Judaism - Principal Beliefs (Yr 11)

Question 1

What is Abraham’s covenant with God?

Answer 1

Abraham’s covenant with God was the first time that society had seen the concept of a relationship with a god that was more than just transactional and focused on a personal relationship with a person who was chosen specifically by God.

Question 2

What is a covenant?

Answer 2

An agreement made between mankind and God.

Question 3

What is the Hebrew term for covenant?

Answer 3

Brit

Question 4

Outline the life of Abraham?

Answer 4

A man named Abram is called by God to “Leave country, kindred and father’s house” for a country that he would be shown.

God promises Abram “I shall bless you and make your name famous; You are to be a blessing.”

Abram was 75 years old when he took his wife Serai and all their possessions and left for the Land of Canaan which is the modern-day location of the state of Israel.

God comes to Abram again and makes a second promise that his “descendants would number as many as the stars in the sky”

Abram has a son with Hagar, a servant girl of Serai. This son’s name is Ishmael.

At this time God changes Abram’s name to Abraham. God also changed Serai’s name to Sarah and promised that she would give birth to a son.

In this covenant Abraham is called to ”walk in the presence of God and be blameless”.

Abraham is commanded that he and his descendants must keep the Covenant with God throughout the ages and that circumcision is to be the sign of this Covenant.

God eventually grants a son to Abram by Sarah. His name is Isaac.

Later God calls Abraham to take his son Isaac to the land of Moriah and offer him as a holocaust

Abraham is prepared to carry out the execution, but God prevents this from happening by sending an angel to stop Abraham and providing a sacrificial ram instead.

Question 5

Describe the Covenant with the Patriarchs, including the promises of a People and a Land

Answer 5

The covenant was passed down from Abraham to his son Isaac, who in turn passed it to his son Jacob (Israel). This denotes the passing of the sacred relationship with God through the patriarchs.

Jacob was to be known as Israel, after he wrestled all night with an angel - the name Israel means ‘contender with God’ (Genesis 32).

Jacob had twelve sons who in turn became the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel (Genesis 35:16-27).

The youngest of the twelve sons was Joseph who ultimately became a chief advisor to the Pharaoh in Egypt. His story resulted in the Hebrews coming to reside in Egypt and is the precursor to the story of Moses and the Exodus (Genesis 37-50).

Question 6

Outline the story of the Exodus?

Answer 6

At this time Moses is working as a shepherd for his father in law. One day as he’s tending the flock, God appears to him in the form of a burning bush.

God gives Moses the mission to go to Pharaoh and tell him to set the Israelites free.

As the encounter proceeds, the name of God is revealed to Moses. This name is regarded as sacred in the Jewish tradition and is not spoken out of reverence for God.
Moses returns to Egypt and with his brother Aaron petitions Pharaoh to set the Israelites free.

When Pharaoh rejects their request, God sends nine Plagues to try to persuade him to change his mind.

When Pharaoh refuses after the ninth plague, God sends the final plague, in which the angel of the Lord brought death to every firstborn in Egypt. To avoid this the Hebrews were to paint their door frames with the blood of a sacrificial lamb.This event becomes known as the Passover.

Pharaoh ultimately relents, however, as the Israelites are leaving he pursues them to the Red Sea.

God destroys the Egyptian army in the waters while the Israelite people pass through to freedom from slavery.

Question 7

Outline the story of the giving of the Law at Sinai, including the Ten Commandments?

Answer 7

Moses sees God face to face on Mt Sinai. It is here that he receives the 10 commandments, which are also known as the Decalogue. These Commandments were given to Moses in the form of the Torah.

The ten commandments are the fundamental rules by which Jewish people are called to live their lives. They provide guidance on how to relate to God and to others, and help adherents to live a morally just life.

Question 8

What is Modern Judaism?

Answer 8

Is a movement within Orthodox Judaism that attempts to synthesize Jewish values and the observance of Jewish law with the secular, modern world.

Question 9

What does Modern Judaism consist of?

Answer 9

1. Orthodox Judaism
2. Conservative Judaism
3. Progressive Judaism

Question 10

What is Orthodox Judaism?

Answer 10

Orthodox Judaism is the most similar form of Judaism to traditional belief and practice. Orthodox Jews believe that the covenant between God and the Israelite people was the moment that the whole Torah (written and oral law)(including the Halakhah) was given to Moses.

