Chapter 7.2 Notes

 $\cdot$  Religion is the foundation of Jewish society
  -The Jewish people have a Hebrew name for God but it is too scared to be spoken
Monotheism: the belief in only one God
 $\cdot$  Many believe that Judaism is the world’s first example of a monotheistic religion
  -It is the for sure the oldest monotheistic religion
   *In the ancient world, people worshiped many gods because that was how they explained the natural world.
  -The Jews worship of one God set them apart from the other societies around them. 

 $\cdot$  Another central element in Judaism is education and study
  -Young children are taught the structure and foundation of Judaism 
   *But they are also taught to questions everything around them in the world
   *In Jewish communities, boys studied with professional teachers to learn their religion 
 $\cdot$  Justice and Righteousness were also a foundation in Judaism
  -To the Jews justice means kindness and fairness

  -Righteousness refers to doing what is proper
   *Jews are expected to behave properly even if others around them do not
 $\cdot$  Observance of Religious and Moral Law
  -Moral and religious laws have guided Jews through their history and continue to do so today
   *The Jews believe that God gave them a set of rules to be followed at all times. 

   *Since Moses was the one to receive the commandments from God and record them the system is called Mosaic Law
  -Mosaic law comes with rules about the Sabbath and what Jews are and aren’t allowed to eat
   *Jews cannot eat Pork or shellfish because it is seen as unclean 

 $\cdot$  The laws and principles of Judaism are described and several sacred text
  -Among these sacred text are the Torah, the Hebrew Bible and the Commentaires
Principle: basic beliefs, rules or laws
 $\cdot$  The ancient Jews recorded most of their laws into 5 books 
  -Together these books are called the Torah
Torah: The first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible and the most sacred text of Judaism
   *The Torah also includes a history of the Jews until the death of Moses

   *Nearly every synagogue has at least one Torah 
   *But out of respect for the Torah, readers do not touch it
Synagogue: a Jewish house of worship
 $\cdot$  The Torah is the first of 3 parts that make up Hebrew Bible
  -The second part is made up of 8 books that describe the messages of Jewish prophets
Prophets: someone who is said to receive messages from God to be taught to others

   *The Proverbs or short expressions of Jewish Wisdom, give information from Israelite leaders to benefit the Jewish people 
   *The Book of Psalms are the poems and songs that praise God 
 $\cdot$  Commentaries
  -The Jews have been studying the Torah and Jewish laws for centuries and will write notes on text to provide understanding
Talmud: a set of commentaries and lessons for everyday life in Judaism

 $\cdot$  Besides the information in the Hebrew Bible, many other documents explain Jewish beliefs
  -Until 1947, no one knew about the Dead Sea Scrolls
   *A boy found the scrolls in a small cave next to the Dead Sea 
  -Most of the scrolls found were written between 100 BC and 50 AD
   *The scrolls included prayers, commentaries, letters and passages from the Hebrew Bible 
Dead Sea Scrolls: writing about Jewish beliefs created about 2,000 years ago