Judaism Flashcards
Around the first century CE there were several small Jewish sects
o Pharisees / believed in resurrection, studied the Law
o Sadducees / did not believe in resurrection
o Zealots
o Essenes
After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE
sects vanished
• Christianity survived, but by breaking with Judaism and becoming a separate religion; the Pharisees survived but in the form of Rabbinic Judaism (today, known simply as “Judaism”).
Jews were now confronted with difficult and far-reaching questions
o How to achieve atonement without the Temple?
o How to explain the disastrous outcome of the rebellion?
o How to live in the post-Temple, Romanized world?
o How to connect present and past traditions?
Often called the
“People of the Book” because it of age-old intellectual tradition of text-based Torah study
Over time Jews developed into distinct ethnic groups
Ashkenazi Jews (of central and Eastern Europe, Germany/Poland), the Sephardi Jews (of Spain, Portugal, and North Africa)
Judaism split is
cultural, not based on any doctrinal duspute, although there are minor differences
Antisemitism
arose during the Middle Ages, in the form of persecutions, pogroms, forced conversion, expulsions, social restrictions and ghettoization
This was different in quality to any repressions of Jews in ancient times
Ancient repression was politically motivated and Jews were treated no differently than any other ethnic group would have been.
With the rise of the Churches, attacks on Jews became motivated instead by theological considerations specifically deriving from Christian views about Jews and Judaism.
Hasidic Judaism
originated in a time of persecution of the Jewish people, when European Jews had turned inward to Talmud study;
many felt that most expressions of Jewish life had become too “academic”, and that they no longer had any emphasis on spirituality or joy
Hasidic Judaism is rooted in
Hasidic Jews accept the
the Kabbalah
Kabbalah as sacred scripture.
Distinguished both by a variety of special customs and practices including
reliance on a Rebbe or supreme religious leader, and a special dress code particular to each Hasidic group
Some of the reasons for the rejection of Hasidic Judaism were
overwhelming exuberance of Hasidic worship,
its untraditional ascriptions of infallibility and alleged miracle-working to their leaders, the concern that it might become a messianic sect.
the Enlightenment
In late 18th century CE Europe was swept by a group of intellectual, social and political movements
enlightenment led to
reductions in the European laws that prohibited Jews to interact with the wider secular world, thus allowing Jews access to secular education and experience
Enlightenment Emphasis on
integration with secular society and a pursuit of non-religious knowledge. Eventually led to formation of a number of different branches of Judaism
Reform
Originally formed in Germany.
Its defining characteristic is belief individual Jews should exercise an informed autonomy about what to observe.
Emphasized the ethical call of the Prophets.
Developed an egalitarian prayer service in the vernacular (along with Hebrew in many cases
Orthodox/traditionalists
o Orthodox Judaism holds that both the Written and Oral Torah were divinely revealed to Moses, and that the laws within it are binding and unchanging.
o It emphasizes strict observance of religious laws and commandments.
Conservative/middle ground
Developed in Europe and the United States in the 1800s as Jews reacted to the changes brought about by the Enlightenment and Jewish emancipation.
Characterized by a commitment to following traditional Jewish laws and customs, a positive attitude toward modern culture, and an acceptance of both traditional rabbinic modes of study along with modern scholarship and critical text study when considering Jewish religious texts.
Conservative Judaism teaches that Jewish law
is not static, but has always developed in response to changing conditions.
It holds that the Torah is
is a divine document written by prophets inspired by God,
but rejects the Orthodox position that it was dictated by God to Moses.
Conservative Judaism holds that both the Written and Oral Law may be interpreted by the rabbis to reflect modern sensibilities and suit modern conditions, although great caution should be exercised in doing so
The Holocaust
state-led systematic persecution and genocide of six million Jews under Nazi Germany in World War II
Persecution and genocide accomplished in stages.
Legislation to remove the Jews from civil society was enacted years before the outbreak of World War II.
Concentration camps were established in which inmates were used as slave labor until they died of exhaustion or disease. Where the Third Reich conquered new territory in Eastern Europe murdered Jews and political opponents in mass shootings.
Jews and Roma were crammed into ghettos before being transported hundreds of miles by freight train to extermination camps where, if they survived the journey, the majority of them were killed in gas chambers.
What makes a person Jewish
a Jew is anyone born of a Jewish mother or converted to Judaism in accord with Jewish Law.
American Reform Judaism accepts the child of one Jewish parent (father or mother) as Jewish if the parents raise the child with a Jewish identity.
All mainstream forms of Judaism today are open to sincere converts. The conversion process is evaluated by an authority, and the convert is examined on his sincerity and knowledge.
Prayers
- Traditionally, Jews recite prayers three times daily, with a fourth prayer added on Shabbat and holidays.
- A key prayer in many services is the declaration of faith, the Shema, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God! The Lord is One!”
- Most of the prayers in a traditional Jewish service can be said in solitary prayer, although communal prayer is preferred.
- Communal prayer requires a quorum of ten adult Jews, called a minyan. In nearly all Orthodox and a few Conservative circles, only male Jews are counted toward a minyan; most Conservative Jews and members of other Jewish denominations count female Jews as well.
Shabbat
the weekly day of rest lasting from shortly before sundown on Friday night to shortly after sundown Saturday night, commemorates God’s day of rest after six days of creation.
During Shabbat Jews are forbidden to engage in any activity that falls under 39 categories of “work.” They include such actions as lighting a fire, writing, using money and carrying in the public domain. The prohibition of lighting a fire has been extended in the modern era to driving a car, which involves burning fuel, and using electricity.
Passover
a week-long holiday that commemorates the Exodus from Egypt
Sukkot
(“Tabernacles” or “The Festival of Booths”) commemorates the Israelites’ forty years of wandering through the desert on their way to the Promised Land. It is celebrated through the construction of temporary booths called sukkot that represent the temporary shelters of the Israelites during their wandering.
High Holy Days
The High Holidays revolve around judgment and forgiveness.
Rosh Hashanah, (“Day of Remembrance”)
the Jewish New Year.
marks the beginning of the 10-day period of atonement leading up to Yom Kippur, during which Jews are commanded to search their souls and make amends for sins committed, intentionally or not, throughout the year
Yom Kippur, (“Day of Atonement”)
”) is the most solemn day of the Jewish year. It is a day of communal fasting and praying for forgiveness for one’s sins.
Hanukkah
also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight day Jewish holiday that is observed in Jewish homes by the kindling of lights on each of the festival’s eight nights, one on the first night, two on the second night and so on.
Hanukkah means
“dedication” because it marks the re-dedication of the Temple after its desecration by Antiochus IV Epiphanes.
Spiritually, Hanukkah commemorates the “Miracle of the Oil”
According to the Talmud, at the re-dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem following the victory of the Maccabees, there was only enough consecrated oil to fuel the eternal flame in the Temple for one day. Miraculously, the oil burned for eight days - which was the length of time it took to press, prepare and consecrate new oil.
Judaism today
- In most industrialized nations with modern economies, such as the United States, Israel, Canada, United Kingdom, Argentina and South Africa, a wide variety of Jewish practices exist, along with a growing plurality of secular and non-practicing Jews.
- Only 48% belonged to a synagogue - a crisis situation, grave concern over intermarriage and assimilation
- Birth rate for American Jews has dropped from over 2.0 to 1.7 (the replacement rate is 2.1).
- Intermarriage rates range from 40-50% in the US, and only about a third of children of intermarried couples are raised as Jews.
- Jewish population in the US shrank from 5.5 million in 1990 to 5.1 million in 2001.
