Introductory Message

For the facilitator:

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and evaluated by the

Development and Quality Assurance Teams of SDO TAPAT to assist you in helping
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As a facilitator, you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module. You
also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to manage their
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they do the tasks included in the module.
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This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities for
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The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of the
module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
included in the module.
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5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
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If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not hesitate
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We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning and
gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!
 Let’s Learn

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here help you
demonstrate an understanding of the elements of Judaism. The scope of this module
permits it to be used in many different learning situations. The language used
recognizes the diverse vocabulary level of students. The lessons are arranged to
follow the standard sequence of the course. But the order in which you read them can
be changed to correspond with the textbook you are now using.

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. identify the founders, sacred texts, doctrines, God and sects of Judaism;
2. understand the characteristics of Judaism; and
3. examine the brief history, core teachings, fundamental beliefs, practices, and
related issues of Judaism.

Let’s Try

Multiple Choice. Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a
separate sheet of paper.

1. It contains the five books of Moses.

a. Bible
b. Torah
c. New Testament
2. It is “the path” and is based on the written and oral instructions, and is a system
through which the followers act to bring God into the world.
a. Galut
b. Halakha
c. Nevi’im
3. It is the oral instruction of the Tanakh.
a. Talmud
b. Torah
c. Ketuvim
4. It is a part of the Tanakh that describes the prophets of the religion.
a. Torah
b. Mitzvot
c. Nevi’im

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5. It refers to the religious leader of Judaism.
a. rabbi
b. priest
c. pastor

6. It refers to the group who accepted YHWH as their God.

a. Jews
b. apostles
c. Christians
7. It is the part of the Torah that states the creation of the world.
a. Tanakh
b. Genesis
c. Old Testament
8. He is the founder of the covenant.
a. Abraham
b. Moses
c. Jesus Christ
9. It is a set of rules found in Exodus 20 of the Old Testament.
a. God’s Law
b. 163 Rules
c. 10 commandments
10. It is the movement of the 12 tribes of Jacob from Egypt to the Promised Land.
a. exodus
b. diaspora
c. exile
11. It is the modern ideological movement of Jewish nationalism
a. extreme nationalism
b. Zionism
c. patriotism
12. It is to the involuntary mass dispersion of a population from its indigenous
territory, or the dispersion of the Jews.
a. exile
b. diaspora
c. exodus
13. It is the direct instructions from God
a. Mitzvot
b. commandments
c. bible
14. It is the mystical tradition within Judaism
a. rituals
b. savannah
c. Kabbalah
15. It is a political movement with the main goal of eliminating the Jews.
a. genocide
b. extermination
c. anti-Semitism

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 Let’s Recall

Activity 1
Brain Teaser
Can you identify the following symbols?
Instruction: Name the following symbols and research the meaning and history
behind them. Write your answers in a separate sheet of paper.

1. 2. 3.

Let’s Explore

Activity 2
Name It
Do you know anyone with these names? Get the original meaning of these names
from the Hebrew Bible.

Aaron Abraham Benjamin Jonathan

Michael Jared Samuel David
Daniel Joshua Abigail Etc.

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 Let’s Elaborate

Judaism is an ancient monotheistic religion that traces its origin as an organized belief
system during the Bronze Age in West Asia. It is one of three Abrahamic religions that
also include Christianity and Islam. It is the way of life of the Jewish people. In the
current times, Judaism is often considered a “religion," but there are no equivalent
words for “Judaism” or for “religion” in Hebrew, though there are words for “faith,” “law,”
or “custom” but not for “religion”. As a way of life, it includes the social, cultural, and
religious history of a widespread and diverse community, including people who do and
do not think of themselves as “religious.” (Pluralism Project, Harvard University)

Origin of Judaism
Judaism is anchored upon God’s revelation to Abraham that He is the creator and ruler
of the universe, (Losch 2001). God chose Abraham and his family from all the people
living on earth as recorded in Genesis 12. After a series of tragic events to humankind,
God entered into a covenant with Abraham promising him that he would become the
father of a great nation and would possess vast tracts of land. Abraham, in return,
must remain devoted to the covenant. Later on, he was succeeded by his son Isaac,
his grandson Jacob, and Jacob’s twelve sons (Hopfe 1983).

