Judaism: Beliefs and Teachings Flashcards
What are the two main Jewish religious texts ?
- the Tanakh
- the Talmud
What are the 7 main Jewish names for God and their meanings ?
- Yahweh/YHVH = the Tetragrammaton
- Hashem (‘The Name’)
- Hakadosh Baruch Hu (The Holy One Blessed Be He)
- El (powerful + mighty God)
- Elohim (plural of El, showing God has multiple parts)
- El Shaddai (God Almighty)
- Hashem Tzevaot (Lord of Hosts)
What are the views of Reform/Liberal Jews on the understanding of the Torah ?
- should be understood as a document of the past
- interpretations should apply to modern life
- the Torah is the inspired Word of God
What are the views of Orthodox Jews on the understanding of the Torah ?
- it is inerrant and applicable across time
- all rules and traditions detailed must be followed as described and originally intended
- the Torah is the literal Word of God
What are the 4 characteristics of God ?
- One
- Lawgiver
- Judge
- Creator
What does it mean for God to be One in Judaism ?
- God cannot be multiple persons or a physical being
- the Shema declares that God is one
- God is the only deity that Hews should worship
What does it mean for God to be Creator in Judaism ?
- created Earth and people
- there is no other creator
Give one quote from the Tanakh describing God as Creator.
“And Hashem God formed the man of dust from the ground, and he blew into his nostrils the soul of life” - Genesis
What does it mean for God to be Lawgiver in Judaism ?
- gave all the laws of life to Jews
- Jews should keep the laws given by God to please him (called the 613 mitzvot)
- only God has the power to rule, judge, save or destroy
What does it mean for God to be Judge in Judaism ?
- God is balanced in all ways and in particular in might and mercy
- the covenant with Moses; Jews believe that God judges how well they keep his laws
- God judges the above especially on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur
Give one quote from the Tanakh describing God as both Judge and Lawgiver.
“Hashem is our Judge; Hashem is our Lawgiver… He will save us.” - Isaiah
Why are the Jewish names for the Almighty important ?
help to understand more fully and comprehensively the different aspects and nature of God, NOT that he is multiple persons like in Christianity
What is Shekhinah ?
- the earthly presence of God
- shown via fire, smoke, clouds and mountains
- example = the burning bush for Moses or Mt. Sinai
- the ‘feminine’ or caring aspect of God
- not mentioned explicitly in the Torah but referred to in the Oral Torah (Talmud)
When is Shekhinah felt ?
- during study of the Torah with another person (seen as an act of worship)
- worship
- prayer
- when in a minyan
- when doing Tikkun Olam (good deeds)
What is Yeshiva ?
Jewish school for study of the Talmud
What is the Talmud ?
- the Oral Torah
- Rabbinical teachings and discussion of the Torah throughout Judaism
- it’s kind of like the CCC of Judaism
Give one quote supporting the presence of Shekhinah during study of the Tanakh by two people.
“If two sit together and the words between them are of the Torah, then the Shekhinah is in their midst.” - Talmud
Give one quote from the Tanakh that supports that the Tabernacle is God’s dwelling.
“They shall make a sanctuary for me, so that I may dwell among them.”
How is the belief that God dwells in the Tabernacle expressed in the synagogue ?
light constantly burning in front of the Ark of the Covenant
What is a minyan ?
group of 10 men (Orthodox) OR 10 people (Reform)
Give a quote explaining the reason for minyans.
“whenever ten are gathered for prayer, there the Shekhinah rests” - Talmud
What are good deeds called in Judaism ?
Tikkun Olam
What does Messiah mean ?
‘anointed one’
What are the divergent Jewish beliefs about the Messiah ?
- Orthodox believe the Messiah is a person, as described in the Torah
- Reform/Liberal Jews believe generally in a Messianic Age brought about by all Jews together, not a singular person
- regardless, belief in the Messiah/Messianic Age is a fundamental belief of Judaism outlined in Maimonides’ 13 Principles
Give one quote supporting the existence of a Messianic Age/Messiah from the Tanakh.
