A presentation on Judaism for the Disciple's 6th grade Confirmation class at Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Dallas TX

1. Judaism
Disciples Class
November 23, 2014

2. Judaism
• Judaism is the ancient religion of the
Hebrew people of Palestine
• Can you name the most famous Jew?

3. How Old? This is the Year 5,775
1,812 BC:
Covenant
with
Abraham
Established
1,200 BC:
Moses
Receives the
Torah
1,029 BC:
Kingdom of
Israel Formed
???—
Christianity
begins

4. An OLD Religion, Small Population
• One of the oldest monotheistic religions
• Oldest to survive into the present day
• In 2012, the world Jewish population was
13.75 million
– 0.2% of the total world population.
• Mostly in US (39.5%) and Israel (42.9%)
• How many Christians are there?
Source: www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org

5. The Principal Text: 5 Books of Moses
• Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and
Deuteronomy
• Read in an annual cycle, starting in autumn
• Start at the beginning and read a selection
each week.
• Starts with: ???
• Ends with Moses just before the Israelites
enter the Promised Land.

6. Key Holidays
• Rosh Hashonah
– “Head of the year”, in fall
• Yom Kippur
– “Day of Atonement”
• Hanukkah
– Festival of lights
• Passover
– Story of Exodus, Seder meals
– Most famous early seder?

7. Other Concepts
• Synagogue
• Sabbath
• Reform/Conservative/Orthodox
• Israel
• Holocaust
• Let’s discuss:
– Symbols/language
– Kosher
– Kippah (aka yarmulke)
– Bar/Bat Mitzvah

8. Symbols/Language
• Star/Shield of David
– 11th century
• Hebrew
– Shalom

9. Kosher, What is it???
• Dietary rules
• Certain forbidden foods
– No “cloven hoof” animals . . .NO pig
• Certain foods must be separated
– No milk with meat. . . No ham and cheese
• Have to be killed a certain way
• Separate utensils and dishes
• Certification
• WHY? (not always clear)

10. Kippah (aka Yarmulke)
• Why Do Jews Wear Kippot?
– Not a religious commandment, but. . .
• Part of Jewish law, for prayer
– A custom associated with Jewish identity
– Covering one’s head is “yirat shamayim”
("reverence for God“)
– May come from the Middle Age custom of
covering one's head in the presence of royalty.

11. Bar/Bat Mitzvah
• Bar/Bat Mitzvah
– "son/daughter of commandment“ in Aramaic/
Hebrew
• Refers to two things:
– When a boy/girl comes of age at 13 he/she
becomes a "bar/bat mitzvah"
• Having the same rights (and responsibilities) as a full
grown man/woman.
– Also refers to the religious ceremony
• Reads the Torah

12. Judaism and Christianity
• Many similarities, primarily because
Christianity emerged from Judaism.
• Both founded in Palestine
• Both study the old testament/sages
• Overlapping liturgy
• Common ancestors: ???
• 10 Commandments!
• Hillel (110 BC to 10 AD)
• "That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow.”
(Sound familiar?)

13. Key Differences
• Monotheism
• Both believe in one God, but. . .
• Jews: God is indivisible
• Christians: ???
• Messiah
– Both believe in the coming of the Messiah, but. . .
– Jews: the Messiah has not yet come.
– Christians: ???
• Bible
– Jews: “Old” testament
– Christians: ???

14. Other Comparisons
History & Stats Christianity Judaism
founders & early
leaders
Jesus, Peter, Paul Abraham, Moses
original languages Aramaic and Greek Hebrew
major locations
Europe, North and
today
South America
Europe, Israel, North
America
adherents
worldwide today
2 billion 14 million
adherents in USA 159 million 5.6 million
current size rank largest 12th largest
major branches
Catholic, Orthodox,
Protestant
Orthodox,
Conservative, Reform

15. . . . And in conclusion
• Common roots
• Separated over time
• Beliefs have evolved
• Peaceful coexistence (in this era)

16. Symbols
כָּ שֵׁר

17. Hanukah/Hanukkah/Chanukah Primer
• First Hanukah occurred 164/165 BC
– Occurred while at war. . . .with the Syrians
• In 175 BC Antiochus of the Syrians became king
– Declared himself incarnation of Zeus
– Required all subjects to worship Zeus
• Bad news for the Jews
– Turned temple in Jerusalem into shrine to Zeus
– Jews put to death for observing faith

18. Hanukah/Hanukkah/Chanukah Primer
• Mattathias the Hasmonean revolted
– Had 5 sons, including Judah Maccabee
– Antiochus sent four armies to crush the resistance
• All were defeated by Judah and his band
• Judah rededicated the temple on the 25th of Kislev
• Miracle of Hanukah
– Temple flame lit by olive oil (8 day journey to replenish)
– Found a jug for one day, that lasted 8 days