Ancient Israel

Historical Overview• Ancient Israel is the birthplace of

the 3 great monotheistic religions of the world: Judaism, Christianity and Islam

• Ancient Israel dates back approximately 4000 years to the books of the Old Testament

• Great patriarchs of Judaism: Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Joshua

• Hebrews, Israelites, Jews: have all undergone persecution throughout history; from Babylonian Captivity, Exodus, Diaspora, Spanish Inquisition, Holocaust

Jacob (grandson of Abraham)• Abraham’s grandson

Jacob took name “Israel” which means “God ruled” and organized Israelites into 12 tribes

• Some tribes settled in Egypt (due to drought and famine) and where subjected to Pharaoh rule and slavery

Tracing Roots of Israel’s History• Nomadic tribes wandered into

Palestine from east in approximately 1900 BCE

• Mesopotamian society dominated by polytheism

• God (Yahweh) appeared before Patriarch Abraham and told Abraham “to go and raise a great nation”

• This began the monotheistic tradition of the Hebrew faith with the establishment of the “Covenant”, “Chosen People” and “Promised Land”

• Abraham settled in Canaan• Story: Sacrifice of Abraham

Moses & Exodus: “Let My People Go!”

• Moses received revelations from God: burning bush, rod / staff, 10 plagues, parting of the Red Sea

• End of 13th century BCE- Moses led the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt during Rames II reign called the EXODUS

• Moses led the 12 Tribes of Israel to Mount Sinai where Yahweh gave him the 10 Commandments, uniting the Hebrews under one God

• Moses and Hebrews searched for the “Promised Land” or the land of milk and honey, however they wandered in the desert for 40 years

Judaism is…

• “A 4000 year old tradition with ideas about what it means to be human and how to make the world a holy place” (Rabbi Harold Kushner, To Life)

• A “covenant relationship” between God and the Hebrew people

• A celebration and sanctification of life

• A faith, a people, a way of life…

A 4000 year old tradition…

• The Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob (“Israel”) – origins of the Hebrew people (more than 3800 years ago)

• Enslaved in ancient Egypt and freed by Moses (more than 3300 years ago)

• Hebrew monarchy in the “Promised Land” (The Land of Israel), ends 6th century BCE

Kings of Israel• 1230 BCE, Israelites guided

by Joshua, invaded Canaan (Promised Land)

• 1020 BCE: first king of Israelites was Saul, then David, then Solomon

• Under King David the Israelites captured city of Jerusalem

• King Solomon built the Temple of Jerusalem, to house the Arc of the Covenant (sacred box to hold Torah)

• Solomon’s Temple was destroyed during Babylonian invasion, rebuilt in 6th century BCE, and destroyed again in 70 CE by the Romans

• Only remaining part of Solomon’s Temple is the Western Wall

What is in a name?

• Hebrew means “From across”- name given to Abraham and his followers

• Israelites: Abraham’s grandson Jacob renamed Israel which means “he who has wrestled with God”. His descendants were called “Israelites”

• Jews: named after Jacob’s son Judah, ancient father of tribe of King David’s dynasty

As a faith, Jews Believe…

• In one God, creator of the universe, personal but non-corporeal

• In prophets of old – especially Moses, through whom Torah was revealed to the Hebrew people

• In Torah (first five books of the Bible), containing religious, moral and social law which guides the life of a Jew

• The Hebrew Bible does not include the New Testament

As a people, Jews are…

• A nation in Diaspora (dispersed)• 15 – 16 million in worldwide

population• United by a common heritage (an

“ethnic” religion), divided in contemporary practice:–Orthodox:• Modern• Chasidic (Ultra Orthodox)

– Reformed (18th century Germany)– Conservative – moderates, response

to reform• Reconstructionalism (20th century

America)

Star of David

• The Star of David is a six-pointed star made up of two triangles superimposed over each other. In Judaism it is often called the Magen David, which means the "shield of David" in Hebrew.

• It doesn’t have any religious significance in Judaism but it is one of the symbols most commonly associated with the Jewish people. In many ways it has come to be a symbol of unity.

