MOTIVATIONAL ACTIVITY

Challenge yourself by arranging the

jumbled letter words.
1. E N G S I E S 6. W E J S H I
2. B H R A A M A 7. S O M E S
3. C N A N A A 8. I S I A N
4. T A N E P U E T C H 9. B W E R E H S
5. C O B A J 10. U D I S A M J
 JUDAISM

Worships Beliefs
Sacred
Scriptures
and and Subdivisions
Observances Docrines
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The ancestors of the Jews were groups of Semites
called Hebrews whose origin can be traced in the
desert lands of Arabia.
The origin of the Jewish people and the beginning of
Judaism are recorded in the first five books of the
Hebrew Bible, the Pentateuch. As a religion and
culture, Judaism has three notable founding figures
or patriarchs, namely, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
God chose Abraham and his family from all the
people living on earth as recorded in Genesis 12.
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.
According to tradition, Abraham’s original name
was “Abram” who was born in the city of Ur of the
Chaldeas around 1800 B.C.E. Questioning the folly
of idol worship, Abram left his home and family to
heed the call of God en route to Canaan situated
on the western side of the Fertile Crescent
While Abram and his wife Sarai were initially
childless, Abram bore a son to Sarai’s Egyptian
handmaid Hagar. He was named Ishmael who is
considered as the ancestor of the Arabs.
God changed Sarai’s name to “Sarah,” meaning
“princess” or “noblewoman.”
Later in life, the old Abram and Sarah had a son
named Isaac, the heir to God’s covenant and the
ancestor of the Jewish people
Abram’s name was changed to “Abraham” or the
“the father of many nations.”
The most difficult trial given to Abraham came when
God commanded that he sacrifice his own son
Isaac at an altar in Mount Moriah. Abraham obeyed
by building a fire and tying up Isaac. With
Abraham’s obedience being put to the test, an
angel stopped him and he was eventually reunited
with his son. A ram was instead sacrificed in place
of Isaac.
Later on, Isaac married Rebecca who bore him twin
sons, Jacob and Esau. Always in constant strife, the
younger Jacob bought Esau’s birthright and tricked
his father Isaac into giving him Esau’s blessing as
the eldest son
A close encounter with an angel merited him a
change of name from Jacob to “Israel” which means
“the one who wrestled with God.” The Jewish
people are referred to as the “children of Israel.”
The twelve sons who became the ancestors of the
tribes in Israel were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,
Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali,
Joseph, and Benjamin. After being sold to slavery
by his jealous brothers,
Joseph was brought to Egypt where his ability to
see and interpret visions earned him a place in the
court as a vizier, a position next only to the
pharaoh. As famine struck Canaan, Jacob and his
family were forced to settle in Egypt.
As centuries passed and the descendants of Israel
grew in number, the alarmed pharaoh decreed that
all male children be put to death by throwing them
to 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, rescued him, and
reared him as her own. Jochebed volunteered to
nurse the child, now named Moses, who was raised
within the Egyptian royal 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 forty 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. Revealing God’s name as
“Yahweh,” he commanded Moses to return to Egypt
and demand the release of Israelites from slavery.
The plagues are: water turning to blood, frogs, lice,
flies, livestock pestilence, boils, hail, locusts,
darkness and the killing of firstborn children.
Passover, an important Jewish festival.
This event called Exodus became part of Jewish
history that manifested Yahweh’s
Another significant event in Jewish history was the
giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai.
These supreme laws, which are basic to the Jewish
people, were communicated to the Israelites
through Moses during their time in the wilderness.
Moses eventually united the different tribes into one
group and consecrated to the worship of the one
living God. Forty years after the Exodus, Moses
died in the desert within reach of the “Promised
Land.”
 SOCIO-POLITICAL DYNAMICS OF JUDAISM
The Jewish concept of leadership based on the Old
Testament directs us to certain types of leadership,
one of which is kingship as the ideal form of
government.
In relation to the idea of kingship, 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), the same should
also be true for the King and his subjects.
There were 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. Thus, it can be deduced that for the Jews,
politics, society, culture and religion are all
interconnected, thus 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. Composed over a period of
almost a thousand years, collections within the
Bible became established in its full canonical form
by the end of the first century C.E.
Hebrew Bible is divided into three principal sections,
namely
1. Torah,
2. Nevi’im, and
3. Ketuvim.
The foundational text Torah (“Teaching”) is
composed of the first “Five Books” or the
Pentateuch traditionally believed to have been
authored by Moses through divine instruction in
Sinai.
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.
The Jewish Tanakh (sometimes called the Hebrew
Bible) contains 24 books divided into three parts:
the five books of the Torah ("teaching"); the
eight books of the Nevi'im ("prophets"); and the
eleven books of Ketuvim ("writings").
Another sacred writing of Judaism is the Talmud (or
the “Oral Torah”) which means “study.”
Talmud is an authoritative collection of rabbinic
interpretations of the sacred scriptures.
BELIEFS AND DOCTRINES

