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All You Want to Know But Didn't Think You Could Ask

Thomas Nelson

Chapter One

INTRODUCTION

The Jewish faith places a great deal of emphasis on human history as a single, unbroken timeline; that is, Jews believe the world began at one point in the past, it exists now, and one day it will end. While this view might seem familiar, especially to Christians or Muslims who share this view of time, it is quite different from Hindu or Buddhist beliefs in which time is an endless cycle of creation and destruction. Such a worldview means all human beings can draw inspiration and direction from past events. In fact, a central feature of the Jewish faith is a profound connection between present-day practices and ancient stories and promises. To really understand the Jewish faith, then, we must begin with its past.

HISTORY

Origins and Early History

The first place to turn for understanding the origins and early history of Judaism is the Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh (see "Texts").

Hebrew Bible

The Hebrew Bible presents Judaism as always existing, beginning with the creation of the world (Gen. 1–3), and developing over time to include all the elements associated with modern Jewish practice.

In particular, the Torah, or first five books of the Hebrew Bible, provides the most extensive and detailed portrait of the ancient Israelite religion that grew to become Judaism. In many ways, scholars who study Judaism are dependent on the Torah for the history and development of the religion. However, the biblical picture is incomplete; it gives us an idea of the people and concepts which became significant to later Judaism, but the Torah was most likely developed from oral traditions over a long period of time. Most scholars believe that these traditions were not pulled together in written form until between the seventh and fifth centuries BCE. More significantly, the Hebrew Bible is most concerned with the events tied to God's relationship to the chosen people of Israel, so it is often unclear or entirely silent about places, dates, and events connected to the history of Israel's neighbors.

To understand Judaism, one must first understand the history of Israel in the Bible. The Torah begins with Genesis, which traces history beginning with the creation of the world and early human failings (e.g., the first murder [Gen. 4], the Tower of Babel [Gen. 11], and intermarriage with angels [Gen. 6]), and then following the growth and movement of the family of the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

God calls Abraham from his homeland to the land of Canaan, which God promises to all of Abraham's male descendants who are circumcised (Gen. 12). Abraham eventually becomes the father of two sons: Ishmael, by Hagar, and Isaac, by Sarah. The Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) trace heritage to these patriarchs and matriarchs. God's promise passes to Isaac's son Jacob (later renamed Israel). Jacob/ Israel's children (twelve sons and one daughter) settle in the land of Canaan, but they must move to Egypt because of a famine (see Gen. 47).

Israel's history continues in the book of Exodus. Exodus recounts the story of how Jacob's descendants briefly flourished in Egypt before Pharaoh enslaved them. God uses a descendant of Jacob named Moses to bring the Israelites (here called "Hebrews") out of slavery and back to the land promised to their ancestors. As they travel, the people receive a new set of covenant commands, including the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20). However, the people are unfaithful to Yahweh (YHWH, the personal name of God given to Moses in Exodus 3:14) and wander for a generation in the wilderness between Egypt and Canaan. The stories of their wanderings make up the remainder of the Torah.

After the death of Moses, God allows the Hebrews to re-enter the land under the leadership of Joshua, who is Moses's second-in-command. A loose confederation of twelve tribes is established in Canaan, led and protected by charismatic male and female warriors called judges. When this system of leadership breaks down, the people demand a king (see 1 Sam. 8). First, Saul is appointed as king, then David, who adopts the Jebusite city of Jerusalem as his capital. David's son Solomon succeeds his father, and during his rule, the first temple is built in Jerusalem. For more information on the religious significance of the temple, see "Major Beliefs." This period is known as the United Monarchy (see map).

However, this nation does not remain united for long. At Solomon's death, the tiny country splits between north and south; the northern alliance becomes known as Israel, and the southern alliance as Judah, from which we get the term Judaism. These kingdoms continue to function separately with their own sanctuaries, monarchies, and prophets until an invasion by the Assyrians destroys Israel in 722 BCE. Fewer than two hundred years later, the neo-Babylonians capture Judah and destroy Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem, ending the monarchic period in the south and sending the Judahites into exile in Babylon. The people live in exile for nearly fifty years before the Persian king Cyrus allows them to return to Jerusalem. Upon their return, the Judahites rebuild a second temple in Jerusalem, and here the history of the Jewish people as told in the Bible draws to a close.

Archaeology

It is interesting to note that, in contrast to this lengthy biblical history, the archaeological evidence of the origins and development of Judaism is rather sparse. The earliest attested use of the name Israel outside the Bible appears in the thirteenth century BCE, when an Egyptian pharaoh named Merneptah recorded his conquest of a people called Israel. The date upon Merneptah's victory stela (an upright column of stone with markings or writing) might correspond with the time of the settlement under Joshua mentioned in the Bible. However, the stela itself provides no useful details about who the conquered people were, nor where they originated. Similarly, the establishment and extent of Jerusalem as the City of David is difficult to verify from archaeology, and no evidence of the Solomonic Temple remains, even though modern forgeries pop up for sale occasionally.

