2009.09.14 Tabor on What Kind of Jew was Jesus

James Tabor from UNCC gave a talk on "What Kind of Jew was Jesus" based on his archeological experience in the Holy Land and his theological studies. The talk was billed as "Judaism in the time of Jesus" but Professor Tabor indicated he had not known this was the title and he changed it up-front before he gave his talk. Professor has a book called "The Jesus Dynasty". He has a web site with the following link and this particular link leads to other sites having to do with Professor Tabor's work or subjects related to his work:

http://jamestabor.com/

Also this is a good one:

http://www.religiousstudies.uncc.edu/JDTABOR/indexb.html

The first link, www.jamestablr.com, leads to ther links which include sites about the Mt. Zion dig that he has participated in and the Jewish Roman World of Jesus and more.

In his lecture, he said "What new things do texts and archeology tell us?"

He participated in a dig at Mt. Zion and there the archeologists found a snail which had a hole drilled in it. Thje Torah says every Jew has to have a fringes on their clothing with a thread of blue in it. There are also references that this blue dye comes from the shell of a snail. The hole drilled in the shell says there was dye extracted from this particular shell.

Professor Table said Judiaism is not a singular word but a plural word, Judaisms. There were all kinds of sects or groups, all of whom called themselves Jews. Some of the major ones were Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, Zealots. These were some of the largest groups extant at the time of Jesus. The Essenes are mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Yet no one identified themselves as being a pure Pharisee, Essene, Sadducee, etc. They took parts of their beliefs from different Sect beliefs, so that there were as many Judaisms as there were people almost.

Hillel was the best known rabbi of Jesus' day. But Jesus did not fit into any of these sects either.

We can use archeology to find out more facts on how people lived in Jesus day and before his day and after his day.

In pictures of the modern day, Jesus has many different looks as well. He showed us pictures of the "Protestant Jesus" which is a very familiar picture from my own childhood and is still in many churches (and homes) today. It shows Jesus facing the viewer's right and a stream of light coming down on his face or radiating from it depending on your perspective. There is the Jewish heritage Jesus which shows a picture of a man with curls and a shawl. And there is an anthopologic image which takes skeletal remains found and recreates the look people of that day would have had.

In Jesus' day, Sepphorus was the largest urban center. It was 3 miles to the Northwest of Nazareth. So Jesus lived in the suburbs of a major city of his time. Sepphorus was being built at the time of Jesus. And it was the center of a North/South route to and from Egypt and an East/West route to and from the sea. This major urban center is now a tell, a ruin where archeologists can dig and find out information about the time. Living in Sepphoris are rulers of Galilee. Herodius is the guy who had John the Baptist beheaded and he lived in Sepphorus.
Hippocretae means merely actor in Greek. It later came to be a derogatory word.

Jesus moves his family to the Sea of Galilee. There are harbors around this sea and you could walk about a mile into it without getting in over your head. Now there are whole docks which are exposed.

Capernaham is the largest population center on the lake. Simon, James, John, came from there. Peter's house was there and has had some excavation. Jesus sets his grouop up at Capernaham. They are all Galileans, coarser than the more urban Sepphorus people.

There is a 2000 year old boat at Migdal which is believed to be a fishing boat like the one Jesus and his disciples would have used. It could hold 15 to 20 people.

In the last days of Jesus, he sets out for Jerusalem. He crosses the Jordan (in John) and hides out in a wadi (ravine). In the last winter of his life he lived in an area beside Samaria (to the north) and Judah (to the south).

He gets to Jerusalem in th elast week of his life and he went to the Temple. There he turned over the money tables and was angry over the way people had turned this house of God into a money-making enterprise. The Romans, Sadducees mainly, had Jesus killed because they ran the temple, they were the priests, and they were beneficiaries of the system of selling sacrificial animals near, at, or in the Temple. These Sadducees lived in palatial homes and now, archeological digs are finding many of these homes. Archeological digs are also finding stone vessels which priests were required to use for eat and drink. And they are finding mosaic frescoes in these ruins.

Jerusalem today is smaller than in the time of Jesus. The temple is on the right in the picture Professor Tabor showed us. The Old City Wall dates from the 1500s during the Turkish period so was not there at time of Jesus. The Older wall is in a different place from the wall people see today as the "Old City Wall."

Now, UNCC is digging in the only place a dig is allowed in the city of Jerusalem. It is a very small area. Other digs are outside the city. Other digs are

Pool of Salom - near Hezekiah Stone. The Pool of Salom is a huge ritual pool for cleansing and healing prior to people entering the Temple.

The threat Jesus represented was economic and social. Masses of the population congregated at the pool - it would have been thousands of people. It was a sacred area wehre people get in to ritually cleanse themselves. Everyone has to be fully immersed. It would be similar to Lourdes to Catholic Christians where there are said to be miraculous properties to the water there. Such areas gather great crowds.

Every day, Jesus comes down from the Mount of Olives and enters at the pool and goes up into the Temple. He is a revolutionary who puts himself into the crowd. It is a volatile situation. The Temple has an Upper Room where Jews commemorate the tomb of David. Tabor believes, the Last Supper was in a private home on Mt. Zion. So think about Jesus at the Pool with masses during the day and in the quiet of a private supper at someone's home for his last night before being taken into custody.

Professor Tabor then showed a picture of some a gate in front of some "steps to nowhere". These steps are believed to have been part of the grand entrance to Herod's palace.

The Via de la Rosa which people follow as the path Jesus took to the crucifixion site dates back to the Crusader period so this was not necesarily the route Jesus took.

So archeology has shown us Jesus was living among aristocrats. The gate in front of the steps to Herod's palace is where Jesus went up and Herod came out and the Jews tried him there. So when you walk or sit on these steps, you touch ground Jesus touched on his last morning. At the time, Herod Antipas was staying in the house of his father. Herod Antipas is half Jewish and would have come to the Temple to cleanse and do worship. Jesus threatened his way of life.

Every family coming to the Temple needed a lamb to sacrifice. It was hard to travel with the lamb so people waited and bought one at the Temple. Then there were other economic benefits to this system such as people needing food and lodging when they got to Jerusalem. Jesus threatened all this. Jesus quoted Jeremiah, "It is written, my house shall be a house of worship for all people. You have made it into a den of robbers."

On a dig that Professor Tabor was on, someone found a bone with a crucifixion nail through it. In archeology, you do not excavate tombs unless they are open already. But some are open and this is where this bone with a nail through it was found. In Roman superstition, a crucifixion nail is believed to bring good luck.

An ossuary (bone box) has been found near Jerusalem believed to contain the remains of Caiphus.

Jesus was probably a stone masonas most houses were made of stone, not wood. Jesus was a carpenter is only in Mark 6. Jesus lived outside Sepphorus, appeared before Pilate but was sent to Herod Antipas. He was not likely a Zealot as they had violent expectations and Jesus did not. Mostly their violent expectations were in the form of "Vengeance is mine saith the Lord."

God will bring judgement in God's own time. Sort of "The Kingdom is already here....but not yet."

Is it easier to associate John with the Essenes. This is partially true. John said don't drink alcohol but also says to share, be content with your wages, etc. John baptized a completely diverse group. The Essenes would not have done that.

Go to http://www.digmountzion.com/ for more information about the dig there.

We also had a handout which Professor Tabor went through quickly.

In the handout, he reiterates the idea of several Judaisms which recognizes the diversity of what we call Jews and Judaism. Josephus tells us much about the major groups of Jews - Pharisees, Essenes, Zealots. Jesus is usually slotted with these last 3 groups of Jews. Contemporary understanding of Mishnah and the Dead Sea Scrolls has added to our understanding of these groups. Archeology is now seen as a sort of fifth Gospel in terms of understanding Jesus in light of geographical evidence.

There was also an Enochian Judaism. It was a kind of Judaism shown in the Book of Enoch which was written between the Old and New Testaments and is not part of our Scripture.

Dead Sea Scrolls were written by "an apocolyptic, wilderness, messianic, new covenant, baptizing, anti-Temple, community..." (quote from handout which cites the quote as being from the Dead Sea Scrolls and written 100 years before Christ.) Writings are attributed to the Essenes.

The handout gives several quotes from the Dead Sea Scrolls which are similar to words and phrases used in the Gospels of the New Testament. Such as "This is a time for preparation of the way into the wilderness."

Jesus was a revolutionary but he was also a humanist. (This is one of my random notes on the handout and I thought it worth putting into this blog somewhere.)

Another Dead Sea Scroll: "They shall separate from the habitation of unjust men and shall go into the wilderness to prepare there the way of Him." This reminds us of the way Jesus joins John the Baptist who talks of preparing the way.

There is a quote about a Prophet and Messiahs of Aaron and Israel which are to come. When are these Messiahs coming? is the question asked.

There is talk of a New Covenant in the land of Damascus. Groups believed they are part of the New Covenant and they believe they are in the end times. This concept of the New Covenant is mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls 100 years before Christ.

There is talk of flesh being sprinked with purifying water and sanctified by cleansing water. It shall be "made clean by the humble submission of his soul to all the precepts of God". This appears to be talk of baptism in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Josephus writes of turning away from wickedness. This is repentence and John the Baptist sounds like an Essene in this way.

The Essenes also say build a sanctuary of people, "He has commanded that a Sanctuary of men be built for Himself, that there they may send up, like the smoke of incense, the works of the Torah." Then Josephus, "They shall atone for sins without flesh of holocausts and the fat of sacrifice and prayer shall be an acceptable frangrance of righteousness."

Another quote from this period (Josephus or Philo?): "All those who freely devote themselves to His truth shall bring all their knowledge, powers, and possessions into the Community of God." This means sell what you have and give proceeds to the community and it parallels Jesus words.

There are many parallels between words like this and Jesus' words but Jesus was not an Essene. They would not have liked him as he talks to Samarian women, takes water from unclean people, i.e., he used un-Kosher utensils. Essenes also say if animal falls in a well on the Sabbath, you cannot get him out. Jesus said to save the animal even on the Sabbath. So Jesus was not an Essene but he came from part of that heritage.