“Behold, days are coming… a king will reign and prosper and he will administer justice and righteousness in the land.”
What are the characteristics of the Messiah ?
- male
- human
- descendant of David
- great warrior
- great political leader
- well versed in the Jewish law
- great judge
What are the duties/roles of the Messiah ?
- to restore the temples and Jerusalem
- to restore Israel
- to establish a government in Israel for Jews and gentiles
- to restore Israeli religious courts and Jewish law
What is the Hebrew name for the Messianic Age ?
Olam Ha Ba (the world to come)
What does Olam Ha Ba entail ?
- a time of peace and prosperity
- when everyone will recognise the Jewish God as the one true God
- all Jews living in exile will return to Israel
What are some divergent views on the timing of the Messianic Age ?
- God has set a date
- there is a chance for a Messiah in every new generation (hence the reason for Bar Mitzvahs)
- it will come when it is most needed/deserved
Why can’t Jesus be the Messiah ?
- he is both fully divine and fully human, not just human
- he was not a good military leader
What does the Jewish Tanakh entail ?
- Torah (the 5 books of Moses)
- Nevi’im (the books of the prophets)
- Ketuvim (the book of writings)
What is a covenant ?
- a loving agreement with God
- not a contract because of God’s love for humans
What is Brit Olam ?
an everlasting covenant
Give a quote from the Tanakh describing Jews as loved by God.
“you are a holy people to Hashem, your God… chosen for you to be a treasured people”
Who are the 3 main patriarchs of Judaism ?
- Abraham
- Isaac
- Jacob
In what order are the 4 most important covenants in Judaism ?
- Abraham
- Isaac
- Jacob
- Moses
Describe Moses’ life leading up to the bestowment of the Covenant at Sinai.
Moses’ life:
[] grew up w/Pharaoh
[] learned of his Jewish heritage
[] saw an Egyptian slave master beating a Jewish slave
[] killed the slave master out of anger
[] fled to Midian for 40 years
[] God appeared as a burning bush to tell Moses to return to Egypt and free the Jews
[] 10 plagues
[] Moses freed the Jews and crossed the Reed Sea with them
[] took the Jews to Mt. Sinai
What does the Mosaic Covenant entail ?
- If Jews don’t follow God’s agreements and laws they will be punished
- identified Jews as God’s chosen people (for responsibility)
- gave the decalogue, the Torah and thee mitzvah
- Moses given the Talmud orally
- every Jewish soul ever to be born was present at the covenant and agreed to be bound to the covenant
Give one quote from the Tanakh supporting that all Jewish souls ever agreed to the Mosaic Covenant at Sinai.
“The entire people responded together and said, ‘Everything that Hashem has spoken, we shall do.’”
Why is the Mosaic Covenant relevant today ?
- all Jewish law given
- Talmud given, which helps understand the Torah and gives additional teachings and traditions
- obedience of God’s law and traditions will be rewarded
- Torah scrolls in synagogue stored in the Ark of the Covenant
- the Torah given - most important readings on the Sabbath
- celebrated annually at Shauvot
When is the decalogue recited now vs. in the past ?
- in the past recited every day, but stopped as made them seem more important than other mitzvah
- now recited/heard 3x a year (in readings of Exodus and Deuteronomy and at Shauvot)
What did the Abrahamic Covenant entail ?
- Abraham as the founder of Judaism (“I will make of you a great nation”)
- gave the Promised Land (Israel)
- circumcision of 8 week old baby boys
- blessing and redemption
Which three parts of the Abrahamic Covenant are yet to be fulfilled ?
- blessing + redemption
- making Earth God’s “great nation” of Jews
- the owning of the Promised Land
What are some divergent Jewish beliefs about the Promised Land ?
- that it is the literal land of Israel described in the Bible, known as Palestine in reality
- that it is a metaphor for the Earth as a whole, not specifically Palestine
What happened to Abraham before the covenant ?
subjected to 10 tests of faith and passed
Why is the Abrahamic Covenant important for Jews today ?
