Topic 2 Judaism Lessons

Abraham

Founder of Judaism who, according to the Bible, led his family from Ur to Canaan in obedience to God's command.

Ethical Monotheism

Idea that there is one god and he judges you by your ethical behavior

the Oral Torah

Interpretation of written Jewish law, according to verbal traditions

Connection to the Land of Israel

Israel has a central role in the Hebrew Bible and is home to Judaism's most sacred sites

Hanukkah

Jewish holiday celebrating their independence and rededication of their temple that had been destroyed.

synagogue

Jewish meeting place of worship

rabbi

Jewish religious teachers

Joshua

Moses' successor who led the Israelites into the Promised Land

Deborah

Only female judge who inspired an army to win a great battle

Mount Sinai

Place where God revealed the Ten Commandments to Moses

Commitment to Study and Prayer

Study leads to wisdom and good deeds, people communicate with God through prayer

Love for Others

The Hebrew Bible tells Jews to love and help other people

Canaan

The Promised Land

Ruth and Naomi

a Hebrew whose son married a woman, a Moabite (foreigner). After the son died, the daughter in law chose to stay with the mother in law rather than returning to her own people. She is the first convert to Judaism and a symbol of loyalty.

Esther

a Persian Queen who convinced the Persian King to reject the idea of killing all of the Jews that was planned by one of his advisors

judge

a leader who rallied the Israelites to defend their land

prophet

a person believed to be chosen by God as a messenger

Legacy of Judaism

a) monotheism b) the Hebrew Bible c) moral and ethical values that form a basis for modern democratic societies

Moses

an Israelite leader whom the Torah credits with leading the Israelites from Egypt to Canaan

The Talmud

collection of oral teachings and commentaries about the Hebrew Bible and Jewish law

Diaspora

communities of Jews living outside of their ancient homeland

Jacob/Israel

grandson of Abraham who had twelve sons that became the ancestor of at least one large group of tribes; the twelve tribes descended from Jacob became known as the Israelites

ethics

ideas of right and wrong

David

king of the Israelites who won control of Jerusalem in 1000 B.C.

Observance of Law

laws in the Hebrew Bible and Talmud guide how Jews live and treat other people

Israelites

people who lived in the Fertile Crescent who practiced monotheism and whose teachings and practices became known as Judaism

Solomon

son of David who ruled after him and built the First Temple in Jerusalem

monotheism

the belief that there is only one God

Jews

the descendants of the Israelites

Genesis

the first book of the Torah/Old Testament

Torah

the first five books of the Hebrew Bible

Weekly Day of Rest

the idea of a weekly day of rest, or Sabbath began in Judaism

The Writings

the last section of the Hebrew Bible that includes the Psalms and the Book of Proverbs

Judaism

the monotheistic religion of the Jews.

The Hebrew Bible

the name used by Jews for their scripture that is basically the same as Christians' Old Testament.

Exodus

the second book of the Torah/Old Testament: tells of the departure of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt led by Moses

Sabbath

weekly day of rest, for Jews it is Saturday

The Ten Commandments

A set of laws for responsible behavior, which, according to the Bible, were given to Moses by God.

Patriarchs

Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the forefathers of the Jewish people

Israel and Judah

After Solomon's death, the country split into these 2 kingdoms

covenant

A binding agreement