Theology 12 World Religions

Unit Three: Judaism

Teacher Notes

The Material Dimension of Judaism

 Mezuzah – a small case containing a scroll of the Shema; placed on the doorpost of a Jewish home.
 Tallit (prayer shawl) – a four-cornered shawl worn over the head and shoulders during prayer symbolizing God’s
protection and wrapping God’s Law (Torah) around us.
 Kippah (also Yarmulke) – a small skullcap worn to show respect and reverence for God, especially while praying
or studying Torah.
 Menorah – a seven-branched candelabrum found in the ancient temple as well as modern-day synagogues; a
symbol of the nation of Israel, called to be a “light to the nations” (Is 42:6); the special Chanukkah menorah has
nine branches.
 Magen David (also Sign of David or Star of David) – a six-point star said to resemble the shield of King David; in
modern times it has become symbol of Judaism and of the State of Israel.
 Tefillin – a leather box strapped to the head during morning prayers; contains scrolls of several scriptural
passages; a leather cord comes down from it which is then wrapped around the arm; shows that we worship
God with all our mind and strength.
 Dreidel – a four-sided top used to play games on Chanukah.
 Shofar – a ram’s horn blown like a trumpet on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Nostra Aetate on Judaism (see NA 4)

 Origin of the document
o Originally called “On the Jews”
o Council Fathers asked for the document to be expanded
o Still, largest section is on Judaism
 Roots of Christian faith in the Jewish faith
o Jesus and the earliest Christians were all Jewish
o Much of Christianity inherited from Judaism
o We must continue to “draw sustenance from the root”
 Jews not guilty of deicide
o Some 1st century Jewish authorities did press for the death of Jesus, but all Jews (then and thereafter)
cannot be blamed for his death
o Christ died for the sins of all humanity; an act of love
o Jews still dear to God, not rejected or accursed by God
o Christian catechesis and preaching must never present Jews as “Christ killers” or accursed by God
 Anti-Semitism of all time must be rejected by the Church

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Jewish Understanding of God
 Radical monotheism
o Ancient Israel was surrounded by polytheistic cultures
 Many gods with both power and weakness
 People continually had to “play” the gods against one another
o At some point (when is unclear), the Israelites began to think that their god was the only God
 Complete innovation
 The one God demands undivided devotion
o The Shema = the Jewish Declaration of Monotheism
 Dt 6:4 “Shema Israel! Adonai eloheinu, Adnonai echad!” “Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the
LORD alone!” or more literally “Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one!”
 Prayed twice a day by observant Jews
 Like the “Jewish Creed”
 As God is undivided, so must our love for him be undivided (“Love him with your whole heart,
mind and strength.”)
 God’s personal name: Yahweh
o Israel called God by a personal, mysterious name
o When did this start? Unclear (Ex 3 indicates it started at the Burning Bush)
o In Judaism, God is a person who wants relationship, not just some concept/force/energy/power.
o Yet God remains completely holy, totally “other” – his name cannot even be translated
o A name that communicates both immanence (closeness) and transcendence (otherness)
o In post-exilic Judaism, the divine name is not said aloud, out of respect.

The Jews: People of the COVENANT

 The ancient Israelites, and their descendants, the
Jews, had a deep conviction that the God they
worshipped:
o Was a personal God
o Was a God who wanted a special
relationship of love with them, his
people
 This conviction was expressed in the various
covenants of the Hebrew Scriptures (esp. the
covenants with Abraham, Moses and David)
 Covenant starts with God’s initiative; God gives
us his hesed: love, mercy, goodness
o Unconditional
o Not a covenant yet – no relationship
o The Torah (Law) begins as God’s gift to
us
o God’s choice of Israel was not merited
 We respond with our hesed: faithfulness, obedience, love
o Our response to God’s hesed
o Concretely, following God’s Torah
o Now it becomes a covenant
 What is a Jew (religiously and theologically speaking)? A person of the covenant
o One who responds to God’s hesed with hesed
o One who lives according to God’s Torah
o Judaism emphasizes actions (Torah) more than beliefs (Creed)

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The Torah
 Four senses of the word, in concentrically smaller
circles:
1. Revelation of God’s will
 All God has revealed to us
 Judaism is a “revealed religion”
2. The Hebrew Scriptures
 God’s written revelation
 Called the Tanakh
 T = Torah (Law)
 N = Neviim (Prophets)
 K = Ketuvim (Writings)
3. The Pentateuch
 Gn, Ex, Lv, Nm, Dt
 Gn: Tells the stories of
Primordial History, the
Patriarchs and Matriarchs
 Ex, Lv, Nm, Dt: Tells the story
of the Exodus
 Traditional author: Moses
4. The 613 specific laws
 Traditional enumeration of the laws in
the legal sections of the Pentateuch
 The concrete way of living the covenant
 All life (in its details) is to be sanctified
 Remember, Torah is both God’s gift to us and our way of responding to God’s gift

The Oral Torah

 Oral Torah
o Traditions and interpretations of the early C.E. rabbis
o Application of the Torah to contemporary situation
 Mishnah
o Collection of rules and practices
o Commentary upon the 613 laws
o Collected in 3rd cent. C.E., but much of it written a bit earlier
 Talmud
o Extensive commentary upon the Mishnah
o Written in Babylonia in the 6th Cent. C.E.
o Considered authoritative in Judaism
o More than just legal material; contains many anecdotes and maxims as well
o The collected wisdom of the Jewish tradition
 Parallel to Catholic Christianity
o God’s revelation in scripture and Tradition
o Teaching of the Church Fathers, doctrines of the Councils, etc.
o Extends into our time (for example, the Catechism of the Catholic Church)

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Jewish Holy Days: See article “A Gentile’s Guide to Jewish Holidays”

 Passover
o Commemorates the Exodus from Egypt
o A seven or eight day feast in early Spring
o Seder - the ritual meal eaten on the first or second night
 Reenactment of meal during the 10th plague described in Ex 12
 Three main foods: lamb, unleavened bread, bitter herbs
 Rosh Hashanah
o Jewish New Year in early Fall
o Time to look back and look ahead, make resolutions to be a better person
o The most memorable part of the Rosh Hashanah service is the blowing of the shofar, as a call to
repentance and to begin the Days of Awe, or the 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
o Sweet foods are eaten (tzimmes, apples and honey) to bring in the sweetness of the new year
o Common greeting: Shana tova = [Have] a good year
 Yom Kippur
o Day of Atonement, 10 days after Rosh Hashanah
o Day of fasting and repentance
o The service ends with the blowing of the shofar bringing the Days of Awe to an end.
 Chanukkah
o Celebration of the rededication of the Jerusalem Temple after its desecration by the Greek (Seleucid)
King in the 2nd Cent. B.C.E.
o A minor feast day, but often known by Christians because of its closeness to Christmas
o Festival of Lights - eight-day lighting of the menorah to commemorate the miracle of the oil
o Children often play dreidel games and receive gelt as gifts
o Common foods: latkes, brisket, kugel and sufganiyah (jelly donuts)

Some Branches of Judaism

Major divisions of Judaism in the U.S. only; does not include many Jews, especially worldwide

1. Reform Judaism
o Accept the basics of Judaism (God, Torah) while embracing diversity and introducing innovation
o Particularly committed to inclusion (women, homosexuals, interfaith families)
2. Orthodox Judaism
o Believe the Torah, both written and oral, are of divine origin
o Rejects reform, innovation, relaxation of Torah
3. Conservative Judaism
o Middle ground between Reform and Orthodox
o Maintains strict observance of the written Torah, but allows reform regarding the oral Torah