1. Explain who founded Judaism
2. Explain some of the fundamental historical stories of the Jewish faith.
3. Know and explain different Jewish customs and holidays.
Monotheism means a belief in one god, rather than many gods.
Judaism is the root of Christianity and Islam, as well as being a religion of it's own.
There are approximately 15 million practicing Jews, most of whom live in either Israel, the United States, or parts of the former U.S.S.R.
2. What is the name of the Hebrew Bible?
3. How are Judaism and Christianity related?
4. Who was Moses and what is his significance within Jewish faith?
5. List three different Jewish holidays and explain what they celebrate.
Judaism began approximately 4000 years ago in the Middle East. The founder of the faith was a man named Abram. At the time, most people worshipped many different gods, a practice known as "polytheism", but Abram disagreed. He believed in just one God and encouraged his family to worship the same way.
The origins of Judaism can be found in the first five books of the Holy Bible. These first five books are considered the sacred text of Judaism and are called the Torah, the Hebrew bible.
According to the Torah, Abram's belief in one God was so out-of-step with what other people were doing that his family was persecuted by members of the community. God then told Abram that he should continue to follow God's instructions (commandments) and move his family out into the desert. God told him that if he were faithful, he and his family and friends would be led to a place where they could practice their faith openly.
Over time, Abram (now called Abraham) and his family traveled throughout the Middle East and eventually his decendants settled in Egypt. They experienced a brief period of calm in which they weren't persecuted, but eventually a particularly powerful family of pharoahs came to power and the persecution began once more. The Jews were forced into slavery, treated so badly that many of them died. A new pharaoh came to power who decided to kill all the Jewish infant boys so that the Jewish "family line" would disappear.
One young Jewish mother decided to hide her infant son to prevent him from being murdered. She made a basket out of reeds and grass and placed her baby into the makeshift boat, floating it towards the Pharaoh's palace. Later that day, the Princess (the Pharaoh's daughter) came down to the river and saw the basket. She took the baby in and raised him as her own. This baby was named Moses and he grew up to become one of the Pharaoh's favorites.
Moses could have become a pharaoh himself but he saw something that changed his life. He witnessed an Egyptian hitting a Jew. Moses became so angry that he hit the Egyptian back, killing him. Moses immediately ran away to the desert, where he became a shepherd.
One day while tending his flock, he saw a bush that was on fire. He watched it because it looked very strange. He noticed that even though the bush was burning, it never burnt up. There were no burnt edges. So he walked over to have a closer look. He then heard God's voice telling him to stop. God told Moses that he was standing on sacred ground and that He had work for Moses to do. Moses was instructed by God to go back to the Pharaoh's palace and confront the Pharaoh, demanding that he let the Jewish people go, or else God would punish the Egyptians with a series of plagues (catastrophic events).
Moses did as he was told. The Pharaoh listened to Moses but refused to set the Jews free. God then sent the Ten Plagues of Egypt to punish Pharaoh. For more information about the Ten Plagues, view the Judaism PowerPoint Presentation.
Pharaoh refused to give up the slavery of the Jews until the final plague had struck. At that time, Pharaoh allowed the Jews to leave and Moses led them out of Egypt. Numerous stories are told of this portion of Jewish history, including the parting of the Red Sea and the giving of the Ten Commandments by God to Moses. These stories may be found using the Links section of this page.
2. Write a one-page five paragraph essay outlining the basic beliefs and customs of Judaism. Submit these to your teacher.
3. Come up with six questions you would like to ask someone of the Jewish faith. Submit these questions to your teacher.
Passover: Passover celebrates the liberation of the Jews from slavery in Egypt. The final plague that was sent by God to punish the Egyptians "passed over" the Jews. A celebratory meal is eaten during Passover.
Yom Kippur: The Day of Atonement. It is a time for reflection upon the sins one has commited over the year. Yom Kippur is both a quiet reflective time and a time to rejoice in God's mercy.
Hanukkah: The Festival of Lights. This is NOT the Jewish form of Christmas! Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday that celebrates an event that happened in 165 B.C. in which the Jewish temple in Jerusalem was re-dedicated. However, there was not enough oil for the menorah (the candlesticks) which were supposed to burn throughout the week. A miracle occured and somehow the oil lasted through the week until extra oil was found. Hanukkah celebrates this miracle.
Bar Mitzvah: The coming of age ceremony for a 13 year old boy in the Jewish faith. The new adults read from the Torah (the Hebrew Bible) and lead the congregation in prayer. Bat Mitzvah is the same ceremony, but for girls.
Brit Milah: The ritual circumcision of male babies. This event takes place when the baby boy is eight days old and is presided over by a Jewish rabbi (priest).
