Chapter 5 Section 1

The Early Israelites Judaism first developed more than 3,000 years ago.  it is known as the religion of the Jewish people. It was the world’s 1st religion based on one God. Israelites practiced monotheism- the belief that there is only one God. Believed God called on them based on ethics- ideas of right and wrong.

Abraham’s Covenant Most of what Jews believe comes from the Torah The first five books of the Hebrew Bible The Torah tells about a man names Abraham. God told him to leave Ur with his family to a land called Canaan. God made a covenant with Abraham binding agreement. Canaan would belong to Abraham’s family forever and be known as the Promise Land.

The Patriarchs Abraham led his people to Canaan. Abraham, his son Isaac, and Isaac’s son Jacob were known as the Patriarchs the forefathers of the Jewish people. Abraham’s grandson had 12 sons. 12 tribes formed from his sons and were known as the Israelites. Stories were passed by mouth for 100’s of years and then were written in the first book of the Torah called Genesis.

The Exodus As Jacob’s family grew larger the Pharaoh of Egypt did not trust them he enslaved and mistreated the Israelites. Story says that God appeared to Moses and told him to save his people. God brought sicknesses, swarms of insects, and many other bad things to Egypt because the Pharaoh’s mistreatment.

The Exodus Egypt’s Pharaoh still mistreated the Israelites. The death of his firstborn son happened soon after. Moses told the Israelites to mark their doors with the blood of a lamb. Moses finally led his people to the Sinai Peninsula. They named this the Exodus- which was the escape of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt.

The Desert Experience The Exodus happened around 1200 B.C. After leaving Egypt the Israelites live din the Sinai Desert for 40 years. Many people became angry with Moses and God because of how harsh the journey was. The Torah states that during their journey, God even gave them water and food from heaven.

The Ten Commandments The story says God gave Moses Laws at the top of Mount Sinai.  The ten commandments Commandment- an order to do something. Jewish people, even today, believe they have a covenant with God because of these commandments. Therefore they have to follow the laws to show respect to God. The laws basically were made to make sure every behaved well towards one another.

Return to the Promise Land After getting the laws from Moses the Israelites continued their journey to the Promised Land. Moses died before getting to the Promised land. His deputy Joshua took his place as leader. They conquered the city Jericho first when entering, then many other cities in Canaan. Each of the 12 tribes settled in different areas. Canaanites worshiped many Gods. Israelites followed their teachings from the Torah or were punished.