Aim: What does it mean to be Jewish?

1. Aim: What does it mean to be Jewish? Period One: Technological and Environmental Transformations, to c. 600 B.C.E. Key Concept 1.3. The Development and Interactions of Early Agricultural, Pastoral, and Urban Societies NY Learning Standards 2, 3 Common Core RS 1, 2, 4, 5, 6 and WS 1, 2

2. I Who were the Hebrews? A) According to the Torah, the Hebrews are a nation of people descended from Shem, one of Noah's sons. However, the history of Judaism (the religion) began with Abraham[1800 BCE]. Abraham's home was the Mesopotamian city of Ur, when he was known as Abram. He was the son of an idol merchant, but from childhood he questioned the faith of his father. Abram made a covenant [contract] to worship only God, and the Jewish people was established. The covenant involved rights and obligations on both sides. God promised the land of Israel to Abram's descendants. Abram tried to convince his father, Terach, of the folly of idol worship. One day, when Abram was left alone to mind the store, he took a hammer and smashed all of the idols except the largest one. He placed the hammer in the hand of the largest idol. When his father returned and asked what happened, Abram said, "The idols got into a fight, and the big one smashed all the other ones." His father said, "Don't be ridiculous. These idols have no life or power. They can't do anything." Abram replied, "Then why do you worship them?"

3. Who were the Hebrews Continued… B) Abram had no children and he was growing old. Abram's wife, Sarai, knew that she was past child-bearing years, so she offered her maidservant, Hagar, as a wife to Abram. This was a common practice in the region at the time. Hagar bore Abram a son, Ishmael, who, according to both Muslim and Jewish tradition, is the ancestor of the Arabs. When Abram was 100 and Sarai 90, God promised Abram a son by Sarai. God changed Abram's name to Abraham (father of many), and Sarai's to Sarah(from "my princess" to "princess"). Sarah bore Abraham a son, Isaac(Yitzchak), a name derived from the word "laughter," expressing Abraham's joy at having a son in his old age. Thus, the conflict between Arabs and Jews can be seen as a form of sibling rivalry! God commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. At the last moment, God sent an angel to stop the sacrifice. Child sacrifice was a common practice in the region at the time. Thus, to people of the time, the surprising thing about this story is not the fact that God asked Abraham to sacrifice his child, but that God stopped him!

4. Who were the Hebrews Continued… C) Isaac married Rebecca (Rivka), who bore him fraternal twin sons: Jacob (Ya'akov) and Esau. Jacob fathered 12 sons (the fathers of the 12 Tribes of Israel). Joseph's older brothers were jealous of him, because he was the favorite of their father. They sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt. His ability to interpret visions earned him a place in the Pharaoh's court, paving the way for his family's later settlement in Egypt. As centuries passed, the descendants of Israel became slaves in Egypt, until they were led out of slavery by Moses. God led them on a journey through the wilderness to Mount Sinai. Here, God revealed the Torah to his people, both the written and oral Torah. Moses died before entering the “promised land” that was already inhabited by Canaanites. D) 1030 BCE the tribes settled in Canaan. Saul became the first king in 1020 BCE. 1006 David became King and moved the capital to Jerusalem and waged several successful military campaigns. He was succeeded by his son Solomon in 965 BCE who built the first Temple of Jerusalem. on Solomon's death in 926 BCE the kingdom began to fragment, bisecting into the kingdom of Israel in the north and the kingdom of Judah in the south (containing Jerusalem). E) Israel fell to the Assyrians in 721 BCE; Judah fell to the Babylonians a little over a century later in 597 BCE. The Babylonians destroyed the Jewish Temple built by Solomon. This began the Jewish Diaspora, although many returned to Jerusalem after the conquering of Babylon by Cyrus the Great of Persia. http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/history.htm

7. II Jewish Sacred Places A) Jerusalem (today it is the capital of Israel)

8. Jewish Sacred Places Continued… The Wailing or Western Wall is the remaining wall from the 2nd Jewish Temple which was destroyed by the Romans. These women have their eyes closed because they are reciting the Shema, one of the most sacred prayers in Judaism.

9. Jewish Sacred Places Continued… “It was a single tweet that propelled a protest at the most sacred site in the Jewish faith into the global spotlight. "So proud of my amazing sister and niece for their ballsout civil disobedience… #womenofthewall," wrote US comedian Sarah Silverman. She was reacting to the arrest of her sister and her 17-year-old niece after the pair, along with scores of other women, donned Jewish prayer shawls at the Western (Wailing) Wall in Jerusalem's Old City in defiance of a ban imposed by the authorities and backed by a 2003 supreme court ruling. Ten women were detained for several hours by police...

