Understanding Judaism: A Covenant with God & Israel's Ancient Heritage

1. Judaism A Covenant with God

2. Jewish tradition depicts the universe as being governed by an all-powerful personal God who intervenes in history to reward the righteous and punish the unjust.

3. “Israel” refers to all those who answer the call and who acknowledge and strive to obey the one God, through the Torah…given to the patriarchs, Moses, and the prophets.” Israelalso means “one who struggles with God”.

4. Brief History • Begins with Tanakh – The Old Testament • Creation of the world by God • Moses spoke to God-- received the Ten Commandments • After 70 CE.– Talmud evolved

5. The Pentateuch • Five books of the Old Testament • Given by Moses • Assumed its final form in the days of Ezra the Scribe in the fifth century BCE.

6. Four Views of the Old Testament • Traditional view – texts dictated by God to Moses • Or… Moses divinely inspired, but not dictated by God • Or…Moses inspired like poet or artist • Or…there were different texts written by four different authors

7. Old Testament Timeline • 1250 B.C. – oral history of the conquest of the land of Caanan • 1000 – united tribes under King David, stories written by J-author (Judah view) • 900 – death of Solomon sees kingdom split into Judah & Israel (10 tribes north). The northern view written by E-author that emphasize Moses

8. 722 B.C. – Assyria conquers Israel and some flee back to southern Judah. Two versions combined into JE version document. Thus two creation stories, two Ten Commandments, etc. • 650– Temple rites given in P-document, most is in Torah today • 609 – “lost” scroll of Moses found, called the D-document, book of Deuteronomy

9. 580– Judah conquered by Babylon and exiled for 50 years. • 450 – A “Redactor” with lots of cuts and pastes, combines JE, P, and D into one smooth flowing narrative. The five books of Moses are assembled. There have been no more changes since that time.

10. Two Creation Stories • Genesis 1 – poetic account of creation in seven days, man & woman placed as masters of the earth (Priestly source) • Genesis 2 – Earlier version, supreme male diety, woman is offshoot and cause for man’s trouble (Yahwist source)

11. Abraham • Born Ten generations after Noah, • Has son with Egyptian slave woman Hagar – Ishmael is Arab ancestor that gives birth to the Arab world and Islam • Wife Sarah has son when 90 – Isaac , father of Jacob, who gives birth to Judaism and eventually Christianity

12. Fork in the road… Ishmael: birth to Islam Isaac: birth to Judaism & Christianity Abraham – the common source

13. Jacob re-named Israel • Twelve sons • Left for Egypt during famine • Four centuries later had many descendants • Too powerful so Pharaoh makes them slaves

14. Moses Moses orders 3,000 killed who worshipped the idol.

15. David – The First King • after centuries of wandering • Captures Jerusalem • Begins Israelite empire • Grandson is Solomon

16. King Solomon • Gains great personal wealth • Built altars to wives • 10 tribes leave to create Kingdom of Israel • Solomon creates Kingdom of Judah

17. Ten Tribes of Israel • Corrupt government • Assyria captures Israel • Many return to Judah • Judah is eventually captured by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia • People taken from Judah were thenceforth known as Jews

18. Return to Jerusalem • 50 years of exile in Babylon • Rebuilt temple in 515 BCE • Those who did not return were said to be living in the “Diaspora” • Ezra “redacts” or edits the Pentateuch for the last time • The Torah established as the spiritual foundation for a dispersed people

19. Zoroastrianism Satan, hierarchy of angels, reward or punishment in an afterlife, final resurrection of the body, and the Day of Judgment influence Judaism

20. Roman General Pompey The last independent Jewish nation was conquered by Roman General Pompey 63 years before the birth of Jesus. It would take another twenty centuries before there would be another Jewish state.

21. Three Sects of Jews • Sadducees – priests & business people • Pharisees– liberal citizens from all classes • Essenes – the mystics and strict living at Qumran

22. The Dead Sea Scrolls • 2,000 year old scrolls • Spiritual disciplines • Ready for the Messiah…Jesus?

23. Bible Scholarship • Look at the facts verses myth or symbolism • Understand the time period each piece was written • Understand the purpose of the writing

24. Book of Ruth • Jews recovering from defeat by Babylon • Thought Judah was punished because lack of purity • Started “ethnic purification” • Ezra said must be full-blooded Jew back to 10th generation

25. Story of Ruth • Ruth married Moab, a Jew. His mother was Naomi • Jewish men all die, Naomi tries to get Ruth to leave to find safety • Ruth swears her allegiance to her mother-in-law…

26. Ruth “…for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God…” (Ruth 1:16) Ruth acted in the highest standards of the Jewish Torah by caring for her mother-in-law. Ruth eventually re-married and had a son Obed. Obed had a son Jessie………the father of the future King David. (David was not full-blooded Jew!)

27. Jesus was born

28. Romans destroy the Jews • 70 CE - the Roman army slaughter the Jews • They destroy the Temple in Jerusalem • All that was left was the Western Wall today called the “wailing wall”

29. Judaism could have died then Many turn to the rabbis and the Torah Some turn to Jesus as the Jewish Messiah Both groups build on Hebrew Bible The Jews are dispersed again

30. The Talmud A vast compendium of laws.

31. Maimonides 1200 CE “What is man’s singualr function here on earth? …to contemplate abstract intellectual matters and to discover truth… And the highest intellectual contemplation that man can develop is the knowledge of God and his unity.”

32. In the Middle Ages Jews tended to dominate international trade between Muslim and Christian realms because of their facility with languages and ability to find supportive co-religionists in virtually any community.

33. Jews expendable The literacy still belonged to the Church in the Middle Ages. Eventually Christians took over financial institutions and the Jews were expendable. The Jews of Spain in 1492 were forced to leave a country where they had lived for over a thousand years. The next 500 years they were taxed heavily and often isolated in ghettoes all over Europe.

34. Holidays • Bar Mitzvah – coming of age at 13 • Rosh Hahanah – spiritual renewal • Yom Kippur – renewing covenant with God • Hanukkah – celebration of ancient victory resulting in right to worship • Passover – liberation from bonds of slavery in Egypt

35. Hebrew Teachings – Three Levels The Torah Law & The Prophets And………

36. The Holy Kabbalah Crown Wisdom Under-standing Strength Mercy Beauty Glory Power Intuition The World

37. “Kabbalah subscribes to the idea of reincarnation, called Gilgulim or the Turnings in Hebrew. Our free will, leading to willful, will-less or willing actions, generates what in India is called karma, and in Kabbalah reward and punishment (unto the third and fourth generation).” Kabbalah Tradition of Hidden Knowledge, Z’ev ben Shimon Halevi

38. The Holy Kabbalah Crown Wisdom Under-standing Strength Mercy Beauty Glory Power Intuition The World

39. The Tarot Connection Many use 22 cards of the major arcana of The Tarot to study and meditate on the 22 paths within The Holy Kabbalah. The following few slides give some indication of how this process can be useful. (The remaining material requires a lengthy oral presentation.)

40. The Fool

41. The Magician

42. Outward & Return Journey

43. The Holy Kabbalah Crown Wisdom Under-standing Strength Mercy Beauty Glory Power Intuition The World