JUDAISM

HUMSS 1
Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems
 JUDAISM
• It is the religion of the Jewish people. It is an
ancient, monotheistic, Abrahamic religion
with the Torah as its foundational text.
• It encompasses the religion, philosophy and
culture of the Jewish people.
• Jews are the chosen people of God, must
follow his laws.
• Jerusalem/Israel are holy lands
FORMED:
• Though the Jewish calendar goes back more
than 5000 years, most scholars date the
beginning of the religion of the Israelites to
their forefather in faith, Abraham, whose life
is generally dated to circa 2000-1800 B.C.E.
• Abraham, Moses
ORIGIN:
• Canaan is the biblical name for the area
between the Jordan River and the
Mediterranean, approximately the equivalent
of what today comprises the state of Israel
and the Palestinian territories.
FOLLOWERS:
• The worldwide count of adherents of Judaism
is difficult, as some Jewish movements dispute
the legitimate Jewish identity of others.
• Many do not affiliate with any particular
branch, and may then be left out of census
reports.
SACRED TEXTS:
• Tanakh is an acronym of Torah, Nevi'im, and
Ketuvim.
• Torah is the name given to the first five books —
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and
Deuteronomy — also called the Pentateuch.
• The Nevi'im and Ketuvim are the books of history,
prophecy, poetry, and other sacred writings.
• The Talmud is also called the Oral Torah, and is
comprised of rabbinical commentary and
interpretation on the Torah.
HEADQUARTERS:
• While Jerusalem remains the center of Jewish
spirituality, the lack of a Temple or any
administrative or jurisdictional authority
prevents it from being an organizational
center.
 MAJOR DIVISION OF JUDAISM
Jewish religious movements, sometimes called
"denominations" or "branches", include different groups
which have developed among Jews from ancient times.

• Orthodox Judaism
• Reform Judaism
• Conservative Judaism
• Reconstructionist Judaism
 ORTHODOX JUDAISM
• Jews insist on retaining traditional Jewish laws
and customs, not only as they relate to liturgy
but also to diet and dress.
• They demand full submission to the authority
of halakhah, the massive accretion of written
and oral laws of Judaism, feeling that the
revealed will of God, not the value system of a
particular age, is the ultimate standard of
conduct.
 ORTHODOX JUDAISM
• Those laws include separation of the sexes
during worship, and other roles for women
that are at odds with social changes sought by
the women’s movement.
• The Hasidic sects comprise a significant
segment of Orthodox Judaism — all Hasidim
are Orthodox, but not all Orthodox are by any
means Hasidic.
 REFORM JUDAISM
• The movement arose in Germany in the early
19th century as a response to the gradual
dropping of legal and political barriers against
European Jews, by seeking to integrate Jews into
a mainstream society that was increasingly
available to them politically and socially.
• It abbreviated the liturgy, introduced prayers and
sermons in the vernacular and singing with organ
accompaniment, and rendered dietary and
Sabbath restrictions optional.
 REFORM JUDAISM
• Faced with the opportunity to be accepted into
German society without having to convert to
Christianity, many German Jews felt compelled to
eliminate all tribal and ethnic aspects of their
Jewish identity, including beliefs that might be
construed as superstitious.
• They even moved their Sabbath from Saturday to
Sunday for a time. In America, the Reform
movement became known for its relaxation of
ritual overall, preferring to stress the Torah’s
teachings on ethics.
 CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM
• It is originally known as “Historical Judaism,”
began in the mid-19th century as a response to
the perceived excesses of the Reform movement.
• Conservative Jews hailed the Westernization of
Judaism in the areas of education and culture
(embracing modern dress, for instance), but kept
the use of Hebrew in the liturgy, the observance
of dietary laws and the Sabbath, and almost all
Torah rituals.
 CONSERVATIVE JUDAISM
• In the 1980s the Conservatives decided to
admit women as rabbis.
• The center of the movement is the Jewish
Theological Seminary of New York; more
American Jews are affiliated with Conservative
synagogues than with Reform or Orthodox.
 RECONSTRUCTIONIST JUDAISM
• It was founded in 1922 in the U.S. by Rabbi Mordecai
M. Kaplan (1881-1983), in an effort to adapt classical
Judaism to current ideas on science, art, and reason.
• Reconstructionist see Judaism as an evolving
civilization rather than a religion, and reject the
notion of a personal deity, miracles like the parting of
the Red Sea, and the whole concept of the chosen
people.
• With only about 60,000 members, it is a minor
branch, headquartered in Philadelphia, but it has
strongly influenced Reform Judaism.
 RECONSTRUCTIONIST JUDAISM
• Rabbi Kaplan performed the first Bat Mitzvah,
conferring on young women a religious rite of
passage previously reserved only for Jewish males,
but now commonplace among Reform
congregations; he also began the havurah
movement, in which Jews meet in small groups to
study and observe Jewish rituals.
• Recently, Reconstructionism has restored references
in its prayerbooks to supernatural events that it had
earlier excised as being unbelievable but now accept
on the level of “myth.”
HOLY SYMBOL(S)
MENORAH (TEMPLE)
• The menorah
(candelabrum) is the
ancient universal
symbol of Judaism
• Represents
the Temple in
Jerusalem. Appears in
the Emblem of Israel.
 MENORAH (TEMPLE)
• One of the oldest symbols of the Jewish faith is the menorah, a
seven-branched candelabrum used in the Temple.
• It has been said that the menorah is a symbol of the nation of Israel
and its mission to be "a light unto the nations." (Isaiah 42:6). The
sages emphasize that light is not a violent force; Israel is to
accomplish its mission by setting an example, not by using force.
This idea is highlighted in the vision of the Prophet Zechariah who
sees a menorah, and G-d explains: "Not by might, nor by power, but
by My spirit." (Zechariah 4:1-6)
• The kohanim lit the menorah in the Sanctuary every evening and
cleaned it out every morning, replacing the wicks and putting fresh
olive oil into the cups. The illustration feautred on this page is based
on instructions for construction of the menorah found in Exodus
25:31-40.
 MENORAH (TEMPLE)
• The lamp stand in today's synagogues ( Jewish assembly or
congregation). called the ner tamid (lit. the continual lamp; usually
translated as the eternal flame), symbolizes the menorah.
• The nine-branched menorah used on Chanukah is commonly
patterned after this menorah, because Chanukkah commemorates
the miracle that a day's worth of oil for this menorah lasted eight
days.
• The menorah in the First and Second Temples had seven branches.
After the Temples were destroyed, a tradition developed not to
duplicate anything from the Temple and therefore menorah's no
longer had seven branches.
• The use of six-branched menoras became popular, but, in modern
times, some rabbis have gone back to the seven-branched menoras,
arguing that they are not the same as those used in the Temple
because today's are electrified.
SHOFAR
 SHOFAR
• It is an ancient musical horn typically made of a
ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes.
Like the modern bugle, the shofar lacks pitch-
altering devices.
• It is blown in synagogue services on Rosh
Hashanah and at the very end of Yom Kippur, and
is also blown every weekday morning in the
month of Elul running up to Rosh Hashanah.
• Represents the High Holy Days. Often an
accompaniment of the Menorah.
FOUR SPECIES
FOUR SPECIES
THE FOUR PLANTS

