HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

— JUDAISM is an ancient monotheistic religion that traces its

origin as an organized belief system during the Bronze Age in
West Asia.
— It is the religion professed by the Jews known as PEOPLE
OF THE BOOK.
— “TORAH” or “PENTATEUCH” most important text of the
Jewish people. It contains “FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES” which
is (GENESIS, EXODUS, LEVITICUS, NUMBERS AND
DEUTERONOMY).
— TORAH means to guide or teach.
— The ancestors of the Jews were groups of Semites called
Hebrews whose origin can be traced in the desert lands of
Arabia.
— Judaism is anchored upon God’s revelation to Abraham that
he is the creator and ruler of the Universe, and that He Loves
His creatures and demands righteousness from them.
— Three notable figures or patriarchs of the Jews are
ABRAHAM, ISAAC, and JACOB. Their narratives can be
found in GENESIS 12 to 50 of their scripture.
— GOD entered into a covenant with Abraham PROMISING
him that he would become the FATHER OF GREAT NATION
and would POSSES VAST TRACTS OF LAND. In return, he
must remain devoted to covenant. ABRAHAM was succeed by
his son Isaac, grandson Jacob, and Jacob’s twelve sons
— ABRAHAM’S original names was “ABRAM” or The father
of many nations. SARAH’S name was “SARAI” means
Princess or noblewoman.
— ISHMAEL is the ANCESTOR OF THE ARABs, which is
the son of Abraham through HAGAR.
— ISAAC is the heir to God’s covenant and the ancestor of the
Jewish people.
— Abraham’s story is narrated in GENESIS 11 to 25 of the
Hebrew bible.
— The greatest trial given to Abraham is to sacrifice his son
Isaac at an altar in Mount Moriah. A ram was sacrifice instead
of Isaac.
— Isaac married Rebecca, and they had sons named JACOB
and ESAU. These two sons are always in strife, to the point that
Jacon bought Esau's birthright and tricked his father into giving
Esau's blessings as the eldest son.
— A close encounter with an angel made Jacob change his
name to ISRAEL which meant THE ONE WHO WRESTLED
WITH GOD.
— The Jewish people are referred to as CHILDREN OF
ISRAEL.
— Jacob fathered 12 sons and 1 daughter. The 12 sons who
became the ancestors of tribes in Israel are: Reuben, Simeon,
Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali,
Joseph, and Benjamin.
— After being sold to slavery by his brothers, Joseph was
brought to Egypt. His ability to see and interpret vision earned
him a place in palace called as VIZIER, a position next to
pharaoh.
— The book of Exodus started with their tribe crying out for
deliverance from Egyptian bondage. As the ascendance of tribes
in Israel grew in number, the pharaoh ordered to put all male
children to death by throwing them into the river
— A woman from Levi's tribe, Jochebed, secretly placed her
youngest child in a woven basket and sent him down the Nile
River. The pharaoh's daughter, Bithia, found the child and
reared him as her own. Jochebed volunteered to nurse the child
named Moses. He was raised within the Egyptian roval family.
— At the age of forty, Moses killed an Egyptian in defense of a
slave and fled to the Sinai desert where he spent the next years
as a shepherd.
— On Mount Horeb, Abraham's God revealed himself to Moses
as he spoke through a burning bush that was not consumed.
“YAHWEH“ commanded Moses to return to Egypt and demand
the release of Israelites from slavery.
— After his initial refusal, the Egyptian pharaoh conceded after
the ten miraculous and horrific plagues were inflicted by God
upon Egypt and its people, most especially the plague on the
first-born.
— The firstborn sons of every Egyptian household would die
but the sons of Israelites would be saved if they marked their
door posts with the blood of lamb killed in sacrifice.
— The lamb must be cooked and eaten with bitter herbs and
unleavened bread. This is known as the PASSOVER, an
important Jewish festival.
— The Israelites were banished from Egypt with Moses leading
them across the Red Sea (Yam Suph or "Sea of Reeds" in some
accounts). When the pharaoh began to pursue the fleeing
Israelites, Moses parted the Red Sea that allowed them to cross
the water and reach the dry lands of Sinai. The pursuing
Egyptian chariots were drowned after the waters receded. This is
the event called EXODUS.
— Another significant event in Jewish history was the giving of
the Ten Commandments at MOUNT SINAI. These supreme
laws were communicated to the Israelites through Moses during
their time in the wilderness.
— Forty years after the EXODUS, Moses died in the desert
within reach of the "Promised Land."

