God
Abraham
Moses
David
According to Genesis 29:35, Leah gave birth to Judah at about 1750 BCE. His father Jacob was the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. This was the beginning of all twelve Israeli tribes, Judah being one of them.
Genesis chapter 49 tells of a gathering of the twelve to their dying father Jacob, also called Israel (meaning: God's rule), to hear his pronouncements of their futures. Jacob tells Judah that his tribe will be the greatest, and will be lawgivers.
As to important leaders, if Judah, Jacob, Isaac and Abraham are historically too early for your purposes, Numbers chapter 1 has Moses calling upon the heads of house of every tribe to bring forth men, twenty years of age and upward as able to prepare for war. Representing Judah is Nahshon the son of Amminadab. Then in Numbers chapter 13 tribal heads or rulers were sent to scout the land of Canaan. Representing Judah is Caleb the son of Jephunneh. Numbers chapter 34 has Caleb representing Judah in dividing up the land of Canaan, now Israel, for the tribes. Joshua chapter 15 describes the land Caleb got for Judah. I Chronicles chapter 2 has too much tribal family information to digest here, but interestingly it tells of Judah's firstborn son being killed by God because he was evil.
GOD is their important leader.
Answer 1
Judaism isn't a centralised religion with a single leader. For the most part, Rabbis serve as community leaders on a religious basis.
Answer 2
Strictly speaking, no one. We do not have a Pope, like Catholics, or a living Prophet, like Mormons. We have no centralized authority at all. Each rabbi is an entity unto him or herself who was educated and trained for the position, but doesn't answer to anyone in particular.
Jews have had many leaders in their 4000 year history, but there hasn't been one single human rule of Judaism since Biblical times. The Jewish religion is not an organized religion in that sense. Every syngagogue is autonomous.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel are called the Patriarchs, the ancestors of the people whom God promised to make as "numerous as the stars" and allegedly promised the land of Canaan to.
Judah, the son of Jacob, was the ancestor of the people who now identify as Jewish. Of the twelve tribes of Israel, the Judaic kingdom continued separately from the rest of Israel.
Moses allegedly received the Law from God and helped found the religion we now know as Judaism.
Abraham and Moses. Abraham, according to our traditions, was the founder of Judaism. 500 years later, Moses received the Torah from God, which is the written record of Jewish laws, history and beliefs.
The tradition of the Jewish people, and the Torah Sages and Talmud, is that Abraham founded Judaism. He lived 3800 years ago. This tradition is implicit in many passages in the prophets (e.g. Isaiah 41:8) and the Talmud (e.g. Yoma 28b) and is borne out by a reading of Genesis.
God calls himself "the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob" eighteen times in the Torah, and that is how we address Him every day in the Shemoneh Esrei prayer.
However, Abraham and his descendants observed their traditions voluntarily, until the Giving of the Torah to Moses 3325 years ago, when God made it obligatory.
Abraham (18th century BCE) came from ancestry that had been God-fearing a couple of centuries earlier but had afterwards slipped into idolatry (Joshua 24:2). Nimrod, the idolatrous tyrant, had brought Abraham's father (Terah) from the Semitic ancestral seat near the conjunction of the Balikh and the Euphrates, and instated him in a position of power in his army in the royal Babylonian city of Ur, where Abraham was born. Nimrod persecuted any who would question his idolatrous cult.
The Kuzari (Rabbi Judah HaLevi, 1075-1141) states that Abraham was gifted with high intelligence; and, as Maimonides (1135-1204) describes, Abraham didn't blindly accept the ubiquitous idolatry. The whole populace had been duped, but the young Abraham contemplated the matter relentlessly, finally arriving at the conclusion that there is One God and that this should be taught to others as well. This is what is meant by his "calling out in the name of the Lord" (Genesis ch.12). As a young man, he remonstrated with passersby in public, demonstrating to them the falsehood of their idols; and our tradition tells how he was threatened and endangered by Nimrod.
Subsequently, Terah relocated to Harran; and it is here that Abraham began to develop a circle of disciples (Rashi commentary, on Genesis 12:5).
