PRELIMINARY STUDIES OF RELIGION II - DEPTH STUDY 1 NOTES

JUDAISIM
Origins

Abraham’s life

- Abram was born and raised in a community with polytheistic worldviews, however, his actions had led to the first understanding of a singular God.
- When Abraham was 75, he and his wife, Sarai, had migrated to Canaan as God had asked Abram to "Go from your country to a land I will show you. I
will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you".
- Sarai doubted God's plan for her- stating that she’ll bear a child for Abram, and took matters into her own hands, giving Abram permission to bear a
child-named Ishmael (an ancestor of the Islamic religion) through her servant, Hagar. God had demanded Abraham to send away Hagar and Ishmael
and in turn, created a covenant between Him and Abram.
- This is the first-time society has seen a concept of a relationship with a God, greater than just transactional relationship, and one which is rather
focused on a personal relationship.
- In this Covenant, God promised Abraham "descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky” and land. In turn for this promise, God had requested
Abram and Sarai to change their names to Abraham and Sarah and that they and their descendants have complete and unwavering faith in God,
including living righteously, and that all males born into this line of descendants would be circumcised just after birth.
- Abraham obliges and Sarah falls pregnant and gives birth to a son named Isaac, through which the Jewish race descended. Time passes and God
tests Abraham's faith and commitment to the covenant by asking him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Abraham once again, obliges, but before he kills his
son, God intervenes. Through his actions, Abraham has demonstrated his unwavering trust in God, making him the model for Jewish life.

Summary table (Including Summarised story of Exodus and the basis of the Mosaic covenant)

Person Year Context of Covenant What God offers What God expects Tanakh reference
BCE
Abraham 1743 Abram was chosen by God from a A personal and special relationship Abrahams's decedents must Covenant 1:
(Covenant polytheistic civilisation (Genesis 12) between God and Abraham's worship God only and put this Genesis 15
1 and 2) Abram left Ur and settled in Canaan descendants (Genesis 15) relationship ahead of all others.
(Israel) Covenant 2:
Promise of descendants as many "as Commitment to living out God's Genesis 17
Abram had complete faith in God, there are stars in the sky" (Genesis will of righteousness.
even though he had reason to 15), including a son (Genesis 21)
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doubt him. E.g. Asking Abraham to Male circumcision (Genesis 17)

put God ahead of his son. Land of Israel, a home state for his
descendants

Moses 1280 Jews had been enslaved in Egypt
for 150 years and waiting for God
to intervene.
Moses finds out he is not Egyptian
but an Israelite.
God Appears to Moses as a burning
bush influences him to use God’s
power (perform His many wonders)
to convince the pharaoh to let His
people go.
Maintains the special relationship To live out God's will of faith and Exodus 20 (Ten
between God and Abraham's righteousness through the mosaic commandments)
descendants. covenant of:
- The 10 commandments. Leviticus
He refers to them as 'my people' and E.g., Do not have other
a 'peculiar treasure' to Him. gods.
- 613 Mitzvot. E.g., To fear
Promise of descendants and land God.
hasn't changed.

God sees the struggles of 'His

people' and frees them from
slavery by sending 8 plagues to
Egypt, demonstrating His power.

God gives Moses the Ten

commandment sand the 613
mitzvot and the Jews are obliged to
live these out to keep the
covenant.

Modern Judaism

Judaism is split into three variants: Orthodox, Progressive, and Conservative Judaism.

Orthodox Judaism
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- Orthodox Jews consider their brand of Judaism to be the authentic experience of Judaism.
- Orthodox Jews believe that God gave Moses the whole Torah at Mount Sinai and that it has survived unchanged since then and is still
authoritative today. Orthodox Jews observe the mitzvot to their best of abilities, avoiding any developments as they believe that it’s the
direct word of God.
- There are 3 daily services: evening, morning, afternoon - The orthodox are the most compliant to attending these daily. This is because they
see all Laws of the Torah as binding and applicable. Men and women worship separately. There are weekly services that men must attend,
while women tend to domestic responsibilities. All services are recited in Hebrew.
- Only men can read from the Torah and can be Rabbis.

