Jew Essay, Research Paper
What Do Hebrews Believe?
Degree: Basic
This is a far more hard inquiry than you might anticipate. Judaism has no tenet, no formal set of beliefs that one must keep to be a Jew. In Judaism, actions are far more of import than beliefs, although there is surely a topographic point for belief within Judaism.
The closest that anyone has of all time come to making a widely-accepted list of Judaic beliefs is Rambam & # 8217 ; s 13 rules of religion. Rambam & # 8217 ; s 13 rules of religion, which he thought were the minimal demands of Judaic belief, are:
G-d exists
G-d is one and alone
G-d is immaterial
G-d is ageless
supplication is to be directed to G-d entirely and to no other
The words of the prophesier are true
Mosess & # 8217 ; s prognostications are true, and Moses was the greatest of the Prophetss
The written ( first 5 books of the Bible ) and unwritten ( instructions now contained in the Talmud and other Hagiographas ) were given to Moses
There will be no other Torah
G-d knows the ideas and workss of work forces
G-d will honor the good and penalize the wicked
The messiah & # 8221 ; will come
The decease will be Resurrection As you can see, these are really basic and general rules. Yet every bit basic as these rules are, the necessity of believing each one of these has been disputed at one clip or another, and the broad motion of Judaism dispute many of these rules.
Unlike many other faiths, Judaism does non concentrate much on abstract cosmogonic constructs. Although Jews have surely considered the g-d. , human. , the existence, lifeand the hereafter at great length ( see & # 8220 ; kabbalah.htm & # 8221 ; ) , there is no mandated, official, unequivocal belief on these topics, outside of the really general constructs discussed supra. There is significant room for personal sentiment on all of these affairs, because as I said before, Judaism is more concerned about actions than beliefs.
Hebraism focuses on relationships: the relationship between G-d and world, between G-d and the Judaic state, between the Judaic state and the Israel, and between human existences. Our Bibles tell the narrative of the development of these relationships, from the clip of creative activity, through the creative activity of the relationship between G-d and Abraham, to the creative activity of the relationship between G-d and the Judaic people, and frontward. The Bibles besides specify the common duties created by these relationships, although assorted motions of Judaism disagree about the nature of these duties. Some say they are absolute, unchanging Torahs from G-d ( Orthodox ) ; some say they are Torahs from G-d that alteration and germinate over clip ( Conservative ) ; some say that they are guidelines that you can take whether or non to follow ( Reform, Reconstructionist ) . For more on these differentiations, see & # 8220 ; motion.
So, what are these actions that Judaism is so concerned about? Harmonizing to Orthodox Judaism, these actions include 613 commandmants given by G-d in the Torah every bit good as Torahs instituted by the rabbi and long-standing imposts. These actions are discussed in deepness on the page sing halakhah and the pages following it.
Judaic Texts
Talmud ( TAHL-mud )
The most important aggregation of the Judaic unwritten tradition construing the Torah
Torah ( TOH-ruh )
In its narrowest sense, Torah the first five books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, sometimes called the Pentateuch. In its broadest sense, Torah is the full organic structure of Judaic instructions.
History
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, known as the Patriarchs, are both the physical and religious ascendants of Judaism. They founded the faith now known as Judaism, and their posterities are the Judaic people.
The history below is derived from & # 8220 ; defs/written.htm & # 8221 ; , & # 8220 ; defs/talmud.htm & # 8221 ; , & # 8220 ; defs/midrash.htm & # 8221 ; and other beginnings. Modern bookmans question the being of the Patriarchs and the historical truth of this information ; nevertheless, it is deserving observing that bookmans besides questioned the being of Babylonia & # 8230 ; until archeologists found it.
Abraham
Harmonizing to Judaic tradition, Abraham was born under the name Abram in the metropolis of Ur in Babylonia in the twelvemonth 1948 from Creation ( circa 1800 & # 8220 ; defs/bce.htm & # 8221 ; ) . He was the boy of Terach, an graven image merchandiser, but from his early childhood, he questioned the religion of his male parent and sought the truth. He came to believe that the full existence was the work of a individual Creator, and he began to learn this belief to others.