Symbolic meaning

• There are many ideas about the symbolic meaning of the Star of David. Some Kabbalists thought that the six points represented God's absolute rule over the universe in all six directions: north, south, east, west, up and down. They also believed that the triangles represented humanity’s dual nature – good and evil – and that the star could be used as protection against evil spirits.

As a way of life, Judaism is based on…

• 613 commandments found in Torah (“Written Law”)

• Talmud (“Oral Law”) – commentary of ancient rabbis that elaborates on how to apply God’s Law in everyday life through:– Dietary rules (Kashrut/Kosher)– Dress and other symbols– Prayer and devotion to the one God– The Temple and Temple rites– Observance of Holy days– Proper social relations between male and

female, in business, judicial rulings, etc.• Thus sanctifying life, blessing it in every way

How does Judaism sanctify life?

Life cycle celebrations:• Bris – ritual circumcision, sign of the

covenant• Bar/Bat Mitzvah – full adult status and

responsibility within the religion• Marriage - "Be fruitful and multiply"

(Gen. 1:22)• Death – funerals, mourning (sitting

“Shiva”), and memorials (“Yartzeits”)

How does Judaism sanctify time?

The Jewish Holidays:• High Holidays:– Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)– Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)

• Sukkot, the “Festival of Booths” (fall harvest festival)

• Simchat Torah – celebrating Torah

• Hanukkah, the “Festival of Lights”

• Passover:• Passover is a predominantly Jewish holy day and festival. It

commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt. Passover begins on the 15th day of the month of Nisan, which is spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and is celebrated for seven or eight days. It is one of the most widely observed Jewish holidays, and is commemorated by affiliated and nonaffiliated Jews alike as a time to contemplate the endurance of the Jewish people throughout history.

Passover• In the narrative of the Exodus, the Bible tells that God inflicted ten plagues

upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh would release his Hebrew slaves, with the tenth plague being the killing of every firstborn male, from the Pharaoh's son to the firstborn of the dungeon captive, to the firstborn of cattle. The Hebrews were instructed to mark the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a spring lamb and, upon seeing this, the spirit of the Lord passed over these homes, hence the term "passover“. When Pharaoh freed the Hebrews, it is said that they left in such a hurry that they could not wait for bread to rise. In commemoration, for the duration of Passover no leavened bread is eaten, for which reason it is called "The Festival of the Unleavened Bread“. Matzo (flat unleavened bread) is the primary symbol of the holiday.

More Holy Days…

• Purim (“Lots”) – a carnival (commemorates events told in book of Esther)

• Pesach (“Passover”) – commemorates the exodus from Egypt (events told in Exodus)

• Shavuot (“weeks,” Pentecost) – commemorates receipt of Torah at Sinai

• Other, minor festivals• Shabbat (Sabbath, 7th day, on

Saturday) – the “Day of Rest”

How is Judaism related to Christianity?

• Judaism predates Christianity – it is the foundation of Christianity but is not a part of it

• Jesus was Jewish, as were his followers and the Apostles

• Jews do not believe that Jesus was anything more than a good and wise man who lived and died 2000 years ago – Jews still await their messiah

• The Jewish messiah would not be divine. He would be a political figure who restores the Hebrew monarchy and causes peace to reign on Earth

• Jews are not concerned about salvation and the “world to come”

What are Jews really concerned about?

• Tikkun Olam - “repairing this world” through justice and righteousness; through “deed, not creed”

• The heart of Judaism is in the home and family, social responsibility and doing Mitzvot (“good deeds” based on God’s commandments)

• Through education and hard work we make our lives, the lives of others, and the world, what God intended it to be – Holy!

LeChaim!

To Life!

To Life!

Web resources

• Judaism 101: http://jewfaq.org/ ”an online encyclopedia of Judaism, covering Jewish beliefs, people, places, things, language, scripture, holidays, practices and customs”

• ReligiousTolerance.org on Judaism: http://www.religioustolerance.org/judaism.htm

• This P0werpoint presentation available at: http://www.nvcc.edu/home/lshulman/Rel232/resource/judaism.ppt