Introduction to Judaism
Two Rabbis
Shammai Strikes the
man with a rod
Hillel Says, “What is
hateful to you, do not do to your fellow man.”
Yahweh
Founder of the Arab people
Founder of the Hebrews
Islam Christianity
Judaism
Hagar -- Abraham -- Sarah | | Ishmael Isaac
Early History
Abraham – “Father of Judaism”2000 BCE
Abraham and his clan lived in Ur
He, his wife Sarah, and their family settled in Canaan.
Abraham had Two Sons
Ishmael was the firstborn
Ishmael was eventually abandoned in the wilderness, along with his mother.
Isaac was the second son.
Isaac’s son was Jacob, who was later named Israel.
Jacob’s 12 sons (and their families) migrated
into Egypt during a famine.
Eventually, their descendants were enslaved by the Egyptians and remained slaves for over 400 years.
Moses Hebrew who was
raised as an Egyptian Freed the Hebrews
from Egyptian captivity Received the 10
Commandments, from God, on Mount Sinai
First 5 about relationships
Last 5 about behavior
The Covenant = “the Chosen Ones”
God promised to help the people of Israel
The Israelites owed God obedience and worship in return.
Return to Canaan
After Moses’ death, Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan (Israel) in the 12th century BCE.
After Joshua, Israel was ruled by judges, but eventually Saul, a great warrior, was appointed king.
Covenant Broken
Saul told by God to kill ALL the Amalekites He spared the king and the best
animals God picked a new ruler, David
Conquered Jerusalem and united the tribes of Israel in 1000 BCE
David saw Bathsheba and had her husband killed
Oh David, What did you do?
David broke the Covenant First born son died Another son, Amnon, fell for his half
sister, Tamar, and raped her Another son, Absalom, murdered
Amnon Absalom died in battle David asked God for forgiveness and his
people suffered 3 days of pestilence Solomon followed David. 961 BCE
Solomon Known for his
wisdom. Built The
Temple of Jerusalem of which only one partial wall remains (The Wailing Wall).
Solomon broke the CovenantMultiple wives and worshipped other gods
The kingdom was split into 2 independent kingdoms North part became IsraelSouth part became Judah
Eventually, both kingdoms were conqueredIsrael fell to the Assyrians in 722 BCEJudah fell to Babylonians in 586 BCE
Religious Beliefs
Myth, Doctrine & Ethics
Myth
The Hebrew BibleTorah - First 5 Books of Moses Nevi’im – “prophets”Ketuvim – “scriptures”
Doctrine12th century list compiled by
Maimonides
1. The existence of God2. God is one and unique3. God is incorporeal 4. God is eternal5. God alone should be worshipped6. Belief in prophecy7. Moses was the greatest prophet
Doctrine
8. The Torah is divine and was given to Moses
9. The Torah will not be changed10. God knows the actions of man11. God will reward the good and
punish the wicked12. The Messiah will come13. The dead will be resurrected
Ethics Ethical Monotheism - God created
humans to make moral judgments in accordance with His teachings.
All people are equal and should be treated with dignity and respect.
The Jews believed their leaders were fully human and bound by God’s law.
Punishment was not related to social status.