10. Jewish Sacred Places Continued… Women of the Wall has been demanding the right to pray on equal terms with men since 1988. It objects to the ultra-orthodox insistence that only men are permitted to wear prayer shawls and read or pray aloud. In the past few months, amid an escalating conflict in which the number of arrests has risen, support – both in Israel and abroad – has grown… Thousands of Jews pray every day at the Western Wall, the last remnant of the retaining wall of the Temple Mount, pushing scraps of paper bearing handwritten prayers into the cracks between its ancient golden stones. Men and women are forbidden from praying together; a small section of the wall is cordoned off for women. The site, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, is also revered in the Islamic faith and is the home of the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa mosque. Women of the Wall is "very modest in our demands", said its leader AnatHoffman: We want [to pray] one hour every month, wearing a tallit [prayer shawl] and praying aloud.” Harriet Sherwood The Observer Saturday 16 February 2013 Rabbi Susan Silverman, left, and her teenage daughter Hallel Abramowitz, center, are arrested after their Wailing Wall protest in Jerusalem.

11. Jewish Sacred Places Continued… The first Jewish Temple was built by King Solomon. Jewish priests sacrificed animals to God inside of it. After the Romans destroyed the 2nd Jewish Temple in the 1st century CE, Jews no longer practiced animal sacrifice. Instead, they would pray in synagogue. In a synagogue, services are led by a rabbi. The Torah is sung by the Cantor. *There are no images of people.

12. III Main Beliefs of Judaism A)10 Commandments (given to Moses on Mt. Sinai): • I am the lord your God who brought you out of Egypt. You shall have no other gods. • You shall not make or worship idols. • You shall not swear falsely by the name of the Lord your G-d. • Remember the Sabbath [Friday night and Saturday] and keep it holy. • Honor your father and mother. • You shall not murder. • You shall not commit adultery. • You shall not steal. • You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. • You shall not covet your neighbor’s belongings. How many commandments are about your relationship with God? How many are about your relationship with other people?

13. Main Beliefs of Judaism Continued… B) The messiah is coming and will bring peace to Earth. C) Jews believe in heaven, although the Torah does not go into a lot of detail about the afterlife. General Jewish belief is that one need not be Jewish to enjoy Heaven. "Moses Maimonides… maintained that the pious of all the nations of the world have a portion in the world-to-come [Mishneh Torah, Repentance 3:5]." Christians believe that Jesus is the messiah and will return to Earth. Why do you think that Jews do not believe this?

14. IV Sacred Texts of Judaism • The Torah “the law” is the holiest book in Judaism. It contains 613 laws or mitzvahs. It is the first part of the Tanakh (consists of the Torah, the Prophets, and the Writings). Combined, the Tanakh makes up the Jewish Bible. B) The Torah makes up the first 5 books of the Old Testament in Christianity. Unlike Jews, Christians also have a New Testament. C) The Torah is written entirely by hand on a scroll. If there is even a single mistake, the scribe has to start from scratch! It is written in Aramaic, a language similar to Hebrew. D) The Talmud is a collection of rabbinical writings that interpret, explain and apply the Torah scriptures. The Talmud was written between the 2nd and 5th century CE, yet Orthodox Jews believe it was revealed to Moses along with the Torah and preserved orally until it was written down. The Talmud is thus known as the "Oral Torah" with the first five books of the Tanakh designated the "Written Torah."

15. Torah Scroll

16. V Jewish Practices • Jews pray at synagogue. When 10 or more Jews pray together, they form a minyan. • Jews consider Shabbat to be sacred (Sundown Friday through Saturday). It is time to be spent in prayer and with your family. C) Men wear a yarmulke on their heads; a reminder that G-d is above you. A mother and daughter lighting the Shabbat candles

17. Jewish Practices Continued… D) "Kosher“ literally means "fit" or "proper." When used in relation to food products, "kosher" means that the item in question meets the dietary requirements of Jewish law. - Only land animals with cloven hooves and who chew their own cud are kosher (no pigs) - Only fish with scales are kosher. No shellfish. - No mixing meat and dairy (no cheeseburgers)

18. Jewish Practices Continued… E) Tefillin: Black leather boxes that contain pieces of the Torah. Men wear them on their head and arm. F) Tallit: Prayer shawl with 613 strings; reminder of the Torah commandments. G) Mezuzah: Rectangular box you hang by your door. Contains piece of the Torah. A mezuzah A boy wearing the tefillin and tallit. *He was already bar mitzvahed.

19. Jewish Practices Continued… H) "Bar Mitzvah" literally means "son of the commandment“ while “Bat Mitzvah” literally means “daughter of the commandment”. At the age of 13 (12 for girls), children become obligated to observe the commandments. It’s not just about a party!