Progressive Judaism

- Progressive Judaism’s origins go back to the nineteenth century as a reaction to the modernist movement. As many nations denied entry for
those who were identified as Jewish, they attempted to ‘modernise’ and assimilate into society by making it more compatible with the
contemporary Western European life.
- Progressive Jews worship in shorter services and in their local language, rather than Hebrew. Some of their synagogues, which are renamed
‘temples’, organ mused to permit organ music and other features, which at the time were more at home in Christian churches.
- They believe that the Torah came from several scriptures rather than God; rather than it being binding and the literal word of God, they
believe that the Torah is inspirational and instructional.
- They don't abide by many 'strict' commandments and reject what is considered to be "strictly dogmatic and outdated practices of Orthodox
Judaism".
- Women equally contribute to this denomination and, unlike orthodox Judaism, can be seen reading from the Torah at services, become
rabbis, and participate in Bat Mitzvah.
- Place a strong emphasis on their individual ability to make moral decisions through informed choice (understanding the commandments
within the Torah).

Conservative Judaism

- Whilst Conservative Jews agree with Progressives that the Torah is a human, rather than divine, creation, Conservatives believed firmly in
the value of maintaining distinctive Jewish rituals and practices. They felt that Judaism had to adopt to the times and took on some reforms,
such as men and women sitting together during worship, but rejected others.
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- They believe that the Torah is God's words but was transmitted by human means, and thus contain a human component.

Principal beliefs

God the Creator

According to Judaism, God has a number of Attributes, whilst being the creator and one, God is:
- Omnipotent- all-powerful.
- Eternal- beyond time; God has always and will always exist.

Genesis 1, God creates the 'heavens and earth' and all living things, including plants, animals and humans, depicting his power and title as a
Creator God.

- Incorporeal- has no physical body.

- Transcendent- is above and beyond all earthly things.

In Genesis 1, we read that 'the Spirit of God hovered over creation'. He created from afar, and he watched each aspect unfold.

- Omnipresent- is everywhere at all times.

In Exodus, God is fully aware of the suffering His Chosen People are enduring. 'I hear the cries of my people'.

- Merciful and just- punishes the wicked and rewards the good. God forgives sinners.

When the Jews were struggling to uphold the Law and were tempted into unrighteous behaviour, God sent Prophets to assist them. In doing
so God is giving them a chance to change their ways; He forgives them for their transgressions.

- Personal and accessible- reveals Himself to His chosen people, and cares for every individual, whom he knows intimately.

God chose Abraham to be the father of countless descendants, with whom He has a 'peculiar relationship' with. Additionally, God refers to
Jews as 'my people' or the ‘chosen people’.

Covenant
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The Covenant provides Jews with purpose and meaning, in that they believe they are God's Chosen People and He desires to be in a special relationship with
Him. They believe that having faith in Him and living out the mitzvot of the Covenant maintains that special relationship. The belief in covenant is all about
the relationship between God and His chosen people. This is seen in:

- Genesis 17:7 where God states that “I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an
everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you." This makes evident the personal relationship Jews shares with God.
- Exodus 19:5 where God states that "Now therefore, if you will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure
unto me from all the peoples, for all the earth is mine".

Moral law

The belief that God determines what is good, right and just; He is the author and arbitrator of this law and the only one who knows the extent to which Jews
live it out. The moral law includes the 10 commandments and 613 mitzvot. The law is moral as they are directions given directly by God to Jews which
outline how they can live righteously and includes rules regarding ritual and ethical practices, such as observing shabbat and giving charity to the poor. The
law is derived from the Tanakh, as seen in:

- Deuteronomy 15:11 where God states that “there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you ‘You shall open wide your hand
to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land’” which in the Mitzvot, is “to do charity”.
- Deuteronomy 10:12-13 where it’s stated “So now O Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? Only to fear the Lord you God, to walk in all
his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments”.

Sacred Texts and Writings

Sacred texts disclose the ‘will’ of a divine being and often reveal the being’s nature as well. Sacred texts may contain moral and religious laws, including
rituals. In Judaism, the two scared texts are:

Tanakh

The Tanakh contains the written tradition and is split into three sections:
- Torah (The law) e.g., Genesis, Exodus - The ten commandments and 613 mitzvot can be found in this section.
- Nevi’im (The prophets) e.g., Kings 1 & 2, Isaiah.
- Ketuvim (The writings) e.g., Psalms, Proverbs.
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The Tanakh is the source of identity for the Jewish people as it reveals God’s nature and will (Ten commandments and 613 mitzvot), the
Jewish creed, ritualistic practices, and their personal relationship with God.

Talmud

The Talmud consists of two subtexts:

- The Mishnah (The oral Torah) which includes additional revelations from God that were not features of the written text.
- The Gemara which is a collection of rabbinical discussions/ commentary on the law (10 commandments ad 613 mitzvot) and how
Jews can apply them within their lives.