However, even with limited physical evidence, it is apparent that the Jewish people have a lengthy past in and around the land of Israel. Additionally, when these archaeological clues are taken together with the biblical text, we get a clearer picture of the beliefs which became central to Judaism.

BELIEFS

One God

Judaism is a monotheistic religion. The Jewish belief in one personal God who makes covenants with humankind appears throughout the Hebrew Bible. In Deuteronomy 6:4, for example, the Jewish people find an affirmation of this monotheistic faith: "Hear [Shema] O Israel, the Lord is your God, the Lord is One."

The Shema is more than just an affirmation of the singleness of God. It discloses the personal name of God as well. The Tetragrammaton (four letters) YHWH, which in English is translated as "Lord" and scholars pronounce "Yahweh," is the proper name of God, revealed to Moses at the burning bush (see "Origins and Early History"). Many Jews believe that YHWH is too holy to speak. Instead they will substitute the title Adonai ("Lord") when YHWH appears in the Hebrew text. Some Jews will not write out the word God and instead choose to write G–d as a sign of reverence.

Covenant

The Shema conveys belief in the covenant, which is a unique arrangement between God and humanity, and which is a foundational belief in Judaism. Covenants in the Bible include the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 11) and the Mosaic covenant (Ex. 20), among others. These two covenants provide a significant basis for Jewish ritual practices and beliefs about sacred space. Both covenants are conditional; that is, they are "if–then" covenants in which both sides are expected to do something in order to receive something else. The Abrahamic covenant, for example, promises the patriarch a land (Canaan) and numerous descendants if all male members of the community are circumcised. Likewise, the Mosaic covenant is an extensive collection of interpersonal, sacrificial, and communal commands which allow the Jewish people to live in a unique relationship with God.

Obedience to God's Torah

Adherence to the Mosaic commandments revealed in the Torah is another distinctive feature of Jewish belief. The word Torah refers to the commandments themselves, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible collectively (see "Texts"), and the interpretation of these commandments in later Judaism (often called Oral Torah). The Torah commandments are a series of rules concerning diet and propriety known as kosher law, or kashrut. For example, Levitical law commands believers to abstain from eating pork, shellfish, and other "unclean" foods (Lev. 11). The law also forbids mixing fibers (Lev. 19), having contact with dead bodies (Lev. 15), or touching items that have been in contact with a menstruating woman (Lev. 21).

To outsiders, these may seem like arbitrary rules, but in the context of Judaism, they provide structure, stability, and a sense of purpose to even the most mundane daily tasks. Additionally, much like circumcision, the kosher laws are a visible reminder of the distinction between those within God's covenant community and those who are outside of it (called Gentiles). The covenant commandments related to kosher law remain significant for many Jewish people today, especially Orthodox, Ultra-Orthodox, Hasidic, and some Conservative groups (see "Groups").

The Land

Though not necessarily a belief, a deep reverence for the land promised to Abraham and his descendants is a respect which many Jewish people share. This land, known as Canaan, and subsequently called Israel or Palestine, changed hands many times over the millennia because of its strategic geographical position amidst major world powers who wished to control access to Asia, Europe, and Africa. For the Jewish people, however, the land was theologically significant; not only did the land have connections to the covenant with Abraham, but Israel also contained Jerusalem, the city of David. Jerusalem has religious significance to Christians and Muslims as well, but for Jewish people the city is most notable as the site of the first and second temples.

The Temple

The first temple, built by King Solomon, stood for over four hundred years (see "History"). This first temple was a symbol of Zion, the covenantal belief that YHWH dwelled uniquely in the temple and protected the land ruled by an everlasting Davidic monarchy. The belief in Zion persisted even after the first temple was destroyed and the Jewish people were exiled by the Neo-Babylonians. However, the meaning of Zion shifted to refer to a future reality in which the people would celebrate the restoration of the Davidic monarchy. The second temple, begun under the rule of Persian king Cyrus in approximately 536 BCE and expanded during the Greek and Roman occupations, was eventually destroyed by the Roman army in 70 CE. The remaining western wall of this second temple is a pilgrimage site for Jewish people, as well as for Christians who remember it as the temple which stood at the time of Jesus.