Later, God told Abraham in prophecy to move to the Holy Land, which is where Abraham raised his family.
He continued his contemplations, eventually arriving at the attitudes and forms of behavior which God later incorporated into the Torah given to Moses. Abraham taught disciples (Talmud, Yoma 28b), gave tithes (Genesis ch.14), strove to raise a family (Genesis ch.15, 17, and 24) which would serve God (Genesis 18:19), made a covenant with God (Genesis ch.15 and 17), welcomed guests into his home (Genesis ch.18) unlike the inhospitable Sodomites (Genesis ch.19), prayed for people (Genesis ch.18), rebuked others when necessary (Genesis ch.20), eulogized and buried the deceased (Genesis ch.23), and fulfilled God's will unquestioningly (Genesis ch.22). He became renowned as a prince of God (Genesis 23:6).
It is therefore clear why God expresses His love for Abraham (Isaiah 41:8) and calls Himself the God of Abraham (Genesis 26:24), and says that Abraham obeyed Him fully (Genesis 26:5). And this is why, according to our tradition, Abraham is credited with having begun the religion which became known as Judaism.
According to tradition, Abraham founded Judaism, and Moses later received the Torah from God.
Abraham, tenth generation descendant of Noah, of Hebrew lineage, was the son of Terah, uncle of Lot, father of Isaac, grandfather of Jacob, and ancestor of the Israelites. His story is in Genesis ch.11 (end), through ch.25. Jewish tradition states that he was the first to teach belief in One God; and it is in his merit that Jews continue to exist (Genesis 18:19, and ch.17).
Abraham (18th century BCE) came from ancestry that had been God-fearing a couple of centuries earlier but had afterwards slipped into idolatry (Joshua 24:2). Nimrod, the idolatrous tyrant, had brought Abraham's father (Terah) from the Semitic ancestral seat near the conjunction of the Balikh and the Euphrates, and instated him in a position of power in his army in the royal Babylonian city of Ur, where Abraham was born. Nimrod persecuted any who would question his idolatrous cult.
The Kuzari (Rabbi Judah HaLevi, 1075-1141) states that Abraham was gifted with high intelligence; and, as Maimonides (1135-1204) describes, Abraham didn't blindly accept the ubiquitous idolatry. The whole populace had been duped, but the young Abraham contemplated the matter relentlessly, finally arriving at the conclusion that there is One God and that this should be taught to others as well. This is what is meant by his "calling out in the name of the Lord" (Genesis ch.12). As a young man, he remonstrated with passersby in public, demonstrating to them the falsehood of their idols; and our tradition tells how he was threatened and endangered by Nimrod.
Subsequently, Terah relocated to Harran; and it is here that Abraham began to develop a circle of disciples (Rashi commentary, on Genesis 12:5).
Later, God told Abraham in prophecy to move to the Holy Land, which is where Abraham raised his family.
He continued his contemplations, eventually arriving at the attitudes and forms of behavior which God later incorporated into the Torah given to Moses.
Abraham, with God's help, singlehandedly trounced the supremacy of the evil Nimrod. He received God's promise of inheriting the Holy Land (Genesis 13). He strove to raise a family (Genesis ch.15, 17, and 24) which would serve God (Genesis 18:19); and God eventually blessed his efforts, granting him many children (ibid., ch.16, 21 and 25), as He had promised (Genesis ch.17). Abraham founded the Jewish people and lived to see his work live on in the persons of Isaac and Jacob; and he taught many other disciples as well (Talmud, Yoma 28b). He saved the population of the south of Canaan from invading foreign kings (Genesis 14); and he was feared by neighboring kings (ibid., ch.12 and 20). Abraham gave tithes (Genesis ch.14), entered into a covenant with God (Genesis ch.15 and 17), welcomed guests into his home (Genesis ch.18) unlike the inhospitable Sodomites (Genesis ch.19), prayed for people (Genesis ch.18), rebuked others when necessary (Genesis ch.20), eulogized and buried the deceased (Genesis ch.23), and fulfilled God's will unquestioningly (Genesis ch.22). He became renowned as a prince of God (Genesis 23:6).
