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History of Judaism
The History of Judaism is the history of the Jewish people, their religion and culture, tracing back to the Biblical patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob of the 18th c. BCE. The earliest mention of Israel as a people was discovered in an inscription on the Merneptah Stele from the 1200s BCE.
1,396 Questions
What are the differences between Moses and Abraham?
Too many to answer. Different people, different times, different lives, missions and challenges.
Briefly:Abraham founded Judaism, while Moses brought the Israelites into God's national covenant and received the Torah.
At the time of Abraham the Hebrew, the world was full of pagan cults; they were polytheistic, worshiping multiple deities and lacking moral character; with their rites accompanied by things such as human sacrifice, "sacred" prostitution, and animal worship.Abraham, engaging in relentless contemplation, arrived at the conclusion that there is One God and that this should be taught to others as well. He became the first to advance the idea of ethical monotheism: the worship of God, and the appropriate ethical code of conduct. 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, his father 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 he 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 became the greatest thinker of all time. His originality, perseverance, strength of conviction, and influence, cannot be overestimated.
He 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 (Talmud, Yoma 28b).
Abraham 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), 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).
The practices of Abraham were based upon the ways of God. These were the teachings of Abraham and his descendants (unlike idolatry, which had no moral character; with worship of the gods accompanied by things such as human sacrifice, "sacred" prostitution, and animal worship). 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).
The gravesite of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their wives (Genesis 49:29-32) is located in Hebron and has been known and attested to for many centuries. 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 had ordered his people to kill all Israelite 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 Pharaoh's daughter, who took pity on him (Exodus ch.2) and raised him as her own son. Moses 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).
How did the Hebrews become known as the Jews?
The Hebrew tribes formed a united kingdom called Israel, named after the patriarch Jacob who was given the name of Israel by an angel (as the Bible relates in Genesis ch. 32), which means "he who contends with God". Jacob had 12 sons (Genesis ch.29 and 35), for whom the tribes were named - Dan, Judah, Benjamin, etc.
Eventually, there was a civil war and the kingdom of Israel split into 2 countries - Israel in the north, and Judah in the south. The kingdom of Judah was named after the tribe of Judah, the largest of the Israelite tribes, which were the people of the southern kingdom along with the much smaller tribe of Benjamin.
Israel was conquered by the Assyrian Empire in 740 BC, and the ten tribes were taken and scattered across the empire to assimilate them, denying them their own language, customs, and religion so their descendants would become Assyrians. That's what Assyria did to all conquered nations. Hence, the "ten lost tribes of Israel". That left only Judah (and Benjamin), the last surviving Israelite tribes.
Judah was conquered later by Babylon, and the people of Jerusalem - the skilled and educated populace - were taken captive to Babylon. From that point onward in the Bible, they were referred to as Jews (Hebrew: Yehudim), which is the short form of Judean, meaning a person from the tribe and/or kingdom of Judea.
In most languages, including Hebrew and Latin, the word for Jew and Judean are the same. The word "Judaism" means "the religion of the Judeans". So the word Jew is one that came from Jewish history.
Did ancient Hebrews eat latkes?
No. Latkes are a European creation that came more than a thousand years after the Jews were expelled from Israel by the Romans.
Why did ancient hebrews wash their hands before they ate?
washing away their inequities; cleansing for their sins.
Why are Jewish people so intelligent?
The same way anyone is intelligent: by working hard and seeking knowledge.
Answer:
The Kuzari (Rabbi Judah Halevi, 1075-1141) states that Abraham, founder of Judaism, was gifted with very high intelligence. As part of God's covenant with him, this and other traits have been passed down to Abraham's Israelite descendants.
Who was moses and why was he significant to Jewish history?
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).
Jews believe in one ethical God, who created the Universe. Modern Jews understand God in many different ways.
The name of God as written in the Torah is not pronounceable, partly due to to a religious prohibition, and partly due to the fact that the pronunciation of the vowels in the name is lost to history. The letters that make up God's name is called "The tetragrammaton"
Answer:
The words Yahweh and Jehovah are of Christian in origin and are NOT used by Jews. There is neither a 'W' nor a 'J' in the Hebrew language.