Texts

Over its long history, the Jewish people developed stories, laws, poetry, prophetic utterances, and other oral traditions. Eventually collected into the Jewish canon, these traditions were preserved primarily in Hebrew. A canon is an authoritative group of writings with sacred significance to a certain community. The Jewish canon is called the Tanakh, which is an acronym for the canon's three sections: Torah (Law), Nevi'im (Prophets), and Ketuvim (Writings).

Torah as Scripture

The Torah is the first section of the Hebrew Bible, and it contains the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. While "Torah" usually translates as "law," and while the last three books in the Torah contain large sections of covenantal law given to Moses, not everything in the Torah is legal code. This section of the Hebrew Bible also contains stories of human origins, patriarchs and matriarchs, the liberation of the Hebrew slaves from Egypt, and much more. For Jews, the Torah is central to their faith; it is so important to Jewish identity that over the course of a given year, the entire text of the Torah will be read in the synagogue.

The second section of the Hebrew Bible, called Nevi'im, contains books that Christians categorize as historical narratives (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings) and prophetic books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah, etc.). The events in the Nevi'im roughly correspond with the period during which the Jewish people were "in the land" of Canaan, first as a confederation of twelve tribes, then as a united kingdom, and finally as a divided kingdom besieged by foreign powers. However, scholars think that the prophetic books were collected and preserved in written form well after the events described, probably around the time of the Babylonian Exile (see "Origins and Early History").

The Ketuvim, the final collection of the Tanakh, is also the most literarily diverse. The books of the Ketuvim include poetry (Psalms, Song of Songs), wisdom literature (Proverbs, Ecclesiastes), and short stories (Esther, Ruth), among others. This third category also includes works which were reclassified in the Christian canon as historical or prophetic works, such as the Chronicles and Daniel. Taken with the Torah and Nevi'im, the Ketuvim completes the collection of the twenty-four books which comprise Jewish sacred Scripture.

Rituals

As with so many aspects of Judaism, central rituals and rites of passage are related to significant events in biblical history. Some rituals are sacred events that are repeated daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly. Other important rites are events which occur only once in a person's lifetime.

Practices

Daily ritual emphasizes the covenantal relationship with God that is so important to Judaism. Keeping kosher, or distinguishing between clean and unclean foods and behaviors, is based on the Mosaic Law. Daily prayer rituals include recitation of the Shema from the book of Deuteronomy and wearing yarmulkes (head coverings), tefillin (leather pouches containing the Torah), and tallit (square shawls) which are fringed at the corners with tzitzit (see picture). The wearing of these items is based on Torah commandments in Numbers 15:38–40 and Deuteronomy 6:8. While daily prayers can be performed individually, groups will often gather at the synagogue for collective daily prayer. A minyan, or minimum of ten adults (men only in Orthodox synagogues), is necessary for this type of prayer.

Holy Days

The most important weekly ritual in Judaism is the celebration of the Sabbath, or day of rest. The Sabbath recalls the first Genesis creation story, in which God rested after six days of creating the universe (Gen. 2:3–4). Since that story describes the days of creation as beginning in the evening, the Sabbath begins at nightfall on Friday and lasts until dusk Saturday.

After welcoming the Sabbath Friday evening with a family meal, a blessing, and the lighting of candles, observant Jews devote themselves to prayer and worship, and refrain from work, in accordance with another Torah commandment (Ex. 20:8–10). The definition of what constitutes "work" varies, however. For some people, refraining from work means spending time with family and engaging in Torah study while still enjoying modern conveniences; others define work strictly, and they abstain from using appliances, driving, cooking, and even pushing elevator buttons. One's understanding of what constitutes work, as well as when Sabbath worship is held, is most often related to the group within Judaism to which one belongs (see "Groups").

Most yearly rituals are related to biblical mandates as well. The Jewish religious year begins in the fall, with the celebration of Rosh Hashanah (meaning "Head of the Year"). In the Bible, Rosh Hashanah is called the Day of Blowing Horns (Lev. 23:24; Num. 29:1). In a modern-day synagogue service, the shofar (ram's horn) is still blown to call the people to a time of reflection upon the misdeeds of the previous year. Ten days of contemplation, reflection, and repentance follow Rosh Hashanah, leading to Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). Yom Kippur is also described in the Torah as a day to "afflict your souls" (Lev. 16:29). Yom Kippur services last throughout the day, and activities include reading the book of Jonah and praying for forgiveness and reconciliation with God. People often fast for the entire day, from sunset to sunset, even refraining from drinking water, as a sign of their repentance. Together, these two days constitute the Days of Awe, the most important holy days of the religious year.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from All You Want to Know But Didn't Think You Could Ask by JESSICA L. T. DEVEGA CHRISTINE ORTEGA GAURKEE Copyright © 2012 by Thomas Nelson Publishers, Inc.. Excerpted by permission of Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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