In Leviticus 23:40 the Hebrew terms for the four plants

are:
• ‘êṣ hāḏār - magnificent/beautiful trees
• təmārîm - palm trees
• ‘êṣ ‘āḇōṯ - thick/leafy trees
• ‘arḇê-nāḥal - willows of the brook/valley

In Talmudic tradition, the four plants are identified as:

• etrog - the fruit of a citron tree
• lulav - a ripe, green, closed frond from a date palm
tree
• hadass - boughs with leaves from the myrtle tree
• aravah - branches with leaves from the willow tree
 FOUR SPECIES
• The four species (Hebrew: arba'at ha-minim, also
called arba'a minim) are four plants mentioned in
the Torah(Leviticus 23:40) as being relevant to
the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.
• Rabbinic Jews tie together three types of
branches and one type of fruit and wave them in
a special ceremony each day of the Sukkot
holiday, excluding Shabbat.
• The waving of the four plants is
a mitzvah prescribed by the Torah, and contains
symbolic allusions to a Jew's service of God.
 THE STAR OF DAVID
• The Jewish star is a modern universal Jewish
symbol.
• A symbol of Judaism, as a religion, and of the
Jewish people as a whole. And it also thought to
be the shield (or at least the emblem on it) of King
David.

• Jewish tradition links the symbol to the "Seal of Solomon", the magical
signet ring used by King Solomon to control demons and spirits.

• Jewish tradition also links the symbol to a magic shield owned by King
David that protected him from enemies. Following Jewish freedom after
the French revolution, Jewish communities chose the Star of David as their
symbol.
• The star is found on the Flag of Israel.
SHIN (LETTER)
• The letter (Shin) sounds just
like you'd expect: it has the
shhhhh sound you use when
you tell someone to be
quiet.

• In fact, the name of the

letter sounds similar to the
English word shin--that part
of the leg below the knee
that hurts so much if it
bumps into a coffee table.
 TABLETS OF STONE
• The Tables of the Law as they are widely known in English,
or Tablets of Stone, Stone Tablets, or Tablets of Testimony
(in Hebrew: Luchot HaBrit – ("the tablets of the covenant")
in the Hebrew Bible, were the two pieces of stone inscribed
with the Ten Commandments when Moses ascended Mount
Sinai as written in the Book of Exodus. Exodus 31:18 refers
to the tablets as the "Tablets of (the) Testimony".
• According to the Bible, there were two sets. The first,
inscribed by God, (Exodus 31:18) were smashed by Moses
when he was enraged by the sight of the Children of Israel
worshipping a golden calf (Exodus 32:19) and the second
were later cut and rewritten by Moses. (Exodus 34:28).
TABLETS OF STONE

