Jews Flashcards
What is the basic story of exodus from Egypt and Moses his encounter with God on mount sini were he received the 10 Commandments and the rest of the law? what do the Hebrew people do while moses is on the mountain, and how does this relate to the Jewish idea of atonement in the observance of Yom Kippur? What is Cohens main point about the term freedom from a Jewish perspective and how is this related to biblical law?
Moses went up the mountain to receive the 10 Commandments and when he came back down the Hebrew people had melted there gold and made pagan gods. Because of this Moses broke God’s law (literally) and killed half of the isrealites who had sinned.
Seeking forgiveness, god is mercy
But with genuine repentence (identify your sins, change)
Often with the idea of sacrifice
Yom Kippur- the day of atonment- offer an animal sacrifice
Linked to the story of the golden calf
What are the basic stories told about Abraham Sarah and Hagar in the passages we read? Why are these important texts for understanding the Jewish idea of the covenant, Caanan as the promised land, and the identity of Israel as the chosen people?
God forms a covenant with abraham Mutual agreement, promise on each side God's agreement: abe will be the father of nations and kings Abe's agreement: his people will follow god law. All his men will be circumcsized Jews become the chosen people To be an example to all nations Abraham had two sons Hagar Ishmael Arab/muslims Sarah Isaac Jews
What are some of the specific commands that we discussed that make up the law? What are the four types of biblical law discussed in class? What role does the law play in Jewish thought? What are the Torah and the Talmud?
Exists from beginngin- pre exists creation- gods plans for creation
Study and interpretation of law is central to jewish practice
Talmud is commentary on torah by aincient rabbis
613 laws (mitzvok) in hebrew bible
Reflexive laws- impact the person obeying the law (reminders, like wearing the skullcap, blessing prayers, three,formal prayers, wearing fringes)
Holiness laws- purity, cleanlieness, dietary laws(kosher), avoiding the dead, blood,
Ethical laws- how you treat others, the order of society
National laws- bind the people…holidays (passover, rosh hashanah)
Jubilee year- every 5 years- return to family,if a family lost lnd it shall be returned to them
Firgive past debts- narrow gap between rich and poor.
Tithing- store 1/10 of produce for use of priest, poor, foriegn travelers
Be carign and willing to help those in need
Slavery- must release slaves after 6 years
Not only release them but give them what they need to start out
No charging interest on loans no “usery”
What is a profit in the biblical sense? What is their historic context? What are the key aspects of their message and why does it shift overtime?
Prophets
Chosen by god as a messenger
Devoted to god
Storytellers or stories that give insight into the past and the future
Spiritual power from god
Wisdom
Message
Care for the poor, justice to them and in the business
Wrning- god will punish the people
Reminder of what god has done, youre in his debt
AFTER THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE
god will restore what he destroyed, new jerusalem/zion
Promise of a messiah- new king like david who will bring restoration
What is diaspora, and why did it develop during Hellenistic Roman times? How did the destruction of the temple by the Romans impact Jewish practice? What was a ghetto in medieval and early modern empire? Why did the Jew sometime suffer persecution? What is the historical context for the development of the Hasidic tradition in Poland according to David Malter? What were the Nerenberg laws, kristallnacht, in the final solution under the Nazi regime?
Diaspora- jewish people (in the last 200 years) have tended to be “dispersed”
Lived in small communities within a majority w/a different faith (christianity and islam)
Hellenistic period (greek and roman rule) 300BC 400AD
Many jews begnan moving to trading cities in greco roman
70 AD revolt against roman (temple destroyed) jew of jerusalem killed and exiled
Medieval- jews tended to live in small villages or urban ghettos
Sporadic persecutions/mistrust (seen as different, not trusted, blamed for black plaugue, scapegoat for problems, blamed for death of Jesus)
Early modern period- some jews had gained (power) as advisors/clerks to ariostocracy
Began to lend money to chrisitans
Immigrated to poland and russia becuase of persecutions
What are the forms of contemporary Judaism discussed in class and briefly how do they differ? Where and when did Reform Judaism begin and why? How does this relate to early discussion of religion in the modern context?
Political zionism and the creation of the state of isreal
Created by the UN
Desire for a jewish honeland in palestine
Reuvans father- zionist- thinks jews need to revuild make something good come from the holocuast
Dannys father- rejects zionisn- thinks the only real state would have to be brought by god
What is Zionism? How is it related to the story of the exodus from Egypt to the promises of the prophetic texts? What was the historic context for the creation of the state of Israel? What powers were controlled pile son and surrounding areas before World War Iand between the world wars? Why was their ongoing tension between isrealies and Palestinians in the area?
1500-1917 palistine controlled by ottoman empire
1917 end of world war 1 they lose power to the allies british control palistine and jordan
Britian allows zionists to settle in small numbers
1933 hitler comes to power
1935 hitler enacts nuremberg laws (targeted jews)
Took away legal rights of jews
1936 kristallnacht- the night of broken glass
November 9th
1943 hitlers “final solution” starts extermination camps
1947- partitiion plan- separeates isrea and palistine and sets off the west bank and gaza as muslim areas
1948 declares the state of isreal
What is Whschogrod’s thesis and what argument is he rejecting? What are some of the possible responses to the question of why God allows human suffering? What responses are problematic from an Orthodox Jewish perspective? Why is human free will suggested as one partial response?
W and F reject
“God is dead” theology
The thiught that this is punishment- blames the victim instead of nazi actions
It is gods will
F’s response
Don’t assimilate maintain jewish identity or hitler wins
W’s response
No one answer will satisfy both religious jews and non religious jews- god is with jews during their struggles, he will redeem the world through them
What is the meaning and background of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Passover, And the celebration of the Sabbath?
Rosh Hashanah annual, ten days of introspection and making amends
Yom Kippur-annual, ancient Judaism=animal sacrifice, now internal sacrifice and fasting. Time of self reflection. Day of atonement
Passover-annual celebration and remembrance of night before Israelites left Egypt, reliving of the story
Sabbath-Fri-sat “sanctuary in time” “holy place” day of rest
What is atonement in the Jewish sense?
A time of repentance and asking for forgiveness of sins