- the birth of Isaac shows God to be truthful, able to keep promises and truly in control of nature
- circumcision still takes place
- there is a belief that following the Jewish laws given in the Mosaic Covenant will fulfill the Abrahamic Covenant
What is the Promised Land described to be like in the Tanakh (w/quote) ?
fertile (“flowing with milk and honey”)
Why is the Promised Land still important and relevant to Jews today ?
- Israel is central to Judaism due to there being many laws that are tied to the land, thus cannot be fulfilled unless present in Israel
- prayers for Israel take place in synagogue as well as in festivals and daily Sabbath prayers
- belief in the Messiah is a fundamental Jewish belief, and the Messiah will restore Israel
- living outside of Israel is viewed as exile by some Jews
What is Pikuach Nefesh ?
the Jewish law that one may break other Jewish laws (apart from the forbidding of adultery, murder and incest) in order to preserve human life
What is the Mishneh Torah ?
- the code of Rabbinic Jewish law
- teach how to fulfill the halakhah
What is the halakhah ?
- all Jewish laws
- teaches how to fulfill the mitzvot
Why is Pikuach Nefesh a concept ?
- Jews should live by the Torah, not die by it
- all life is holy as it comes from God
- life is created in God’s image
Give two quotes from the Tanakh that support Pikuach Nefesh adn the sanctity of life/
- “You shall not stand aside while your fellow’s blood is shed.”
- “he who destroys one soul of a human being… as if he destroys a whole world, and him who saves one soul of Israel… as if he should save a whole world.”
Give 5 examples of Pikuach Nefesh’s applications.
- doctors working on Shabbat
- ill people exempt from fasting on Yom Kippur
- suicide and euthanasia are forbidden
- abortions are allowed to save a mother’s life
- contraception is allowed if the maternal parent has medical complications that would harm them if carrying a child
What are the divergent Jewish views on organ donation ?
- for Orthodox, only in very specific circumstances (as one of the mitzvah is to leave one’s body unaltered save for circumcision to respect God’s creation)
- for Reform/Liberal, is okay
What are the divergent Jewish beliefs about the origins of the Oral and Written Torah ?
- Orthodox = given at Sinai
- Reform/Liberal = evolved over time
Why do Jews believe that humans have free will despite God giving laws to follow ?
choosing between right and wrong according to Jewish law is an exercise of free will in everyday life
Why are the mitzvot important for a relationship with God ?
- laws were a gift from God
- laws founded Jewish society and laid out how God wanted humans to live life
- gives religious significance to everyday life
- following the laws shows gratitude to God for rescuing the Jews from slavery
- living the way God intended deepens the personal bond between a person and God
What is gemilut hasadim ?
- loving deeds
- basically the same as the 7 corporal works of mercy in Catholicism
Why are Reform/Liberal Jews selective with which mitzvah they observe ?
view the Tanakh under a modern lens and thus make judgements on their usefulness in modern life accordingly
What is the relevance of the moral principles and the mitzvot today ?
- study of Jewish law makes Judaism a living religion
- many laws like animal sacrifice now not practices
- debates over certain mitzvot still continuing
- laws guide Jews in the modern world
- laws strengthen the relationship with God
What is the afterlife referred to as in Hebrew ?
Olam Ha Ba (the world to come)
What is the Hebrew name for Heaven ?
Gan Eden
What is the Hebrew name for Hell ?
Gehinnom
What is believed about the nature of Gehinnom ?
- there are 7 punishments to purify a soul of its wrongdoings
- time spent in Gehinnom is never eternal
- all souls will end up in Gan Eden eventually
Why aren’t there many teachings about the afterlife ?
Judaism places a focus on life instead of death
Give 3 divergent Jewish views on the nature/form of the afterlife.
- some believe in a “revival of the dead” where all are resurrected
- some believe all souls will eventually go to God in Gan Eden
- some believe that the Messiah will trigger a Messianic Age where the righteous are resurrected and live in a restored Israel
