[GCSE] Judaism Flashcards
Based on the specification.
What is the Torah?
The law book/books of Moses.
What are the 4 characteristics of God?
- God is One
- God is the Creator
- God is the law-giver
- God is the judge
How does the Torah show God is one?
“See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me.”
Why is it important God is One?
- Judaism teaches the unity of creation and need for people to try bring unity to society
- Every Jew passing through a door with a mezuzah should kiss their hands and touch the them to it, to express love and respect and remind themselves of God’s commandments and oneness
The mezuzah thing is important because within the mezuzah is the shema which is a statement of God’s oneness.
How is God the Creator shown in the Torah?
- “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
The Torah teaches everything in the universe comes from and belongs to him. - “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” (Genesis 2:7)
The italics is a need-to-know.
These are the first words of the Torah.
Why is God being the creator important for Jews?
- Creation is a gift from God and therefore Jews must look after it the way God intended
- Life has a meaning and purpose given to it by God
- God continues to be the creator, as they say in prayer
- God’s creation is good and should be respected
How is God the law-giver shown in the Torah?
“They are not just idle words for you - they are your life”
God regarding the mitzvot he gave to Moses.
Why is it important God is the law-giver?
- God’s laws form the halakhah, the basis of how Jews live their lives today.
- Following God’s laws gives meaning and purpose to Jewish lives today
- The laws of the Torah are the basis of Judaism
- Giving laws shows he cares about his creation and humans, giving Jews security and helps them in their relationship with creation
How is God the Judge shown in the Torah?
“For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king; He will save us.”
Why is God the Judge important?
- The good are rewarded and the evil punished.
- The world is protected from the chaos that would come if there was no way of making sure that people keep God’s laws
- People know there will be punishments for those who don’t keep God’s laws
- There will be rewards for God’s law-keepers.
What is Shekhinah?
It is a way of describing the Almighty’s presence in the world.
How is the divine presence of the Shekhinah shown in the Torah?
- Associated with smoke and fire: “Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire.”
- It is associated with clouds.
- The Shekhinah is Holy and Untouchable - connected with the tabernacle God told Moses to have the Israelites build
Quote the moment when the tabernacle became the temple.
In reference to Shekhinah.
“The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it.…all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple” (2 Chronicles 7:1-3)
Basically this shows its the Shekhinah is suuuper holy n’ stuff that people cant be in its presence.
Give some divergent understandings of shekhinah for Jews today.
- Some Orthodox Jews base themselves on the teachings of Maimonides, who described the shekhinah as a light created to be a link between God and the world.
- Others regard shekhinah as an expression for the various ways in which God is related to the world
- Some others believe shekhinah = God and thats it
- Jews influenced by Christian ideas claim shekhinah is simply the Jewish word for the Holy spirit.