GREAT TALK. Would have liked more than one hour's worth.

2009/07/08 Seventh Introduction to Judaism Class Notes History of Judaism

2009/07/08 Seventh Introduction to Judaism Class Notes
Teacher: Rabbi Mort Kaplan, retired

The class was to be titled Jewish History but Rabbi Mort said he preferred to call it a History of Judaism because he could not cover a Jewish History class with dates and kings and etc. in one hour. He said Judaism is more about the spiritual inheritance that comes to us from the past.

This history of Judaism is influenced by two foundations:
1) Jewish spiritual inheritance
2) Greek cultural inheritance.

History of Judaisms (with an emphasis on the plural nature of the word)has two objectives:
(1) Remember these forms of Judaism (I think)
(2) This is being taught from the point of view of Reform Judaism. This justifies modern Judaism and the salient character is the ability to either replicate or have variations of Judaism. There are a few times when Judaism mutated with revolutionary change. Sometimes this change was quiet and sometimes it was violent. The point is to demonstrate that Judaism is a religion of change and Judaism's God is a God of change.

Over time, moral sensibilities have changed and there are four different Judaisms throughout history. All have this in common - The Pentateuch, or the first 5 books of the Bible, Torah and back even further, the first chapter of Genesis which is enormously important. So all the Judaisms have God in common but the view of God has changed over time.

First form of Judaism begins with people whose stories we know such as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and the enslavement of Israelites in Egypt. The prophets are important. For the first 1500 years of Israelite history, they had a religion of one God. They didn't see Him but He was knowable. God could make his will known through certain people. In Genesis 12, Abraham is told he would be a blessing and through him (Abraham), all families of earth shall be blessed. This is one reason to be Jewish - you are part of a blessed people.

The best way to say it is the People of Israel. God is concerned with this clan of people. Then they spread out after wandering the desert together and settling in Israel. Joseph ends up in Egypt which is outside Israel. Question is can God operate outside Israel and the answer comes that he can. He operates there and becomes a problem solver. He gets his people out of slavery in Egypt and provides manna for food and helps with matters of justice. God's places therefore expanded.

The people wander 40 years in the desert. Then in Joshua and Judges, they settle down. Samuel goes around judging. Then comes the problem of the Philistines. The people decide they need a King. Saul, David, Solomon were among the first kings and they were all rough characters. Solomon even brings polytheism into Israel when he takes foreign wives. The (non-literary) prophets emerged like Moses and Abraham because God speaks to prophets directly as he did to Abraham. He spoke to Moses directly also but God does not speak to ordinary man directly.

The Kingdom splits into a Northern (Israel) and Southern (Judah). Things get political. Solomon's mother, Bathsheba, wants Solomon to be king and uses politics to make it so. So the prophets were instrumental in underpinning the Kings because they had access to God.

Then emerged a new kind of prophet, a literary kind. Some of the literary prophets of Israel were Amos, Isaiah, Micah, and Jeremiah. They did two things aside from castigating for sins:
(a) The people of Israel were about to be defeated by Assyrians and Babylonians. If they lost this battle, then in the ancient world, their God lost too people thought. If exiled to a foreign country, then the god of that foreign country would be the winner and take over as the people's god. But not for the people of Israel. Their God is never inadequate. you may have to change your concept of God but He is never inadequate.
(b) Prophets came up with the idea of peace and justice and equity. Ideas such as turning swords into pruning shears and ideas like doing justice, loving mercy and walking humbly with your God. This is a giant leap forward because these people lived in a world of violence and war. There was anything but peace and equity. Prophets wanted people to pursue good and beauty. This hasn't happened even up to today but there is nothing wrong with wishing for it.

So this was the first Judaism. It was prophetic, patriarchal in form. It had nothing to do with ritual, sacrificial requirements. Religion was relatively open.

The Second form of Judaism is delineated in late Exodus, Leviticus and the first part of Numbers. This Judaism is sacrificial in nature. People bring sacrifices to the temple and the priest gives expiation for sin. Torah was the book of the priests. Sin was not bringing the right sacrifice for the ritual. Jews were living under the Persian Empire. The Persians let the Jews back after the destruction of the first Temple. The King wants to keep the tributes for himself. Then the people got rid of the Kings. The prophits are loose cannon. Some of the prophets such as Ezekiel seem to be crazy.

In Leviticus, the Persians and a few Jews made a deal and made sacrifices mandatory. This is outlined in Leviticus. But the priests got one over on the Persians in that they wrote Genesis where God made everything. So God made even the Persians so Israel is by logic better than the Persians since the God of the Jews made everything. Sacrifices of animals must have been a mess. But even the peasant could come to the temple, make sacrifice, and get expiation. Priests could not own land, But they did write the first chapter of Genesis. God created a good world and the world could be created through time. Bible is presented as history. It is written through history and history went toward a goal - Evolution is possible. God created a man and a woman,not nationalities, not skin color, etc. He created a man and a woman who ate from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They gained ability to choose. Genesis 1 is enormously significant. Priests were there for 250 years, then their system collapsed. Their system lasted from 444 BCE to 168 BCE. In 168 BCE, the Maccabean revolt occurred. Syrian Greeks came in and tried to deestroy Judaism. They cleaned out the temple and rededicated it. Macabbeans turned out to be bad (Hanukkah is based on Maccabean revolt).

But the Maccabean revolt brought about the third Judaism, Rabinic Judaism or Judaism of the Pharisees. Matthew calls the Pharisees hypocrits. But the Pharisees did some good things. People were not allowed to fight on the Sabbath so the Greeks tried to attack on the Sabbath. The Pharisees said if died definding Judaism, then you get everlasting life. You will be eventually resurrected.

The Bible does not deal with evil well. It just says if good, then will be blessed. But often, things don't work that way. You see this in Job. Job is tested and suffers terribly although he did not do anything wrong. So the idea that good is rewarded with good does not solve the problem of why bad things happen to good people.

The Pharisees were the first to say get a place in the world to come. Then they said on Mt. Sinai, God game a written Torah and an oral Torah. Pharisees then became teachers of the oral Torah. They established themselves as a scholar class which was an elevated position. They sold it by saying God has given law, halaha(Spelling probably incorrect, it may be chalacha)which is pathway to eternal life and someday, a resurrected body. In world to come, good and bad get their reward, heaven or hell. They also said God is a Father. In the Bible, God is severe but the Pharisees describe him as a Father, as God in Heaven, as an Indwelling presence and as a God who cares about every human being - even slaves. God cares for all and rewards in the next life. All you have to do is follow the law. God is also concerned with community. The people need to care for the sick and needy, etc. You need to treat people with justice and gentleness. The Pharisees also invented the synagogue which became a place of prayer and study.

The Pharisees converted lots of pagans to Judaism at a time when not a high percentage of the population was Jewish. It is estimated that at the time of the First Temple's destruction, only about 10% of the Roman Empire's population was Jewish.

The roots if Christianity is embedded in Pharisaic Judaism. "For God so loved the world..." came from another Pharisaic quote. When Jesus died, his followers said they saw him go up to Heaven. The Pharisees couldn't say this was impossible because they believed they might go to heaven soon also. Paul changed Jesus to a sacrificial lamb for all time. This was powerful because Christianity was able to confront and change paganism. Jews stayed Jews. Christians did not have all these rules Jews did and circumcision scared the pagans so Christianity seemed easier.
Islam is also rooted in Pharisaic Judaism. Pharisaic Judaism became rabbinic Judaism and was the only kind around after the destruction of the second Temple.

Foruth Judsism: In modern times, this takes a different fact at different places. Rabbinic Judaism served for 2000 years, then modern:
(a) Reformed or liberal Judaism and some conservative Judaism. Reformed Judaism rejected a mandatory halaha. People themselves saw that orthodoxy did not work. Reform Judaism started in Germany and prospered in North America. It did not only reject things, it also had ethical monotheism and saw the mission of the Jew to bring God's universal word to all humankind. Once all believe in this one God, then all the divisions will cease among people. For a while in the late 19th century, it looked like we were almost there. But this was only for the western Jew, not the Jew of eastern Europe. The optimism of the west made no sense to the Eastern European Jew. In 1939, it is estimated there were 12 million Jews in Eastern Europe. After WWII, these Jews could not believe in Orthodoxy any more and they could not be Reform Jews. So there arose
(b) Secular Judaism which took two forms:
(i) Zionism - called for a return to Israel and development of a secular state. Jews in USA threw off orthodoxy as well and formed a secular organization.
(ii) Socialism - Jews in Poland organized into a Jewish National Community and took a place in government.

This last mutation threw off God altogether and they went back to God later.

Optimism of the Western Jews and orthodoxy of the Eastern Jews changed after the World Wars. In 1948, all were in favor of a Jewish state. They wanted Israel to survive as a Jewish state.

So what is the Jewish identity. They have made radical changes in the past to prevent God from becoming obsolete. Changes are taking place today in Reform Judaism especially in the west. Line of descent is not as important to Reform Jews. You are a Jew if you say you are. All who believe in a new kind of Judaism still call it Judaism. If you go back to Moses and burning bush which was not consumed, God says to take shoes off because this is a Holy place. Moses says who are you and God answers, "I am who I am" literally translated "I will be what I will be" or it sometimes can mean "I am who I need to be." This is a very profound statement. God is what we need Him to be.

YHWH - Jehovah. To be is the root. He who causes to exist or He who brings into existence. God is an enabler of all existence and a creator of all diversity. God is not something that is . He is something we are searching for. God does make his will known to us but we don't think he speaks to someone on a mountaintop. He les us know through what is Good, True, Beautiful, and Holy. These things are important to us as humans. All prophets tapped much of God when they tapped into the good, true, beautiful, and holy. Humans try to tap into these things as well and they let us know we can't just be secular. We need God in our lives.