Judaism has 73 "names" for God but each name is really a description of an aspect. There's one true name for God, spelled YHVH in English. The Hebrew letters are "yud, hei, vav, hei". These four letters are referred to as the Tetragrammaton and are a contraction of the Hebrew words for, "was, is, and will be". His true name was only said in the Temple and with the Temple's destruction we lost the correct pronunciation.
The main obstacle to determining the correct pronunciation is that the letter 'vav' can be a vowel or a consonant sound depending on the word. There is no indication as to what form it takes in the Tetragrammaton.
Answer:
According to Jewish law and custom, the name of God is not pronounced, though many Christians do not have this prohibition, and do not even realize that the Jews still follow this prohibition.
Answer:
The first and greatest "new idea" that Judaism introduced was the strange and revolutionary concept of One God. Now, after more than 4,000 years, that's one of the main ideas that still have a hard time being accepted by people in general: the idea that there is exactly one and only one entity worthy of worship, and that any other concept or entity that may attract the loyalty of individuals or groups ... whether it be money, golf, football, gods, cars,
computer games, running, sex, poker, business, sailing, etc. ... must be subject to the Creator.
God is the one that many of the world's other religions refer to as the "Father".
Jewish people worship the God whom they believe created heaven and earth, and who continues to will it into existence and control all events. In prayers and in scriptures the Jewish people have many titles for God, all showing the highest respect and regard for his being. These include:
- Adonai
- Elohim
- El,
- Shaday
- King of Kings
- El Shaddai (all sufficient)
- LORD (in English)
It is also important to understand that Jewish tradition prohibits the four-letter name of God (letters: yud hey vav hey) to be spoken aloud except by the High Priest in the Temple, and because the temple in Jerusalem no longer exists, it is never said aloud. God is referred to as HaShem (meaning "The Name") in day-to-day speech, and Adonai is used in prayer services.
Answer:
YHWH - the four letters of the name preserved in Hebrew texts. Since vowels were not included, the exact pronunciation has not been preserved. Some scholars believe that it is pronounced Yahweh; it is not often used. Jehovah is the most widely recognized English pronunciation used only by Christians.
The divine name is a verb, the causative form, the imperfect state, of the Hebrew verb ha•wah', "to become." Therefore, the divine name means "He Causes To Become."
Many translators, for varying reasons, have replaced the proper name with titles, such as Adonai (the Lord) or Elohim (the Supreme, or the true God). This has led to much confusion among Christianity as well as Islam as to what the name of God is; causing many to believe that these titles are actually proper names, despite the fact that in any other context of life - your boss at work and their name, a child's school teacher and their proper name, a cat and the name you gave it - people automatically recognize the difference between a name and a title. But on the topic of God (in these two very large religious spheres), the elementary difference between name and title is cast aside without question by many.
Jews, Christians, and Muslims believe in the same God.
The Jews believe in one ethical God who created the universe (though how modern Jews understand God varies greatly).
According to Jewish law and custom, the name of God is not pronounced, though many Christians do not have this prohibition, and do not even realize that the Jews still follow this prohibition.
Most refer to the name as Yahweh or sometimes Jehovah or Jehova.
It comes from a four letter Hebrew word referred to as the Tetragrammaton [G -> tetra (four)+gramma (letters)], which was used in the ancient texts as the name of the God of Israel. The letters are usually translated as JHWH or YHWH (depending on the language), thus Jehovah or Yahweh. It is suggested that this is God's actual name, rather than a response to Moses' question, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" (Exodus 3:13, NIV).
According to www.wikipedia.com: During the Babylonian captivity, the Hebrew language spoken by the Jews was replaced by the Aramaic language of their Babylonian captors, which was closely related to Hebrew and, while sharing many vocabulary words in common, contained some words that sounded the same or similar but had other meanings. In Aramaic, the Hebrew word for "blaspheme" used in Leviticus 24:16, "Anyone who blasphemes the name of YHWH must be put to death" carried the meaning of "pronounce" rather than "blaspheme". When the Jews began speaking Aramaic, this verse was understood to mean, "Anyone who pronounces the name of YHWH must be put to death." Since then, observant Jews have maintained the custom of not pronouncing the name, but use Adonai ("my Lord [plural of majesty]") instead.