Abraham’s grandson Jacob (Israel) had twelve sons – quoted as the “children of Israel”
– who became the founders of Israel’s twelve tribes spent their last years and died not
in Canaan, the Promised Land, but in Egypt, driven there by famine.

Jacob’s son Joseph became a senior administrator in Egypt and died there. It
happened that a new king, without knowledge of Joseph, came to power (Exodus 1:8)
and the enslaved the Israelites.

An Israelite named Moses who grew up in the Egyptian court escaped to Sinai where
God spoke to him from a burning bush. He was told by God to rescue the people of
Israel and bring them to the promised land. He demanded the pharaoh of his people’s
release. The pharaoh refused the demands and only after ten horrible plagues did, he
finally consent and freed them.

It took the Hebrews three months to reach Mount Sinai, where God gave Moses the
moral law, which is also known as the Ten Commandments and an instruction for the
construction of a tabernacle – a sacred tent – that was erected on the first anniversary
of the Israelites’ escape from Egypt. They stayed for almost a year and the tabernacle
was dismantled when they left Sinai on the way to the promised land.

God
The Israelites were also polytheists like most people in the ancient Middle East.
Though they worshipped a national god. Jews were later to deem their God’s name
too holy to pronounce and did not preserve its original vowels, so it became known

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only by its four consonants: YHWH (probably pronounced “Yahweh”). YHWH was also
known by several other names, including El and Elohim, which means God.
Jews
Jews have been regarded as “people,” “nation” (though, for most of its existence, one
without a native country), “race,” and “culture.” It has been defined in may terms. They
are also referred to as the “chosen people”.
Sacred Texts
The Hebrew Bible is divided into three principal sections, namely: the Torah, Nevi’im,
and Ketuvim.

Torah (“Teaching”) when it is printed is sometimes called Chamisha Chumshei Torah

(literal translation “five five-sections of the Torah”), and informally a Chumash. It
covers the period from creation to 2288 (1273 BCE) and is composed of the first “Five
Books” or the Pentateuch traditionally believed to have been authored by Moses
through divine instruction in Sinai. The subsequent four books are Shemot (“Names”
or Exodus), Vayikrah (“And God called” or Leviticus), Bamidbar (“In the desert” or
Numbers), and Devarim (“Words” or Deuteronomy). These books recount the story of
the Jews' enslavement in Egypt, their liberation from Egypt under Moses, their stay in
the desert, and their eventual return to the promised land, Canaan.

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.

Lastly, the Ketuvim (“Writings”) forms the third section of the Tanakh that contains
works on poetry, temple ritual, private prayer, philosophical explorations, and other
canonical works.

Torah and Mitzvot

The Torah refers to the “Five Books of Moses. It says God wants the people of Israel
to walk in His ways, to love Him, and to serve Him, and to keep God’s commandments
(Deut. 10:12–13). Actions are more important than beliefs and beliefs must be made
into actions.

These actions are called “mitzvot” in Hebrew (singular: a mitzvah). Sometimes they
are called “laws,” "rules" or “commandments”. Many people think of a mitzvah as "a
good act," or "a good thing to do."

Another sacred writing of Judaism is the Talmud (or the “Oral Torah”) which means
“study.” All studies and interpretations done by Jewish rabbis or teachers of the Torah
are contained in the Talmud. In short, the Talmud is an authoritative collection of
rabbinic interpretations of the sacred scriptures. It contains materials of law and moral
codes.

The Pentateuch is the single 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, such as the Talmud and Mishnah.
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Doctrines

Ten Commandments. It is also known as the Decalogue. The Decalogue comprises

the most fundamental rules of Israel’s covenant.

