1. An Introduction to Judaism

2. The Jewish Tribe
Being Jewish means you’re a Member of the Tribe, started by Abraham and Sarah, about 4,000 years ago.
You can become a member of the Jewish tribe in two ways:
Being born to a Jewish mother
Joining through a series of rituals (converting)

3. Judaism Judaism isn’t: Judaism is:
A race
A particular culture
An ethnic group
A nation
A religion
Judaism is:
A set of beliefs, practices, and ethics based on the Torah
You can practice Judaism and be Jewish, and you can be a Jew and not practice Judaism
There are about 13 or 14 million Jews spread around the world, including about 6 million in the United States about 5 million in Israel – so Judaism obviously isn’t “a nation.”
There many Jews who don’t believe in God or practice Jewish observances, so being Jewish doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with religion.

4. What’s in a name? The word “Jewish” does not come from the Bible
Hebrews (“Children of Israel”)
Escaped from slavery in Egypt (Book of Exodus)
Belonged to one of the 12 tribes of Israel
10 of the 12 tribes were dispersed by the Assyrians (8th century BCE)
The tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin remained as the Southern Kingdom Judea

5. Judea fell to the Babylonians
People were exiled
Known as the Judah-ites (Yehudim), people of Judah
Yehudim = Jews (in Hebrew)
Their religion was Judah-ism, which became Judaism

6. Types of Jews Most Jews identify with one of the two groups: Ashkenazi
Ashkenazi and Sephardi
Ashkenazi
Descendants of Jews living in Europe
Primarily interacted with European Christian cultures, which strongly influenced the Ashkenazi culture
Majority of Jews

7. Sephardi Descendants of Jews who lived in Spain
After expulsion in the fifteenth century, they traveled to North Africa, Italy, Turkey, and the Middle East
Over the past 500 years, the Sephardim primarily interacted with Muslims, especially African and Arab Muslims
Much of the Sephardi culture is based on those cultures

8. Analogy of the Tree
While Judaism is a set of beliefs and practices, there are many different beliefs and practices
Similar to a tree with many branches
Common trunk and root system
Each denomination is its own branch
Each synagogue is its own twig

9. Branches Biggest branches of the tree: Smaller branches: Orthodox
Conservative
Reform
Non-Religious
Smaller branches:
Reconstructionist
Renewal
Secular Humanistic

10. Orthodox Jews see it differently:
Orthodoxy is the whole tree
What everyone else is doing is something else entirely
Maybe a whole other tree, but not one practicing Judaism
Biggest difference:
Orthodox Jews – the Torah was literally given by God to Moses, word for word
Liberal Jews – The Torah and the halakha/halachah (Jewish law) may have been divinely inspired, but were translated by humans influenced by their own time and place
Hold to elements that feel like Truth and principals that are affirmed as Truth
Search for other pieces that need to be involved

11. Orthodox Jews All Orthodox Jews accept the Torah as the word of God
Orthodox = “correct belief” or “proper doctrine”
“Modern Orthodox”
Approve of many aspects of modern, secular culture (clothes, music, etc.)
“Ultra-Orthodox”
Tend to isolate themselves from modern culture

12. Clothing Why do some Orthodox Jews wear all that black?
In mourning for the destruction of the Second Temple
Ultra-Orthodox Jews
Long black coats, black hats, white stockings, old-style shoes
Minimize contact with the outside world
No television, radios (unless set to religious programming), no movies, no internet
“Why even be tempted?”

13. Synagogues Many Orthodox synagogues Must walk to synagogue on Sabbath
Each congregation has its own culture, ideas, interpretations, and style
Ex. “Don’t round off the corner of your beard”
One rabbi says it means don’t cut the earlocks (the hair that grows to the side of the forehead)
Another rabbi says that means you can’t shave

14. Breakaway Denominations – Liberal Judaism
Traditional Jews avoid applying interpretations of Torah, Talmud, and halakha to modern issues
19th century –
The sources aren’t actually Divine but human responses to Divine inspiration
If human creations, they should be inspected, judged, and understood to be affected by their time and place of creation
Some passages were more meaningful for that age than others
Responsibility to find out what is relevant in their own time T
Traditional Jews tend either to avoid the changes or – more commonly – to apply established interpretations of Torah, Talmud, and previous halachah to modern issues. However, in the early nineteenth century, many Jews began to rethink this position, arguing that these sources aren’t actually Divine after all, but rather very human responses to Divine interpretation. If the Torah, Talmud, and halachah are human creations, they reasoned, then they should be inspected, judged, and understood to be affected by their particular time and place of creation.
These groups are usually lumped together under the umbrella of “Liberal Judaism,” though there is a wide spectrum of belief and observance among the groups. The best-known groups are Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist, Renewal, and Secular Humanistic.