On the way out, I said something about needing to know more about the Pharisees and Sadducees and Rabbi Mort said that Jesus was likely a Pharisee except that he said he could perform miracles. The Pharisees did not like that since they said only they could do that, not Jesus. Rabbi Mort said the Sadducees were more literal interpreters of the Bible and that Jesus did not like that. I asked where one could read more about these two sets of people and he said there isn't much in writing about it. I found the topic most interesting as I have not heard it discussed to any great extent that I remember

2009/07/01 Sixth Judaism Class Notes Holocaust/Israel

2009/07/01 Sixth Judaism Class Notes Holocaust/Israel

Rabbi Micah was the teacher and the class title is Holocaust/Israel.

The Holocaust and Israel have shaped Judaism as we know it.

There are two distinct Judaisms. One is European based and tends to be the way older Jews practice their faith and ethnicity. The other is Israel based and tends to be the way younger Jews practice their faith and ethnicity.

Today's Judaism is different from the way it was 200 years ago. Handout in class shows a brief outline of events in the last 200 years of Judaism.

There are two important terms we need to know while looking at this history. One is Zion which is another word for Israel. It is named for a mountain in Israel, Mt. Zion. Jews hve yearned for the land of Zion over the years. Zionism arose out of this historic yearning.

Genesis 12:1-3. "The Lord said to Abram, 'Go forth from your native land and from your father's house to the land I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse him that curses you; and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you.'"

So from the beginning (even as far back as the book of Genesis), Jewish identity has been linked to Israel - the land I will show you turns out to be Israel. It is indelibly linked to being Jewish.

Brit means covenant. This is the same as bris where Jewish boys are circumcised. it is the act of bringing someone into covenant.

There are two promises in this Genesis 12 passage, (1) Great nation: "I will make of you a great nation" and (2) Covenant: "I will bless you and make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse him that curses you; and all the families of the earth shall bless themselves by you."

From the tenth through the fifth century BCE, Israel was a Jewish Kingdom. Psalm 126 is a psalm of the people in exile showing their desire to return to Israel. It is written in the past tense but is understood in the future tense. This psalm was under consideration for the national anthem of Israel but was not chosen.

Psalm 126: A Song of Ascents "When the Eternal restores us to Zion, we will be like dreamers. Our mouths will be filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then shall they say among the nations, 'The Eternal has done great things for them.' The Eternal will do great things for us, and we will rejoice! Restore our fortunes, O Eternal, like streams in the Negev. They who sow in tears shall reap in joy. Though he goes along weeping, carring the seed-bag, he shall come back with songs of joy, carrying his sheaves."

Yehuda Halevy was a poet in Muslim Spain. Edom is a metaphor for the Western and modern world.

Prayers- Jews face the East when they pray as that is the general direction of Israel. Prayer praises God for creation of light and for creating the natural world.

Love of Israel by Jews is ancient. It is the best place to be Jewish and they should want to return to it.

In the modern period, Zionism arose. It is a Messianic yearning for the land. This yearning has become political in the modern era. Birthright is an organization that sends young people to Israel because Jews have found that visits to Israel instill a love of Judaism into its young people and their families. It makes Jews more committed. It has a positive effect on Jewish identity. Aliyah is a going up. When Jews are called up to Torah, it is Aliyah and when a person moves (permanently) to Israel, it is Aliyah.

Kotel: Wailing wall, now called the Western Wall. This is the outer retaining wall of the ancient Temple. The Temple Mount was on Mt. Moriah and was smaller due to limited space at the top of the mountain. Mt. Moriah is in the middle of Jerusalem. As we said, at one time the Temple was only on top of the natural mountain. Herod (who was a forcibly converted Jew) wanted to glorify the Temple and he fills in more dirt to make a larger mountaintop and builds a larger Temple on it. The tallest part of the Temple was the Holy of Holies. So the Western Wall is actually part of the retaining wall from the Herod enlargement of the Temple. The Temple mount still exists and the Dome of the Rock is on the spot where the Holy of Holies once was. The Western Wall has become an outdoor synagogue. Currently, some of the Southern wall has been excavated.

The whole city of Jerusalem is sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

On the handout, the first page timeline is a history of how Zionism developed.
In the 1840's Europe was in the throes of nationalism. There was a rise of the states and countries separated. Earlier there were principalities such as Tuscany and Rome in Italy, but now these principalities combined into countries with their own identity. Zionism arose out of this sense of nationalism.

Jews in Germany had 2 choices: (1) Could say I am a German or a German Mosaist. Mosaist refers to Moses and is a way to stay away from saying Jewish. This is where Reform Judaism has its roots - as German Mosaists. (2) Could say I am Jewish and my land is Israel.

In the 1860s, modern settlement called Mishkenot Sha'ananim was built outside the walls of Jerusalem. This was the first modern Jewish settlement.

In 1878, the first Zionist settlement is built. It is called Petah Tikvah. and means Gates of Hope.

Jews were normalized in Europe. Jews could not own land and Christians could not charge interest so Jews became the bankers in Europe. Jews saw that real Germans worked the land in Germany so they went to Israel and worked the land. This happened in Petah Tikvah.

In 1894 the Dreyfus Affair occurred. This is where a French military officer (Jewish) is accused of treason (passing secrets to the Germans). His trial was not fair and showed latent anti-Jewish sentiment in France. Theodore Herzl was a journalist, an Austrian Jew and he was sent in the 1890s to cover the trial of the Dreyfus affair. Theodore Herzl writes about the unfair trial and this trial began the early Zionist political movement. Herzl concluded that Jews would always be outsiders in other countries so they needed their own land. The United States is a little different in that it is a land of immigrants so all are outsiders. Israel is somewhat the same except that most of its immigrants are Jewish. But Jews come in all shapes, sizes, colors so there is diversity among them.

Herzl ultimately failed to establish a Jewish homeland. He was buried in Austria but his body was later moved to Israel after parading it through the streets of Jerusalem and around the country. He is reburied on Mt. Herzl which is next to the Holocause memorial.

There is a lot of interplay between Israel being a homeland and the Holocaust but it is not exact to say that one resulted from the other. There were other factors also as the Dreyfus affair is one example of the other factors.

WWI and WWII - Israel was under British mandate. Cutoff of Jewish settlement in Israel. So illegal immigration occurred. Jews were trying to escape the Nazis.

On 5/14/48, the State of Israel was established. From 1948 through the 1950s, 650,000 Jewish refugees from Arab countries resettled in Israel.

1949-1950 - 49,000 Yemenite Jews were airlifted to Israel. It was called Ooperation Magic Carpet or Operation on the Wings of Eagles because the people being airlifted thought the airplanes were the eagles written about in the Bible that would come and take people away to a better place. (They had never seen an airplane before.)

In 1990, El Al (Israeli airline) took out seats from their planes in order to fly 14,500 Ethiopien Jews to Israel in 36 hours.

So Israel has become a mosaic of all kinds of Jews coming together.

Hatikvah has become the anthem of the Zionist movement - it is the National Anthem of Israel. It says Jews have always yearned to return. Since 1/4 of the citizens of Israel are not Jewish, this song as a national anthem is problematic in some ways. Other people do come to live and work in Israel.

Hatikvah:

"As long as the heart, within,
A Jewish soul is yearning,
And to the edges of the East, eastward,
An eye watches towards Zion,

Our hope is not yet lost,
The hope of two thousand years,
To be a free nation in our own land
The land of Zion and Jerusalem."

Our handout gives the song in Hebrew as well and emphasizes the words, "to be a free nation in our own land."

Israel proclaims itself to be a Jewish democratic state. Non-Jews can be citizens and can vote. The ruling body has non-Jews in it as well. However, can a state be democratic but have an ethnic/religious identity also?

From Israel's Declaration of Indepence (14 May 1948): "The Land of Israel was the birthplace of the Jewish people. Here their spiritual, religious and political identity was shaped. Here they first attained to statehood, created cultural values of national and universal significance and gave the world the eternal Book of Books. After being forcibly exiled from their land, the people kept faith with it throughout their dispersion and never ceased to pray and hope for their return to it and for the restoration in it of their political freedom."

Reform Jews said they did not need a land of their own in Israel. They were German or Italian or whatever nationality of the land they were in. Some even refused to face East for prayer and put their Temples facing West. Now Reformed Jews are returning to more traditions but Israelis consider Reform Jews to be anti-Zionist. Israel was a country of the Orthodox religious or the secular, non-religious Jews. So Israel did not grow up with Reform Jews. Now Rabbi Mary Gold has a case in the Supreme Court of Israel to get recognized as a Reformed Jewish Rabbi. Now most Israelis don't grow up and join a synagogue so they identify more now with Reformed Judaism than they once did. Reformed Jews get people in Israel more through schools and other organizations rather than through synagogue since people there don't usually join a Temple or synagogue. Reformed Jews believe you can be modern and Jewish at the same time. Thus, they have some orthodox traditions which they are willing to change or compromise.

Eliezer Ben Yehuda: He is street-named Ben Yehuda. He was the person most responsible for reviving the Hebrew language. Herzl wrote "The Jewish State" in German and said Jews could speak all the languages and have all the best things Europe had to offer. Ben Yehuda said if we have a state, then we must speak a certain language and that language is Hebrew. For words which had no Hebrew translation such as electricity, automobile, he invented words. Sometimes he opted for the English word where there was no Hebrew equivalent.

2009/06/24 Fifth Introduction to Judaism Class Notes Fundamental Jewish Beliefs

2009/06/24 Fifth Introduction to Judaism Class Notes Fundamental Jewish Beliefs

Rabbi Judy Schindler - Topic is Fundamental Jewish Beliefs.
Introduction to Judaism, Class 5.


Rabbi Schindler let us name the beliefs we knew about and she elaborated on them in an interactive way.

She started by saying anyone who converts can choose their own Hebrew name and would become the son or daughter of Abram and Sarah.