Abram tried to convert his male parent, Terach, of the foolishness of idol worship. One twenty-four hours, when Abram was left entirely to mind the shop, he took a cock and smashed all of the graven images except the largest 1. He placed the cock in the manus of the largest graven image. When his male parent returned and asked what happened, Abram said, & # 8220 ; The graven images got into a battle, and the large one smashed all the other ones. & # 8221 ; His male parent said, & # 8220 ; Don & # 8217 ; t be pathetic. These graven images have no life or power. They can & # 8217 ; t do anything. & # 8221 ; Abram replied, & # 8220 ; Then why do you idolize them? & # 8221 ;
Finally, the one true Creator that Abram had worshipped called to him, and made him an offer: if Abram would go forth his place and his household, so & # 8220 ; defs/g-d.htm & # 8221 ; would do him a great state and bless him. Abram accepted this offer, and the B & # 8217 ; rit ( compact ) between G-d and the Judaic people was established. ( Gen. 12 ) .
The thought of B & # 8217 ; rit is cardinal to traditional Hebraism: we have a compact, a contract, with G-d, which involves rights and duties on both sides. We have certain duties to G-d, and G-d has certain duties to us. The footings of this B & # 8217 ; rit became more expressed over clip, until the clip of the Giving of the Torah ( see cubic decimeter & # 8220 ; Exodus & # 8221 ; ) . Abram was subjected to ten trials of religion to turn out his worthiness for this compact.
Leaving his place is one of these tests.
Abram, raised as a city-dweller, adopted a mobile life style, going through what is now the & # 8220 ; defs/israel.htm & # 8221 ; for many old ages. G-d promised this land to Abram & # 8217 ; s posterities. Abram is referred to as a Hebrew ( Ivri ) , perchance because he was descended from Eber or perchance because he came from the & # 8220 ; other side & # 8221 ; ( eber ) of the Euphrates River.
But Abram was concerned, because he had no kids and he was turning old. Abram & # 8217 ; s beloved married woman, Sarai, knew that she was past child-bearing old ages, so she offered her housemaid, Hagar, as a married woman to Abram. This was a common pattern in the part at the clip. Harmonizing to tradition, Hagar was a girl of Pharaoh, given to Abram during his travels in Egypt. She bore Abram a boy, Ishmael, who, harmonizing to both Muslim and Jewish tradition, is the ascendant of the Arabs. ( Gen 16 )
When Abram was 100 and Sarai 90, G-d promised Abram a boy by Sarai. G-d changed Abram & # 8217 ; s name to Abraham ( male parent of many ) , and Sarai & # 8217 ; s to Sarah ( from & # 8220 ; my princess & # 8221 ; to & # 8220 ; princess & # 8221 ; ) . Sarah bore Abraham a boy, Isaac ( in Hebrew, Yitzchak ) , a name derived from the word & # 8220 ; laughter, & # 8221 ; showing Abraham & # 8217 ; s joy at holding a boy in his old age. ( Gen 17-18 ) . Isaac was the ascendant of the Judaic people. Therefore, the struggle between Arabs and Jews can be seen as a signifier of sibling competition!
Isaac
Isaac was the topic of the ten percent and most hard trial of Abraham & # 8217 ; s religion: & # 8220 ; defs/g-d.htm & # 8221 ; commanded Abraham to give Isaac as a burned offering. ( Gen 22 ) . This trial is known in Judaic tradition as the Akeidah ( the Binding, a mention to the fact that Isaac was bound on the communion table ) .
But this trial is besides an extraordinary presentation of Isaac & # 8217 ; s ain religion, because harmonizing to Judaic tradition, Isaac knew that he was to be sacrificed, yet he did non defy, and was united with his male parent in dedication.
At the last minute, G-d sent an angel to halt the forfeit. It is interesting to observe that kid forfeit was a common pattern in the part at the clip. Therefore, to people of the clip, the surprising thing about this narrative is non the fact that G-d asked Abraham to give his kid, but that G-d stopped him!