613 Rules or the Mitzvot. Mitzvot means "commandments" in its strictest sense it refers
to the divine commandments given by God in the Torah. As direct instructions from
God, the mitzvot are far more than rituals and customs. The mitzvot traditionally
consist of 613 commandments (taryag mitzvot). Many of these have to do with Temple
ritual, which was central to Jewish life and worship when the Torah was written.

The number 613 was first given in the third century CE by Rabbi Simlai, who divided
the 613 mitzvot into 248 positive commandments (what to do) and 365 negative
commandments (what not to do). Since this figure was first announced, many have
undertaken to enumerate the 613 commandments. Easily the one with the most lasting
significance is the 12th-century list by Maimonides in his Book of the Commandments.

Sects
A wide array of Jewish communities has developed independently, distinguishable by
their varying practices in matters that are not considered central ideas within Judaism,
such as Maimonides' list of the Jewish principles of faith.
Kabbalah and Hasidism. Kabbalah is the term for the mystical tradition within Judaism.
It is a cryptic Jewish subculture running within and among the mainstream cultures of
rabbinic Judaism, medieval Jewish philosophy, and modern rationalism. Hasidism on
the other hand, was founded in Eastern Europe partially as a response to earlier forms
of Kabbalah Hasidism. It means hasid (“pious follower”), a movement of the common
folk, stressing populism and social welfare at a time when the official Eastern
European Jewish community, the kehillah, was corrupt and declining. The Hasidic
community was headed by a new type of rabbinic leader, the tzaddik or rebbe.

Orthodox Judaism. The most traditional of modern Judaism that adheres to the
authority of the entire Torah as given to Moses by God at Mount Sinai.
Conservative Judaism. It seeks to conserve the traditional elements of Judaism while
at the same time allowing for modernization that is less radical than Reform Judaism.

Reform Judaism. It has served as the foundation for many subsequent Jewish
responses to modernity. It is considered the most liberal expression of Judaism that
subjects religious laws and customs to human judgment. To a certain extent, it was
developed due to internal changes in Judaism as well as other factors operating within
society.

Issues
Judaism, being the oldest monotheistic religion, were marginalized because of political
and economic disadvantages throughout history. Its concept of one God is something
new thus, making the life of every Jew struggle with hardships and desperate acts to
survive.

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Diaspora
Galut is the Hebrew word for “exile,” and refers to the repeated exile of the Jewish
people from their homeland in Israel. Some Jews have chosen to live outside Israel
for centuries; in ancient times they formed communities in the Near East and
eventually around the Mediterranean. But the Jewish community has also been driven
into exile by force, notably to Babylonia (first after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BCE
and, later, in a far more devastating move after the Romans' near-total destruction of
Judea in 135 CE). The exile in Babylonia gave rise to the first permanent Jewish
community outside of Israel.

Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust

Though external to the Jewish tradition, the phenomenon of anti-Semitism is central
to the Jewish experience. In the early Diaspora, Jews' unusual monotheism, radical
approach, and collective unity often evoked social tensions with neighbors in the
ancient world. Such writings, although unique to their own context, authorship, and
socio-political perspective, would lay the foundation for centuries of negative
stereotyping.

Toward the end of the 19th century, a new political movement gave an extreme answer:
the Jews must be eliminated from society. This movement was termed anti-Semitism,
influenced in its most extreme form by pseudoscientific theories of race and eugenics
which labeled Jews the inferior “Semitic” race.

Israel and Zionism

The Jewish tradition of peoplehood, in combination with the age-old yearning to return
to Zion, have produced the modern ideological movement of Jewish nationalism:
Zionism. Its great achievement has been the establishment of a modern Jewish state
in Israel. Zion (the ancient Hebrew name for the holy mountain top in Jerusalem) came
to symbolize the cherished homeland of Israel, and Zionism became the modern
coinage for the new politics of Jewish national revival. Indeed, for many Jews the
modern rebirth of Israel is the fulfillment of centuries of remembrance.