As a result of this decision, the original pronunciation of the word is somewhat lost. However, in the Jewish Bible, the name appears 6823 times according to the Jewish Encyclopedia.The word is usually replaced now with "LORD" in all capital letters.
Jewish AnswerThe Creator has one true name which is represented by the letters YHVH in English. The Hebrew letters are "yud, hei, vav, hei". These four letters are referred to as the tetragrammaton and are a contraction of the Hebrew words for, "was, is, and will be". His true name was only said in the Temple and with the Temple's destruction we lost the correct pronunciation.In the Tanach (Jewish Bible), there are 72 different 'names' used for The Creator, these aren't actual names though, they're descriptions of Him that are contextual. In daily conversation, most Jews use the name 'HaShem' which literally translates to 'The Name' in reference to His true name.
The words Yahweh, Jehovah, and any variation are Christian in origin and have never been used by Jews. (There is no 'J' or 'W' in the Hebrew language.)
Answer
God's true name's pronunciation is unknown. Typically, however, "Hashem" is used, or Adonai if you're praying.
Answer
Judaism believes in the One God, creator of the world, who gave the Torah.
Answer
The God of Judaism is the same God worshiped in all God religions. He is the one and one God with no partner, no companion, no son, bo father, no associate, and no equivalence. The God whom Prophet Abraham and all God prophets believed in. Which would be the same God as Islam and Christianity.
Judaism is strictly monotheistic, meaning it has one G-d. The Creator has one true name which is represented by the letters YHVH in English. The Hebrew letters are "yud, hei, vav, hei". These four letters are referred to as the tetragrammaton and are a contraction of the Hebrew words for, "was, is, and will be". His true name was only said in the Temple and with the Temple's destruction we lost the correct pronunciation.
HaShem is not a person and has no form.
Jews worship the One God, creator of all things.
Yahweh
What are judaism's major gods and prophets?
Jews believe in One God, who created the universe. The word "gods" is not applicable.
The major prophets were:
Joshua [יהושע)
Samuel [שמו×ל]
Isaiah [ישעיהו]
Jeremiah [ירמיהו]
Ezekiel [יחזק×ל]
Hoshea [הושע]
Joel or Yo'el [יו×ל]
Amos [עמוס]
Obadiah or Ovadyah [עובדיה]
Jonah or Yonah [×™×•× ×”]
Micah or Mikhah [מיכה]
Nahum or Nachum [× ×—×•×]
Habakkuk or Habaquq [חבקוק]
Zephaniah or Tsefania [×¦×¤× ×™×”]
Haggai or Haggai [×—×’×™]
Zechariah Zekharia [זכריה]
Malachi or Malakhi [מל××›×™]
And the complete list:
Abraham
Isaac
Jacob
Moses
Aaron
Joshua
Phinehas
Elkanah
Eli
Samuel
Gad
Nathan
David
Solomon
Iddo
Michaiah son of Yimlah
Ovadyah [עובדיה]
Achiah the Shilonite
Yehu son of Hanani
Azariah son of Oded
Yahaziel the Levite
Eliezer son of Dodavahu
Hosea
Amos
Micah the Morashti
Amotz
Elijah
Elisha
Jonah son of Amittai
Isaiah
Yo'el
Nahum
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Uriah
Jeremiah
Ezekiel
Shemaiah
Baruch
Neriah
Seraiah
Machseyah
Haggai
Zechariah
Malachi
Mordecai Bilshan
Oded
Hanani
And: Sarah, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Avigail, Huldah, Esther.
Why was the Holocaust called a war within a war?
Because the "big" war in it was the Russian-German war about the invasion germany made against the agreement of riventrop molotov, and the "small" war (even it was bigger than the last one) was the holocaust itself, with 1.6 jews killed.
Why is the symbol for the month of adar a fish?
"When Adar arrives, we increase our joy." (Talmud - Taanit 29a)
The Adar period is under the Mazal (astrological sign) of Dagim (Pisces) the fish. Fish are considered a symbol of blessing and abundance.
What year was Samson of the Bible born?