• I am the LORD thy God, No other

gods before me
• No graven images or likenesses
• Not take the LORD's name in vain
• Remember the Sabbath day
• Honour thy father and thy mother
• Thou shalt not kill
• Thou shalt not commit adultery
• Thou shalt not steal
• Thou shalt not bear false witness
• Thou shalt not covet
 TABLETS OF STONE
• According to traditional teachings of Judaism in
the Talmud, they were made of blue sapphire stone as a
symbolic reminder of the sky, the heavens, and
ultimately of God's throne. Many Torah scholars,
however, have opined that the Biblical "sapir" was, in
fact, the lapis lazuli (see Exodus 24:10, lapis lazuli is a
possible alternate rendering of "sapphire" the stone
pavement under God's feet when the intention to craft
the tablets of the covenant is disclosed Exodus 24:12).

• According to the bible, both the first shattered set and

the second unbroken set were stored in the Ark of the
Covenant (the Aron Habrit in Hebrew).
TZITZIT
• It is literally defined as
“fringes,” and refers to
the strings attached to
the corners of the tallit,
the Jewish prayer shawl.
• It also refers to the
poncho-like mini-
tallit that is worn
throughout the day,
often under a shirt.
Here’s how the mini-
tallit came to be.
 TZITZIT: THE MINI-TALLIT
• G-d commanded the Jewish people to affix fringes to the corners of
their clothing so that they would constantly remember Him and His
commandments.

• At that time, the common garment was a simple sheet of cloth, and
the mitzvah was to affix fringes to each of its four corners.

• But styles changed over the centuries, and the simple garments of
biblical times were replaced with robes, jackets, trousers and shirts.

• What would happen to the tallit? Jewish men then began to fulfill
the mitzvah in the following two ways:
– During prayer, we drape ourselves in a tallit gadol (“big tallit”), which
has essentially remained the same since ancient times.
– We wear a little poncho called a tzitizit, tallit katan (“small tallit”),
or arba kanfot (“four corners”). For most of us, it fits neatly under a
shirt.
 TZITZIT: THE TASSLES
• The fringes attached to the tallit of either size are
called tzitzit.
• They are almost always made of white fabric, and must be
twisted with the sacred intention that they be used for the
mitzvah.
• So if you need to replace a snapped thread, make sure that
you purchase special tzitzit threads.
• On each corner, four threads are threaded through a hole and
looped over, so that there are eight strings hanging down.
• A series of double knots and coils then join the first few
inches of each corner’s tassel into a single cord.
• The remainder of the eight threads are then free to hang
down.
 TZITZIT
• The eight strings and five knots are a
physical representation of the Torah's
613 mitzvahs.
• It works like this: Each letter in the
Hebrew alphabet has a corresponding
numerical value (gematria).
• The numerical values of the five
letters that comprise the Hebrew
word tzitzitadd up to 600. Add the
eight strings and five knots of each
tassel, and the total is 613.
TEFILLIN
• Also called phylacteries.

• It is the Talmud, the

authoritative oral tradition for
Rabbinic Judaism, which
explains what are to be bound to
the body and the form of tefillin.

• Are a pair of black leather boxes

containing Hebrew parchment
scrolls. A set includes two—one
for the head and one for the
arm.

• Each consists of three main

components: the scrolls, the box
and the strap.
 TEFILLIN
• The Torah commands Jewish men to bind tefillin onto their
head and upper arm every weekday, in fulfillment of the verse
(Deut. 6:8), “You shall bind them as a sign upon your hand,
and they shall be for a reminder between your eyes.”

• Tefillin is an incredibly powerful mitzvah. The experience of

putting on tefillin has changed many people’s lives.
– one of the Torah’s 613 Divine commandments
– a good deed or religious precept
– creating a bond between God who commands and man
who performs.
 TEFILLIN
What’s in the • The Torah mentions the mitzvah of tefillin
Boxes? four separate times.

• Each of these texts is inscribed on

parchment and placed into the tefillin.
These passages discuss the unity of God.

• They describe the miracles God

performed for us when He took us out of
Egypt, and how God alone has the power
and dominion to do whatever He wants
in the physical and spiritual worlds.

• In other words, these verses cover the

fundamentals of our faith.
 TEFILLIN
These texts are:

What’s in the • 1–2. Kadesh (Exodus 13:1–10) and Vehayah ki

yeviacha (Exodus 13:11–16):
Boxes? – These describe the duty of the Jewish people
to always remember the redemption from
Egyptian bondage, and the obligation of every
Jew to educate his children about this and
about God’s commandments.

• 3. Shema (Deut. 6:4–9):

– Pronounces the unity of the one God, and
commands us to love and fear Him.
• 4. Vehayah (Deut. 11:13–21):
– Focuses on God’s assurance to us of reward
that will follow our observance of the
Torah’s mitzvahs.