Israel-Palestine War

The establishment of Israel was more than a political event; it was a cultural turning
point. The establishment of Israel had at long last created a haven for Jews in danger.
Holocaust survivors, Jews from Arab countries, Soviet Jews, Ethiopian Jews, and
many other refugees found both safety and unity in the new homeland. Moreover, the
creation of a modern Jewish state re-established the reciprocal relationship between
the Diaspora and Israel that had existed in ancient times.

The creation of the State of Israel on May 14, 1948, triggered an invasion by the
neighboring Arab countries that was soundly defeated by the Israeli army. By the time
armistice agreements were signed in 1949, Israel held more land than had been
allotted to it under the UN partition plan. About 800,000 Arabs had also fled or been
expelled from the area that became Israel. Arabs and Palestinians generally oppose
Zionism, as the explicitly Jewish character of the Israeli state means that Jews have

7
privileges that others don't. For instance, any Jew anywhere in the world can become
an Israeli citizen, a right not extended to any other class of person. Arabs, then, often
see Zionism as a species of colonialism and racism aimed at appropriating Palestinian
land and systematically disenfranchising the Palestinians that remain. Arabs who
already lived there and in neighboring countries felt that was unfair and didn't accept
the new country.

Let’s Dig In

Activity 3
Concept Map
Identifying the core teachings of Judaism. Fill in the circle with the core teachings of
Judaism and identify its varieties.

JUDAISM

Let’s Remember

1. Judaism is an ancient monotheistic religion that traces its origin as an

organized belief system during the Bronze Age in West Asia.
2. Judaism is anchored upon God’s revelation to Abraham that He is the creator
and ruler of the universe.
3. The so called 12 Tribes of Israel originated from Jacob’s 12 sons.
4. The Hebrew Bible is divided into three principal sections, namely: the Torah,
Nevi’im, and Ketuvim.
5. The Ten Commandments, also known as the Decalogue comprises the most
fundamental rules of Israel’s covenant.
6. The 613 Rules or the Mitzvot is the collection of the direct instructions from God.

8
 7. The different sects of Judaism are Kabballah and Hasidism, Orthodox Judaism,
Conservative Judaism, and Reform Judaism.
8. Zionism modern ideological movement of Jewish nationalism.
9. Diaspora refers to the repeated exile of the Jewish people from their homeland
in Israel.
10. Inquisition was set out by the Catholic Church in order to punish the heresy
throughout the world.
11. Anti-Semitism is the political movement that call for the total elimination of the
Jews.

Let’s Apply

Activity 4
Story Time

List down stories story from the Old Testament that demonstrates the Jewish belief
in one God.
_____________________ _____________________
_____________________ _____________________
_____________________ _____________________
_____________________ _____________________
_____________________ _____________________

Let’s Evaluate

Multiple Choice. Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a
separate sheet of paper.
1. It is the movement of the 12 tribes of Jacob from Egypt to the Promised Land.
a. exodus
b. diaspora
c. exile
2. He is the founder of the covenant.
a. Abraham
b. Moses
c. Jesus Christ

9
3. It refers to the religious leader of Judaism.
a. rabbi
b. priest
c. pastor
4. It is the direct instructions from God.
a. Mitzvot
b. commandments
c. bible
5. It is to the involuntary mass dispersion of a population from its indigenous
territory, or the dispersion of the Jews.
a. exile
b. diaspora
c. exodus
6. It is a political movement with the main goal of eliminating the Jews.
a. genocide
b. extermination
c. anti-Semitism
7. It contains the five books of Moses.
a. Bible
b. Torah
c. New Testament
8. It refers to the group who accepted YHWH as their God.
a. Jews
b. Apostles
c. Christians
9. It is the mystical tradition within Judaism.
a. rituals
b. savannah
c. Kabbalah
10. It is “the path” and is based on the written and oral instructions, and is a system
through which the followers act to bring God into the world.
a. Galut
b. Halakha
c. Nevi’im
11. It is a part of the Tanakh that describes the prophets of the religion.
a. Torah
b. Mitzvot
c. Nevi’im
12. It is a set of rules found in Exodus 20 of the Old Testament.
a. God’s Law
b. 163 Rules
c. 10 commandments
13. It is the oral instruction of the Tanakh
a. Talmud
b. Torah
c. Ketuvim
14. It is the modern ideological movement of Jewish nationalism.
a. extreme nationalism
b. Zionism
c. patriotism

10
 15. It is the part of the Torah that states the creation of the world.
a. Tanakh
b. Genesis
c. Old Testament

Let’s Extend

Activity 5
Art is Fun

Design your own Jewish place of worship and explain its significant design that could
make praying more serene and glorifying.

