Judaism Flashcards
(36 cards)
Describe the origins of Judaism:
-founded by Abraham in 1750 BCE
-One of the oldest monotheistic religions developed among the Hebrews
-Belief in one transcendent God
Describe the life of Abraham:
-Abraham is humanity’s last chance to establish a relationship with God
-First person to teach the idea that there was only one God, before then, people believed in multiple God’s
Describe the covenant between Abraham and God:
God made Abram three promises:
- the promise of a relationship with God
-Numerous descendants
-land
-Abraham had to undergo circumcision as a sign of his covenant
-God tested Abraham’s faith by asking him to sacrifice his only son- he was fully committed to God
Describe Moses, the Exodus and the giving of the Torah
-Moses was born during a time when the children of Israel lived in Egypt as slaves so he was placed in a basket in the Nile river
-He was given away because the Pharaoh feared he would grow up and fight against him
-the Lord appeared to him in flame of fire out of a bush to save his people and asked Moses to bring the Israelites out of Egypt
-Moses received from God the 10 commandments
What are the variants of Judaism?
Conservative Judaism, Orthodox Judaism, Progressive Judaism
Describe Conservative Judaism:
-the ritual law whilst binding is open to interpretation and it is up to each new generation to make the Halakic law applicable to the age
-allows gradual change in law and practice, only if it is in harmony with Jewish tradition
-practices traditional Judaism, but interprets Jewish teachings in the light of contemporary knowledge
Describe Orthodox Judaism:
-refuses to accept the reform of Judaism
-believe that the written and oral law should remain fixed
Ultra Orthodox: believe that the only way to ensure the survival of the Jewish people and its religion is to impose a strict separation on Jews from participating with secular society
Modern orthodox: maintain orthodox requirements but also seeks to live as part of the modern world
-seek to maintain observance of the Torah through carefully attending to the dietary, ritual and ethical requirements of the tradition
Describe Progressive Judaism:
-characterised by its rejection of the concept of divine revelation as a direct dictation of the Tankh by God
-Holds the belief that the Torah was written by divinely inspired human beings
-Believe that the Torah is inspirational and instructional but not binding in a literal sense, since it is not the word of God
What are the principal beliefs of Judaism?
Belief in one God, moral law and the idea of the covenant
What is belief in one God?
-Judaism views the existence of God as a necessary prerequisite for the existence of the universe
-The Shema is the basic foundation of all Jewish beliefs that is a declaration of faith that Jews proclaim twice a day
-The Shema asserts the oneness of God
-believe that God is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient
What is omnipotent?
All powerful
What is omnipresent?
All present
What is omniscient?
All knowing
What is moral law?
-the Torah binds Jews to God and has 613 Mitzvot
-Halakhah is the ethical/legal framework
-to live by the Torah and follow the Commandments is to keep the covenant and live as a religious Jew
What is the importance of the Covenant?
-lies at the heart of the Jewish religion, it is a series of agreements between God and the people of Israel
-living expression of the relationship between God and Jews
-reflects God’s faithfulness regardless of the whether the people are faithful to the covenant
What are the Sacred texts and Writings of Judaism? (sources of ethical teachings)
The Hebrew Bible and The Talmud
Describe the Torah:
-contains the expression of the covenant between God and the people of Israel
-sets out the law which Jewish people are obliged to follow in order to keep the covenant
-Shema is found in the Torah
-613 mitzvots found in the Torah which regulate all aspects of Jewish life
Describe the Hebrew Bible:
-comprised of 3 main sections
-enables the community to unite around a given set of rules
-enable the community to preserve and pass on their religious traditions
-are considered the direct words of God to man
-applied to issues in contemporary society
What is Nevi’im?
-writings in the prophets about social justice and Tikkun Olam
-provide a reminder of the importance of remaining faithful to the covenant and the blessings and curses associated with covenant fidelity or lack thereof
-reminds Jewish people of their obligation to the covenant
What is Ketuvim?
-collection of books which are loosely referred to as wisdom literature
-express practical wisdom
-books of wisdom, righteousness, purity and generosity of spirit
What is the Talmud?
-set of conclusions telling people what to do –> Mishnah
-written compilation of the oral law which Moses received on mount Sinai when he received the Torah
-explains how to carry out the laws of the Torah
-interpretation and application of the Torah to changing circumstances over successive generations
Describe the commandments of the Torah:
-the standards of ethical behaviours are derived from sacred text and writings
-the heart of the Jewish ethical system is relationships -first developing through the relationship with God
-binds Jewish adherents to God
-provides a moral compass
-answers enduring questions by providing purpose
What are the core ethical teachings?
The commandments of the Torah, The Prophetic Vision, The Books of Proverbs-wisdom, righteousness, purity and generosity of spirit
Describe the Books of Proverbs:
-one of the most significant collections within the genre of wisdom literature
-a collection of short expressive statements, which offer practical and simple advice on how to lead a moral life
Wisdom: God is the source of wisdom and influences the actions of Jewish adherents and is the means by which a person comes to know God
Righteousness: ‘ a person who lives righteously and with integrity will live a happy life regardless of their situation (Prov 19:1)
Purity: purity which is linked to integrity is a virtue that has true value and hence should be praised (Prov 11:4)
Generosity of Spirit: involves helping society’s poor vulnerable (prov 24:10) -charity and almsgiving is important for helping the needy
