Judaism

• Judaism is a monotheistic religion,

believing in one god. It is not a
racial group. Individuals may also
associate or identify with Judaism
primarily through ethnic or
cultural characteristics.
Origin of Judaism
• Judaism originates nearly 4,000 years ago in the
Middle East with a couple named Abraham and Sarah,
whom God selected to start a new people, the chosen
nation. God commanded them to relocate to a new land
(which would eventually become the Land of Israel) that
He would show them. In exchange for their devotion,
G‑d promised Abraham that they would be blessed with
many children and that they would be a source of
blessing for others as well.
• Judaism is one of the world’s oldest
religions, dating back nearly 4,000 years,
and is considered to be the original
Abrahamic faith (which include Islam and
Christianity). As a monotheistic faith,
followers of Judaism believe in one God
who revealed himself through ancient
prophets, including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
Moses, Solomon and others
Founder of Judaism
• The origins of Jewish faith are explained
throughout the Torah. According to the text,
God first revealed himself to a Hebrew man
named Abraham, who became known as
the founder of Judaism.
• Jews believe that God made a special
covenant with Abraham and that he and his
descendants were chosen people who
would create a great nation.
• Genesis 17:4-6 NIV
• “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will
be the father of many nations. No longer will you
be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for
I have made you a father of many nations. I will
make you very fruitful; I will make nations of
you, and kings will come from you.
• Throughout their history, Jews have
been subject to persecution for their
faith, including the deaths of about 6
million Jews during the Holocaust. The
history of Judaism is essential to
understanding the Jewish faith, which
has a rich and influential heritage of
law, culture and tradition.
Sacred text of Judaism
• The Torah is the equivalent of the Jewish
Bible. It is the holiest book in Judaism, the
foundation of Christianity and Islam, and the
key to all religious thought in Judaism. Many
Jews regard the Torah as the word of God.
The Torah and the first parts of the Hebrew
Bible and Old Testament are essentially the
same things. The term Torah (meaning
“guidance and instruction” or "law")
 torah
• The Torah is the first part of the Jewish bible. The
central and most important document of Judaism
and used by Jews through the ages, it refers to the
five books of Moses which are known in Hebrew as
Chameesha Choomshey Torah. These are: Bresheit
(Genesis), Shemot (Exodus), Vayicra (Leviticus),
Bamidbar (Numbers), and Devarim (Deuteronomy).
Jews believe that God dictated the Torah to Moses on
Mount Sinai 50 days after their exodus from Egyptian
slavery. They believe that the Torah shows how God
wants Jews to live. It contains 613 commandments
and Jews refer to the ten best known of these as the
Parts of Torah
• The Old Testament and the Torah consist of 929 chapters in 39
"books," each of which is thought to have originally corresponded
with individual scrolls. With the exception of the books of Daniel and
Ezra and one verse of Jeremiah, which were written in Aramaic, all the
Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew. Much of it follows
the history of the Jewish people and the development of their faith in
one God. The Torah has traditionally been divided into three sections:
Laws, Prophets and Sacred Writings. The Laws, told to Moses by God,
consists of five books: “Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers “ and
“Deuteronomy” . These are all said to have been delivered to Moses
on Mount Sinai and are regarded as a direct and fundamental
revelation. As is true with Muslims and the Koran, every word of The
Laws is regarded as sacred and the word of God, and for this reason it
has precedence over other texts. The final chapter is Chronicles.
• The Prophets (“Nebiim” ) consists of 21 Books,
including “Joshua, Isaiah, Jeremiah” and
“Ezekiel” . And the Sacred Writings (“Kethubium”
) is made up of the last 13 books including the
“Psalms, Proverbs, Daniel, Job” and the “Song of
Solomon” . Torah contains 613 commands: 248
positive ones and 365 negative ones. The last
events end in 150 B.C.
Talmud
• The second most important document in Judaism after the
Torah is the “Talmud” , a collection of Jewish laws, traditions,
poems, anecdotes, biographies, prophecies and rabbinical
interpretations of scriptures and commentaries. The Talmud
is divided into the “Mishna” (text) and the “Gemara”
(commentary about the “Mishna”). The Talmud is primarily a
collection of interpretations of the Torah and a record of the
oral tradition of the Jews. The codification that led to the
Talmud was done to avoid the dissolution of Judaism by
providing laws and guidance for situations not addressed in
the Torah.
• The Hebrew term Talmud (“study” or “learning”) commonly
refers to a compilation of ancient teachings regarded as
sacred and normative by Jews from the time it was compiled
until modern times and still so regarded by traditional
religious Jews.
• The Talmud is the comprehensive written version of the
Jewish oral law and the subsequent commentaries on it. It
originates from the 2nd century CE. The word Talmud is
derived from the Hebrew verb 'to teach', which can also be
expressed as the verb 'to learn'. The Talmud is the source
from which the code of Jewish Halakhah (law) is derived. It is
made up of the Mishnah and the Gemara. The Mishnah is
the original written version of the oral law and the Gemara is
the record of the rabbinic discussions following this writing
down.
• The Mishnah (original oral law written down) is divided into six
parts which are called Sedarim, the Hebrew word for order (s).
• 1) Zera'im (Seeds), is about the laws on agriculture, prayer, and
tithes
• 2) Mo'ed (Festival), is about the sabbath and the festivals
• 3) Nashim (Women), is about marriage, divorce and contracts –
oaths
• 4) Nezikin (Damages), is about the civil and criminal laws, the
way courts operate and some further laws on oaths
• 5) Kodashim (Holy Things), is about sacrificing and the laws of
the Temple and the dietary laws
• 6) Toharot (Purities), is about the laws of ritual purity and
impurity.
Seven Names of God
• In medieval times, God was sometimes called The
Seven, referring to the seven major names by which he was
known among the Jews. Each of the names was considered
sacred. The seven names for the deity over which the ancient
scribes were instructed to exercise particular care were:
1.YHWH (i.e. Jehovah) – “The Lord or Jehovah”
2.El – "El Shaddai" (God Almighty),
3.Elohim – “ God”
4.Adonai – “My Lord”
5.Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh – “I am that I am”
6.El Elyon – “God Most High”
7.Sabaoth - that which goes forth” and for “armies” or “hosts.”
Sects of Judaism
Orthodox
a major branch within Judaism that teaches strict adherence to
rabbinical interpretation of Jewish law and its traditional
observances.