Question 11

What are the two categories the Orthodox Jews fall under?

Answer 11

1. ultra-orthodox - see that the continuation of the Jewish race hinges upon the strict separation from secular society.
2. modern-orthodox Jews - seek to keep with the traditional requirements of Jewish law but still engage with society.

Question 12

What are the unique features of Orthodox Jews?

Answer 12

• Orthodox Judaism is generally characterised by strict adherence to the mitzvot, as it is seen as the direct word of God.
• Application of strict dietary rules, ritual observances to everyday life.
• Adherence to all ethical guidelines prescribed by the Torah and the Halakha
• Separation of men and women during temple services.
• Temple services are held in Hebrew.

Question 13

What is Conservative Judaism?

Answer 13

Conservative Judaism arose as a response to early reform/progressive Judaism. While being more involved with the contemporary society they still feel that the oral law is important and that Jewish people should be bound to adhere to the Halakha (ritual law). Conservative Judaism is often seen as a ‘middle ground’ between Orthodox and Progressive Judaism.

Question 14

What are the unique features of Conservative Judaism?

Answer 14

• Services are held in the local vernacular.
• Men and women are seated together during worship
• Organs used in services
• Holds to the importance of the land of Israel and the continuation of the Jewish tradition. This belief leads many conservative Jews to agree with Zionist ideals.

Question 15

What is Progressive Judaism?

Answer 15

Progressive Judaism arose as a response to modern philosophical movements within society, as certain parts of Jewish society saw a need to integrate with contemporary society.

Question 16

What are the unique features of Progressive Judaism?

Answer 16

• Religious services are held in local vernacular rather than Hebrew.
• Men and Women sit together during worship.
• Organs are often used in temple services.
• Recently progressive Jewish groups have pushed for greater female involvement, for example looking to ordain female Rabbis.
• With greater engagement in society reform Judaism looks to engage with others in society through social justice initiatives

Question 17

What are the principal beliefs (PB)?

Answer 17

1. Belief in a single God who is the creator and ruler of the universe
2. The concept of a moral law prescribed by God
3. The idea of the Covenant

Question 18

What is the principal belief of one God (PB)?

Answer 18

• Maimonides(1135-1204 CE) drew up 13 articles of faith which are the basic components of Jewish faith. They are:
  1.God is creator
  2.God is one
  3.God is incorporeal(without a bodily or material form)
  4.God is eternal
  5.God alone is to be worshipped
  6.God has spoken through the prophets
  7.Moses was the greatest prophet
  up to 13
  -The Shema

Question 19

What do the first 5 articles of faith relate to? Include QUOTES

Answer 19

• The nature of God is transcendent (Ultimate reality that exists beyond our world), immanent(An indwelling constant reality, God is incorporated(no form) etc.
• “I am your lord, who brough you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other Gods before me.(Exodus 20:2-3)
• “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below”(Deuteronomy 5:8)

Question 20

How does The Shema emphasise God’s oneness? Include QUOTE

Answer 20

God’s oneness is emphasised in the Jewish prayer, the Shema(“Hear O Israel, the Lord is our God, The Lord is one”)(Deuteronomy 6:4) and the morning prayer the Shacharit.This statement reflects Judaism’s monotheistic nature, which rejects any form of idolatry. God is regarded as being all powerful and the source of creation. It follows, therefore, that there can be no other gods. The Shema is a reaffirmation of God’s oneness that is recited twice daily, as is commanded in Deuteronomy.

Question 21

What are the attributes of God (PB)?

Answer 21

1. Concept of a creator God.
2. God is Omnipresent-Always/ever/all
3. God is Omniscient-All knowing
4. God is Omnipotent - All powerful

Question 22

Outline the attribute of God being ‘concept of a creator God’? Include QUOTE

Answer 22

• God is seen to be the creator of everything and thus has a hand in the events of the world, being involved in the history of his people. This idea of creation moves forward from a simple worship of a maker God, to respect for the world around the Jewish people because of the sanctity of God’s creation.
• The Jewish perspective of respect to all creation because of God’s work can be attributed to a famous saying by Hillel the Elder in the early 1st Century BCE: “That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the entire Torah, and the rest is its commentary.” (Babylonian Talmud)

Question 23

Outline the attribute of God is Omnipresent-Always/ever/all? Include QUOTE

Answer 23

-The belief that God is omnipresent is the belief that God is everywhere.

