Judaic Tradition

Definition of God Definition of God: It is in many ways an impossibility to define

the God of Judaism; however there are some attributes of God that give some, though not total, ideas of God.

The Jewish God is the one and only God Creator God: created the world out of chaos(often understood as a

dark, unformed void)—gave order to it. Omnipresent Omniscient Eternal No physical form No gender (God is neither male nor female) Needs nothing, including needs no proof of existing Is Perfect and holy Judges fairly and mercifully

The Name of God YHVH “Yud-Hay-Vav-Hay” G-d Judaism refers to God in descriptive titles that are not actually

names and as “The Name” which in Hebrew is Ha Shem. Why refer to God as Ha Shem? Because God is above all names.

Descriptive titles “ These are names that correspond to the characteristics of God in accordance with the definition of God.

Adonai (Lord) El Khai/ the Living God Elohim/ God Everlasting El Shaddai/God almighty Eloheinu /Our God Tzur Yisroel/Rock of Israel

A Short History of the Jewish people:

A. Texts: The Jewish Bible is often referred to by Jews as the TaNaKh… this name also stands as an acronym for how Jews divide their Bible:Torah= 1st 5 books (first few books record the religious history of the Hebrews)Nevi’im= The Prophets (19 books)Ketuvim= The Writings (11 books)Biblical scholars often refer to the TaNaKh as the Hebrew Bible. Christianity adopts a version of this text as its Old Testament… implying that there is New Testament.

* The finalization of the Tanakh in canonical form occurred sometime between 200 BCE and 200 CE (canon formation is always a process in textual traditions); however, the Talmud suggests that this compiling of the definitive texts of the Tanakh occurred in 450 BCE in the meeting of the Men of the Great Assembly.

B. Terms: The TaNaKh often using various terms for the ancestors of the Jews… Various terms used: Hebrews, Israelites, descendants of Abraham, Israel, Judeans, Jews, people of Judah, etc. Various names for the land promised by the Hebrew God to Abraham and his descendants: the promised land, the land of milk and honey, Canaan, Zion, etc.

Midrash and the Talmud

The Midrash and the Talmud are the written Torah. . The Oral Torah goes along with the Written Torah… but for many years it is orally transmitted and only later written down

The Midrash offers an interpretation of the Torah in ways that emphasize what the Tanakh means for everyday life. The Talmud, also known as the “oral Torah” is a collection of commentaries on the Torah written by rabbis over the centuries. The Talmud concentrates on codifying and explaining the Law of the Torah. The Talmud is the earliest and therefore one of the most holy parts of the canon, because it pre-exists the written Torah. It is the written transmission of the earliest oral traditions and teachings of Judaism.

Talmud continued The Talmud has 2 sections: you can refer to

the whole of the Tanakh and the Talmud as the Torah because torah just means law.

The Halakhah (“The Way” which is a guide to purity and holiness) and the Aggadah (the Telling: which explains and clairifies the stories and non0egal aspects of the Torah).

In the first 2 centuries CE, scholars continued to expand upon the proper points of view regarding the Talmud, and these are compiled in the Mishnah.

Mishnah The 6 tractates of the Mishnah (published by Rabbi Judah the Prince

in 200CE) are as follows: The Zeraim (Seeds) is one tractate on prayer and 10 on agricultural

concerns as they relate to the Talmud. Moed (Set Feasts) describe how to celebrate holy days (12

tractates) Nashim (Women) includes seven tractates on legal issues involving

women, marriage and family life Nezrikim (damages) 10 tractates involving criminal and civil law Kodashim (Holy Things) speaks of how to serve in the Temple

including general questions of things like service and holiness as well as proper forms of sacrifice

Toharot (Purifications) 12 tractates on uncleanliness and possibilities for cleansing or purifying/repairing that which has become unclean.

Talmud video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pICQc5H0-b8

Interactive page for Talmud:http://www.ucalgary.ca/~elsegal/TalmudPage.html

History.

I. Ancient Kingdom of Israel:A. Tribal Confederacy to United Monarchy:

1. Saul2. David3. Solomon

B. Important dates:922 bce: split of North (aka Israel, Ephraim, 10 tribes) and South

(Judah)722 bce: North destroyed by Assyrians… “lost”597 bce: 1st deportation of Judah’s elite to Babylon (Ezekiel included)586 bce: destruction of the Jerusalem Temple, 2nd deportation538 bce: End of the Babylonian Exile, Persian King Cyrus (mentioned

by the prophet Isaiah) allows the Jews to return home and rebuilt their templeC. The Prophets:

1. strong voice in the Hebrew Bible2. the “ruah” of Yahweh= instruments of divine will and often voices

of discontent

Isaiah and Restoration:A. The Babylonian Exile comes to

an end in 538 bce, when Cyrus the Great defeats the Babylonian empire.

1. Judah interprets Cyrus’s victory as something Yahweh has done, because Yahweh is considered the architect of all events. They believe that God used foreign vehicles to laid Judah low for their transgressions and now that they had repeated, he would be merciful to them and restore them to the land of their ancestors, Judah.

2. Cyrus not only frees the Jews from Babylonian captivity, he also sends them home so that they may rebuild their temple.

3. The author of Isaiah Chapter 45 is so taken with Cyrus’ actions, believing them to be part of God’s plan, that he actually refers to Cyrus, a Persian king who openly does not worship the Hebrew God, as the “messiah” or chosen one of Yahweh.

Rabbinic JudaismA. Although the Jews were able to rebuilt their Temple, known as the 2nd Temple,

the power of the kingdom had diminished greatly. Various empires still continued to rule over them… the Persians, the Greeks, the Romans, etc. Until the creation of the modern state of Israel, the remnant of Judah only self-governed for about 100 years. Since the destruction of the 1st Temple, Jews had lived in Diaspora (dispersed) throughout the world. When the Romans destroyed the 2nd Temple, Judaism underwent some radical changes… for all that remains of the 2nd Temple today is the Western Wall (Wailing Wall).

B. B. Faith in Diaspora:

1. move from literal ritual sacrifice to emphasis placed on sacred texts and ethical practice

2. Jews had to think about how to maintain Jewish identity while in Diaspora (language, culture, dress, and various other customs)

3. shift from temple focus to home and synagogue focus

4. shift from temple priests to rabbis (teacher of laws and practice)