People Flashcards
Abraham and Sarah
• The first patriarch. Avraham is the man that God selected to bring blessings to the earth
•He was the son of Terach, an idol merchant
- Travelled from Ur and made their way to the land of Israel. Genesis 12:1-3 - God made a covenant with Abraham to make his way to Israel (your native land)
•Father of Isaac who he almost sacrificed at God’s command.
Family migrated to Egypt, to escape the famine, but were enslaved there.
•Together with his wife, Sarah, he taught people about the existence of a G‑d who is one and cannot be seen.
Who are the patriarchs?
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are both the physical and spiritual ancestors of Judaism. They founded the religion now known as Judaism, and their descendants are the Jewish People.
Moses
•Entered into the covenant with God on Mount Sainai.
Moses was born when the Israelites were an enslaved. Moses’ mother secretly hid him when the Pharaoh ordered all newborn Hebrew boys to be killed in order to reduce the population of Israelites (also hearing that the one to free the Jews would be born on that day). The child was adopted as a foundling from the Nile and grew up with the Egyptian royal family. After Killing an Egyptian slave master, Moses fled across the Red Sea to Midian where he encountered the ANgel of the Lord, speaking to him from within the burning bush on Mount Horeb. God sent Moses back to Egypt to demand the release of the Israelites from slavery. After the 10 plagues, Moses led the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt across the Red Sea after which they based themselves at Mount Sinai where Moses received the 10 Commandments.
Elijah
A prophet and miracle worker who lived in northern kingdom of Israel during 9th century BCE according to the Books of Kings. Elijah defended the worship of the Jewish God over the Canaanite diety Baal. God performed many miracles through Elijah including resurrection, bringing fire down from the sky and entering Heaven alive by a whirlwind. He led a school of prophets known as the Sons of Prophets. In Judaism, Elijas name is invoked at the weekly Havdalah ritual that marks the end of Shabbat and during the Passover Seder and the brit milah. He appears in numerous stories and references in the Haggadah and rabbinic literature including the Talmud.
Theodor Herzl
- Early zionist and Israel’s founding father.
- Austrian Jewish journalist and playwright
- His pamphlet Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State), published in 1896, helped launch Zionism as a modern political movement — the establishment of a Jewish homeland.
- His zionism was a reaction to the rising ant-semitism in Europe. In Der Judenstaat, he proposed an independent state as the solution to the so-called “Jewish question” and laid out a detailed plan for its establishment.
David Ben Gurion
- Israel’s first prime minister (1948-53 and again from 1955-63),
- Agued for the settlement of the land and the centrality of Hebrew as the only true expressions of Zionism.
- Believed that socialism and Zionism were two sides of the same ideological coin. J
- Established the Israel Defence Force
Ruth
- Book of Ruth set in the time of the Judges
- Ruth is the first formal convert to Judaism. The story of Ruth depicts Ruth’s relationship with her mother-in-Law Naomi.
- Originally a Moabite princess. she was frustrated by the idol worshipping of her own people and gave up her position to live in poverty among people she admired (the Israelites). She befriended a Jewish family and married the son. The sons and father died and Naomi, the mother-in-law, told Ruth to leave and find someone else. Naomi pledged her faith to both Naomi and Judaism and stayed with her mother-in-law.
- Ruth pledges herself to Naomi through the famous text - “where you go I go, where you sleep I sleep, your people are my people, your God is my God..”
- Rabbis have based the model of conversion on Ruth, in terms of how one “chooses” to be a Jew. She’s confident and independent. The threshold of entering into Judaism is through a woman - either by birth (through the womb of. Jewish woman) or the choice (based on the choice Ruth made)
- The Ruth meets Boaz, the wealthy land owner. Their great-grandchild is Kind David.
King David
- Son of Jesse
- Both worrier and writer of psalms
- King of Israel between 1010 and 970 BCE
- Became known fo this courage when he confronted and defeated the ten foot Goliath with a few sticks and stones
Joseph Caro
Was the author of the last great codification of Jewish law, the Shulchan Aruch, which is still authoritative of all Jews. He is often referred to as HaMechaber (the Author in Hebrew) and Maran (Our Master in Aramaic.)
Yisrael Baal Shem Tov
Rabbi - was the Eastern-European 18th century founder of the hassidic movement.
Ahad Ha Am
- founder of cultural Zionism striving for a Jewish state and not merely a state of Jews.
- Cultural zionism = believing that the fulfilment of the national revival of the Jewish People should be achieved by creating a cultural centre in the land of Israel and an educative centre to the Jewish Diaspora which would combat danger of assimilation that threatens the existence of the Jewish People.
Devorah/Deborah
- Prophet and warrior
- Deborah is the torch that sets the general Barak on fire.
- Deborah told Barak that the Lord God of Israel commanded him to lead an attack against the forces of Jabin king of Canaan and his military commander Sisera (Judges 4:6-7); the entire narrative is recounted in
- Her role is to inspire, predict, and celebrate in song. Her weapon is the word, and her very name is an anagram of “she spoke” (dibberah).
- She is thought to be the greatest female figure in the bible as she is not, like other heroines, guided by a man - she is the one who is doing the guiding
- She was also a feminist - Barak says he will only go into battle if she goes with her, and when s he agrees she says - “there will be no glory for you in the course you are taking, for then the Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman”
Jeremiah
The prophet of Judgement and Hope.
Jeremiah authored the Book of Jeremiah, the Books of Kings, and the Book of Lamentations. Judaism considers the Book of Jeremiah part of its canon and regards him as the second of the major Prophets.
Akiva
Rabbi Akiva (sometimes spelled Akiba) is considered to be one of the greatest rabbinic sages. He was the leading contributor to the Mishnah and to Midrash halakha. He was executed by Romans in the aftermath of the Bar Kokhba revolt.
Yehudah Hanasi
Was the editor of the Mishnah in its final form.