We can only guess at the time period of Samson's birth. Samson was near the end of the time of the Judges of Israel, only Eli and Samuel followed. Some time during Samuel's rule, Saul was chosen as the first King of Israel and Samuel also anointed David to be the next king when Saul died. So a guess of Samson's birth would be about 1000 B.C.
Additional Comment:
Exact dating is not possible today but the Book of Judges mentions the Jebusites several times. This would indicate that King David had not conquered their area and established Jerusalem as yet. So Samson, who was the last of the Judges, was just before King Saul - circa 1050 BC - the 1st King of Israel. Samson's campaign lasted 20 years from being a young man, so an estimate of his birth is 1100-1080 BC.
More comments:
We are told in I Samuel 4:18 that Eli Judged Israel 40 years. Eli was also High priest. Eli, it is estimated, died in 1050 B.C. Then Samuel judged Israel and anointed King Saul about 1043 when he (Samuel) was about 60 years old. David who was to be king after Saul was born about 1035 B.C.
Where does the name Jews came from and where do the Jews come from?
The Jewish people are descendants of Abraham through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob (Jacob was given the name Israel by God, in Genesis ch.35). The name "Jews" comes from Judah, the fourth son of Jacob, since the bulk of the other tribes (other descendants of Jacob) were exiled by the Assyrians and did not return. The descendants of Judah were also exiled (by the Babylonians) but returned to build the Second Temple not long afterwards, and their descendants are extant to this day.
Who removed foreign idols from the Temple?
Scholars now realise that the idols in the Jerusalem Temple were not foreign, but represented gods and goddesses worshipped continuously by the Hebrew people for many centuries. This is confirmed in the Books of Kings, in numerous places. King Hezekiah was the first to attempt to institute monotheism in Judah, apparently for political reasons, and ordered the idols removed from the Temple. However, this attempt at monotheism did not survive his death, and the idols returned.
A century later, King Josiah ordered the idols removed from the Temple.
How many gods are served in judaism?
Dictionaries define "Judaism" as The monotheistic religion of the Jews, since the founding principle of Judaism was and is the belief in One God. This was the teaching which was spread by Abraham, and has continued since then. From Judaism, belief in One God has spread through the Western world.
Jews have always worshiped the One God. Abraham worshiped "the Lord God of Heaven and Earth" (Genesis 14:22 and 24:3) and complained about the Philistines' lack of fear of God (Genesis 20:11).
Jacob confiscated the idolatrous images taken from Shechem (Genesis 35:2) and got rid of them (Genesis 35:4); and refrained from invoking the gods of Nahor (Genesis 31:53). Rachel pilfered Laban's statue-images (Genesis 31:19) in order to prevent him from idolatry (Rashi commentary, ibid.). Joseph placed his hope in the God of the Forefathers (Genesis 50:24).
At the time of the Exodus, God wrecked the Egyptian idols (Exodus 12:12) and warned against idolatry (Exodus 22:19). The sages of the Talmud, who ridiculed idolatry (Megillah 25b), were simply continuing in the tradition of the Prophets whose verses are quoted in that context (ibid.).
What role did judges play among the Israelites?
The Judges served for about 365 years (1244 to 879 BCE, according to traditional chronology), from the death of Joshua until the time of King Saul. They served as Judges, as military leaders when the nation was under threat, and as spiritual leaders. In addition to the these, there have been regular judges, from the time of Moses (Exodus ch.18) down to this day. These are Torah-scholars whose function is to adjudicate disputes according to Torah-procedure.
The Book of Judges records those events in which some of the ancient Israelites began to sin (Judges 2:11), and were then persecuted by surrounding nations, as God had warned them (Deuteronomy ch.32). When the Israelites repented (Judges 2:1-4, 3:9, 3:15, 6:6, 10:10), God saved them from their enemies.
The Judges:
Ehud
Shamgar
Deborah
Gideon
Abimelech
Tola
Yair
Jepthah
Ibzan
Elon
Abdon
Samson
Eli
Samuel
See also:
According to tradition when did Jewish men begin wearing kippahs?
Further back than our collective memory, since it is spoken of close to two thousand years ago (Talmud) as an already-ancient practice.