Core Ethical Teachings

Ethics concern doing what is good, right and just. The core ethical teachings of Judaism inform how adherents live in their relationship with God, with
neighbour, self, and the environment. This is God's will as revealed to Moses and the Prophets and recorded in Tanakh. The Tanakh and the Talmud reveal
the Law, including what Jews are expected to do and not to do. Halakhah is the application of the Law, which is essentially ethical. Every part of the Law
brings a Jew closer to God. Halakhah is unique to Jews and contributes to their sense of identity as God's Chosen People.

Commandments of the Torah

Ten commandments

The ten commandments are applied by all 3 Jewish streams. They are non-negotiable in their basic form because they are believed to be
God's direct will. There will be variation in how these are applied to different issues across the streams. For example, Stealing would be
considered more offensive than eating pork because it is one of the Commandments. The ten commandments are the highest level of law,
no exceptions to these rules. This is because they are believed to have been given to Jews by God as part of the Covenant.

Table of commandments (1-4 relate to God, 5-10 relate to others)

Commandments Application
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I am the Lord your God, you should not
have other gods before me
You shall not worship false idols
You shall not make wrongful use of the
name of the Lord your God
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy
Honour your mother and father
You shall not murder
You shall not commit adultery
You shall not steal
You shall not bear false witness against
your neighbour
You shall not covet…anything that belongs
to your neighbour
613 Mitzvot
Judaism is monotheistic and Jews cannot hold belief in any other gods or supernatural
ideas. God is at the forefront of everything in Judaism and this is the most important belief
and commandment.
Jews cannot worship gods or goddesses. In application this also influences Jews not to put
money, fame, status, ego ahead of God. This is an extension of the most important belief.
Honour God's name. Do not use it casually or dishonour it in any way. Many Jews go to the
extent of not speaking or writing his name in order to observe this commandment. E.g. G-d
or YHWH
The Sabbath day is Saturday for Jews, which technically begins at sunset on Friday evening
'there was night, there was day, the first day.' (Genesis) Jews must copy God's example as
he rested and ceased creative work on this day. Thus Jews cannot work or control the
environment on Shabbat.
This extends beyond mother and father, in that Jews must show respect for elders. Jews
are called to value the wisdom and experience of older people.
This refers to unlawful killing. This encompasses the intentional murder of another person
for any reason including self-gain. To take the life of another person whom God has made
in His image is gravely unethical.
The seventh commandment refers to adultery or sexual intercourse between people
outside of marriage and is seen as one of three grave sins that one should avoid even at the
pain of death. The other two sins are murder and idolatry.
The eighth commandment forbids theft in any form. It recognises the right of personal
ownership of property. Although at a base level it forbids theft of property, traditional
Jewish commentaries also refer to stealing people or kidnapping as being encompassed by
this commandment.
This refers to the way that Jews speak about other people. One is prohibited from making
false accusations, slander, and defamation for self-gain. This extends to being dishonest in
all contexts, because others may not be aware of mistruths but God always knows.
To covet is to desire something. Jews are discouraged from desiring what others have for a
few reasons. Firstly, desire and temptation can lead people to make unethical decisions.
Secondly, when one is consumed by desire, they are ultimately unhappy with God's plan for
them, rather than being grateful for what He as provided.
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The 613 mitzvot are comprised of 248 positive mitzvot and 365 negative mitzvot and are rules for how Jews should live, addressing every
aspect of life, making every action Jews conduct have a holy significance and ensuring that they uphold the covenant. For example, rules
addressing Kosher eating and Shabbat were made to ensure that Jews observe God’s will to their best abilities. Of these mitzvot, those
addressing ‘the temple’ are no longer applied to Jews lives as it was destroyed many years ago.

 The Prophetic Vision

The Prophets were sent by and revealed God's will to make it clear that in order for the messianic age to be brought in, Jews uphold the Covenant by being
righteous and avoiding evil. E.g. Corruption, sexual immorality, murder (3 gravest sins). The Prophets' message’s were to remember that as God's Chosen
People, They’re expected to be leaders of social justice through Tikkun Olam (repair of the world) and with them, they also brought a warning from God,
that if they don’t do as such, they’ll be punished. Gemilut Chassidim is acts of love and kindness- this concept was promoted by the prophets to the Jews,
and so many Jewish organisations were created with the aim of following this ethical teaching, such including:

- Kosher Meals on Wheels which assists the vulnerable in maintaining a healthy diet by subsiding the cost of food so that they can afford it. The
service of this organisation is available to Jewish community members who need ready-to eat meals for a period of time, e.g., the elderly, frail, and
disabled. Alongside providing people with food, they also give them with a sense of companionship and friendship by accompanying them whilst
they eat in their homes, thus promoting their social, as well as their physical wellbeing.

