Patriarchs and Matriarchs
The patriarchs are: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The matriarchs are: Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, and Rachel. The textbook talks about the patriarchs and their role in history but does not focus on the matriarchs and their contributions to Judaism history. (Paraphrasing, page 255)
The Ark of Covenants and The Temple
The Jews were exiled from many lands and wandered the desert for 40 years. Moses, was the son of Jacob/Israel and spent 40 days on Mt. Sinai to speak to God and returned with the 10 Commandments, which were written upon two stone tablets. Moses broke the tables after the first journey in anger at his followers for worshipping idols while he was gone so he had to head back up to make a second 40 day trip to get a new set of stone tablets. The Ark of Covenants were kept in the Temple built by King Solomon but the Temple was destroyed and rebuilt again by King Cyrus and then once again destroyed. The only part of the Temple that remains today is the Western Wall. People travel to the Western Wall to pray.
Persecution of the Jews
The Jews have been persecuted throughout history. Jews were persecuted in England, Poland and Germany among many other countries because or their religious practices or false accusations by leaders. One of the most known persecutions was in Germany orchestrated by Hitler. “By 1942, large-scale death camps had been set up by the Nazis to facilitate the “final solution”—the total extermination of all Jews in Europe. (Fisher, pg.273)
The Judaism Concept of Faith
The Judaism concept of faith is their personal relationship with God. It is personal. Jews study the Torah daily to develop that relationship and understanding that is so important to their understanding of God. They believe in the caring for others. They feel that when they are blessed with more than what others have it is their job to spread the wealth. The Torah is the book they use for daily worshipping or study and it contains the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The Talmud is a book that contains the stories that were passed down orally by generations and it also contains commentaries. People study the Torah daily. They act in the way God wants by following the 10 commandments. They follow a tradition to maintain the unity of the group. They do this by observing the Sabbath, lighting their candles, saying prayers and attending synagogues. Though tradition and meaning is always changing and the Jews see this as a growing religion and not as a stagnate religion. They are an accepting religion and culture.
The Roles of Women
The roles of women have changed and are now more involved in the study and practices of the Judaism faith. Their acceptance the LGBT community has changed. The circumcision of their baby boys on the 8th day was a unique practice and the Jews were prohibited by some rulers for doing this practice. The Bar Mitzva is a unique practice for 13 year boys to become men and are required to following the 10 commandments. The rule of not eating pork or not mixing meat with milk is unique. Traditionally is was men who studied the Torah, but today women are studying the Torah. Women are taking more active roles in Judaism and are becoming Rabbis, Cantors, or roles that traditionally they were not allowed to participate in. Women are also looking at past documentation of Judaism and discovering how women played a part in the developing of Judaism.
Judaism in Modern Society
Modern society has adapted to Judaism especially in the United States. From what Diana Eck a religious scholar at Harvard university stated “Rabbi Menachem M. Stern was granted permission by the U.S. Army’s Chief of Chaplains to serve as a chaplain in the army while maintaining his beard which Stern considers a requirement of Jewish law. He was the first Orthodox Jew in thirty years to be granted an exemption from the Army’s policy banning facial hair.”