Jewish males cover their heads with a kippa and/or a hat, as a reminder of the presence of God. This practice is twice mentioned emphatically in the Talmud (Shabbat 156b; Kallah 1:16), in statements dating back 1700 and 1850 years, respectively. Even then, covering one's head is spoken of as an established practice, not something new.
The Yiddish word for kippah, "yarmulkah," is a contraction of the Aramaic "yerei malkah": to be aware of the King.
Note that Jewish married women traditionally cover their hair (Talmud, Ketubot 72b). This is for the purpose of modesty - only her husband should see her beauty - since the hair is considered beautiful (Talmud, Berakhot 24a).
Were there any Jewish people who lived in Greece or Denmark some time ago?
Yes, in both countries. The Greek Jewish community was particularly large, especially in Halkidiki, Thessaloniki, and Smyrna (now Turkish Izmir). In the early 1700s, Thessaloniki was actually a majority-Jewish city. However, Greece today only has incidental Jewish populations (less than 1,000 individuals). Denmark never had a large Jewish community and numbers remained smaller than 10,000 Jews at nearly all points in Danish history. Today Denmark has an estimated Jewish population of roughly 8,000 individuals.
Both the Danish and Greek Jewish communities were almost completely eviscerated by the Holocaust. Thankfully, in the case of Denmark, this was because Christian Danes took great pains to help the Danish Jews escape to neutral Sweden and avoid the Holocaust. Some returned afterwards, but others chose to stay in Sweden or migrate elsewhere. The Greeks did not defend their fellow Jews that had fought side by side with them in every Greek War of Independence and in World War II. The Romaniot Jews (a unique Greek Jewish cultural group - as opposed to Ashkenazi or Sephardi) were completely eliminated. Some Turks like Selahattin Ülkümen on Rhodes were the few who rose in defense of Greek Jewry.
Who were the famous people of ancient Hebrews?
Well the most important person was Moses. He led the Israelites out of Egypt at God's command (Exodus ch.3 and ch.12) and back towards their homeland. The journey was called the exodus and it took many years.
Abraham is credited with having begun Judaism.
Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land.
Joseph was vice-regent in Egypt for 80 years.
Who was Isaac in Jewish history?
He was the son of Abraham and Sarah. You can find his history in Genesis ch.17, ch.21-22, and ch.24-27.
Isaac is the second of the three Forefathers and (like Abraham and Jacob) one of the greatest personages in Judaism.
Isaac (Yitzhak) was a son of Abraham (Genesis ch.21); and God said that His covenant with Abraham would continue with Isaac (Genesis 17:18-19). Isaac had facial features that were identical to Abraham (Rashi commentary, Genesis 25:19).
God tested Abraham by asking him to offer Isaac as an offering (see Genesis ch.22); and this readiness for self-sacrifice bestowed a special holiness upon Isaac (Talmud, Yevamot 64).
Isaac married Rebecca (Genesis ch.24), his second cousin. Rebecca gave birth to two sons, Esau and Jacob (Genesis ch.25).
God spoke to Isaac, confirming His covenant with him (Genesis ch.26).
Despite harassment from the Philistines, Isaac enjoyed great success (ibid.). He reopened all the wells which his father had dug and the Philistines had stopped up (ibid.). The king of the Philistines, unable to ignore Isaac's phenomenal success, petitioned him to make a mutual treaty of non-aggression (ibid.).
In his advanced years, Isaac sought to bless his elder son Esau (Genesis ch.27). Rebecca took pains to thwart this and to ensure that Jacob would receive the blessing, since she had learned through prophecy (Genesis 25:23) that Jacob would be more favored by God. Later it became apparent that Isaac admitted Rebecca's having done the right thing, since he blessed Jacob again (Genesis 28:1-4) even after he found out what had happened (see Genesis 27:6-16).
Isaac sent Jacob to the ancestral family seat in Mesopotamia to choose a wife (Genesis ch.28). Though Jacob didn't return for over twenty years (Genesis 31:38), God granted Isaac extra years, so that he lived on for two decades after Jacob's return.
Isaac was buried next to his father Abraham (Genesis 49:31).
How did the 12 tribes come into being and why they are so important to Jewish history?
They were the twelve sons of Jacob. They're important because they are our ancestors.
