What is this event significant in the development of Judaism?

Answer 1

Actually there are several different answers to that question! if you consider Judaism the first people to believe in the Jewish God (with far too many names to list) you believe it was Noach "speaking to god" and listening to his command to build the ark (about 4500 years ago). If you believe it started with the recognition of only one god who can not be summed down to an idol, you believe that Avraham was the first Jew and the event that started it is still debatable, was it when he listened to god's command to go down to Canaan (4000 years ago) or when he officially separated himself from the rest and circumcised himself (in his 90's!)?? You maybe believe it is when the literal B'nei Yisrael, the children of Jacob, did something together as more of a nation than a family, in which case you most likely believe it began when the Hebrews moved down to the land of Mitzraim (Egypt) or possibly on a larger scale when they broke out of the house of bondage hundreds of years later and traveled through the desert together (about 3500 to 300o years ago). or perhaps it ia when they officially became an Or LaGoyim (a light unto the nations) when they received the Commandments and Har Sinai. Or maybe you believe it was about 2500 years ago when the ten tribed left Judah and its few members of Benjamin and were captured by the Assyrians, and we literally became sons of Judah (German-ised and French-ised into Jew)? or maybe you mean in its common modern day form, in which case it is only a few hundred years old. At any rate the point of all this is that it just sorta... happened and a single event didnt kick start anything, it goes far deeper than that and the whole point is more so to make you a better person, and not focus so much on the "historical" aspect .