-The most explicit Jewish account of God’s intervention in human history is the Exodus where God liberates the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt.
“The people of Israel groaned because they were slaves. They also cried out to God. Their cry for help went up to him. God heard their groans. He remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites with concern for them.” Exodus 2

Question 24

Outline the attribute that God is Omniscient-All knowing? Include QUOTE

Answer 24

• Jewish adherents believe that God is all-knowing – this term is called ‘omniscience’.
  The omniscience of God can be defined as the attribute of God whereby He knows all things possible and actual in one eternal act.
• God is depicted as the God of knowledge in several places in the Hebrew sacred Texts. He is referred to as the ‘God of knowledge’, ‘the Lord who sees’, and is described as the keeper and giver of wisdom.

Question 25

Outline the attribute that God is Omnipotent - All powerful?

Answer 25

• Judaism teaches that through God’s omniscience, he is also all-powerful.
• There is nothing that God cannot achieve and nothing that God cannot prevent. Since God is all-knowing and all-powerful, God therefore must also know and be able to change what may happen in the future.
• The events of the Exodus demonstrate, among other things, that no obstacle is too great for God to overcome. The Jewish people’s identity during early biblical times is centred on God displaying his power during their liberation from Egypt.

Question 26

Outline the concept of a moral law prescribed by God (PB)? Include QUOTES

Answer 26

• The Torah contains divinely inspired moral law binding Jews to God(Exodus 20-24)
  There are 613 mitzvot: 365 negative Mitzvot and 248 positive Mitzvot which covers all aspects of life and worship. The negative mitzvot detail those things from which the Jews must restrain. The positive mitzvot describe the rituals by which a Jew can express faithfulness to the covenant.

-“Eat no leaven on Passover” Exodus 13:3 and “ A witness must testify before court” Leviticus 5:1

• The commandments served as a framework for an authentically Jewish life
  “Keep his decrees and commands.. So that you may live long in the land of the Lord your God gives you for all time”(Deuteronomy 4:40)

Question 27

Outline the Idea of the Covenant (PB)? Include QUOTE

Answer 27

• The covenant is an agreement between God and the Jewish people.
  It began with Abraham and cemented with Moses.
• The agreement was the Israelites would follow God’s law as expressed in Torah. They would worship one God and I would be granted the Promised Land.
• Male Jews are expected to know the Mosaic Law so they can instruct others in it.
• The requirements of the Covenant are known as Halachah and in return God gives the gift of love to his people.
• In all forms of Judaism, the covenantal relationship is expressed in the form of a deep affection for and concern with the State of Israel.
• “ Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said “All the words that Lord has spoken we will do” (Exodus 24:3)

Question 28

What are the Sacred Test and Writings consist of (STW)?

Answer 28

1. the Hebrew Bible

2. the Talmud

Question 29

What does the Hebrew Bible (written Torah) consist of (STW)

Answer 29

1. First 5 books of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) (Torah)
2. Prophets(Neviim)
3. Writings(ketuvium)
4. The commandments (Mitzvot) are classified into 2 areas:
   - Laws with obligations between humans and God
   - Laws that would have been decreed even if God had not declared them (eq. Murder and theft)
5. The oral law was first compiled in the Mishnah (To supply teachers with a guide to Jewish legal tradition) composed by Judah Ha-Nasi in the second century CE.
6. Both Talmuds (Palestinian Talmud and Babylonia Talmud) include the Mishnah and later rabbinic discussions known as the Gamara.

Question 30

Identify the importance of the Hebrew Bible?

Answer 30

The Torah is the first five books of the Jewish Tanakh and the core of all sacred writings in Judaism.

Simply known as the law, it is the foundation of all Jewish teaching. Because of this foundation, the word Torah is often used to refer to the whole body of Jewish ethical structures.

The importance of the Sefer Torah for Jewish people cannot be understated. There have been incidences of congregations fasting for 40 days as a result of someone dropping the Sefer Torah during worship.

Question 31

Examine the extracts from the Hebrew Bible which demonstrates the principal beliefs of Judaism?

