RSTD 212 Exam 2

• "Lord"
• Ways of referring to the central deity in the Hebrew Bible

• "The Name"
• ways of referring to the central deity in the Hebrew Bible

God's law or instructions; comes in written and oral forms

God created the heavens and the earth, which are real and not an illusion

an agreement between God and Israel exchanging worship and protection (contract/testament)

7th day of the week, sundown to sundown, in honor of God's resting for a day after creating for six days. Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon

the belief that there is only one supreme God for all people

ongoing commentary on Torah, filled with many stories

• Did you conduct your affairs honestly?
• Did you set aside time for Torah study?
• Did you work at having children?
• Did you look to the world's redemption?

False. Judaism's relationship to its scripture has always been more free and playful. God is a practical being

("the anointed one") a descendant of King David who restores the Jewish kingdom

Ethics. Belief that ethics rather than theological criteria for judgment, stress less the beliefs that one assent to and more the moral value of one's actions

historical events seen as revealing God's will

Genesis 12

Canaan, "to the land that I will show you" (Romans called it "Palestine" which used to belong to the Philistines)

Harran (originally from Ur)

An oak tree with sacred significance. Represents the practices of the indigenous religions of Canaan

Moses came across the bush that was burning but was not disintegrating. Heard God's voice in it

Mount Horeb, or Mount Sinai

He answered, "Here am I"

A land flowing with milk and honey (sign of prosperity)

1870 BCE

1280 BCE

960 BCE

586-538 BCE

515 BCE

430 BCE

70 CE

500 BCE

1492 CE

c. 1800 CE

1937-1945 CE

1948 CE

Hebrews, Israelites, Jews (Judeans), Israelis

began with Abraham. refers to the ancestral tribes before Israel became a nation under Moses during the Exodus (outcasts)

began with Moses. Hebrew tribes who followed Moses into the wilderness

the Israelites who returned to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem after 538 - their religion is now called Judaism

citizens of the modern state of Israel (founded in 1948)

for the sake of simplicity, we can refer to the whole of this religion as Judaism

Bible, "Old Testament", Jewish Bible, Hebrew Bible, Torah, Tanak (Tanakh), Talmud (commentary on the Torah)

"instruction". Numerous meanings. written, associated with Moses. Genesis, exodus, leviticus, numbers, deuteronomy

• T= Torah (Law/instructions)
• N = Nevi'im (the Prophets)
• K = Kethuvim (the Writings, such as song of solomon, proverbs, psalms)

Oral Torah. associated with Rabbis, trying to make sense of the text.

first level of commentary in the Talmud

commentary on the Mishnah in the Talmud

text that a religious community holds to be especially sacred and authoritative

a more or less fixed collection of books regarded as scriptural

a book that passage by passage explains a scripture

a literary form, such as poetry, myth (stories), narrative history, and philosophical meditation (reflection)

word-of-mouth transmission of a sacred tradition over many generations

Jews who practice strict adherence to the Talmud

Jews who apply methods of historical criticism to the Talmud and Torah

less liberal than Reform and less orthodox than Orthodoxy  in its approach to the Talmud. More of a middle-ground between the two.

holds that the Jewish people are the heart of Judaism, not the Talmud

"pietism". ecstatic spiritual movement in which the worshipper unites with the God through prayer

movement to create a modern Jewish state

Orthodoxy, reform, conservatism, reconstruction, hasidism (pietism), zionism

Philo, Maimonides, Moses Mendelssohn

first Jewish philosopher; adapted Judaism to Greek philosophy

greatest medieval Jewish philosopher; synthesized Judaism with Greek and Islamic thought

early modern German religious liberal; taught that religious truth is available through reason to all people

reading for pleasure, personal edification, historically, comparatively, critically, hermeneutically

for the literary delights of the texts. what literary techniques did the authors use that make the text pleasurable to read?

for moral and spiritual guidance. what is the text saying to me right now that I can apply to my own search for meaning and answers to life's big issues?

reconstructing the time and place of the text. What does this text tell me about the lives of the people who wrote these texts?

viewing the text from the perspective of multiple religious traditions. Does anything in this text make me think of similar (or different) ideas and practices in the texts of other religious traditions?

evaluating the values, beliefs, and biases that shape the text. How do the values, beliefs, and biases that I detect in this text support or challenge my own values and the values of contemporary society?

reading the text as a living world inviting me to enter into its embrace. How do I feel when I enter as a participant into the world that the text presents to me?

a mystical movement started by the Baal Shem Tov

"Master of the Divine Name." a zaddik and a founder of Hasidism

"a righteous person." a Hasidic spiritual guide

"intention." the most generic Hebrew term for meditation.

"cleaving". a mystical state of communion with God.

"that which is received." reveals the hidden life of God in meditation

Standard academic scholarship sees two accounts in this passage.