(1) The first belief mentioned is that History is Important to Jews. It is a part of who they are. In prayers, remembering is a frequent saying and many prayers have historical events that are remembered. One is "to remember the Sabbath and keep it holy." Jews don't just keep Shabbat but they also are called on to remember it. Jews live in Torah. They are always reading and remembering.

(2) Enjoy life. Life itself is sacred . People are taught to number their days. Using days in wisdom is important.

(3) Oneness of God. God is one. The Sh'mu is said in morning and evening. "Hear O Israel, the Eternal One is our God, the Eternal God alone." Jews and all of us are to Love God with all our might. The Sh'mu is the watchword of Jewish faith. Jews believe that Judaism is complete by itself. It does not have a Jesus who is believed to be the salvation of the world. Jews believe the Messiah is yet to come.

(4) Charity (Tzedakah) is righteousness and comes from Tzeda which means justice. Jews often give to different charities. One is the Jewish Federation which is the Jewish United Way. It sends gifts all over the world to help the needy. Jews are to give 10% of their earnings (not total wealth) to charity ir tzedakah. Rabbi Judy said the children in Hebrew school at Temple Beth-El bring some change each week which they contribute to a charity at the end of the school year. The children are given a list of charities and they get to choose from that list. They had to remove animal charities from the list because all the children's contributions were going to the animals, leaving nothing for human charities.

(5) Peace - Jews are commanded to pursue justice and peace. This is written about in Deuteronomy.

(6) Everyone has his own relationship with God. Jews talk of the God of many individuals, for example, the God of Abraham, the God of Jacob, the god of Rachael, etc. We use metaphors for God and it shows we are human and we speak as humans.

(7) Jews treat their dead differently. They accompany their dead for burial and they do not look at the dead. They do not embalm and they do not normally cremate (some reformed do but it is not the tradition). Many Orthodox believe the body will be put back with the soul at the resurrection (Messianic time) so they make sure their bodies are whole in the grave. Since we disintegrate into dirt anyway, this does not seem to make complete sense but it is the way the Orthodox believe. It is not a Jewish custom to have flowers at a funeral and there is no open caskets at Jewish funerals. People bring food for the families of the deceased so they do not have to worry with preparing food. Shiva is 7 days when the family stays at home and mourns in their own way. So Jews are real about death. They bury the body as naturally as possible and use wooden caskets that also disintegrate naturally. All makeup is removed by appointed people who are allowed to handle the body, etc.

Rabbi Judy put in an aside that there is a saying in Judaism that their history can be summed up with, "They tried to kill us, we won, let's eat."

(8) What do Jews believe about the afterlife? Congregation says during services, "Blessed are you, O God, who gives new life." The cantor says "....who resurrects the dead." Orthodox Jews believe body and soul will come back together so it is important to keep any body parts together even if amputated earlier in life. They save the parts amputated to be buried with them when the pass away. Reformed Jews say "Blessed are you, O God, who renews all life."

Jews believe the pure evil go to Gehenna, the pure righteous go to Heaven, and the rest of us go to a place where we spend time in between Gehenna and Heaven trying to make ourselves worthy of heaven. Gehenna comes from the name of a place, Gehinom, where people sacrificed their own children. It seems like the rabbi said the perfect parts of our souls go on to heaven and the imperfect parts go elsewhere. The Jewish people say Kaddish for their loved ones (and this is part of Shabbat services that Don and I have attended a couple of times lately.)

(9) Sin comes from the word, chet, which means missing the mark. Jews look upon sin as missing the mark. There is intentional sin and there is missing the mark. Repentence is part of the daily liturgy. Jews don't believe we are all born in sin.

Jews believe there are two inclinations:
(a) Yetzer haren - evil inclination
(b) Yetzer hatov - compassionate inclination.
Yetzer means inclination. Jews say we need to recognize our yetzer haren or worst quality and try to find ways to use it for good.

13 Fundamental Jewish beliefs:
(i) There is a creator, who alone created and creates all things.
(ii) He is one, unique
(iii) He has no body, no form.
(iv) He is eternal.
(v) He alone is to be worshipped.
(vi) The words of the prophets are true.
(vii) Moses was the greatest prophet.
(viii) The source of the Torah is divine.
(ix) The Torah is immutable.
(x) God knows the deeds and thoughts of men.
(xi) God rewards and punishes.
(xii) The Messiah will come.
(xiii) God, forever praised, will resurrect the dead.

Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel) said "Blessed is God's name forever and ever." and "Hear, O Israel, the Eternal One is our God, the Eternal God alone." This is the Sh'ma and is repeated at Shabbat services and should be said by Jews daily morning and evening.

(10) Worship, prayer and good acts are essential beliefs of Jews.

(11) What do Jews believe about God?
(a) They believe in the oneness of God. They are not so worried about whether the world was created in 6 days with a 7th day of rest or whether the world evolved over the millenia. They believe firmly that God's hand is in creation either way.
(b) They believe God gave us Torah which is the basis of all learning. Protest is allowed if it is for the greater good and not if protesting for selfish reasons. She gave as an example a time when God did not allow protest for selfish reasons and he punished the selfish protesters by swallowing them up into the earth.
(c) Jews believe in redemption. God created the world, then He redeemed the world, then God gave us Torah. God redeemed the Jews from Egypt but the world is still unredeemed.
(d) Jews believe the Messiah will bring Jews back to Israel and establish rule in Jerusalem. Reformed Jews do not so much look for the Messiah immediately as they try to work toward making the world a plce worthy of the coming Messianic age.
(i) Elijah is called at Passover and when a baby is born.
(ii) Midrash says Elijah is here as a street person and how we treat him will tell when the world is ready for the Messiah.
(e) There are lots of angels in Judaism. Jacob had a dream where there was a stairway to heaven with angels going up and down on it is an example. There is a sense that God is everywhere. Jews say that dreams are 1/60th of prophecy and sleep is 1/60th of death.

(12) Jews do not have an equivalent of Catholic confession but they believe people should acknowledge their sin, apologize for their wrongdoing, and not make the same mistake again. You can't just say "sorry" and keep on doing what you were doing. You have to stop with the wrongdoing you are apologizing for.

(13) Jews believe in prayer and certain prayers are said in community (where at least 10 or a minion are present).

(14) Jews believe they are chosen. The Jews are the chosen people. As such, God has a direct relationship with them. Jews are commanded to carry out God's work on earth. Jews accept this responsibility. There is an historical God and Jews are in relationship with the God who came before us.

(15) God is unknowable. We don't even know his name. It cannot be pronounced. YHWH has no vowels and if we try to read it, it sounds like breathing out. This shows God is connected to our very breath. He breathes life into us and takes breath away at the end of life. Our handout shows many many names that man calls God such as Compassionate One, Lord, I am who I am, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, Shepherd, Creator of Heaven and Earth, etc. The list goes on and on. God is really limitless. It is said there are 70 faces of Torah. God is transcendant yet God is imminent. God is in our neighbor. God is here.

2009/06/17 Fourth Introduction to Judaism Class Notes Sacred Texts

2009/06/17 Fourth Introduction to Judaism Class Notes  Sacred Texts

Rabbi Micah Streiffer was our teacher. Someone asked if the Judaic tradition had any angels. Rabbi Micah answered that thre are 4 archangels, all ending in the letter L (in English). This letter stands for God. These archangels represent pieces of God. (1) Uriel - Uri (I missed this one) so this angel is represents ?. (2) Michael - Micah means one who is like God so this angel is like God. (3) Gabriel - Gabri means strength so this is the strength of God. (4) Raphael - Rapha means healing so this represents the healing god. God is known also as the Lord of Hosts which is a phrase used often by Christians and is a sense of God as one who commands both the earthly and the heavenly world. The hierarchy of God, Angels, Humans, Animals was outlined. There are two levels of Creation, the heavenly world with God and Angels and the lower world, Humans and animals. God can create and make decisions, Angels do God's bidding but do not make decisions. Humans are like God in that they can create life and they can make decisions. Animals do not make decisions.

The real topic for tonight is Sacred Texts. The Jews were called People of the Book by the Muslim world. The Book is Torah. Torah is the basis of Judaism, which is like the constitution of Judaism. Judaism is the religion based on Torah. Other Jewish writings come from the base of Torah. Torah is at the center of Judaism and all laws of Judaism draw their authority from Torah.

Page 4 of pamphlet handout: Torah is the first 5 books of the Tanach. A portion is read each week and the Torah is divided into 52 sections so that it is read in full each year. For the most part (there are a few exceptions), the same passage is read everywhere alike. In Reform Judaism, belief is that it was written by humans and it is the Jewish way of approaching God. It was divinely inspired through the writers. The prophets were divinely inspired. The divinely inspired writers of Torah experienced God but the Torah was not dictated to them by God. Many Orthodox believe God wrote the Torah.

When was the Bible written down - Why, of course, during the Biblical period and when was that? It was around 585 BCE. The first Temple was destroyed in 586 BCE and people scattered out somewhat so it became necessary to carry on traditions in a little more documented manner than the oral tradition had allowed when everyone lived near the Temple.

Bible is called Tanach and it is contains the same books as the Christian Old Testament but not in the same order. Jews order their books by Torah (the first 5 books), Nevi'im - The Prophets and Ketu'im (Writings). (1) Torah is Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. (2) Nevi'im (Prophets) includes Joshua, Judges, Samuel (2 books), Kings (2 books), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the 12 minor prophets (Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habbakkuk, Zephaniah, and Malachi). (3) Ketuvim includes Writings and they are Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Ezra-Nehemiah, and Chronicles (2 books).

Torah is the only portion of Tanach read in full each year. Other books are read on holidays. These are Song of Songs (read on Passover), Ruth (read on Shavuot, a holiday commemorating the receiving of the Torah), Lamentations (read on Tisha B'Av, a holiday commemorating the destruction of the Temples in Jerusalem and other Jewish tragedies), Ecclesiastes (read on Sukkot, a harvest holiday in the fall), and Esther ( read on Purim, a holiday celebrating the story of Esther). The writings were originally oral and then were written down. Some were performed. Poems have more archaic language than the stories. So it appears they came first. In Exodus, there is a Song of the Sea that likely came first. All these books were oral at first and it was easier to remember song than just words so songs and poems likely came first and were easiest to remember in their original form and words.

