THE JEWISH FAITH

CHANGES

• The Jewish faith has evolved continuously over its 4000 year history

• The early Israelites were polytheistic, believing in multiple Mesopotamian gods

• They became henotheistic, believing in multiple gods but believing only one worthy of worship

• Probably after the Babylonian captivity, the Israelites became monotheistic, believing in only one god.

YHWH

• Original pronunciation lost centuries ago

• Means “He who creates”

• Brought to Israelites from southern Canaan in the 14th century BCE, eventually rose to prominence

• May have evolved out of the Bronze Age god El

FIRST TEMPLE PERIOD

• YHWH was worshipped in a variety of ways during this time period:

• Some people worshipped only YHWH

• Others worshiped only YHWH while using figurines, shrines, etc of other gods

• Some worshiped YHWH alongside other gods

SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD

• By the end of the Babylonian Captivity, YHWH alone is worshipped as god, acknowledged as a god

• YHWH’s name is no longer spoken, except by the high priest on the day of atonement

• After the destruction of the second temple, the name is no longer spoken at all

THE NAMES OF GOD

• Since YHWH is not spoken or written, Jews use many alternate names for god

• Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh: I Am that I Am

• Adonai: Lord

• HaShem: The Name

• Elohim: The one God

• And many, many more

CORE BELIEFS OF JEWS

• There is one God, YHWH

• The Jews are God’s chosen people-selected to make the world more perfect

• Canaan/Israel is the “promised land”

• God has spoken through prophets

• God will reward the good and punish the wicked

• A Messiah will come to restore Israel, rebuild the temple, & defeat evil

• The dead will be resurrected

TIMELINE

• 2000 years from the fall of Adam to Abraham: desolation

• 2000 years from Abraham to the Diaspora: The Torah period, flourishing

• 2000 years from the Diaspora to…???: Waiting for the Messiah

• Currently year 5775

HOLY TEXTS

• The Tanakh-The Hebrew Bible/Old Testament

• The Torah-The first five books, Genesis through Deuteronomy. Written by Moses.

• Nevi’im-The teachings of the prophets

• Ketuvim-Mostly poetic books

• The Talmud-The teaching and opinions of rabbis on subjects like law, ethics, philosophy, history, etc.

HOLY DAYS

• Rosh Hashanah-The Jewish new year

• Yom Kippur-The Day of Atonement, Jews fast on this day for forgiveness of sin

• Hanukkah-Festival of lights, celebration of Maccabee victory

• Passover-Celebrates the Exodus from Egypt

• Shabbat-The Sabbath day, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday

SACRED SYMBOLS & OBJECTS-THE STAR OF DAVID

• The Star of David is a symbol of Judaism, the Jewish people, and the state of Israel

• Today, the Star of David is on the flag of Israel

SACRED SYMBOLS & OBJECTS-THE MENORAH

• A ceremonial lamp used to celebrate Hanukkah

• One candle is lit every night for eight nights

• Celebration of the Maccabee victory

SACRED SYMBOLS AND OBJECTS-THE MEZUZAH

• Hung on door frames in Jewish homes

• States the Shema Yisrael prayer: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God! The Lord is One!”

• The Tanakh issues a mitzvah, or command, that the Shema Yisrael be “inscribed on the doorposts of your house.”

SACRED SYMBOLS & OBJECTS-TEFILLIN

• Small, black leather boxes containing verses from the Torah

• Worn on the forehead and arm while praying

• The Torah commands they be worn as a remembrance of the Exodus

SACRED SYMBOLS AND OBJECTS-TZITZIT

• Specifically knotted ritual fringes or tassels

• Through numerology, the knots and threads add up to 613, the same as the number of mitzvah in the Torah

SACRED SYMBOLS AND OBJECTS-TALLIT

• Prayer shawl worn during morning prayers and during all prayer on Yom Kippur

• The Tzitzit are attached at the four corners

SACRED SYMBOLS & OBJECTS-YARMULKE

• A cap covering the top of the head

• Worn during prayers by men

HOLY PLACES-THE TEMPLE MOUNT

• The site of the original two temples in Jerusalem

• The holiest place in Judaism, where the presence of God is most strongly felt

• A holy place for Jews, Christians, and Muslims

HOLY PLACES-THE WESTERN WALL

• The remnants of an ancient wall that surrounded the temple courtyard

• Many Jews face toward the wall when praying

• Millions of prayer notes are left in the cracks of the wall every year

DIVISIONS

• Religious Branches

• Orthodox

• Conservative

• Reform

• Cultural Differences

• Ashkanazi-Jews of Central and Eastern Europe

• Sephardic-Jews of North Africa and the Iberian Peninsula

• Mizrahi-Jews of the Middle East

• Crucial Question: Who is a Jew?

• Is it a religious label?

• Is it an ethnic label?

• Is it a cultural label?