Ways of referring to the central deity in the Hebrew Bible
Ha Shem
"The Name"
ways of referring to the central deity in the Hebrew Bible
Torah
God's law or instructions; comes in written and oral forms
Creation
God created the heavens and the earth, which are real and not an illusion
The Covenant
an agreement between God and Israel exchanging worship and protection (contract/testament)
Shabbat (the Sabbath day)
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
Monotheism
the belief that there is only one supreme God for all people
Talmud
ongoing commentary on Torah, filled with many stories
In the Torah, what would God's questions be at your judgment?
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?
True or False: Judaism's relationship to its scripture is more strict and immovable than Christianity's.
False. Judaism's relationship to its scripture has always been more free and playful. God is a practical being
The Messiah
("the anointed one") a descendant of King David who restores the Jewish kingdom
Which is stressed more highly in Judaism: ethics or beliefs?
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
Revelation in History
historical events seen as revealing God's will
Call of Abram
Genesis 12
Where did God tell Abram to go?
Canaan, "to the land that I will show you" (Romans called it "Palestine" which used to belong to the Philistines)
What was Abram's native land?
Harran (originally from Ur)
What is a terebinth? What is its significance? (Call of Abraham)
An oak tree with sacred significance. Represents the practices of the indigenous religions of Canaan
What was the burning bush?
Moses came across the bush that was burning but was not disintegrating. Heard God's voice in it
Where did Moses encounter God?
Mount Horeb, or Mount Sinai
How did Moses respond to God's calling him out of the burning bush?
He answered, "Here am I"
How did the Lord describe the land to which he planned to bring his people?
A land flowing with milk and honey (sign of prosperity)
In what year did Abraham migrate to Canaan?
1870 BCE
In what year did the Exodus from Egypt take place?
1280 BCE
In what year was the first Temple (Solomon's Temple) built?
960 BCE
When was the Temple destroyed/the Babylonian exile?
586-538 BCE
When was the second Temple built?
515 BCE
When was the publication of the Torah?
430 BCE
When was the second Temple destroyed and first rabbinic academy?
70 CE
When was the Babylonian Talmud?
500 BCE
When were the Jews expelled from Spain?
1492 CE
When was the Reform Movement?
c. 1800 CE
When was the Holocaust?
1937-1945 CE
When was the formation of Israel?
1948 CE
Various names associated with the Jewish people
Hebrews, Israelites, Jews (Judeans), Israelis
Hebrews meaning?
began with Abraham. refers to the ancestral tribes before Israel became a nation under Moses during the Exodus (outcasts)
Israelites meaning?
began with Moses. Hebrew tribes who followed Moses into the wilderness
Jews (Judeans) meaning?
the Israelites who returned to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem after 538 - their religion is now called Judaism
Israelis meaning?
citizens of the modern state of Israel (founded in 1948)
Judaism meaning?
for the sake of simplicity, we can refer to the whole of this religion as Judaism
Jewish sacred writings
Bible, "Old Testament", Jewish Bible, Hebrew Bible, Torah, Tanak (Tanakh), Talmud (commentary on the Torah)
first Jewish philosopher; adapted Judaism to Greek philosophy
Maimonides
greatest medieval Jewish philosopher; synthesized Judaism with Greek and Islamic thought
Moses Mendelssohn
early modern German religious liberal; taught that religious truth is available through reason to all people
multiple ways to read a sacred text?
reading for pleasure, personal edification, historically, comparatively, critically, hermeneutically
reading for pleasure
for the literary delights of the texts. what literary techniques did the authors use that make the text pleasurable to read?
reading for personal edification
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?
reading historically
reconstructing the time and place of the text. What does this text tell me about the lives of the people who wrote these texts?
reading comparatively
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?
reading critically
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 hermeneutically
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?
Hasidism
a mystical movement started by the Baal Shem Tov
Baal Shem Tov
"Master of the Divine Name." a zaddik and a founder of Hasidism
Zaddik
"a righteous person." a Hasidic spiritual guide
Kavanah
"intention." the most generic Hebrew term for meditation.
Devekut
"cleaving". a mystical state of communion with God.
Kabbalah
"that which is received." reveals the hidden life of God in meditation
How many creation stories are there in the first two chapters of Genesis?
Standard academic scholarship sees two accounts in this passage.