Noah - 2 stories. In one Noah takes 2 of each animal into the ark and in another he took 7 of each animal. In Genesis - Chapter 1 has earth being created in 7 days. In Chapter 2, tells creation story again with different order of creation. In Jewish tradition, Chapter 1 is seen as God's eye view of creation and Chapter 2 is the people's eye view of creation.

900 BCE - Period of David/Solomon.
586 BCE - First Temple destroyed and the beginning of the Babylonian exile (first diaspora). This is when we think the writing down of the Bible occurred because the Jewish people needed to do so to prevent their sacred texts from being lost.
587 BCE - Biblical era - Bible began being written down.
516 BCE - People were allowed to rebuild the Temple and this is the Second Temple period. Judaism begins to bifercate. (1) Lower class - Pharisees - priests who were into priestly sacrifice. (2) Upper class - Sadducees - Only Torah is basis of Judaism. No ability to expand. The Pharisees were the ancestors of rabbinic Judaism and they began to talk of writing Torah from the Oral Torah that had been passed down.

70 CE - Destruction of the second Temple. Again, started writing other things. Mishnah was written down around this time. This was the first Jewish code of law and was not based directly on the Torah.

Kiddish is a blessing over wine on Friday. Rabbis of Mishnah - Rule is you have to say something out loud about Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom is an example of a short saying that can be said out loud that makes people know it is Shabbat and remembers it out loud. This is the Law of Kiddish and this is where it came from - Mishnah. This is an example of legal creativity. Mishnah is the book of Law. It shows how to put Torah into practice.

Another rising literature is the Midrash. It is a homelike creativity and is non-legal. It is stories that arise surrounding the Torah. S

Stories and laws are both important.

Minutia of laws - Reform Jews are less concerned about the minutia. Torah is the source of law.
Mitzvah - means commandment and it is a good thing to do but not necessarily a good deed. Mitzvah is one of the 613 commandments. There is no list of these 613 commandments and ther are different lists with different commandments but all the lists have 613 and the first commandment is "Be fruitful and multiply."

The 613 Mitzvot are all found in Torah and find new meaning in the ancient text. Torah says to "remember the day of Shabbat." But how. Midrash and Mishnah tell you.

Over 300-400 years, mush discussion on how to be Jewish and it was hard to research because there were volumes and volumes of argument coming from every learned opinion. So in 500CE or 600 CE, these opinions were arranged by subject in the Talmud. Each page of Talmud tells the Mishnah (commandment) which is about 3 lines or so, then tells the Gemara (commentary or gathering place for all the ideas). The Gemara may be pages long.

The Talmud - if read one page per day it takes 7 years to complete reading it. It was originally written in modern day Iraq which was Babylonia at the time it was written.

After the Talmud cam the post Talmudic period which matches with the Medieval period as we are taught it in history books. In post Talmudic period, 2 main ways to get new information:

(1) Mishnah Torah - code of law not related to either Torah or Mishnah even though named for both. The Mishnah Torah tells you how to be Jewish. (page 14 in pamphlet handed out in class). The Mishnah Torah said not to read the Talmud anymore but it is okay to study it to see how history developed and see how ancestors made meaning out of their Jewish texts.

(2) Responsa - is a question and answer writing. It is exactly Q & A. You ask a rabbinic authority and this authority finds answer and writes you back with an answer. Rabbis kept copies of their answers. There are responsa committees that discuss questions of Jewish tradition. These can be new questions that arose only in modern life such as intermarriage, etc.
Our blue book that was given us as a text is a code of Jewish law. The author is interested in the minutia of the law.

In the 1500's Kabalah started. This is Jewish mysticism. "In 1492, Columbus sailed the Ocean blue and all the Jews got kicked out of Spain too" is a Jewish saying.

Each time there is calamity such as the destruction of the Temples, there has arisen out of that calamit new ways of Judaism. Torah can mean the 5 books of Moses but also can be all literature of Judaism which is all descended from those first five books.

2009/06/10 Third Introduction to Judaism Class Jewish Holidays

2009/06/10 Third Introduction to Judaism Class  Jewish Holidays

Tonight's lesson was on Jewish Holidays which I believe means Jewish Holy Days. One thing Don and I learned is that these days often have certain foods associated with them and these are prepared for their symbolism and significance to Jewish history. My Jewish brother-in-law said he used to think Judaism meant eating and I can now see why.

Sara Bryan, Youth Director, was the instructor for the class.

Jews have both Biblical and Historical Holidays and these holidays fall on dates in the Jewish calendar. The Jewish calendar is lunar-based with each year having 354 days which is 29.5 days per month. The months have Hebrew names and have no meaning to my Christian and American background. I read that it was even difficult for the Jewish people to determine when their holidays were in times before the internet was available. So it became tradition to celebrate Holy Days (except Shabbat or Sabbath) for 2 days to be sure they had celebrated on the correct date. This practice did not occur in Israel itself, just elsewhere. Today, even though there is plenty of information available to Jews everywhere to let them know the correct date for celebrations, those outside Israel continue to celebrate for 2 days as this has become a tradition. There are many things prohibited on Holy Days. Work is prohibited, not for the labor of it, but because you are supposed to do things on Holy Days that are different from the normal week. These things should include spending time with God and family. Cooking is prohibited and so is lighting of candles so people need to spend time preparing meals for the Holy Day just prior to the Holy Day. There is also controversy over whether it is okay to heat food on the Holy Day and different synagogues have different rules for that. At least some of these Holy Days require candles during the meal and women usually are in charge of lighting them. Since lighting candles is prohibited on the Holy Day, women are allowed to do that but it must be done prior to certain traditional prayers being said.

Also Jewish days begin at sundown on one day and end at sundown of the next day. There is also the question of determining when sundown arrives. Sara Bryan said that most people say it is when you can see 3 stars (or planets) in the sky.

Jewish Holidays fall on New Moons. Because they need to fall in certain seasons and the calendar is lunar instead of solar, the Jewish calendar adds a Leap Month to their calendar every 2 to 3 years to keep Holy Days in the correct season.

Shabbat or Sabbath is the most frequent Holy Day since it occurs every week from Friday Sundown to Saturday Sundown. It comes from the Biblical idea that God created earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th. Sheva in Hebrew means seven and it is a holy number used in many Jewish references, stories and occasions.

The traditional meal starts with lighting candles. This is done by a female in the household and is done prior to the saying of a prayer over wine. Lighting candles after this is prohibited for the duration of Shabbat. Since work is prohibited, the meal is pre-prepared and everyone bathes before Shabbat begins. People go to their House of Assembly (Temple or Synagogue) on Shabbat. You also set aside time to be still. There is a whole list of "can do's" and "can't do's". Writing more than 3 letters on Shabbat is prohibited. You also should set aside time to be with family and appreciate the week just past and yet to come. At the end of Shabbat, Havdalah is performed. Here you light a candle with at least two wicks. This symbolizes that on Shabbat, everyone gets a second soul. Since Havdalah occurs at the end of Shabbat, it means you are saying goodbye to your second soul. Prayers are also said over spices and wine.

So Shabbat is the most important holiday. There is a saying that Jews have kept Shabbat and Shabbat has kept the Jews.

Torah- Other holidays are reenactments of Biblical events. There are 3 Pilgrimage Holidays, called pilgrimage holidays because in the time of the Temple everyone who could was expected to make a pilgrimage to the Temple for the celebration of these holidays:

(1) Pesach - Passover - Celebrates the liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.
(2) Shavuot - (also called Pentecost in a book I have) celebrates getting Torah on Mt. Sinai.
(3) Sukkot - Commemorates the period immediately following the exodus when the Jewish people were in the desert living in temporary dwellings.

(1) Pesach seder (meal) celebrates the first night (or first and second nights) out of Egypt. Passover is an 8 day celebration. Matzot (unleavened bread) with bitter herbs (usually horseradish) is served as part of the meal to remind the Jewish people of the bitterness of their enslavement in Egypt and 4 cups of wine is drank by the adults (?). Four is a big number in Judaism and the four questions are asked as are the four kinds of children discussed. A mixture of nuts, apples, wine, cinnamon, and sugar is also served to symbolize mortar. Parsley is served to symbolize spring. A shank bone is on the table to symbolize the sacrifices and an egg is served to symbolize fertility and new life.The Hegadda is recited as if you lived it yourself. The Hegadda is the text telling the events surrounding the exodus from Egypt. Pesach is a home-based holiday. Jews clean their homes of leavened bread or anything that might be mistaken for leavened bread. During the Seder (means ordered meal), the story of the exodus from Egypt is told and the meal is reminiscent of that exodus.

(1a) Lag B'Omer: Time between Pesach (Passover) and Shavuot. This is a very solemn time recalling Jews suffering under Roman rule. There are no weddings during this time. However, Omer means wheat sheaf. It is a season of harvest, getting ready. On the 33rd day, there are celebrations with bonfires, etc. Lag is the number 33. Lag B'Omer is celebrated on the 33rd day of Iyar and is a celebration of the death of Simeon Bar Yochai who studied Torah in a cave in defiance of Roman decree. When he died, he asked his followers to celebrate rather than mourn.

(2) Shavuot falls 50 days after Pesach. It celebrates the receipt of Torah (both written and oral) on Mt. Sinai. Many Jews decorate their synagogues with green branches and plants because of the tradition that at the time Torah was received, Mt. Sinai was green and fragrant. Dairy products are served on the one or two days of Shavuot. Jewish people believe that all Jews whether alive then, alive earlier, or alive in the future, were present at the receipt of the Torah. Confirmations are held during Shavuot. Shavuot is a 2 day festival.