SOCIO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS
— The Jewish concept of leadership based on the Old
Testament directs us to kingship as the ideal form of
government.
— This can be deduced from the chronicles of the Kings of
Israel and Judah, as well as in the Book of Deuteronomy, which
stated, "Let me put a king over me like all the nations that are
around me" (Deut. 17: 14-15).
— The concept of "covenant" between the ruler and the ruled is
equally important as well in Judaism. Just as God the Father
entered into a covenant with His people (such as the covenant
between God and Abraham).
— Socio-political dynamics can also be described as following
the model of tribal federation in which various tribes and
institutions shared political power.
— There are certain people who hold important positions in
society with regard to their roles in Judaism, such as the RABBI
who functions as a TEACHER and INTERPRETER of the
Jewish law and customs.
— For the Jews, politics, society, culture and religion are all
interconnected. Therefore, Judaism is not only considered as a
religion but as a way of life as well.

SACRED SCRIPTURES
— The Jewish people have been called the "people of the Book"
in reference to the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh or Mikra) that has
been the authority, guide, and inspiration of the many forms of
Judaism that have evolved throughout the different periods of
time and in various places.
— The Hebrew Bible is divided into three principal sections:
Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim.
— The foundational text Torah (Teaching) is composed of the
first "Five Books" or the Pentateuch which includes: Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
— The Pentateuch contains basic laws for Jewish self-
understanding, and also narrates the history, religious statues,
and moral regulations for individuals and society, ceremonial
rites and creation stories by Yahweh, and the origin and growth
of mankind.
— The Nevi'im (Prophets) is subdivided into: Earlier Prophets,
Later Prophets, and twelve minor prophets.
— Prophets served as spokespersons who criticize the
hypocritical practices of Jewish rituals. They were specifically
chosen by God to preach his message to the people.
— The Ketuvim (Writings) form the third section of the Tanakh
that contains works on poetry, temple ritual, private prayer,
philosophical explorations, and other canonical works.
— Torah refers to the "Five Books of Moses." It can also pertain
to the entire Hebrew Bible known as the Old Testament to
Christians but Tanakh (or the Written Torah) to the Jews. Torah
is the whole body of Jewish laws and teachings.

— Talmud (or the Oral Torah which means study) is an

authoritative collection of rabbinic interpretations of the sacred
scriptures. It contains materials of law and moral codes, and also
a fountain of religious thought and inspiration similar to the
Pentateuch
— Around the second century C.E., this was compiled and
written down as "Mishnah" or a restatement of the law by a
respected opinion.
— Gemara includes legends, folklores, and sayings.
— The Mishnah and Gemara comprise the Talmud that was
completed in the 5th century C.E. The whole Talmud contains
63 tractates that is often printed over 6,200 pages long.
— The Pentateuch is the most important scripture for the Jewish
people that became the source of their inspiration and direction
for centuries. It became the foundation of other essential Jewish
writings.
— Judaism has become a religion of the law and the Jews as the
chosen people have shown obedience to God's covenant.

BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES

— In Judaism, actions are more significant than beliefs.
— For the Jews, there is one everlasting god who created the
universe in its entirety and remains the master of it.
— Human beings were created by God who provided them the
capacity to decide what is right and wrong, and gave them the
freedom and responsibility for their own actions. They have the
ability to restrain their evil intentions because of their
propensities for both good and evil.
— For Jews, all human beings are created equal. While God can
communicate with humans through revelations, humans can also
commune to him by means of prayers and meditations.
— A Jew is someone whose mother is a Jew, although some
sectors recognize the children of Jewish fathers as Jews, too.
— When a Jew converts to another religion, he or she loses the
religiosity emanating from his or her Jewish identity.
— A person may also convert to Judaism, but he or she has to
undergo numerous rituals (such as circumcision and holy bath
called as called a Mikveh, with appropriate prayers).

ARTICLES OF FAITH
— Perhaps the closest approach in having an acceptable creed in
Judaism was proposed by the eminent medieval Jewish
philosopher Moshe ben Maimon (also known as Rambam or
Moses Maimonides) during the latter part of twelfth century
C.E as an appendix to his commentary on the Mishnah.
1. God exists.
2. God is one and unique.
3. God is incorporeal.
4. God is eternal.
5. Prayer is to be directed to God alone and to no other.
5. The words of the prophets are true.
7. Moses prophecies are true, and Moses was the greatest of
the prophets.
3. The Written Torah and the Oral Torah were given to
Moses.
9. There will be no other Torah.
10. God knows the thoughts and deeds of men.
11. God will reward the good and punish the wicked.
12. The Messiah will come.
13. The dead will be resurrected.
— These statements of belief were eventually constructed as
credo with every article beginning with "I believe".