Conservative
The Conservative/Masorti movement practices traditional
Judaism, but interprets Jewish teaching in the light of
contemporary knowledge and scholarship. Conservative Judaism
allows gradual change in law and practice, but only if the change is
in harmony with Jewish tradition.
Reform Liberal
Reform Judaism, also known as Liberal
Judaism or Progressive Judaism, is a Jewish denomination
that emphasizes the evolving nature of Judaism, the superiority
of its ethical aspects to its ceremonial ones, and belief in a
continuous search for truth and knowledge, which is closely
intertwined with human reason and not limited to the
theophany at Mount Sinai.
Issues in Judaism
• Antisemitism
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is
hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews.A
person who holds such positions is called an antisemite.
Antisemitism is a form of racism
• Zionism
Zionism, or Jewish nationalism, is a modern political movement. Its core
beliefs are that all Jews constitute one nation (not simply a religious or
ethnic community) and that the only solution to anti-Semitism is the
concentration of as many Jews as possible in Palestine/Israel and the
establishment of a Jewish state there.
Activity: story Telling
• Directions: Identify a story from your Old Testament
bible which demonstrates the Jewish belief in one
God. Record yourself while telling the story. Then
send the video to through messenger.
• Follow the steps while recording the video: 1. Tell
your name and section 2.Tell the chapter and
verses of your chosen story
• 3. Tell the story