Judaism Religions of the World Video Series Narrated by Ben Kingsley Notes on the Video

I. Introduction to Judaism A. Judaism is more than a set of beliefs about God, and is more similar to a full civilization with a broad view of holiness. B. Judaism has always been an all-embracing system of beliefs, laws, customs and ethics, and has become more pluralistic in the modern world. II. Jewish Origins - The Torah A. Jewish history began when God called Abraham to journey from his home in Mesopotamia to a new land. B. Abraham's descendants became the Jewish people and Abraham's insight was that there was only one God (monotheism) who was involved in the world and who wanted people to be moral. C. Abraham made a covenant with God, which included a promise that Abraham's descendents would live in Israel. D. According to the Hebrew Bible, Moses led the Jews out of Egypt with a series of miraculous events. E. The Bible describes a revelation at Mount Sinai which produced the Ten Commandments and a moral and religious legal system which made the Israelites distinctive in the ancient Near East. F. Once freed from Egypt, the Jewish people received a revelation from God, including the Ten Commandments, at Mount Sinai. G. The Ten Commandments became part of a broad legal system encompassing a moral system and a belief in one God, that distinguished the Israelites from their Canaanite neighbors. H. The Mosaic law code is known as the 'Torah', a word which means 'instruction', and is used to describe the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. III. A Nation, Prophets and Exile A. After forty years of wandering, the Israelites conquered the Promised Land and eventually established a kingdom, first ruled by Saul and then by King David. B. King David established the city of Jerusalem as the capitol city of Israel, and King Solomon, David's son, built a Temple in Jerusalem which was the center of Jewish worship in Biblical times. C. The people of the Kingdom of David and Solomon were known as Israelites, but the kingdom soon divided, and the northern portion of the kingdom was conquered by the Assyrians and disappeared after two hundred years. D. The Israelites became known as Jews or Hebrews after the destruction of the northern kingdom, and the southern kingdom of Judah remained independent until it was conquered by the Babylonians in 586 BCE when the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed. E. The southern kingdom of Judah remained independent until conquered by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, when the leadership of Judah was exiled to Babylonia and mourned the loss of their land and their Temple. F. Cyrus, the king of Persia, allowed the Jews to return to Israel near the end of the sixth century BCE and the Jews built a second temple which survived until the Roman period. G. Following the return from exile, the Hebrew Bible began to be organized into three sections: Pentateuch, Prophets, and Hagiographia (Writings). H. The first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Pentateuch, were canonized after the Jews returned to Israel. I. Israel had a series of prophets during the period of the first temple and Babylonian Exile; some historical material from this period and some words of the prophets were gathered to produce the second portion of the Hebrew Bible. IV. Jewish Life Through the Roman Period A. During the Second Temple Period (516 BCE - 70 CE) Israel was usually ruled by one conquering empire or another. B. Israel did have a period of independence when the Maccabees led a revolt again an Assyrian ruler in 165 BCE and established the Hasmonean dynasty which remained independent until the Roman conquest of 63 BCE. C. The last centuries of the second temple period was characterized by Jewish unrest and a hope for a 'messiah' to restore Israel to glory. D. The Jews rebelled against Rome and were defeated in 70 CE, leading to a second destruction of the Temple and a period of exile that would last nineteen centuries.

E. After the destruction of the Temple the center of Jewish life shifted to communities outside of Israel such as those in Babylonia, Egypt and Greece and Rome.