15. Reform Judaism Largest Jewish group in America
Belief – Jews have the responsibility to educate themselves
Make decisions about their spiritual practice based on conscience rather than relying on external law
Social and ethical action based on the writings of the Prophets rather than ritual observance of the Torah and the halakha
Strip away what is unessential – the kernel of the tradition
Seat men and women together
Very few dietary laws
Instrumental music at Sabbath services
First Jewish movement to ordain women as rabbis

16. Conservative Judaism Like the Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The Reform movement went too far in rejection of traditional observance
The Orthodox communities were unrealistic in restrictions regarding modern life
Respect Jewish laws, like keeping kosher, observing Sabbath and other religious holidays, performing daily prayers
Agree with Reform movement that halakha has its basis in history and should be reconsidered
Ex. Jews who live too far from a synagogue can drive there (but are encouraged to walk)

17. Famous Jews!
Comics: Joe Siegel and Jerry Shuster – invented Superman; Stan Lee – invented Spiderman; Jack Kirby – invented The Hulk and The X-Men; Bob Kane – invented Batman
Musicians: Neal Diamond, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Barry Manilow, Bette Midler, Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel
Gangsters: Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel, and Lee Harvey Oswald’s killer Jack Ruby
Authors: Al Franken, Franz Kafka, Ayn Rand
Actors: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, Goldie Hawn, Kirk Douglas, Adam Sandler
Athletes: Olympic gold medalist Mark Spitz, baseball star Sandy Koufax
Famous mime Marcel Marceau; escape artist Harry Houdini; communist Leo Trostsky, cosmologist Carl Sagan

18. Judaism and God First tradition to teach monotheism
Only one God
First of the 10 Commandments
One unknowable, universal, image-less Being, who, because the universe is framed in love, requires justice of human beings
The first of the 10 Commandments

19. A Religion of Deed
Focuses on the way in which you practice and live in the world
The only way to keep the Covenant is to live by the laws set out by God
Belief is not enough
Belief is most significant in light of the actions motivated by that belief
They believe that the only way to keep the Covenant is to live by the laws that are set out by God.

20. Arguing with God Question in order to learn more deeply
Ex. Abraham argued with God for the sake of the righteous citizens in Sodom and Gomorrah
Israel = “One who wrestles with God”
Explore their own personal relationship with God

21. Names of God More than a mere distinguishing title
Each name of God refers to an aspect or quality of the Divine. The name defines the ways humans experience God rather than limiting God’s unity.
Most traditional Jews won’t write out the word “God,” so many Jewish books and periodicals print it “G-d”
It ensures that a name of God won’t be defaced if the paper is ripped up, soiled, or thrown away

22. The Divine Name Tetragrammaton, the name of four letters YHVH
Occurrs most frequently (6,823 times)
Hebrew Bible – no vowels
Unknown pronunciation
Jehovah
Yahweh
Means “He is,” “He will be,” or “He lives”
He is the living God, as opposed to the lifeless gods of the heathen, and he is the source and author of life
Considered to be too sacred to be uttered
Replaced with “Adonai” (my Lord) or “Ha-Shem” (the Name)

23. Elohim Second most frequently used name Plural form of the noun
Eloah = God
Elohim ≠ Gods, always refers to the singular “One” and takes verbs and adjectives meant for a singular noun
To be explained as the plural of majesty or excellence, expressing high dignity or greatness
Refers to the Immanent, the Spark of Divinity which awakens within each and every expression of the One Being
Reminds people that what they see as lots of individual forms (people, animals, plants, etc.) are all part of the One

24. El
Used chiefly in poetry and prophetic discourse, rarely in prose, and then usually with some epithet attached, as "a jealous God."
Other examples of its use with some attribute are:
El 'Elyon - "most high God"
El Shaddai - "God Almighty"
El 'Olam - "everlasting God"
El Ḥai - "living God”
El Ro'i - "God of seeing"
El Elohe Israel - "God, the God of Israel"
El Gibbor "Hero God"

25. Beyond the Name
Any attempt to know God is bound to fail, but people try
The God of the philosophers
Different in degree and essence from humankind
Prime mover, the “Uncaused Cause,” the God of reason and intellect
The God of the mystics
Complementary relationship with humankind
Interrelationship between God and person, affecting each other
The God of the believer (generations of Jews who contributed to the continuity and expansion of Judaism)
The One who Creates, the One who Reveals, the One who Redeems

26. God who Creates Two versions:
God started the Big Bang and then walked away from the universe, letting it unfold like a scientist watching an experiment
God is a more careful Creator. When God decided to create the world, He opened the Torah scroll and read the beginning of Genesis as though the Torah were an instruction manual or set of blueprints

27. God Reveals
Each Jew is responsible for his or her own interpretations, even if it means arguing with God
It’s important interpret – or reinterpret – the words of the Torah
Revelation is the channel through which a human being “hears” the Divine word
Always happening, waiting for humans to be sensitive enough to receive and understand the message
There are two rabbis who were arguing over a detail int eh Torah. The debate almost came to physical blows when, suddenly, there was thunder and lightning. As the rabbis looked on, amazed, a giant hand came down from the Heavens and pointed to one of them. “He’s right,” said the massive voice of God. After a moment, the other rabbi shrugged his shoulders and said, “Okay, fine, so it’s two against one. Let’s ask somebody else.”
This demonstrates how each Jew is ultimately responsible for his or her own interpretations, even if it means arguing with God.

28. God Redeems
Redemption is different from the Christian idea of salvation from sin
Christians tend to see it as a result of right belief rather than acts
Key redemptive event: exodus from Egypt
God redeemed the Children of Israel from the great hardships of enslavement, celebrated every year during Passover
Essential journey of a People in quest of their God
People have a responsibility for following godly paths and living in accord with principles of justice and compassion, in service to the One God
Path to redemption: healing of the world through a lifelong series of socially responsible actions and intentional blessings

29. Types of Redemption
Metaphor for personal redemption from exile/slavery (addictive behavior, bad habits, anger, fear, etc.)
Redemption will come all at once to the entire People of Israel, or the entire world
Redemption of humankind brought by a Jewish king called the Messiah
All Jews will return to the ways of the Torah and be led out of exile to return to the land of Israel