Ch. 5, Lesson 1 The Beginnings of Judaism This PowerPoint was made by Mr. Dixon for the MCMS 6th grade.

Before we begin, why do we study religion in this course? Religion is current events – religions influence many of the events in our world today. Most of the great advances in world history have been because of religions (ex: knowledge; medicine; human rights) We learn about other people by learning about their religion. And, of course, Mr. Dixon wants you to learn about other religions so that you can be a smarter, deeper thinker about your own life.

Before Judaism… In our study of Egypt and Sumer, we learned that most people believed there were a lot of different gods or goddesses to worship. This concept is called polytheism, the belief in many gods.

The Founding of Judaism We learn about Judaism from the Torah, the first 5 books of the Hebrew scriptures (scriptures are holy writings). The Torah tells of a family that lived in Ur in Mesopotamia. Abram (who later changed his name to Abraham) was their leader.

The Founding of Judaism Abram was inspired to worship only one God and convinced his family to do the same. This is called monotheism. God told Abram to leave and go to Canaan, which became known to Jews as the Promised Land.

From Ur to Canaan Abram’s trip through the Fertile Crescent

The Covenant When Abram and his family arrived in Canaan, he made a covenant with God. He received the new name Abraham. This covenant is considered the beginning of Jewish history. Abraham’s grandson was named Israel, which became the name for their people. They are also called Jews.

From Canaan to Egypt After years of wandering in Canaan, the Israelites moved to Egypt during a famine. But after a while, things changed. A new Pharaoh came to the throne, and he enslaved them. They were forced to work for their masters. Many were killed.

Moses A man named Moses rose to leadership of his people. God called him to lead his people to freedom, which he did. In celebration of this freedom from slavery, each years the Jews celebrate a festival called Passover. The Hebrews were in such a rush to leave Egypt, they did not wait for their bread to rise. Flat bread, or unleavened bread, is part of the Passover festival.

The Torah and 10 Commandments Moses led the Hebrews into the wilderness, where they wandered for 40 years. During that time, God gave Moses the Torah, the first 5 books of the Hebrew bible. They include the 10 Commandments, laws about how to live with God, your family, and your neighbors.

The Sabbath One of the 10 Commandments concerned the Sabbath. The Sabbath is the weekly day of rest, prayer, and worship. It falls on Saturday.

King David and Israel After wandering in the wilderness, the Hebrews returned to Canaan. A later leader, King David, made Jerusalem the capital about 1000 B.C. His son, King Solomon, would build the Temple in Jerusalem (see the model above).

Exile to Babylonia After King Solomon, in 721 B.C. the Assyrians conquered the northern half of the country. In 586 B.C. the Babylonians destroyed the rest of the country, including Jerusalem and the Temple. [Say hello to the Babylonians again!]

Exile to Babylonia When the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, they forced many of the Jews to go to other lands, including Babylonia. This scattering of the Jews to different places is called the Diaspora (a Greek word for “dispersion” or “scattering”).