Who were the Jews?

1. Who were the Jews? A History of a People

2. The Ancient Tribal People • Nomadic Bedouin tribes • Enslaved by the Egyptians at some point during the 2nd half of the 2nd century BCE • Mass exodus led by Moshe (Moses) • Exodus as a symbol of hope—emergence from slavery to freedom (used throughout the world even today)

3. Monotheism— unexpected & unpopular • Strict and uncompromising monotheism—unprecedented at the time • Abstract god, without shape or form • Biblical passages with God speaking are interpreted as symbolic because God would not speak • Concept of one god in the ancient world meant that all people were equal—revolutionary • Jews were strange in the context of ancient civilizations

4. Basics of Mosaic Law • Slaves liberated after 7 years (Ex. 21:2) • Freeing all slaves who were mistreated (Ex 21:26-27) • Equality before the law (Ex. 21:20, 23-25) • Prohibition of murder and theft • Absolute sanctity of human life • Egyptians’, Romans’, Greeks’, Babylonians’ cultures all built on slavery and were strictly hierarchical • Jews’ notions were dangerous to their ways of life

5. The Chosen People • Jews commonly speak of being “God’s chosen people” • They see this as a burden on their ancestors—chosen to be different • Described to be like a mountain in the form of a water tub turned upside down and placed on their heads • When asked if they accepted the Law, they agreed (much like the Christians’ version of the Virgin Mary agreeing to accept the burden of birthing Jesus)

6. The Jews’ Job • Follow the 613 commandments • No rewards • Pride and sense of obligation to observe the commandments with no reward • When the Messiah comes, the Jewish function on earth would cease • Satisfaction in obeying God’s command

7. 7 Laws of Noah • No idolatry • No incest • No murder • No vivisection of animals • No cursing of God • No theft • Justice for fellow man Any non-Jew who followed these would be righteous in God’s eyes.

8. Kingdoms of the Jewish Faith • Two main areas: Kingdom of Israel in the north, and Judah in the south • Jews worshipped their own God and also gods of surrounding cultures for many years as monotheism developed (slowly) • Both civilizations fall in the midst of conflict between Egypt and Babylon between 700s and 500s BCE. • Jews exist for hundreds of years in exile throughout various areas

9. Romans and the Jews • Tried to merge jews into Greco-Roman pagan civilization • Side Note***What does “pagan” mean? • Pagan—any religion not associated with Christianity, Judaism, or Islam • Pharisees—loyal and popular adherents to the Jewish traditions • Sadducees—(upper class) favored a compromise with Greco-Roman tradition • Rebellion led by self-proclaimed Messiah, Shimon Bar-Kochba. Failed and Jewish pop. was decimated.

10. Jesus was a Jew • Jesus of Nazareth—an observant Jew and also a rebel • Tried to adapt old and contemporary Jewish ideas to a new mold or form • Death demanded by Judean supporters of the High Priest because in Jewish eyes, he was declaring himself a false Messiah • Several “false Messiahs” over the past 2000 years—most notably, Shabtai, who led several thousand people toward Palestine in the 1600s before converting to be a Moslem

11. Jews Persecuted • Decided that the Jews should not be killed, but be humiliated and persecuted because they are condemned by God • Wander from place to place—expelled brutally from all of their areas

12. Jewish Dietary Laws • Strict law requires that Jews not eat: • Pork • Certain seafood • Food with blood in it • No mixing of dairy and meat in the same meal • “Kosher”—describes how animals should be slaughtered • Led to some social isolation, as meals were not to be shared with neighbors (out of step with the norms)

13. Jewish Holidays • Shabbat (Sabbath): • Saturday (Friday sundown to Saturday sundown) • No work • Prayer/religious study • Rosh Hashanah: • New Year • The ram’s horn (shofar) is blown to serve as the beginning of the ten days of repentance which end with Yom Kippur • Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement): • Holiest day of the year • Day that individuals are judged by God—marked by fasting, prayer, and repentance • Passover: • 8 day festival, “Seder” is feast on first two nights, freeing of Israelites

14. Holidays (cont’d) • Shavuot (Feast of Weeks): • Giving of the Torah to Israelites at Mt. Sinai • Pentecost • Succot: • Final harvest festival commemorates wandering in the desert • Hanukkah: • 8 day festival for victory in 165BCE of the Israelites over the Syrian-Greek king, Epiphanes, and rededication of Temple • Festival of Lights

15. Ritual Clothing for Men During Prayer • Skull Cap (Kippah, yarmulke): worn by Jewish men and boys, usually Orthodox or Conservative Jews • Phylacteries: either of two small leather boxes, containing strips of parchment inscribed with quotations from the Hebrew Scriptures, one strapped to the forehead, one to the left arm • Fringed Shawl: worn during prayer

16. Life Events • Circumcision—8 days after birth to symbolize covenant between Abraham and God—boy is named on this day • Bar/Bat Mitzvah—13 years old, read from Torah for 1st time • Marriage/Divorce—man breaks a glass to symbolize the destruction of the Temple, they sign a contract, to get a divorce, the couple must obtain a Get from the Jewish court • Death/Mourning—Kaddish, a ritual prayer, is said. 7-day mourning period called “Shiva”

17. A World Apart • Very particular customs, beliefs, that were different from the majority of those around them • Led to social, religious isolation • Intolerance and suspicion of these differences led to antisemitism, fear, and hatred