(3) Sukkot is a seven day festival and is exceedingly joyful. It is similar to Thanksgiving in western tradition. It falls 15 days after Rosh Hoshana (Jewish New Year) and 5 days after Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Observant Jews build little huts beside their homes made of tree branches, reeds, or bamboo and enclosed on 3 sides and they stay in the hut at least one night, eating and sleeping there, but some stay all 7 nights. In Hebrew, the word Sukkot means "shelters" and many people call the Holy Days of Sukkot the Tabernacle Festival of the Festival of the Booths. There is a mystical rite performed during Sukkot which involves taking 4 kinds of plants, a palm frond (represents spine), myrtle (represents eyes), willow branches (represents mouth), and a lemon-like fruit called an etrog (heart shaped and represents the heart) and shaking them in six directions: North, South, East, West, Up, Down. This wave dance is the Jewish version of a rain dance. At the end of Sukkot, there is a very energetic one-day festival called Simchat Torah which celebrates not the receipt of the Torah, but rejoices for the possession of the Torah by the Jews.

Other Holidays or festivals are:

(1) Yom Kippur which is the day of Atonement and has to do with personal and communal cleansing. It is a fasting time and should begin with a simple, not heavy, meal. Kol Nidre - concept that all souls are being considered by God and Kol Nidre is a song (chant) that is the highlight of the cantor's year. It is a difficult song/chant (I say song/chant because the teacher said he sings it but it is my understanding very little music is ever used in Jewish services so this may be a sing-song chant.) Jewish people go to services after the light meal mentioned above and penitential prayers are said. Even if the sins don't apply to you personally, you are to say the prayers in the spirit that the community has sinned and all need forgiveness. Sins are listed and people in the congregation tap their chests to indicate their sorrow for the sins. After these penitential services, you are new again and go to eat a celebratory meal. You go into the world resolved to do better from now on. Occurs 10 days after Rosh Hashana and these 10 days are referred to as Days of Awe.

(2) Purim - One day festival that occurs in the Jewish month of Adar. It celebrates the Jews not dying. They were saved in Persia by Queen Esther. The Megillah (Scroll of Esther) is read in public. This is a day of great celebration with most getting drunk and encouraged to do so. It celebrates the downfall of a tyrant who wanted to eradicate all Jews. The King's wife died and he had a beauty contest for the next queen. Esther won and hid the fact she was a Jew but she winds up revealing herself and saving the Jews. On Purim, you are expected to get so drunk you can't tell the difference between good and bad. It is Jewish Mardi Gras, a time of masquerades and hidden identity. It commemorates that good things come out of bad things.

(3) Hanukkuk or Chanukah - is a minor holiday, a festival really. Called Festival of Light where one new candle per day for 8 days is lit. It commemorates the revolt and victory of the Maccabees against the Syrian Greeks in about 165 BCE. The Maccabees rededicated the defiled Temple and brought back pure light to the menora, the seven branched candelabrum. These lights are wax candles or lamps of olive oil and are lit every night in each home. The custom is to add one additional light each night through the eight day period. It is a time of praise and thanksgiving.

(4) Rosh Hashana means head of the year and is the first Holiday of the Jewish year. Lasts 2 days. This represents the birthday of the Human Race which occurred on the first of Tishrei. We were created with free will to choose but we have responsibility for the consequences of our actions. Challah bread shaped in a circle is eaten. The Jewish concept of a calendar is round, not linear. Also eat apples and honey. Rosh Hashana occurs in the fall around September or October. The afternoon of the first day of Rosh Hashana is called Tishlich. Tishlich is for casting away sins. Micah says "and thou will cast all their since into the depths of the sea." Custom is to wear white because "Be your sins like crimson, they can turn whites as snow" (Isaiah 1:18). You wear white because you are getting ready to cleanse yourself. The first day of Rosh Hashana is Tashlich as mentioned earlier and custom is to carry bread crumbs to a body of running water and throw them in. This symbolizes the casting away of sin. Rosh Hashana has 10 days of awe which is a time of forgiving and getting forgiveness. It is said God has the book of life open and is considering your fate for the next year. The shofar is blown on Rosh Hashana and is symbolic of the ram that substituted for the sacrifice of Isaac. Tzedekah (giving) is important on Rosh Hashana because Nehemiah says "Drink the sweet and send portions to those who have none, for this day is holy to our God."

(5) Tish B'Av occurs on the 9th of Av. This is a fast day and the book of Lamentations is chanted in Houses of Assembly. It is chanted in a sad and sorrowful way because both the first and second temples were destroyed on the 9th of Av hundreds of years apart. The first temple was destroyed on the 9th of Av in 586 BCE. The second temple was destroyed on the 9th of Av in 70 CE.

(6) Yom Yerushalayim celebrates the Israelis getting to the Western Wall in 1967 so Israel reclaimed the Old City on that date. This is called Jerusalem Day.

(7) Yom Hashoah: Day of remembrance of the six million. Most temples have special services to remember the holocaust and 6 candles are lit, one for each million.

(8) Yom Ha-Zikaron: Israeli Memorial or Veterans Day. Remember all soldiers killed defending Israel.

(9) Yom Ha'atzmaut: Israeli Independence Day.

Other festivals were discussed but not much was said about some of them. I think the ones above were the major ones discussed during class.

Ms. Bryan was going through the Jewish year in order using the Jewish calendar. Since I am unfamiliar with the Jewish calendar, I used a book I have to help me see these holiday/festivals in order by our Western calendar. The ones listed in the book I have are:

March/April: Pesach or Passover, festival of 8 days, the first two and the last two of which are like Shabbat.

May/June: Shavu'ot or Pentecost, Festival of Harvest, Season of being given Torah. Two day festival like Shabbat, which occurs seven weeks (50 days) after Pesach.

August: Tisha b'Av (9th of the month of Av). Fast day for the destruction of the first and second temples.

September/October: Rosh Hashana (New Year) Two day festival like Shabbat.

September/October: Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement, the Day of Judgment) One day festival similar to Shabbat except that it is a day of fasting. Ten days after HRosh Hashana. These ten days are referred to as the Days of Awe.

September/October: Sukkot (Tebernacles; Festival of Booths, Festival of the Ingathering, the seson of our joy). Festival of seven days, the first two of which are like Shabbat. This festival is immediately followed by a two day Sabbath like festival, Sh'mini At'tzeret (the Convocation of the Eighth Day) and Simchat Torah (Rejoicing with the Law). In Israel this is a one-day festival.

December: Chanukka (Festival of Lights). Eight days of praise and thanksgiving with candles lit in the evening.

February/March: Purim, one day of feasting and rejoicing with the public reading of the Book of Esther.

Ms. Bryan gave us her email address at Temple Beth-El.

2009/06/03 Second Intro to Judaism Class Notes Liturgy

2009/06/03 Second Intro to Judaism Class Notes  Liturgy

This class was on the Liturgy. It used the Reformed Prayer Book called Mishkan T'Filah, A Reform Siddur very heavily throughout the class so it is hard to make notes when I do not own that book. I looked on Amazon and there are several versions, such as one for Shabbat (Sabbath worship), one for weekdays, one for Festivals, etc. There was one that seemed to cover all these and it cost anywhere from $20 to $36 depending on if it were used and what condition the book was in. I think we used the Shabbat version in class since the teacher, Andy Bernard, kept referencing whether it was an evening or morning Shabbat service. Different prayers and sequences are used for different services depending on whether it is a morning or evening service. Andy Bernard is the cantor at Temple Beth-El, a Reformed Temple, and he chanted some of the prayers in Hebrew. Beautiful.

NOTES:
Judaism is a liturgical tradition, meaning it has a fixed liturgy. It goes through a fixed set of prayers at each service. Services follow the same format each time with a few exceptions. We had printouts of the order of Worship Service and the cantor began in the center of the page labeled, "The Worship Service." There was an area labeled Sh'ma there and it had 3 Hebrew letters surrounded by certain blessings. The right side of the page listed Shabbat evening prayers by Hebrew name and the left hand side listed Shabbat morning prayers by Hebrew name. We looked in the prayer book at many of these prayers and there were English translations. I am sure the cantor says them in Hebrew at their services and he chanted a few and it was gorgeous. The Chatzi Kaddish is the beginning evening prayer. Kaddish means "In Praise of God" so that is how the service begins. Even when we have great loss, Jewish people are commanded to say praise to God even if they do not fully mean it. It keeps people in relationship to God which is the most important thing. Chatzi Kaddish means Half Kaddish. It is not really 1/2 but that is what it is called. Half Kaddish or Chatzi Kaddish is a liturgical divider which tells the people we are moving on to the next part of the service. Page 146 of the Prayer book show several musical melodies of the service which change according to if morning, evening, High Holy Days, etc. The Chatzi Kaddish tells us it is okay to move on to the next part of the service.

Next comes a prayer called the Bar'chu which is a call to worship. The Leader says "Praise Adonai, to Whom praise is due, now and forever." Congregation then says "Praised be Adonai to Whom praise is due, now and forever." This is the official call to service.

Then comes the second blessing of the Sh'ma which is Revelation. God who gave us the Torah out of the people of Israel.

If a Torah scroll is opened all the way around the Temple walls, the center is "Love your Neighbor" and this is the primary theme of Judaism. It is what people are called to do here on earth.

Then I am a little lost in my notes but he says read from (Torah?) The Lord is our God, the Lord is One. So if you do a blessing, you must do the Mitzvah. In other words, put action behind your words.

Then comes a Blessing for Redemption in the Sh'ma section of the service. God rescued the Israelites from Egyptian Bondage and there is a prayer about that. This is the Sh'ma. Then there is a celebration prayer, the Mi Chamocha which is chanted responsively. This prayer is a quote after the crossing of the Sea and it is a celebration prayer done at almost all services.

Then comes the Hashkiveinu which is a bedtime prayer and is said only in the evening. It is a prayer asking for protection through the night.