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

-Are a set of absolute laws given by God to Moses at the biblical
Mount Sinai that shall govern the life of every Israelite.
-Official beginning of Judaism as an organized and structured
belief system.
-These laws are twice mentioned in the Hebrew bible, Exodus
and Deuteronomy.
-Inscribe on two stone tablets, these commandments present
God's complete and enduring standard for morality.
-These include instructions to venerate only one God, to honor
one's parents and to observe the Sabbath as a holy day.
-Prescribe Acts that are pointed out in the commandments
include idolatry, fidelity, murder, theft and deceit.
-For more 3,000 years, Ten commandments have been embraced
by almost two thirds of the entire world population.
-613 mitzvot or laws found within the Torah. (guiding the
jewish people in their daily living)
-248 positive and 365 negative commandments within the
Torah. These include laws about family, personal hygiene, diet,
duties and responsibilities to the community.
WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES
-The Jewish community follows a lunar calendar with twelve
months, each starting at the new moon and lasting 29 or 30 days.
Festivals and Sabbaths begin and end at dusk, in line with
biblical traditions. The Jewish calendar guides the observance of
holidays and celebrations, which commemorate significant
events in Jewish history and reflect themes of creation,
revelation, and redemption.

SABBATH
-The Sabbath (Shabbat) is the most important day in the Jewish
calendar, commemorating God's completion of creation and rest.
It begins a few minutes before sunset on Friday and lasts until
an hour after sunset on Saturday, totaling about 25 hours.
-The Sabbath starts with lighting candles and reciting kiddush (a
blessing over wine or grape juice). Parents bless their children.
-Jews refrain from work, study the Torah, and avoid activities
like lighting fires, using money, and writing.
-The Sabbath concludes with havdalah, a ritual involving
dousing wine on candles and smelling sweet spices to symbolize
the separation between the sacred and the ordinary.

THE DAYS OF AWE

-Tishri, the seventh month in the Jewish calendar, features the
"Days of Awe" (Yamim Noraim). The first two days are Rosh
Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and the tenth day is Yom
Kippur, the Day of Atonement.
Rosh Hashanah
-Marks the beginning of a ten-day period of repentance. It is
celebrated with the blowing of the shofar (ram’s horn) and
eating apples dipped in honey to symbolize a sweet new year.
This day involves self-reflection, making amends, and God's
judgment of deeds for the upcoming year, recorded in the "Book
of Life" and sealed on Yom Kippur. Work is prohibited.
Yom Kippur
-The most sacred day, focused on fasting, prayer, and
repentance. It begins with Kol Nidrei, a powerful prayer for
annulling vows. Observers refrain from eating, drinking,
washing, using perfumes, wearing leather shoes, and engaging
in sexual relations. Wearing white symbolizes purity, and the
day is spent in synagogue. It ends with another shofar blast.

PILGRIMAGE FESTIVALS
-In ancient times, the Torah commanded the Israelites to travel
to Jerusalem for three pilgrimage festivals, known as the
Shalosh Regalim, to worship at the Temple. These festivals are:
Pesach (Passover)
-An eight-day festival that originally marked the barley harvest
but now primarily commemorates the Exodus from Egypt. A
festive meal called a seder is held, where the Exodus story is
recounted.
Shavuot (Weeks or Pentecost)
-A two-day festival originally celebrating the wheat harvest,
now commemorating the revelation of the Torah to Moses at
Mount Sinai.
Sukkot (Tabernacles)
-A nine-day festival that celebrates the autumn harvest and the
Israelites' 40 years in the desert. Temporary booths (sukkot) are
built, symbolizing the temporary dwellings used during their
desert journey.
OTHER IMPORTANT DAYS
-The Jewish calendar includes several significant feasts and
festivals, with families playing a key role in worship, education,
and moral guidance, both at home and in the synagogue.
Hanukkah
-Also known as the "Festival of Lights" or "Feast of
Dedication," this eight-day celebration marks the Jewish victory
over the Seleucid Empire in 165 B.C.E.
Purim
-The "Feast of Esther" commemorates the Jews' deliverance
from the Persian vizier Haman, who sought to destroy them, as
described in the Book of Esther.
Independence Day of the State of Israel
-Celebrates the establishment of the modern state of Israel.