In Judaism, actions are more significant than

beliefs. However, while Judaism has no dogma,
there is definitely a place for belief within the
religion since it focuses on the worship of one God,
the practice of good deeds, and the love of learning
(Brasswell 1994). 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 .
Humans 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.
 Jewish Principles of Faith
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.
6. The words of the prophets are true.
7. Moses’ prophecies are true, and Moses was the
greatest of the prophets.
8. 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.
The Ten Commandments
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. Most
scholars consider this period as the official
beginning of Judaism as an organized and
structured belief system. These laws are twice
mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, particularly, in
Exodus and in Deuteronomy.
WORSHIP AND OBSERVANCES
Sabbath
The most important day in the Jewish calendar is
the Sabbath (or Shabbat) which commemorates
God’s completion of the creation of the universe and
his rest after the six-day toil. This is the fourth law
within the Ten Commandments. It begins a few
minutes before sunset on Friday and runs until an
hour after sunset on Saturday or almost 25 hours to
be precise.
At Friday sundown, Sabbath candles are lighted
and kiddush (“sanctification”) is recited over wine or
grape juice. Children are then blessed by their
parents. Jews must abstain from work and must
study the Torah. Some work prohibitions include
lighting fires, using money, and writing. The
Sabbath ends through the symbolic ritual of
havdalah (“division”) done by dousing wine on
candles and smelling sweet spices.
The Days of Awe
Tishri is the seventh month in the ecclesiastical year of the
Jewish calendar. The first ten days of Tishri are called the
“Days of Awe” (Yamim Noraim) wherein the first two days
comprise the New Year (Rosh Hashanah) and the tenth day as
the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). Rosh Hashanah marks
the start of the ten-day period of penitence leading to the Yom
Kippur and is distinguished from other days by blowing a ram’s
horn trumpet (shofar) in the synagogue and eating apples
dipped in honey which is symbolic for a sweet new year. Using
the shofar, a total of one hundred notes are sounded 56
Abrahamic Religions
each day.
All Jews must undergo self-reflection and make
amends for all the sins they have committed. Rosh
Hashanah is also a day of judgement wherein God
assesses one’s deeds and decides what lies ahead
of him or her in the following year. These deeds are
recorded in the “Book of Life” and sealed on Yom
Kippur. Work is not permitted during the Rosh
Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur is the most sacred and solemn day in
the Jewish calendar that brings the period of
repentance to its conclusion. The eve of the day is
called Kol Nidrei (“all vows”) which are the opening
words of a prayer. The words and music of the Kol
Nidrei are said to be the most powerful single item
in the Jewish liturgy. A day of fasting and praying
for absolution of one’s sins, it provides every Jew
an opportunity for both personal and communal
repentance
Pilgrimage Festivals
During the olden days, the Torah commanded the
ancient Israelites to go to Jerusalem on three
pilgrimage festivals and participate in the worship
at the Temple. Also called the Shalosh Regalim,
these are Pesach (Passover), Shavuot (Weeks or
Pentecost), and Sukkot (Tabernacles). These
festivals spiritualize human life and merge nature
and history in a divine pattern
Pesach is an eight-day festival that originally
marked the beginning of the barley harvest.
Its principal purpose is to commemorate and
recreate the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt.
A festive meal (seder) is celebrated wherein the
story of Exodus is narrated by the heads of the
family to the children.
Shavuot is a two-day festival that was originally a
celebration of the wheat harvest. Presently, it is
now being held to commemorate the revelation of
the Torah to Moses at Mount Sinai.
Sukkot is a nine-day festival commemorating the
autumn harvest and the forty years of the
Israelites’ stay in the desert wilderness subsisting
solely on the bounty of God.
Other Important Days
There are many feasts and festivals celebrated by the
Jewish people. Other important events in the Jewish
calendar include the Hanukkah, Purim, and the
Independence Day of the State of Israel. Hanukkah
(“Festival of Lights” or “Feast of Dedication”) is a
celebration to commemorate the victory of Jewish fighters
against the Seleucid Empire in 165 B.C.E.
Purim (“Feast of Esther”) celebrates the deliverance of the
Jews during the Persian Empire, specifically from the vizier
Haman who wanted to annihilate all Persian Jews as
recorded in the Book of Esther.
 Jewish Months and Festivals
Nisan (March or April)
14 – Passover Eve
15-21 Passover
Iyyar (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