Hebraism uses this narrative as grounds that G-d abhors human forfeit. In fact, I have seen some beginnings bespeaking that Abraham failed this trial of religion because he did non decline to give his boy! Hebraism has ever strongly opposed the pattern of human forfeit, platitude in many other civilizations at that clip and topographic point.
Isaac subsequently married Rebecca ( Rivka ) , who bore him fraternal twin boies: Jacob ( Ya & # 8217 ; akov ) and Esau. ( Gen 25 ) .
Jacob ( Israel )
Jacob and his brother Esau were at war with each other even before they were born. They struggled within Rebecca & # 8217 ; s uterus. Esau was Isaac & # 8217 ; s favorite, because he was a good huntsman, but the more spiritually-minded Jacob was Rebecca & # 8217 ; s favourite.
Esau had small respect for the religious heritage of his sires, and sold his birthright of religious leading to Jacob for a bowl of lentil fret. When Isaac was turning old, Rebecca tricked him into giving Jacob a approval meant for Esau. Esau was angry about this, and about the birthright, so Jacob fled to populate with his uncle, where he met his darling Rachel. Jacob was deceived into get marrieding Rachel & # 8217 ; s older sister, Leah, but subsequently married Rachel as good, and Rachel and Leah & # 8217 ; s housemaids, Bilhah and Zilphah. Between these four adult females, Jacob fathered 12 boies and one girl.
After many old ages populating with and working for his uncle/father-in-law, Jacob returned to his fatherland and sought rapprochement with his brother Esau. He prayed to G-d and gave his brother gifts. The dark before he went to run into his brother, he sent his married womans, boies, and things across the river, and was entirely with G-d. That dark, he wrestled with a adult male until the interruption of twenty-four hours. As the morning broke, Jacob demanded a approval from the adult male, and the & # 8220 ; adult male & # 8221 ; revealed himself as an angel. He blessed Jacob and gave him the name & # 8220 ; Israel & # 8221 ; ( Yisrael ) , intending & # 8220 ; the 1 who wrestled with G-d & # 8221 ; or & # 8220 ; the Champion of G-d. & # 8221 ; The Judaic people are by and large referred to as the Children of Israel, meaning our descent from Jacob. The following twenty-four hours, Jacob met Esau and was welcomed by him.
Children of Israel
Jacob fathered 12 boies: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph and Benjamin. They are the ascendants of the folks of Israel, and the 1s for whom the folks are named. Joseph is the male parent of two folks: Manasseh and Ephraim.
Joseph & # 8217 ; s older brothers were covetous of him, because he was the favourite of their male parent, and because he had visions that he would take them all. They sold Joseph into bondage and convinced their male parent that Joseph was dead. But this was all portion of & # 8220 ; defs/g-d.htm & # 8221 ; & # 8217 ; s program: Joseph was brought into Egypt, where his ability to construe visions earned him a topographic point in the Pharaoh & # 8217 ; s tribunal, paving the manner for his household & # 8217 ; s later colony in Egypt.
The Exodus and the Giving of the Torah
As centuries passed, the posterities of Israel became slaves in Egypt. They suffered greatly under the manus of ulterior Pharaohs. But & # 8220 ; defs/g-d.htm & # 8221 ; brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt under the leading of & # 8220 ; defs/moses.htm & # 8221 ; .
G-d led them on a journey through the wilderness to Mount Sinai. Here, G-d revealed Himself to the Children of Israel and offered them a great compact: if the people would hark to G-d and detect His compact, so they would be the most darling of states, a land of priests and a holy state. ( Ex 19 ) . G-d revealed the & # 8220 ; defs/torah.htm & # 8221 ; to his people, both the & # 8220 ; defs/written.htm & # 8221 ; and & # 8220 ; defs/oral.htm & # 8221 ; , and the full state responded, & # 8220 ; Everything that the L-rd has spoken, we will make! & # 8221 ; Harmonizing to Judaic tradition, every Judaic psyche that would of all time be born was present at that minute, and agreed to be bound to this compact.