Answer 31

The Torah ( first 5 books of the Hebrew bible)

• Genesis:the origin of humanity
• Exodus:escape the slaves from Egypt
• Leviticus:The laws for living life
• Numbers:Descriptions of Jewish tribes
• Deuteronomy: Restates Mosaic Law
• Neviim(prophets writing): The book of Prophets include writings from former and latter prophets and includes Joshua and Isaiah
• Ketuvim(other writings):the sacred writings or Hagiographa includes 11 books with writings such as Psalms and the Book of Jobs.
• The Psalms are attributed largely to King David; however, other authors such as David’s son King Solomon and even Moses are identified as authors. Psalms are categorised into two general types:
• Psalms of praise, remembering God for the good things he has done, such as Psalms 145; “I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.”
• Psalms of lament, expressing sorrow at the travails of the Israelite nation like Psalm 74;“O God, why have you rejected us forever? Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture? Remember the nation you purchased long ago…”

Question 32

What does the Talmud (Oral Torah) consist of (STW)?

Answer 32

1. Torah 613 Mitzvot
2. Oral Tradition interpretation of the Mitzvot
3. Talmud rules and interpretations collected from the fifth century CE until the present)
4. Mishnah(written in Hebrew)- writing down of the Oral Torah
5. Gemara(written in Aramic)- commentaries on the Mishnah

Question 33

How many Talmuds are there? Explain

Answer 33

There are two main Talmud

• The Palestinian Talmud(4th century)
• The Babylonian Talmud(6th century)

Note: There are two Talmuds because of the different geological location.
Jerusalem Talmud and Babylonian Talmud(more comprehensive and is often the one that most people refer to when talking about the Talmud)

Question 34

Identify the importance of the Talmud?

Answer 34

The Mishnah and Gemara were collected together in the Talmud during the 5th and 6th centuries CE.

• The Talmud contains two main parts known as the Halakha and the Haggadah.
• The Halakha is the legal section of the Talmud, comprising rules and laws for living. It provides interpretations and applications of the 613 Mitzvot helping Jewish adherents to apply the law to various situations that arise in their life.
• The Haggadah or “telling” provides stories, narrations and legends of the Jewish people. It does not have the force of the Halakha with reference to prescription.

Question 35

How many precepts inform the Jewish ethical system?

Answer 35

Two basic precepts

Question 36

What are the precepts about?

Answer 36

The first precept caters for religious aspects of one’s life; the second allows for an ethical and just society. Both of these basic rules derive from the halacha, which means ‘ the way of life’

Question 37

What is the Ten Commandments (TC)?

Answer 37

The Ten Commandments also known as the Decalogue or Devarim. These ten statements form the fundamental code of behaviour given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. They are the basis of the Covenant between the Jewish people and God.

Question 38

What do the first five commandments deals with (TC)?

Answer 38

The First five of commandments deal with the proper conduct that takes place between the believer and God.They are concerned with the method of worship. These commandments are formulated in a positive and affirmative way.

Question 39

What does the last 5 commandments deal with (TC)?

Answer 39

The remaining commandments deal with relationships within the Jewish community. These commandments are formulated in a negative way.

Question 40

What do the 613 Mitzvot (commandments) provide for adherence?

Answer 40

provide the framework for living, according to the Torah

Question 41

What does the Mitzvot accompany(also includes) with?

Answer 41

extensive rabbinical commentaries, cover all aspects of life, from dietary laws to the proper prayers for religious festivals.

Question 42

What does the Prophetic Vision include?

Answer 42

1. Social justice

2. Tikkun Olam

Question 43

What are some social justice actions relating to the Prophetic Vision?

Answer 43

The rabbis emphasise the concept of tzedakah or ‘hidden charity’. Those who practise tzedakah hide their identity so that they don’t feel ashamed when they meet their benefactors at social or communal functions. There is one aspect of charity that is more important than the tzedakah. This is known as gemilut chasidim,’ acts of loving kindness’ performed for no return. Examples are:

• giving hospitality to strangers
• visiting the sick
• assisting a poor or orphaned bride
• accompanying the dead to the grave

Question 44

What does Tikkun Olam mean?

Answer 44

Tikkun Olam means ‘repair’ or ‘betterment’ of the world through social justice.

Question 45

Where does the phrase ‘Tikkun Olam’ is first found in?

Answer 45

the Mishnah in discussions of socical policy.

Question 46

What is Tikkun Olam?

Answer 46

Tikkun Olam is the underlying motivation behind social action and volunteer projects that work towards the repair of the world through human action. It is a meaning of aiding people to take responsibility for their world.

Question 47

What does the Book of Proverbs include?

Answer 47

1. wisdom
2. righteousness
3. purity and generosity of spirit