JEWISH MONTHS AND FESTIVALS

Nisan (March or April)
14-Passover Eve
15-21 Passover

lyyar (April or May)

5-Israel's Independence Day

Sivan (May or June)

6,7-Shavuot
Tishri (September or October)
1- Rosh Hashanah
10-Yom Kippur
15-Sukkot
21-Hashanah Rabbah
22-Shemini Atzeret
23-Simchat Torah

Kislev (November or December)

25-Hanukkah begins up to the second of Tebet (December or
January)

Adar (February or March)

14-Purim

HALAKHA
-Judaism is a comprehensive way of life governed by halakha,
meaning "the path that one walks." Halakha comprises Jewish
religious laws derived from the “Written Torah” and “Oral
Torah,” including the 613 mitzvot. These laws guide how to
revere God and interact with others and animals. Halakha covers
daily practices such as morning routines, dietary rules, clothing,
marriage, and the observance of Sabbath and holy days. Proper
observance of halakha elevates spirituality by infusing even
mundane activities with religious significance.

SYNAGOGUES
-Synagogues are Jewish places of worship, instruction, and
community fellowship, featuring separate rooms for specific
activities like praying and studying.
-In Orthodox synagogues, men and women sit separately, while
in Reform synagogues, they sit together.
-Synagogues typically have seats facing an elevated platform
(bimah or tebah) where the central feature is the ark, which
houses the Torah scrolls. The ark is positioned so that when
worshippers face it, they face Jerusalem. An ornate curtain
(parochet) covers the ark, and a lamp (ner tamid) burns in front
of it, symbolizing the menorah in the Jerusalem Temple.
-A prayer service may be led by a layman if a minyan (ten adult
males) is present, but a trained rabbi usually performs this role.
The rabbi delivers sermons, interprets the Torah, and serves as a
pastor, administrator, and counselor.

THE TEMPLE
-Around 1003 B.C.E., King David conquered Jerusalem and
intended to build a temple there. However, God directed that the
temple be built by David’s son, Solomon.
First Temple
-Solomon’s Temple, built around 1000 B.C.E., housed the
"Holy of Holies" where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. The
temple was central to Jewish worship until it was destroyed by
Nebuchadnezzar II and the Babylonians in 587 B.C.E. The exact
location of the First Temple and the Ark remains unknown.
Second Temple
-Rebuilt in 349 B.C.E. under Persian King Darius, it was later
significantly expanded by Herod around 20 B.C.E. The Second
Temple lasted until it was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E.,
leaving only the Western Wall (Wailing Wall), which remains a
significant site for Jewish prayer and pilgrimage.
Third Temple
-Orthodox and Conservative Judaism await the construction of a
Third Temple, as prophesied in the Book of Ezekiel. This future
temple is expected to be established before the arrival of the
messiah (mashiach), a future Jewish leader who will restore
Jewish law and bring Jews to Israel.

SUBDIVISIONS

— Within Judaism are three present-day movements are the

Reform, Orthodox, and Conservative Judaism.
— Two other smaller sects are Hasidism and Kabbalah. These
are mystical approaches to the Jewish religion that emphasize
spiritual experiences over rational knowledge.
— Orthodox Judaism is the most traditional of modern
Judaism that adheres to the authority of the entire Torah as
given to Moses by God at Mount Sinai.
— Reform Judaism (Liberal or Progressive Judaism) is
considered the most liberal expression of Judaism that
subjects religious laws and customs to human judgment.
— Conservative Judaism (20th century) seeks to conserve
the traditional elements of Judaism while at the same time
allowing for modernization that is less radical than Reform
Judaism.
— Hasidism or Hasidic Judaism emerged in Germany during
the twelfth century. It was largely a spiritual movement that
gives prime importance to asceticism and experience as a
result of love and humility before God. During the eighteenth
century, a modern Hasidic movement was started in Poland by
Baal Shem Toy ("Master of the Good Name") as a reaction to
the excessivelegalistic nature of Judaism during that time.

— Kabbalah is another mystical form of Judaism that

attempts to penetrate deeper into God's essence itself. They
believe that God moves in mysterious ways while also holding
that genuine knowledge and understanding of that inner process
is achievable. One important commentary on the Torah that
underpinned Kabbalah is the Zohar ("Splendor" or
"Radiance") that first appeared in Spain.

Women in Judaism

— Women's role in the Jewish religion is determined by the

Tanakh, the "Oral Torah," and Jewish customs. Mishnah
instructs that women must follow nearly all the negative
commandments except trimming the beard and viewing a dead
body.
— Women must also follow all positive commandments not
structured by time but are exempted from those that are
restricted by time. The reason here is to release women from
laws that they find difficult or impossible to perform given their
traditional domestic roles, such as giving birth, taking care of
the family, and accomplishing household chores. In addition,
Jewishness or the question of Jewish self-identification is passed
down through the mother.
— For Orthodox Judaism, there exist different roles for men and
women in their religious lives. It is sufficient for any woman to
understand the practical nature of the Torah, but she is
traditionally excused from furthering her education beyond that
knowledge.