The Book of Proverbs

Proverbs provide Jews with words of wisdom, which are said to only be understood through the studying of the Book of proverbs (cannot be taught in a
classroom). The book of proverbs will reinforce how to be righteous which is God's will. It is less about what is right and wrong, but more how you respond
to things (internally). I is about maintaining hope and to not be resentful. The book of proverbs is a personal source of ethics.

Shabbat

Shabbat is revealed in the Torah as God’s will and is a commemoration to creation and to God for freeing them as Israelites from slavery in Egypt. Shabbat
extends from sunset on Friday to sunset on Friday and is regarded as highly significant for several reasons:

- God had instructed Jews to observe Shabbat in the ten commandments, stating “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy”.
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- Jews strive to uphold their end of the Covenant by complying to the Moral Law, which has several mitzvot about Shabbat.
- It is regarded as a time to show gratitude to God, who chose the Jews as His 'special people' and saved them time again. For example, through the
Passover when He released Jews from slavery.
- It is a time to strengthen relationships with God and others and contemplate how to achieve Tikkun Olam in the coming week.

Melachah: work that is creative or exercises dominion over creation is not to be done on Shabbat to achieve a sense of humility and also authentic rest and
refreshment. There is an exception to this rule, which is Pickuach Nefesh. If a Jew's life is at risk, the mitzvot can be broken and melachah done. 
 

Rituals of Shabbat

Ritual Description How does this express covenant?

Kabbalat Shabbat The woman of the house light two candles, wave their
hands as a gesture of welcome, cover their eyes and recite
a blessing in Hebrew, 18 minutes before sunset on Friday.
Prayers * See Shacharit service
Kiddush A blessing conducted by the father of the household over a
kiddush cup (silver goblet) filled with wine before the
sabbath meal on Friday and Saturday lunch. The wine is
regarded as sacred and represents the sweetness of the
sabbath itself.
Festive meals With the kiddush, the challot (bread) is blessed, broken,
and distributed to everyone before the sabbath meal is
shared. Songs are sung in Hebrew throughout this process,
adding to the festive nature of the meal.
This practice welcomes Shabbat and separates it from regular time
by demarcating it as ‘holy’. This reflects Commandment 4 and by
fulfilling the ten commandments, Jews are upholding covenant.
Jews will express gratitude of being God’s Chosen people who
have the privilege of celebrating Shabbat. Shabbat is supposed to
be enjoyed, as is being people of the covenant.
The Challot bread links directly back to exodus where God
provided ‘manna from heaven’ to the Jews so that they didn’t
have to bake on shabbat. Jews celebrate how God has provided
for them over history when they have been suffering.

In addition to bread, Jews will consume multi-course meals

that are lavish. These meals will be cooked on Friday and
kept in the oven as a way to preserve it for Saturday.
Havdalah The sabbath ends with the Havdalah ritual and involves the ^
blessing of wine and spices to counteract the sadness of
shabbat being over and a Havdalah candle being lit to
commemorate the upcoming week.
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Shacharit service The services are conducted on Saturday morning and
involves:
- The reciting of Sherma which states ‘Here O Israel,
the Lord is our God, the Lord is One’.
- Amidah (18 blessings) which focuses on the praise
of God, asking for His intervention in certain issues,
and giving thanks to Him.
- A reading from the Torah
- Sermon given by a Rabbi in relation to the reading
and tells the Jewish community how they can apply
it to their life.
The service provides adherents with an opportunity to
reflect on scripture as a wider community.
There are multiple mitzvot about how to carry out the Shabbat
service at the synagogue. By doing these Jews ae upholding the
covenant.
Through prayer, Jews are directly communicating with God, thus
strengthening their personal relationship with Him. And, by
reading the Torah, Jews are reminded of the ethical obligations of
the Covenant as Chosen people. E.g., reading Micah 6:8 will
remind Jews of their responsibility to work for Tikkun Olam.

Jews will walk to their local synagogue in order to comply

to the rules of Melachah.