Unit 7 - Jewish Beliefs Flashcards
The Almighty SWA
“Hear o Israel the Lord is our God, the Lord is one and only” Deuteronomy 6:4
The Shekhinah SWA
“The glory of the Lord filled the Temple” 2 Chronicles 7:1
The Messiah SWA
“A king will reign and prosper and he will administer justice” Jeremiah 23:5
The Covenant at Sinai SWA
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery” Exodus 20:2
The Covenant with Abraham SWA
“My promise to you is am everlasting covenant to you and your children” Genesis 17:7
The Sanctity of Life SWA
“Whoever saves one life saves the whole world” Talmud
Moral Principles and the Mitzvots SWA
“Keep to the commandments of God, your God, that I command you today” Talmud
Life After Death SWA
“The dust returns to the ground and the spirit returns to God” Ecclesiastes 12:7
The Almighty - Characteristics of God
One - he is the only God, he should never be divided
Creator - he is omnipotent, he created the universe and everything in it
Judge - he has given Jews rules to follow and he will be the one to judge Jews against them
Lawgiver - he guides Jews in how to live a good, holy life
The Shekhinah - what is it
It is god dwelling in the world
Mentioned in the Tenakh
God is present in the temple, when they pray, study and worship
The Shekhinah - importance
Jews are close to God wherever and whenever
It’s a teaching of the rabbis, Torah and Tenakh
It means that the prophets, eg Moses, were inspired by God
The Shekinah - divergent attitudes
Reformed Jews see it as the feminine attributes of God
Traditional Jews see it as the link between the modern world and God
The Messiah - qualities
Political and military leader
Judge
Educated
Human
The Messiah - importance
The one who will lead the Jews to Israel in the End of the Days
Jews will work for peace and justice as it will bring the Messianic Age
Pray for the Messiah to come ever day
The Messiah - divergent attitudes
Reformed Jews don’t believe the messiah is a single person but rather that it is the duty of Jews to work together to bring about change
Some Jews believe in a messiah in every age
Traditional Jews believe he will only come when all the Mitzvots are followed, and then the resurrection of the dead will take place
The Covenant at Sinai - importance
When Moses was given the Torah, Oral Talmud and the Jews were made God’s chosen people
It shows God’s love for them
The Covenant with Abraham - importance
When God gave them the promised land
Creation of circumcision to demonstrate faith
Abraham is the father of faith and monotheism
The Sanctity of Life - why is life holy
Life comes from God
It is a gift that needs to be protected
Humans are made in the image and likeness of God
The Sanctity of Life - what is Pikuach Nefesh
The preservation of life over any other religious law
The Sanctity of life - why Jews follow Pikuach Nefesh
Found in Torah and Talmud so they’re obligated to follow it
It preserves life as it’s a gift from god
It can be applied to daily life as an important guide
The Sanctity of Life - examples
Most Jews disagree with abortion
Jews disagree with euthanasia but are sensitive people who commit suicide
Blood transplants are only allowed to save someone’s life, not speed up there death
Moral Principles and the Mitzvots - importance
Commandments from god stated in the Torah
Part of the covenant at Sinai
Jews believe when they die they’ll be judged on wether or not they followed the Mitzvots
Aids relationship with god and others
Moral Principles and the Mitzvots - relevance
They are from god and will always be relevant
Some are outdated eg animal sacrifice
Basis of covenant at Sinai and Jewish faith as a whole
Reformed Jews use their free will to decide which to follow as some are outdated in the modern world
Following Mitzvots brings the messianic age sooner
Life After Death - beliefs
The soul goes to be judged by god
Gan Eden is eternal but Gehniom is temporary
Olam Haba - life to come is linked to the Messiah
Jews believe in resurrection of the dead at the end of the world
Life After Death - divergent attitudes
Some believe the resurrection will occur in the messianic age
Some say the resurrection is only for the righteous and just
Some believe they are judged based on following the Mitzvots but other believe it’s is action and belief
Some believe that gehninom is temporary but some think it is permanent
Life After Death - importance
Jews aim to follow the Mitzvots to be judged fairly after death
It gives meaning and purpose to Jews