11
References
Mabaquiao, N.M.J, Mactal, R.B. (2017) Introduction to World Religions and Belief
Systems. Phoenix Publishing House.

Ferris, G. H. (1912). https://archive.org/details/elementsofspiri00ferr/mode/2up.

Https://Archive.Org/Details/Elementsofspiri00ferr/Mode/2up.

BASIC RELIGIOUS CONCEPTS. (n.d.). Utm.Edu. Retrieved June 30, 2020, from
https://www.utm.edu/staff/jfieser/class/320-traces/religion-terms.htm#:%7E:
text=BASIC%20RELIGIOUS%20CONCEPTS&text=1.,and%20(4)%20all%20powerf
ul.&text=b)%20Broad%3A%20Belief%20in%20the,other%20than%20the%20theistic
%20God.

Dowley, T. (2018). Atlas of the World Religions [E-book].

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EIVtV-J7lDlzcyaqdqyr4a2g4Vr8prgP/view

DK London, Cobalt ID, DK Delhi, AMBALU, S., COOGAN, M., FEINSTEIN, E. L.,
FREEDMAN, P., PHILIP, N., STOBART, A., THOMPSON, M., TIESZEN, C., &
WEEKS, M. (2013). The Religions Book Big Ideas Simply Explained (First American
Edition) [E-book]. Darling Kindersley.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KaugFjM_0TdTL82mq45JdhZUZZZLyewZ/view

Archer, P. (n.d.). Religion 101. Https://Drive.Google.Com/File/d/11ZUCM3yglxMS

85dY2zPrVxNFziTcc-QZ/View.

“10 Commandments List,” Life Hope & Truth. https://lifehopeandtruth.com/bible/ 10-

commandments/the-tencommandments/10-commandments-list/

“Antisemitism,” Holocaust Encyclopedia.

http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005175

“Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews,” Judaism101. http://www.jewfaq.org/ashkseph.htm

“Babylonian Talmud,” Jewish Virtual Library.

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Talmud/talmudtoc.html

“Children and the Holocaust,” BBC.http://www.bbc.co. uk/religion/religions

/judaism/holocaust/children_1.shtml (accessed

“Intermarriage Q&A,” Jewish Outreach Institute. http://www.joi.org/qa/denom.shtml

(“Introduction to Holocaust,” Holocaust Encyclopedia.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10005143

“Jewish Concepts: Obligation of Women to Perform the Commandments,” Jewish

Virtual Library.
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/woman_commandments.html

“Jewish sects and dominations,” Religion Facts.

http://www.religionfacts.com/judaism/branches
Hubbard, L. (2014, November 21). Religious Influence in Society. Freedom Magazine.
https://www.freedommag.org/issue/201412-expansion/l-ron-hubbard/religious-
influence-in-society.html

Rees, J. A. (2018, August 5). Religion and Culture. E-International Relations.

https://www.e-ir.info/2017/01/08/religion-and-culture/
 Development Team of the Module
Writer: Karen Rose Gamboa-Sumandal
Editors:
Content Evaluator:
Language Evaluator:
Reviewers:
Illustrator:
Layout Artist: Dan Gil M. Loresco
Management Team: Margarito B. Materum OIC-SDS
Dr. George P. Tizon, SDOG Chief
Dr. Ellery G. Quintia, CID Chief
Daisy L. Mataac, Ed.D.
Ferdinand Paggao, EPS

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