This wraps up the Sh'ma and her blessings.

Then the V'sham'ru which is a transition prayer. The next set of prayers are said standing. It is the T'fillah which is a substitute for animal sacrifice. In the morning and afternoon, these are said out loud but in the evening , they are said silently. Why silent? Because no animal sacrifices were made in the evening and in ancient times, there was no light in the evening and you could not see to sacrifice the animal. Reform Jews are not after reinstating animal sacrifice.

The V'ahavta is a longer prayer - commandment to see the fringes and remember to do my commandments. Wear Taliz (shawl with fringes at the corners) only in the morning service, not in the evening because can't meet commandment to see the fringes. Darkness is there so may not meet the commandment if wear in the evening.

The V'shamru - Keep Shabbat - remind everyone saying the Shabbat version of prayers that they are to keep the Sabbath holy. Also Jews do not have programs like most Protestant Christians where services are a mosaic - sections of little tiles that come together as a whole in the end. Jews know their order of service and move through the prayers in order. There are Torah readings only on Monday, Thursday and Saturday and sometimes the rabbi may have a teaching lesson around these readings but there is not a sermon per se such as in the Christian churches. Jews have a seamless, never stop, service with no reminders of what is next. They just know from years of going to services.

The V'ahata has seven sections and I only heard talk about 4 of them: 1) was a section about ancestors. 2) was on page 165 of the prayer book, 3) was on page 166 which says be nice to us because of our ancestors and 4) is about God's might.

Jews believe that when the Messiah comes, everyone will be resurrected and the Orthodox believe this so literally that if someone has a body part amputated, they save the body part somewhere in the Temple to be buried with them when they die. This is so they will be all together and God can give them renewed life. God can give us all renewed life.

Page 168 shows the aspects of God that we are to imitate such as the compassionate aspects. But we don't imitate things like God as Creator.

Page 170 - Bless God's name. "You are Holy, your name is holy, and those who are holy praise you every day. Blessed are you, Adonai, the Holy God. " Jews say Adonai because you don't say the name of God aloud.

Prayer of Thanksgiving and Prayer for Peace, the greatest prayer of all.

In the middle are 3 pieces, Merits of our (Jew's) ancestors, God's might, and Glorifying God. At the center of the T'fillah is Sanctification of the Day and Daily Petitions. The Daily Petitions are a difference between weekly services and a holiday service. There is something called the 18 benedictions (which are really 19 benedictions but still call it the 18 benedictions. Belief is that one benediction was split into two and it made the 19th). I believe these are the 3 top and 3 bottom petitions. 1) Ask for wisdom to know right from wrong, 2) ask for forgiveness, 3) ask for redemption. Then at the end 4) You are redeemed, 5) Healing is requested, and 6) Ask for abundance and by this we mean ask for enough to sustain you.

Personal prayers are then said. These are supposed to be improvised but if you want a set prayer to say instead, there is one on page 100. So there is a prayer you can use if you do not have a personal prayer in mind that day.

Other parts of the service come next: Psalms 111-118 are done on Festival Days. The Hallel/Shofar is done on Pilgramage Festivals. Certain whole books are sometimes chanted. Then there is a section for Health and Welfare issues. Then the Conclusion includes 1) Hope for a Messianic Future - Jews are to strive to work toward making the world a better place so as to hasten the coming of the Messiah. 2) Remembering the dead (Mourners Kaddish is said), and 3) Closure (Sabbath Kaddish and Adon Olam).

This concludes the evening order of service.

The morning service starts with Morning Blessings (page 30), Text from Numbers which is recited upon entering the Synagogue, then Psalms verses are recited.

Prayer of morning is to awaken with a blessing. Page 32 is about health and page 34 is about soul. You give thanks for awakening, for stretching, for moving about, because you could have died in your sleep and you are to be grateful that you are seeing another day.

Then gives thanks for Torah (Songs of praise begin on page 50).

Morning service has a whole long series of Psalms which are (read/chanted?). These are on pages 145 - 150. Ashrei prayers??? Page 52 Here you go from left page to right page (I think designated by a light blue border around the words on these pages.) The prayer book, by the way, is normally read as if from back to front with the right page being read first and then the left.

Evening services usually has the larger crowds. The Kabbalat Shabbat ceremony is done at evening services.

Jews who were in Spain had thrived for over 700 years, then were kicked out. Mystics say this calamity paralleled a calamity in the Godhead. The mystics had a concept that there were 10 aspects of God, each aspect different from another. Then the aspect of Shekhinah (from the handout sheet titled "The Ten Sefirot" - this is the bottom and last aspect) was banished from the Godhead. This means compassionate one. This one dwells with us on earth and we are responsible for keeping compassion in the world. This cutting off from the Godhead parallels the calamity of the Jews being thrown out of Spain according to the mystics.

In the morning service, 6 Psalms about creation are read. People are to reflect on these Psalms 6 days per week. The ten Sefirot (means Sabbath Bride) is basically celebrating a wedding. While prayers and readings around this are said, the congregants face the back door as if looking for the bride to enter. It is celebrating a re-uniting with Til'enet (spelling?) or the masculine aspect of God. When the world is perfect, all will be Shabbat. Psalm 92, 93 is the completion of creation.

Kabalah Shabbat Service - all 8 Psalms are recited and it takes 25 minutes. It helps put the week behind you and set the stage for worship and prayer.

Sometimes the length of the morning service means they can hardly get a minion (10 men that are required to have prayer) in a small congregation. Cantor said this is true sometimes at Temple Beth-El which is a Reform Temple.

The Reform movement threw out a lot of stuff and now are putting some back in because some of it is required to make the service more spiritual.

Some congregations chant the entire book of Song of Songs (about 15 minutes) on a certain occasion.

Nigganim - Songs without words - sometimes used since music can elevate your soul.

Page 63 (or 636 - can't read my own writing) is the Y'did Nefesh. It is chanted in Hebrew and takes 7 or 8 minutes (the cantor did some of this and it was very beautiful). It has a lilting quality which also elevates the spirit. It is a meditation on God's name. In the Hebrew alphabet, the first Hebrew Letter of each verse spells (God?) - it is an acrostic.

2009/05/26 Introduction to Judaism - Class One Life Cycle

2009/05/26 Introduction to Judaism - Class One  Life Cycle

Notes from class this week:

The teacher was Susan Jacobs, Doctor of Education. The topic was Life Cycle.

The teacher gave out books for us to use during the next eight weeks. She had a book by Rabbi Joseph Telushkin called Jewish Literacy. We went around the room and introduced ourselves and told why we were taking the class. Most were already Jewish and taking a refresher class or were planning to convert. At least two of the women in the class were engaged to Jewish men and wanted a single family faith so were planning to convert. I think I was the first one to say I had no plan to convert but was there for the learning experience and that I did have a sister who was married to a "nice Jewish boy." This brought some laughter from the group who had used that phrase earlier in the introductions.

Class began with a description of life phases in Jewish families. I spell the Hebrew words phonetically since I have no other benchmark to go by. Many in the class seem to know Hebrew because they have had training in Jewish schools where Hebrew is mandatory - but not me.

CIRCUMCISION:
The first life cycle event is birth. Boys are circumcised usually on the eighth day of life in a ceremony called Brik Milah. Brik is translated as covenant from the Hebrew. This event is popularly called a bris. Circumcision is meant to be a way of keeping Jewish men apart from the rest of the population. This used to really be true but now other men are often circumcised as well. The boy is given a name at the bris. The boy should not be named for a living person. This is why there are no juniors in the Jewish community. You pick out someone dead to name your child after. Children are given both a Hebrew and an English name. It used to be that families named children after Biblical people since there was always an English and a Hebrew name meaning the same thing. Now if a child is named something non-Biblical such as Sean or Tiffany, a Hebrew name is simply chosen that may start with the same letter as the English name or is similar to the the English name.

Girls are named in a naming ceremony usually done on Shabbat after the child is born in the Conservative Jewish tradition. In Reformed Judaism, families can simply choose when to do the naming ceremony. None of this is law for girls, but it has become a tradition.

Tradition also says the first born son is given over to Kohanim (priesthood or religious community) . If the family did not want this to happen, they had to give 5 shekels to the (synagogue?). Now they give $5 since we don't deal with shekels any more.

CONSECRATION:
Jewish education begins at 5 or 6 years old (kindergarten or 1st grade age). They get a prayer book and a small Torah

BAR MITZVEH (BOY) OR BAT MITZVEH (GIRL):
Bar Mitzveh means son of commandments and Bat Mitzveh means daughter of commandments. This ceremony is done for girls at age 12 and for boys at age 13. You don't have to do anything to be Bar Mitzvehed - just turn 13 if a boy. This is seen as a time of adult responsibility and there is a ceremony for a Bar Mitzveh. Each synagogue comes up with its own course of study to get the children ready. In Traditional Jewish synagogues, only boys are bar mitzvehed. In Reformed Synagogues, the Bat Mizveh is included for girls.

Traditional Jewish Synagogues put tafillen on the boys. This straps around their arms with prayers inside little boxes. There is also a little box on their head between their eyes - contains prayers.

Also at 13, young men are eligible to be one of the 10 minions required to say traditional prayers. In the Jewish faith, there must be 10 men to do this.

The Torah says 70 years is a life span. Often at 83 (13 years beyond normal lifespan), men have another Bar Mitzveh.

CONFIRMATION:
Sometimes, after Bar Mitzveh, Jewish families stop Jewish studies. To combat that, Reformed Judaism instituted confirmation at the end of the 10th grade. This keeps kids in Hebrew school longer. Reformed has kept the Bar Mitzveh and added confirmation. Confirmation does not exist in Orthodoxy. It is a custom within certain synagogues. This is similar to the confirmation done by Christian churches and this is where the idea came from.