All of these forms of behavior were based upon the ways of God, which Abraham comprehended through his contemplations. These, and similar personality traits, were the teachings of Abraham and his descendants (unlike idolatry, which had tended to go hand in hand with cruel, licentious and excessive behavior, since the caprices which were narrated concerning the idols were adopted as an excuse to imitate those types of behavior).
It is therefore clear why God expresses His love for Abraham (Isaiah 41:8) and calls Himself the God of Abraham (Genesis 26:24), and says that Abraham obeyed Him fully (Genesis 26:5). And this is why, according to our tradition, Abraham is credited with having begun the religion which became known as Judaism. However, Abraham and his descendants observed their traditions voluntarily, until the Giving of the Torah to Moses 3325 years ago, when God made it obligatory.
Moses was an Israelite, a great-great grandson of Jacob. He was born 245 years after the death of Abraham. The time when Moses was born was when the Pharaoh ordered his people to kill all Jewish male infants because he (Pharaoh) was afraid that the Israelites would become too strong for him (Exodus ch.1-2). Moses' mother didn't want him to die. So she made a basket for him and put him in it to float in the Nile reeds. He was found by the Pharaoh's daughter, who took pity on him (Exodus ch.2) and raised him as her own son. He was forced to flee after killing a cruel Egyptian taskmaster, and went to Midian, where he wedded the daughter of Jethro. He eventually achieved the highest level of prophecy (Deuteronomy ch.34) and was called upon by God (Exodus ch.3). He brought the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery (Exodus ch.12). He received the Torah from God (Exodus 24:12) and later recorded it in writing (Deuteronomy 31:24). He went up on Mount Sinai for 40 days and nights (Deuteronomy ch.9-10) and brought down the Two Stone Tablets with the Ten Commandments (Exodus 31:18). He brought the Israelites into the covenant with God (Exodus ch.19 and ch.24), and he oversaw the building of the Tabernacle (Exodus ch.35-40). He was the humblest of men and the greatest of prophets (Numbers ch.12).
Era of the Patriarchs: Era of the sojourn in Egypt: Era of the Judges: The era of the Judges was 1244-879 BCE. Link: Who were the Judges? Here are some of the prominent Judges: Era of the Kings: The era of the Kings lasted until the destruction of the First Temple in 422 BCE. Link: Who were the Kings? Here are some of the prominent kings, prophets and events: Era of the Babylonian Exile (422-352 BCE): Second Temple Era (352 BCE-68 CE): Link: Destruction and Diaspora Era of the Mishna and Talmud-sages: Era of the Geonim (Torah-leaders in Babylonia): European Jewry:
Link: A biography of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
Link: Joseph's importance
Era of Moses and Joshua:
Link: A biography of Moses and Joshua
Link: The Exodus
Link: More about Samuel
Link: About King David
Link: Why did the Ten Tribes break away?
Link: What was the role of the Prophets?
Link: Where are the Ten Tribes?
Link: More about Daniel
Link: More about Nehemiah
Link: The history of the Hebrew Bible
Link: More about Hanukkah
Link: Why the Jews didn't accept Jesus
Link: What Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai did for Judaism
Link: More about Judah Hanassi
Link: More about the Talmud
Link: What were the Karaites
Link: About Maimonides
Each community or congregation has its own Rabbis. See also the Related Link.
MOSES AND ISIAH
Abraham jackob isac and mosses
The leaders of Judaism are Rabbis. The followers of Judaism are the Jewish people.
There are no churches in Judaism.
rabbis
Rabbis.
Moses.
rabbis
Judaism is not a centralised religion and does not have a single leadership. The members of Judaism are called Jews.
It was Judaism.
Rabbis.
There is no one biggest person in Judaism. There have been thousands of leaders, teachers, and rabbis.
Judaism isn't a centralised religion so leaders are at the community level. Leaders can be religious or secular depending on how they're associated with their community.
Each community has its own Rabbi, of which there are thousands.