20. VI Jewish Holidays A) Hanukkah commemorates a post-biblical event: the victory of the Maccabees over the Syrian-Greek rulers of Jerusalem and the subsequent rededication of the Temple in 164 BCE. When the temple was rededicated, God miraculously made the one day's worth of oil burn brightly for eight days. Hanukkah may be the Jewish holiday with which non-Jews are most familiar, due to its proximity to Christmas, but it is not the "Jewish Christmas”. You light a candle of the menorah each night of Chanukah with the center candle. On the right are latkes; potato pancakes fried in oil. Nom nomnom….

21. Jewish Holidays Continued B) Passover (Pesach) is a spring holiday commemorating the Exodus and the liberation of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt in the time of Moses (circa 13th century BCE). No leaven may be eaten during Passover; matzo - unleavened bread – is eaten instead. (During the exodus there was no time for the bread to rise.) The seder is a ritual meal shared by Jewish families. On the center of the table is the seder plate; it contains symbolic foods from the story of the Exodus. (A mixture of fruit, nuts and wine to represent the mortar the Jews used between bricks while enslaved…) The Last Supper eaten prior to the crucifixion of Jesus was a Passover Seder!

22. Jewish Holidays Continued… C) Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year. On Sep 24, 2014 it will be the year 5775. Jews celebrate it by eating sweet foods like apples and honey for a sweet new year. D) Yom Kippur“Day of Atonement” is the holiest day of the Jewish year. It is believed to be the last chance to change God's judgment of one's deeds in the previous year and his decisions one's fate in the coming year. Jews ask for forgiveness from their friends, family, and from God. They fast for 25 hours (including no liquids).

23. VI Types of Jews • Cultural Divisions within Judaism 1. Ashkenazi Jews are from Eastern Europe 2. Sephardic Jews are from Spain, North Africa, and Southwest Asia. B) Modern Religious Sects within Judaism 1. Hasidism: Hasidism emphasizes personal experiences of God over religious education and ritual. Hasidic Jews center on a leader called a rebbe, who may or may not be a rabbi. The rebbe is considered especially enlightened and close to God. 2. Orthodox: Orthodox Jews believe the entire Torah (written AND oral) remains authoritative for modern life in its entirety. Orthodox Judaism has held fast to such practices as daily worship, dietary laws (kashruth), traditional prayers and ceremonies, regular and intensive study of the Torah, and separation of men and women in the synagogue. 3. Conservative: Conservative Jews wish to conserve the traditional elements of Judaism while also allowing for reasonable modernization. Services are a mix of Hebrew and English, and men and women are allowed to sit together. 4. Reform: the most liberal Jewish sect. Women can be rabbisand cantors, and most of the services are in vernacular (everyday) languages.

24. Types of Jews Continued… America’s First Reform Female Rabbi, Sally J. Priesand On the top right is Deborah Feldman, a young woman who left her strict Satmarsect of Hasidim in Brooklyn, NY. She became controversial when she published her autobiography Unorthodox. Many in her former community have criticized her book claiming much of it is slander. “If my mind cannot be tied down, if my dreams cannot be diminished, then no amount of restraints can really guarantee my quiet submission.” –Deborah Feldman

25. Orthodox Jewish Clothing for Women

26. Why do Hasidic Males Have Side Curls? The long curls are commonly called “Payos”, or Corners. Two reasons for growing side curls are found in the writings of the Sages: One is that a man is compared to a tree (Deut. 20:19) and we let the corners of his head grow as we leave the corners of a field uncut. The second reason is to emphasize the commandment not to round off the corners of his head (Lev. 19:27). Growing long side curls is only a custom and Jewish law does not require it.

27. Focus Questions • What are the origins of the Jewish people? Is Judaism just a religion or is it also an ethnicity? • What are the main beliefs, practices (including holidays), sacred texts, and sacred places of Judaism? • What are the main types of cultural Jews as well as Jewish sects today? • Should women be allowed to pray at the Western Wall while wearing tallit? Why or why not? • How do you think the destruction of the first and second Jewish Temple effected Judaism today? Source: www.religionfacts.com

28. Key Vocabulary • Abraham • Aramaic • Ashkenazi • Bar Mitzvah • Cantor • Conservative Jews • Covenant • Hanukah • Hasidic Jews • Jerusalem • Jewish Temple • Judaism • Kosher • Mezuzah • Minyan • Orthodox Jews • Passover • Rabbi • Reform Jews • Rosh Hashanah • Sephardic • Shabbat • Synagogue • Tallit • Talmud • Tefillin • Torah • Wailing Wall • Yarmulke • Yom Kippur