Jewish people in Jesus' time observed important religious traditions and feasts centered around the Temple in Jerusalem. The most important commandment was to love God with all your being, as stated in the Shema prayer. The Sabbath was set aside as the Lord's day of rest, and religious services were held at local synagogues. Daily life involved occupations like farming and fishing, and meals consisted primarily of bread, fruits, and vegetables.

1. RELIGIOUS and DAILY LIFE
In Jesus’ time, Jewish people said a prayer
called the SHEMA. This was the main
commandment:
Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the
Lord alone! Therefore you shall love the
Lord your God with all your heart, and with
all your soul, and with all your strength.
- Deuteronomy 6:4-5

2. => People greeted each other with the word Shalom, which
means “peace”

3. There were three major feasts which were
observed in the Temple in Jerusalem:
Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. It
was the custom of the Jewish people to go
to the Temple for these feasts. (custom =
the usual practices of a group)

4. ⇒The Temple was the symbol of the Jewish
faith where sacrifices were made
(donations, sheep & goats…Jesus used
this symbolism to refer to himself, the
“Lamb of God”)
⇒Today, all that remains of the Temple is
the outer Western Wall. It is called the
Wailing Wall, and Jewish people go there
to grieve, pray, and offer petitions

5. The WAILING WALL in Jerusalem

6. * The Sabbath was the Lord’s Day, a day of rest.
⇒Services were held at local synagogues, town
centers of prayer, education, and social life (like our
“parishes”)
⇒Scrolls of the Torah, or Law, were read and preached
there.

7. ⇒When a Jewish person entered or left their
home, they touched the mezuzah, a small
case on the doorpost that held a copy of the
Shema.
⇒Devout Jewish men wore a prayer shawl and
strapped small boxes called phylacteries to
their forehead or arm. These boxes contained
the Word of God. (devout = devoted to their
faith)

8. DAILY LIFE . . .
⇒In Palestine in the time of Jesus, houses were
made of clay bricks or stones held together with
mud and straw, and had dirt floors
⇒Some items in the house included a table, a
spinning wheel, wooden bowls, an olive oil
lamp…
⇒Men’s jobs were typically farmer, craftsman, or
fisherman

9. ⇒Women learned cooking and household duties.
Women memorized scripture, but it was forbidden for
them to read or write.
⇒Food was usually bread, honey, spiced foods (spices
preserved foods), goat cheese, vegetables (grown
locally), fruit (dates, figs…), fish, water and wine. Meat
was for special occasions, not readily available.

10. Jesus would have spoken three languages:
⇒The languages spoken were:
- Aramaic, the common, daily language
- Hebrew, the language used for prayer
- Greek, the language of the land