Chapter 8: Judaism

After reading this chapter, you will be able to do the following:
• Discuss developments in the four general periods of Jewish history.
• Describe the three parts of the Hebrew Bible.
• Retell some of the major stories in the Hebrew scriptures.
• Describe Jewish religious practices.
• Explain the characteristics of the major divisions within Judaism.
• Discuss the history of persecution that culminated in the Holocaust.
• Discuss challenges Judaism faces in the modern world.

The history of the Jews can be divided into four periods of time that began with a homeless people called the Hebrews or Israelites.

They eventually found a homeland in Israel marked with the milestones of establishing a kingly dynasty, a capital in Jerusalem, and a temple. A second period began in the sixth century B.C.E. when the kingdom of Judah and its first temple were destroyed and the people were forced into a fifty-year exile in Babylon. This event led to the emergence of the synagogue and prompted putting religious law and history in written form to guarantee its survival.

After the exile, the work of the priests took on great significance. Influences from the surrounding cultures also began to enter into Jewish life and knowledge of Hebrew declined. With foreign domination came Zoroastrian ideas and later the appeal of Hellenistic culture. Tensions between accommodation and rejection of external influences led to the rise of religious factions after 165 B.C.E. These included the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the Zealots, and the Essenes, who possibly assembled the Dead Sea Scrolls.

This period also saw the growth of the Diaspora, Jewish communities outside the land of Israel.
The next period was initiated in the Common Era when the second temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E. This ended the power of the priesthood, whose sacrificial rituals were no longer possible, and forced the religion to move toward a greater focus on scripture. The Hebrew canon was finalized and commentaries were written. Classical or rabbinic Judaism and traditional Jewish life were established, as was mystical Kabbalah. Great communities in the Diaspora both flourished and endured persecution, mainly at the hands of European Christians. The final period, called the Reform, began in about 1800 as a response to the European Enlightenment. It was an impetus to question and modernize traditional Judaism, and it helped produce the diverse branches within Judaism today, which hold differing views on Jewish identity and practice. Centuries of persecution and dislocation reached a climax with the Holocaust under the reign of Adolf Hitler. One-third of all Jews were killed. Out of the ashes, the Nation of Israel was born.
Judaism is often associated with its most important book. The Hebrew Bible contains a variety of material that essentially records interactions and responses between the people and a God who is portrayed in complex ways, perhaps reflecting different ancient traditions that were ultimately combined. The scriptures are divided into three parts. First is the Torah, the sacred core of five books containing stories of the Creation, Adam and Eve, a Great Flood, the Hebrew patriarchs and matriarchs, and Moses, the great liberator and lawgiver. It includes laws about religious ritual and daily conduct, including the Ten Commandments. The second part is called the Prophets, after those people who spoke in God’s name to the Jewish people. The third part is called the Writings, which include a variety of material, such as short stories, proverbs, poetry, and reflections on life.
Judaism centers on a way of life that recognizes the presence of God and the sanctification of human life. Beyond embracing the Ten Commandments, the most obvious examples are keeping the Sabbath, observing holy days and festivals, and following dietary practices. The mythic power of its great stories and the clarity of its ethical codes have shaped Western civilization. Judaism is known for its strong moral orientation and a this-worldly focus that has led to major contributions in multiple fields.

Jews who lived in or came from central Europe.

“Son of the commandment” (Aramaic); the coming-of-age ceremony that marks the time when a young man is considered a legal adult within the Jewish community.

“Daughter of the commandment” (Aramaic); the coming-of-age ceremony that marks the time when a young woman is considered a legal adult within the Jewish community.

Judaism before the destruction of the Second Temple (70 C.E.).

An ancient name for the land of Israel.

A branch of Judaism that attempts to blend the best of old and new Judaism.

A contract; the contract between the Hebrews and their God, Yahweh.

The dispersion of Jews beyond Israel, particularly to Persia, Egypt, and the Mediterranean region.

A semimonastic Jewish reclusive group that flourished from about 150 B.C.E. to 68 C.E.

An early-winter festival recalling the rededication of the Second Temple, celebrated with the lighting of the candles for eight days.

