Origins of Judaism
Abraham emerged in the Middle Bronze period (18th century) in a place called the Fertile Crescent. The crescent is a large piece of fertile land that runs from the Nile Delta in Egypt, the Levant (the middle section where Israel is located), to the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. This fertile land revolutionised humanity itself. Instead of individuals living in tribes and scavenging for food they where able to domesticate animals and produce crops to eat. This increase in food soon led to a population boom. People now had better things to do than look for food, they started to specialize in things like craftsmanship, teaching and medicine.
Tribes started to establish into cities, governments and social structures. With in that time literature, science and art emerged bring a whole you aspect to life. With the proper resources and education, the people invented something we take for granted very day, writing. From stickmen to pictographs. Phonetic sounds to symbols and eventually letters to words. The revolution of writing evolved within the Fertile Crescent.
Now that you have a basic understanding of life in the 18th century. Lets move on to questions like, “Who is Abraham” and “Why is he so significant”
Abraham led a nomadic life. He was the only person in that time to have a monotheistic belief (believe in one god). The God Abraham worshiped was Yahweh. Yahweh was the centre of a monotheistic religion. It means, “to become” in English terms.
The only reason Yahweh was changed to Jehovah is because the Jewish community back in the first century A.D. had the fear of misusing it and breaking the second commandment (“You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain,” (Dt 5:11). Still to this everyday, when you enter a synagogue and read certain scrolls or texts, instead of spelling ‘God’ they will spell it was G-D or G/D.
Tribes started to establish into cities, governments and social structures. With in that time literature, science and art emerged bring a whole you aspect to life. With the proper resources and education, the people invented something we take for granted very day, writing. From stickmen to pictographs. Phonetic sounds to symbols and eventually letters to words. The revolution of writing evolved within the Fertile Crescent.
Now that you have a basic understanding of life in the 18th century. Lets move on to questions like, “Who is Abraham” and “Why is he so significant”
Abraham led a nomadic life. He was the only person in that time to have a monotheistic belief (believe in one god). The God Abraham worshiped was Yahweh. Yahweh was the centre of a monotheistic religion. It means, “to become” in English terms.
The only reason Yahweh was changed to Jehovah is because the Jewish community back in the first century A.D. had the fear of misusing it and breaking the second commandment (“You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain,” (Dt 5:11). Still to this everyday, when you enter a synagogue and read certain scrolls or texts, instead of spelling ‘God’ they will spell it was G-D or G/D.
This is the short story of Abraham:
Abraham was told to leave his home and go to another land, where he will be made into a great nation that will bless the whole world. Though Abraham wanted to share this great land with children and grandchildren. The problem was that Abraham and Sarah (his half sister wife) where old and infertile. Fortunately God enabled Sarah to conceive a child. Months later Sarah gave birth to Isaac.
The reason the baby’s name was Isaac is because when The Lord told Sarah that she is going to miraculously conceive a child she laughed. And the name ‘Isaac’ is translated to “I laugh”.
When Isaac grew older, God confirmed the same promises to Isaac and he had a son, Jacob. God also passed on the miracle to Jacob and then changed his name to Israel.
Israel (Jacob) had 12 sons (Reuben, Shimon, Levi, Yehuda, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Yisachar, Zevulun, Joseph and Benjamin). these 12 children later became the 12 tribes of Israel. All 12 tribes moved to Egypt, though they where hit with famine and slavery. 400 years later Moses was sent to rescue them! They where led across Egypt to their home land, Canaan (Modern Israel/Palestine). However the Canaanite (similar to the Hebrew people) already occupied Canaan. A war begun and Moses and the 12 tribes re-invaded the land successfully. Soon Canaan grew into a great nation shared by 12 of the tribes. This story is actually of Exodus. Though we will explain this in Sacred Texts & Stories.
There are four major denominations or movements within Judaism: Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and Reconstruction. The difference among the three, in a basic sense, can be explained by the degree to which traditional observance is required (meaning that you need people from each denomination to share their point of view. Remember every believer is different) This photo will demonstrate:
Abraham was told to leave his home and go to another land, where he will be made into a great nation that will bless the whole world. Though Abraham wanted to share this great land with children and grandchildren. The problem was that Abraham and Sarah (his half sister wife) where old and infertile. Fortunately God enabled Sarah to conceive a child. Months later Sarah gave birth to Isaac.
The reason the baby’s name was Isaac is because when The Lord told Sarah that she is going to miraculously conceive a child she laughed. And the name ‘Isaac’ is translated to “I laugh”.
When Isaac grew older, God confirmed the same promises to Isaac and he had a son, Jacob. God also passed on the miracle to Jacob and then changed his name to Israel.
Israel (Jacob) had 12 sons (Reuben, Shimon, Levi, Yehuda, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Yisachar, Zevulun, Joseph and Benjamin). these 12 children later became the 12 tribes of Israel. All 12 tribes moved to Egypt, though they where hit with famine and slavery. 400 years later Moses was sent to rescue them! They where led across Egypt to their home land, Canaan (Modern Israel/Palestine). However the Canaanite (similar to the Hebrew people) already occupied Canaan. A war begun and Moses and the 12 tribes re-invaded the land successfully. Soon Canaan grew into a great nation shared by 12 of the tribes. This story is actually of Exodus. Though we will explain this in Sacred Texts & Stories.
There are four major denominations or movements within Judaism: Reform, Conservative, Orthodox and Reconstruction. The difference among the three, in a basic sense, can be explained by the degree to which traditional observance is required (meaning that you need people from each denomination to share their point of view. Remember every believer is different) This photo will demonstrate:
Orthodox
Reform
Reconstructionists
- Traditional and conservative Jews.
- Strictly follow laws
- Pray three times a day
- Men must wear kippah
- Largely supported by government
- Main branch until 1800's
- Top hats, served as a symbol of uniqueness
Reform
- Formed early 1800's
- Talmud created by humans, rather than God
- Individual chooses which ritual they support (less strict)
- Less emphasis on the Promised Land
- More Ethical, rather than religious and spiritual
- Equality for men and women
- Women are allowed to become rabbis
- Formed late 1800's
- Made to counter the rise of reform movement
- Reaffirmed the Hebrew language
- Shortened Mitzvot (not as much as reformists)
- The medium between Reform and Orthodox denominations
Reconstructionists
- Formed in the 21st century
- Aimed for Judaism to be more progressive
- Liberal movement of Judaism
- Incorporates other texts
- They see God as their creator
Facts about beliefs and believers of Judaism:
- Abraham was the first man to entered into a Covenant with God. The Covenant recognised God's special relationship with the Jewish people.
- Abraham is seen as the father of Jewish religion
- Judaism has no official creed, however it shares beliefs with other world religions, like monotheism with Christianity and Islam.
- Judaism has been described as a religion, culture, race and nation
- Judaism is one of the oldest religions in the world. It is also the mother of Christianity and Islam. Without the covenant made with Abraham, three of the five primary religions will not exist.
- The Jewish people think that their god is transcendent (beyond the ability and power of a human)
- Judaism follows the Rambam's 13 principles of faith which are:
- God Exists
- God is one and unique
- God is incorporeal
- God is Eternal
- Prayer is to God alone and no other
- The words of the Prophets is true
- Moses' prophecies are true and Moses is the greatest Prophet
- The Written Torah and the Oral Torah were given to Moses
- There will be no other Torah
- God knows the Thoughts and deeds of men
- God will reward the good and punish the wicked
- The messiah will come
- The dead will be resurrected
- The Covenant is a biblical agreement between the people of Israel and their Deity (God). It establishes the relationship they have with each other