the retelling of the Exodus story.

  • exodus allowed the jews to find freedom in their homeland