The destruction of European Judaism by the Nazis; also known as Shoah (Hebrew: “extermination”).

“Received,” “handed down”; the whole body of Jewish mystical literature.

“Writings”; the third section of the Hebrew Scriptures, consisting primarily of poetry, proverbs, and literary works.

“Ritually correct”; said particularly about food consumption and food preparation.

A candelabrum usually containing seven—and occasionally nine—branches used for religious celebrations.

A savior figure to be sent by God, awaited by the Jews.

“Search”; rabbinical commentary on the scriptures and oral law.

“Prophets”; the second section of the Hebrew Scriptures, made up of historical and prophetic books.

The most traditional branch of Judaism.

A joyful spring festival that recalls the Hebrews’ exodus from Egypt and freedom from oppression.

A faction during the Second-Temple period that emphasized the observation of biblical rules.

A person inspired by God to speak for him.

Joyous festival in early spring that recalls the Jews’ being saved from destruction, as told in the book of Esther.

A religious teacher; a Jewish minister.

The Judaism that developed after the destruction of the Second Temple (70 C.E.).

A modern liberal branch of Judaism that emphasizes the cultural aspects of Judaism.

A movement beginning in the nineteenth century that questioned and modernized Judaism; a liberal branch of Judaism.

“Beginning of the year”; the celebration of the Jewish New Year, occurring on the seventh lunar month.

“Rest”; the seventh day of the week (Saturday), a day of prayer and rest from work.

A priestly faction, influential during the Second-Temple period.

“Order”; a special ritual meal at Passover, recalling the Hebrews’ exodus from Egypt.

Jews of Spain, Morocco, and the Mediterranean region.

“Booths”; a festival in the late autumn that recalls the Jews’ period of wandering in the desert after their exodus from Egypt.

A prayer shawl worn by devout males.

An encyclopedic commentary on the Hebrew Scriptures.

The complete Hebrew Scriptures, made up of the Torah, Prophets, and Writings.

Phylacteries; two small boxes containing biblical passages that are worn by Orthodox males on the heads and left arm at morning prayer during the week.

A revelation or appearance of God.

“Teaching,” “instruction”; the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures; also the additional instructions of God, believed by many to have been transmitted orally from Moses through a succession of teachers and rabbis.

The foundation stones of the western wall of the last temple of Jerusalem, today a place of prayer.

The skullcap worn by devout males.

Day of Atonement, the most sacred day of the Jewish year.

An anti-Roman, nationalistic Jewish faction, active during the Roman period of control over Israel.

The movement that has encouraged the creation and support of the nation of Israel.

False

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True

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True

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True

True

True

False

True

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False

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False

True

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False

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False

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True

B) Abraham.

B) covenant.

C) prophet.

C) a burning bush.

A) Pentateuch.

D) Saul.

C) the Assyrians

A) the Babylonians

C) Zealots.

D) Essenes.

C) Kabbalah.

D) Yom Kippur.

D) Russia.

B) tefillin

A) biblical Judaism.

“extermination”).
A) Kabbalah
B) Passover
C) Holocaust
D) Purim: C) Holocaust

A) Zionism.

A) Sadducees

B) Kosher

C) Messiah

A) Rosh Hashanah

A) theophany

B) Passover

A) Orthodox.

A) Sabbath

A) Conservative Judaism

A) rabbi

D) yarmulke

D) Bat mitzvah

A) Sadducees

D) diaspora

A) Hanukkah

B) Zionism

D) Talmud

C) Seder

C) mitzvah

A) menorah

B) Torah

D) rabbi

B) Canaan

C) midrash

D) theophany

A) Pharisees

D) Zealots

C) Sukkot

A) Sabbath

A) Kabbalah

C) Rosh Hashanah

C) Yom Kippur

D) Messiah

B) bar

C) Sephardim

A) Ashkenazim

Sadducees

diaspora

Hanukkah4

Zionism

Talmud

Seder

mitzvah

menorah

Torah

rabbi

Canaan

midrash

theophany

Pharisees

Zealots

Sukkot

Sabbath

Kabbalah

Rosh Hashanah

Yom Kippur

Messiah

bar

Sephardim

Ashkenazim