CHAPTER 6

JUDAISM

The Israelites built a kingdom in Canaan,

along the Mediterranean Sea in
southwest Asia, in 1000 B.C. Today
Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan occupy the
land that was once Canaan.
Israelites believed in one God. The belief
in on god is called monotheism.
The Israelites faith became the religion
of Judaism. It influenced Christianity and
Islam helped shape the beliefs of
European and American societies.

Israelites spoke Hebrew and wrote their

history and beliefs in what later became
the Hebrew Bible.
They believed they were descended
from a man named Abraham. The
Israelites believed God told Abraham to
settle in Canaan and worship the one
true God.
Abrahams grandson, named Jacob,
raised 12 sons in Canaan. Their families
became the 12 tribes of Israel.

After 100 years in Canaan the Israelites suffered

a long drought. To survive they went to Egypt.
The Egyptian pharaoh enslaved the Israelites. To
prevent the Israelites from rebelling, the
pharaoh ordered all baby boys to be thrown in
the Nile River. The pharaohs daughter found a
baby boy in a basket on the riverbank and
named him Moses.
When Moses grew up he saw a burning bush
and heard a voice. He believed it was God
telling him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

God sent 10 plagues to trouble Egypt. The last

plague killed all the first-born children, except for
those Israelites who marked their doors with the
lambs blood. This convinced the pharaoh to let the
Israelites leave Egypt.
The pharaoh changed his mind and went after
Israelites. God parted the Red Sea, so they could
pass. The water flowed back when the soldiers tried
to cross and they drowned.
Moses went on the top of Mount Sinai and received
law from God. These laws were known as the Torah,
which became the first part of the Hebrew Bible.

The Torah made clear what God

considered to be right and wrong. One
important part of the Torah is the Ten
Commandments. In addition, the Ten
Commandments later helped shape the
moral principles of many nations.

It took the Israelites about 40 years to

reach Canaan. Along the way Moses died
and Joshua took over.
They reached Canaan and conquered the
Canaanites. They marched around
Jericho for 7 days until the walls
crumbled.

Many different groups lived in Canaan. One

Canaanite group was the Phoenicians. The
Phoenicians were skilled sailors and talented
traders.
One of the Phoenicians' important contributions
was an alphabet,or a group of letters that stand for
sounds.
Another group in Canaan, the Philistines, migrated
from near present-day Greece. They were one of
the groups known as the "Sea People.They were
skilled in making iron tools and weapons, which
helped them create the strongest army in Canaan.

According to the Hebrew Bible, the Israelite tribes

worshipped God in a large tent-like structure
called the tabernacle. The Israelites believed that
the tabernacle housed God's presence.
The Hebrew Bible says that the tabernacle
housed a sacred object called the Ark of the
Covenant. The ark, a gold-covered wooden chest,
held tablets, or stone slabs. The Israelites
believed the ark was a sign of God's presence
and that having it with them in battle would
ensure victory.

Sect.2

To keep from quarreling among

themselves and to save their religion the
12 tribes asked Samuel, a prophet to
chose a king. He warned them against a
king and did not chose one.
They named Saul king. Saul displeased
God, so God chose another king David.
God told Samuel to anoint David in
secret.

David was a famous warrior. He killed a

giant Philistine named Goliath with a
slingshot and stones.
King Saul later grew envious of David
and plotted to kill him. David his until
Saul and his sons were killed. Then,
David took the throne.

David united the Israelite tribes. David

and his army defeated the Philistines. He
then established a capital city for Israel
at Jerusalem.
David drove the Phillistines out and
conquered other countries, building his
empire.
Solomon, Davids son, took the throne
after Davids death and built the stone
temple in Jerusalem that David wanted.

When Solomon died, the 12 tribes began

fighting. Ten of the tribes moved to the
north and called their nation the
kingdom of Israel. The other two tribes
moved to the south and called their
kingdom Judah. Judah was located near
the Dead Sea. The capital of Judah was
Jerusalem, and the people of Jerusalem
were Jews.

The Assyrians conquered Israel and

dispersed the 10 tribes throughout the
empire because they wanted control of
the trade routes. These Israelites lost
their religion and were often called the
lost tribes of Israel.

The Assyrians settled around Samaria and

were called Samaritans.
They thought God would be angry with
them for taking the Israelites land. In
result, they offered sacrifices and began
following the Israelites religion. The people
of Judah believed that God only accepted
sacrifices from the temple at Jerusalem.
The Egyptians conquered the kingdom of
Judah in 620 b.c.

The Chaldeans conquered Egypt in 605 b.c.

The Jews joined forces with the Egyptians to
conquer the Chaldeans.
King Nebuchadnezzar and the Chaldeans
captured Jerusalem and punished the Jews.
In 586 b.c., the Jews revolted against the
Chaldeans, and the Chaldean ruler crushed
Jerusalem. The Chaldean took the king and
thousands of Jews to Babylon. This period is
known as the Babylonian Exile.

Sect.3

Jews meet each week on the Sabbath, a

day of worship and rest, in synagogue,
or house of worship. At the meetings the
Jews prayed and discussed their religion.
After the Persians defeated the
Chaldeans and took control of Babylon,
the Persian king Cyrus, allowed the Jews
to return to Judah.
Persian officials still controlled the Jews
in Judah, so Jews looked to their religion
for leadership.

The Hebrew Bible consists of the 5 books of the

Torah and 34 other books. These books
describe Jewish history.
The book of Genesis tells how God punished
people for their bad behavior. Genesis also
explains why the world has different languages.
The book of Daniel reminds Jews that God will
rescue them.
Jews, Christians, and Muslims share the idea
that good will triumph over evil.

Section 4

Judah came under the control of Alexander the

Great in 331 b.c. He introduced the Greek
language and ways to the Jews who stayed in
Judah.
The Diaspora refers to Jews who lived outside of
Judah. The word diaspora means scattered.
The Greeks wanted the Jews to worship Greek
gods and goddesses. A priest, Judas Maccabeus
and his followers formed an army knownn as
the Maccabees, and drove the Greeks out of
Judah.

Sons were valuable in Jewish society. Son carried

the family name and became the head of the
family after the death of their father.
Romans conquered Judah and named it Judea.King
Herod was the ruler and known for cruelty.
The Jews split into 3 groups:
1. Pharisees-supported by common people
2. Sadduces- did not agree with Phariseess
3. Essenes- priests who broke away from the
Romans and lived near the Red Sea.

The Jews hated Roman rule. Some Jews, known as

Zealots revolted and drove the Romans out of
Jerusalem. The Romans regained control 4 years later
and destroyed the temple in Jerusalem. The remains
are known as the Wailing Wall.
The Jews tried to revolt but were stopped and
forbidden to visit Jerusalem and gave Judah the name
of Palestine. This name refers to the Philistines, whom
the Israelites had conquered centuries before.
For 2,000 years most Jews lived outside Palestine and
faced persecution. In 1948 Palestine was divided and
new Jewish nation Israel was created.

Despite losing their struggle for

independence, the Jews regrouped with
the help of their rabbis, or religious
leaders. The Jewish people no longer had
a temple or priests. Instead, the
synagogues and rabbis gained
importance. The rabbis taught and
explained the Torah. They provided
moral guidanceaccepted notions of
right and wrongto the people.

Wailing Wall