— One interesting phenomenon in Judaism is the concept of

agunot or married women who wish to divorce their husbands
but whose husbands decline to do so. In Orthodox Judaism, only
the husbands are given this privilege.
— Conservative Judaism has acted upon several areas that
enable women to actively participate in Jewish rituals thereby
minimizing legal disparity between men and women. For
example, women can now read the Torah in public and be
counted as part of a minyan.
— Reform Judaism affirms that men and women should be
equal in terms of performing their duties within the Jewish
community. While men and women generally sit separately in
most synagogues, Reform Judaism has allowed women to sit
together with men.
— In Judaism, God is neither male nor female. The Talmud
likewise mentions both positive and negative remarks about
women.
— The presence of women in the Hebrew Bible is also
noticeable. For example, Miriam, the elder sister of Moses and
Aaron, is considered one of the liberators of the children of
Israel. Deborah, being one of the judges, is the only female
judge mentioned in the Bible. Finally, seven out of the 55
prophets of the Bible were women, namely, Sarah, Miriam,
Deborah, Hannah, Abigail, Huldah, and Esther.
— Jewish Diaspora and Zionist Movement In the 16th and 17th
centuries, there had been calls to persuade the Jews to return to
Palestine. During the late 18th century, the Haskalah (or Jewish
Enlightenment) movement promoted Jewish assimilation to
Western secular culture.
— At the end of the nineteenth century, the Hungarian journalist
and political activist Theodor Herzl founded the Zionist
movement that advocated the return of Jews to Eretz Yisrael or
"Land of Israel."
— The term zion, also a Jewish synonym for Jerusalem, came
from the name of a mountain where Solomon's Temple in
Jerusalem was located. Originally secular in nature, supporters
of this movement are called Zionists.
— The Zionists believed that Jews as the chosen people of God
will be reunited from dispersion or exile back to their rightful
homeland.
— The dispersion of Jewish communities outside Israel is called
diaspora.
— Leon Pinsker, another Zionist pioneer and activist, published
his work Auto-Emancipation in 1882 that urged the Jewish
people to strive for independence and appealed for the
establishment of a Jewish colony in Palestine.

Holocaust

— The term Holocaust is of Greek origin that means "sacrifice

by fire." In history, Holocaust pertains to the methodical,
bureaucratic, and state-sponsored persecution and execution of
around six million Jews undertaken by the Nazi regime and its
collaborators from 1933 to 1945.
— For the Nazis, the Germans were racially superior and
considered themselves as the master race as compared to the
Jews who were seen as inferior people.
— Hitler's police chief, Heinrich Himmler, also believed in
Aryan superiority leading to the enslavement and
extermination of "non-Aryans" and the inferior race. He was one
of the German officials directly responsible for the holocaust.
— Reinhard Heydrich is the chief planner of the Nazis to
wipe out the Jews in Europe.
— Other groups that were considered inferior were the Romani
(or gypsies), some Slavic peoples (such as the Poles and
Russians), and even the physically and mentally handicapped.
— From 1941 up until 1945, Heydrich's plan called the "Final
Solution to the Jewish Problem" was implemented by the Nazis
with the main objective of annihilating European Jews through
genocide or murder of an entire group of people. It came to be
known as holocaust.
— Jews were arrested, brought to death camps, became victims
of mass shootings, and placed in gas chambers, while others
were beaten, starved, tortured to death, and others became
subjects of ruthless medical experiments.
— 6 million Jews who lost their lives. Around 200,000 Romani
and disabled patients became victims of Nazi policies.

Anti-Semitism

— The term anti-Semitism pertains to hostility towards and

discrimination against the Jewish people that was strongly felt
in France, Germany, Poland, and Russia in the late nineteenth
and twentieth centuries.
— The most common manifestations of anti-Semitism were the
many violent riots or pogroms undertaken against the Jews. The
planned extermination of the entire Jewish race during the time
of the holocaust was the most extreme form of anti-Semitism.

— Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf (My Struggle) called for the

removal of Jews from Germany. These deplorable activities
continued with the Nazi's rise to power as the party that called
for economic boycotts against the Jews, burned Jewish books
and enacted laws that were anti-Jew.
— On the night of November 9, 1938, attacks were carried out
by the Nazis. It destroyed synagogues and shop windows of
Jewish-owned stores throughout Germany and Austria. The
event was known as Kristallnacht or "Night of Broken
Glass," referring to the shards of broken glass that littered the
streets.