2 F. Jewish communities outside of Israel set themselves apart from the larger community to preserve their own traditions, and they developed the synagogue as a center for Jewish life to replace the Temple in Jerusalem. V. Development of Jewish Law - The Talmud A. The Jewish legal tradition, which traced itself back to Moses, continued to develop and collections of laws were developed, first the Mishnah around 200 CE and then the Talmud around 600 CE. B. The Talmud is an enormous collection of legal material and some narrative, governing all aspects of life, asserting that issues of what is right are more important than issues of power. C. Jewish survival has been based on the Bible, the Talmud and the Prayerbook. VI. Jews in Exile A. By the early centuries CE Jews were living as far away from Israel as Arabia, Persia, Spain and Northern Europe. B. In the early centuries CE Jews spread to Europe, North Africa and Persia, but the rise of Christianity in the fourth century changed the situation of the Jews in the former Roman Empire. C. The Byzantine emperors were the first to introduce anti-Jewish laws which spread throughout the Christian world and were designed to isolate and humiliate the Jews. D. There were exceptions to the persecution of the Jews, such as during the Italian Renaissance, but the persecutions continued as the norm. E. Jews continued to believe that God would eventually bring them back to their land and free them from their tormentors as foreseen by the prophet Jeremiah. F. The great ideal of Jewish society was study and the high level of education continued in Talmudic academies throughout the Diaspora. G. The focus on Jewish study also provoked other reactions, such as the rise of Hasidism, founded by the Baal Shem Tov, which took a more emotional and experiential approach to Jewish life, with an emphasis on celebration and relationship with God. H. After the French and American Revolutions Jews became equal citizens, and new forms of Judaism emerged, including Reform Judaism which questioned the divine origin of the Torah, and Orthodox Judaism which took a more traditional approach. VII. Jewish Beliefs A. Jewish belief is not organized in a systematic way, but the Bible affirms monotheism and the people's submission to the One God. B. Judaism never had an official dogma laid down by its authorities. C. Jews believe that God created the world with a plan and purpose and remains involved in the world. D. The climax and purpose of creation is human life, with people having characteristics of the divine and free will to make moral decisions. VIII. Role of Synagogue and Home in the Jewish Community A. Ancient Jews believed that by following Jewish law they were doing God's will. B. Traditional Jews went to synagogue to pray three times a day and the rabbis required a minimum of ten men for this in order to strengthen the sense of community. C. Jewish prayers are often based on Biblical material, but modified to reflect the collective nature of the prayer and to emphasize the importance of community for continuity. D. The synagogue is a place of worship, study and fellowship and serves as the center of the Jewish community. E. The Jewish home has also been an important center for Jewish life, with Sabbath and holidays being observed in the home as well as in synagogue. F. Children and their upbringing are important in Jewish life. IX. Jewish Holidays A. Jewish life is organized around a variety of holidays and special events during the year. B. While Judaism has many special holidays during the year, the most important is the weekly Sabbath, when Jews cease work and devote themselves to family, synagogue, God and study.

3 C. The first of three annual Jewish festivals is the spring Passover festival, commemorating the Exodus from Egypt with a ceremonial meal and unleavened bread, just as Jesus probably observed at the Last Supper. D. The three pilgrimage festivals - Passover, the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Booths - are joyous celebrations observed in the home and synagogue. E. The Feast of Weeks, fifty days after Passover, celebrates the giving of the Torah, the wheat harvest and first fruits. F. The third pilgrimage festival is the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles, a fall harvest festival, commemorating the wanderings of the children of Israel in the Sinai desert by dwelling in booths. G. Jews observe solemn days, called Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), in the fall when they seek God's forgiveness for sins and a good new year. H. Hanukah is not based in the Hebrew Bible, but has become an important holiday, celebrating the first victory for religious liberty recorded in history. I. Purim celebrates the victory of the Jews over an enemy in Persia with costumes and loud noises. J. The theme of freedom appears in all of the major Jewish holidays. X. Jewish Life Cycle Ceremonies A. Some Jewish special occasions are organized around milestones in family life, beginning with weddings, which are often held in the open air and conducted under a canopy. B. The birth of a child is also marked with a special ceremony, circumcision for a male child, and sometimes a name-giving feast for a daughter. C. At the age of thirteen a Jewish child enters the age of responsibility with a special ceremony known as bar mitzvah, for a boy, or bat mitzvah, for a girl. D. Jewish laws of mourning call for rapid burial, with cremation being opposed by more traditional Jews. E. The Jewish tradition views life as precious and almost all laws can be suspended in order to save a life. F. Rabbinic Judaism developed 613 commandments for the Jew to observe, many of which were connected to the Temple ritual and the agricultural life of Israel, but the laws included dietary or Kosher laws, concerning forbidden foods, proper slaughtering, and separation of milk and meat. XI. The Jewish Connection to Israel A. The link to Israel, the Holy Land, is a vital strand of Judaism, including the belief that Jews were closer to God in Israel and Jerusalem than elsewhere. B. The modern Jewish interest in the state of Israel began at the end of the nineteenth century with attacks on Jews in Eastern Europe and was heightened when Jews could not escape Hitler. C. The place of Jews in modern western society has been a problem since the Renaissance, and there are still Jews who remember pogroms against the Jews in early twentieth century Russia. D. While the Holocaust was more severe than previous persecution of the Jews, there were many precedents for mistreatment of the Jews in earlier European history. E. Since the Holocaust, Western churches have begun to condemn anti-Semitism and begun a dialogue with the Jews community. F. Modern Zionism in the twentieth century culminated in the establishment of the Jewish state of Israel in 1948. XII. Conclusion to Judaism A. There are about twelve million Jews in the world at present, with most in Israel or the United States, which represent the twin centers of contemporary Jewish life. B. Early in the twentieth century Edmond Fleg, a French Jew, wrote a moving credo about his reasons for remaining a Jew.

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