MARRIAGE:
In Biblical times, engagements were one year which gave time to arrange things.
Hoopa - Marriage canopy symbolizes marrying couples first home together.
The bride and groom don't see each other for one week before the marriage day so the groom goes into the bride on the day and identifies her as the bride. Then in Traditional Jewish congregations, thick cloth is thrown over brides face so thick she can't see through it. She has to be led by her family to the altar. In Traditional ceremonies also, the bride walks around the groom 3 times and the groom does the same around the bride. This tradition is not as commonly practiced now.

Seven blessings are said during the marriage ceremony. These blessings do not have to be said by a rabbi. Anyone can say them as long as all the legal documents are signed. During the ceremony, Katuba is given by the groom to the bride. This is a legally binding contract. It tells all the things (worldly goods) the groom grants the bride and how he plans to support her. Katuba makes Jewish divorce more difficult even if the couple is granted a civil divorce. If all does not go well, the husband promises a "get" to tell what the wife gets when they split up. In Israel, this is a real problem because there is only Orthodox rabbis there and they often refuse to remarry women if they don't have a "get".

In Reformed Judaism, Katuba is not legally binding. It is a statement of love for one another. So Reformed Jews recognize civil divorce. In Orthodox, Katuba is legally binding and is so much so that, if lost, the couple can't live together until a new one is drawn.

Mazel Tof means good luck.

Smashing of glass in cloth napkin is done at marriage ceremony (usually the glass is a light bulb). This is done as a reminder that the Temple is still in ruins and we still have an unredeemed world. Jews keep looking for the Messiah to come. The smashing of the glass is not law but it is custom that is deeply rooted. Right after the marriage ceremony, the newly married couple try to spend some time together alone.

There are written rules that give the number of times the couple has to have sexual relations. It is often based on the husband's profession. He can't change his profession without his wife's permission because of this rule. I. E. he can't change a profession to one that requires more sexual relations or less sexual relations.

MIKVEH:
Important in Jewish life cycle. It is a ritual bath. The Mikveh (bath) has to have a certain proportion of fresh water. It is used in conversion ceremonies. It is symbolically a very spiritual event and can be very powerful. There are 7 steps down into the bath. Seven is a holy number and is used often in the Jewish faith. The convert is dunked 3 times completely and someone makes sure even all the hair goes under the water.

DEATH:
Jews believe in redemption and resurrection. Many stories of redemption and resurrection in Jewish liturgy.
Jews do not embalm or view the deceased. They are buried usually within 24 hours in pine coffins since all must be able to go back to the earth. The body is ritually purified. No one except a Jewish person is allowed to handle the body after death. Everyone, rich or poor, is buried in a white cotton shroud. Everyone has the same kind of funeral. There can be no artificial anything and even all nail polish and makeup is removed from the body by a special group of people who help with preparing the dead for burial. This is the highest form of mitzveh since the dead can never repay you for the help you give to them after death. Mitzveh means obligation. The family often literally buries their dead relative before the funeral. There is something in the Torah about rending garments and people pin a ribbon to their clothing which the rabbi goes around and tears or cuts as a way of meeting this requirement.

Shiva lasts 7 days for the closest relatives of the deceased. Shiva means the number 7. During this time, the community is supposed to do everything for the family after the funeral is over. Those who are in Shiva often go walk around the block at the end of seven days in order to show the community they are re-entering society.

There are 30 days of mourning but this is not the same as Shiva. Some relatives death, such as parents, are mourned for one year. Obligated to say Kadesh??? which means thanks to God. Jews believe no one is pure enough to go directly to God so go to Gehena - a kind of Purgatory. The purpose of Kadesh is to shorten your relative's time in Gehena.

On anniversary of the death, family goes to Temple and say Kadesh. Now, since so many Jews had no relatives during holocaust, the whole congregation stands in for the family and everyone says Kadesh for the deceased at this anniversary of death service. In addition, four times per year prayers of remembrance are said.

Kohane - can't be around a dead body. So the first thing Jews settling in a city must do as a community is establish a cemetery. They must have consecrated ground. Used to be only could be used for Jews. Now, as in Charlotte, there are sections where interfaith families can be buried beside one another.

2009/05/20 Taste Of Judaism Class 03 Jews in community

2009/05/20 Taste Of Judaism Class 03 Jews in community
5/20/09: Third Session: Rabbi David E Powers: Rabbi Powers was retired I believe and he told us his father was born Catholic and converted. He seemed to think Catholics gravely misled, or at least that was my impression.

Muhammed called Jewish people "People of the Book" because they take their Scripture so seriously.

Rabbi Powers talked about Jews in community which is a very important concept to the Jewish tradition/faith/culture. There is discussion of the importance of community in ancient and in modern texts. The Jews see themselves as God's people. You are a covenant people and in covenant with each other and with God. They believe all Jews whether born at the time or not were at Mt. Sinai when Moses brought down the Torah from the mountain. Christians call their covenant with God the New Covenant or New Testament. Deuteronomy 29:9-14 is read at Yom Kippur as it is such an important passage and belief to the Jewish people.

Numbers 13: 9-13 Word and fact can be the same. So some believe it is dangerous to say something because then it might happen. This is an ancient belief. King Barak (some Bibles call him Balak) summoned Balaam to put a curse on the Jewish people. Numbers 22:5, 6 and 23:11. So King Barak hired a prophet to curse the Jewish people and this belief that saying things would make them come true was the foundation of that practice. (Numbers 22:5 and 6) He (Barak or Balak) said (to Balaam, the prophet) " A people has come out of Egypt; they cover the face of the land and have settled next to me. Now come and put a curse on these people , because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the country. For I know that those you bless are blessed and those you curse are cursed." Then Numbers 23:11 and 12: Barak(Balak) said to Balaam, "What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them." He (Balaam) answered, "Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth!"

There is a passage that says "There is a people that dwells apart, not reckoned among the nations." This is again a passage about the Jewish people being set apart from others and this idea/concept can be a source of pride and a source of anti-Semitism. Jews still tend to live near one another but it is not as distinct as in past times where Jews really did live to themselves. Nowadays it is hard for a Jewish person to have no contact with others but in past times, that is the way they lived. Still Jews do tend to live close to temples/synagogues and this puts them in communities near one another and set apart somewhat from the rest of the world.

Later Rabbinic Texts: Mishneh (Hebrew for Second Torah): Quotes from this are:
1) Do not separate yourselves from the community.
2) All Israel is responsible for one another (This is why Jewish charities are so successful).
3) If I am not for myself, who will be for me. If I am for myself alone, what am I.

Jewish sacred Texts:

Shabbat says to do all this in community:
1) Study in the house of study daily. In other words, do not study alone. Tradition says there must be 10 in a group to make the study meaningful.
2) Welcome the stranger.
3) Visit the sick.
4) Rejoice with the bride and groom.
5) Accompany the deceased to their rest.
6) Pray with sincerity.
7) Make peace between one person and another.

Tradition says worship service must have 10 people. Reformed does not pay as much attention to this as orthodox or conservative.

God did not just give written law, he gave oral law as well and Shabbat came from this oral law. Shabbat comes from post-Biblical literature but it has the weight of Torah. Shabbat is derived from Torah, not added to Torah.

Synagogue is where the individual soul and the community are joined (Rabbi Alexander Schindler, 1991).

Rabbi Powers proceeded to give examples of Jewish prejudice in America starting with Peter Stuyvesant (1610-1672) who said the Jews were poor and would be a burden and they should be encouraged to leave. The Dutch East India Company responded that the Jews had provided them with money (they were stockholders) and had helped them take Brazil so the Jews would stay if they wished. George Washington said to Let the Jewish people continue to merit and enjoy the good will of other inhabitants, as though they could earn their way into community. He used a conditional phrase about merit and he talked of them as a group, not as individuals.

Someone in class said all Jews would recognize the initials, MOT, as being a Member of the Tribe.

Important laws around community are:

1) Ahavet Rea: Love your neighbor. (Leviticus 19:18) Care for one another and love your neighbor as yourself.
2) Hospitality - Hachnasat Orchim. You can't leave as a guest until getting food. Insults host if you do not partake in food.
3) Bikku Cholim - Visit the sick.
4) Respect the elderly, Hidur P'nay Zakayn, Leviticus 19:32 "You shall rise before the aged and show deference to the old."
5) Deuteronomy 16:20: Tzedakah (means charity in Hebrew) stands for social justice. Deut 16:20 "Justice, justice shall you pursue."
6) Shalom (Peace) "Be as sons of Aaron"
7) Honoring the dead, K'vod Ha-met. Very important work by the Jews toward one another. Someone sits with the dead person at all times. They bury dead quickly and do not look upon their bodies in order to afford them respect and allow them to keep their modesty.
8) Comforting the bereaved - Nichum Avelim - Jewish law says when you go to house of mourning, sit with them in silence. If they speak to you, then you can respond. Shivah is 7 days of mourning and meals are sent in by neighbors to the bereaved.
9) Acts of loving kindness (Gem'lut Chasedim). World is sustained by Torah, Worship and Acts of Loving Kindness. Jews are a kinship group and they feel the pain of other Jews.
10) Communal worship - tradition says pray 3 times per day in groups of 10 or more. Most synagogues do not do this any more but tradition says to do this. Sacred is communal worship.
11) Talmud and Torah - Study the Torah meaning the entire Hebrew Bible.

Institutions of Jewish community are:

Synagogue is a
house of assembly (it is social)
house of study (it is a place for education)
house of prayer (it is liturgical)

Today there are Jewish schools, Jewish community centers, Jewish Hospitals, Jewish libraries. and national Jewish organizations. There are kosher foods in grocery stores with a symbol with a U in the center of a circle.

Mikveh means hope and tells of a ritual bath which is used to remove ritual uncleaness. This bath is taken by a woman after her monthly cycle. Men can't touch woman during this time until 7 days after the cycle according to Jewish law. Else the man becomes unclean.

Rabbi Powell talked some on circumcision and ritual sacrifice as well as Kosher butchers and he named a number of national organizations and movements that are particular to the Jewish people.