The people of the only God – ancient Israel
to characterize the basic symbols and main principles of Judaism;
to explain the differences between polytheism and monotheism;
to describe the history of ancient Israel.
The first source to learn the history of the ancient Israelites is the first five books of the Old Testament, or TorahTorah. In the most part, they consist of unsubstantiated stories of legendary patriarchs and prophetsprophets. According to the biblical tradition, Abraham, who left Mesopotamia and reached the land of Canaan, later called PalestinePalestine, is considered to be the forefather of the Jewish people. It was there where he made the covenant with God, in which he received the promise of numerous offspring and the state of his own, yet preceded by the period of enslavement of the Israelites in Egypt, which lasted for 400 years. According to tradition, Moses freed his people from slavery by leading them across the Red Sea due to its miraculous parting. After years of wandering, Moses led his people to God's promised land, making a covenant with him, under which the Israelites were to become the chosen people following the moral principles of the Ten Commandments written and offered by God on Stone Tablets.
As a result of the threat posed by neighbors, the 12 Jewish tribes living in dispersion decided to unite. The first king of Israel was Saul (around 1032 BC), however it was his successor, David, who finally conquered and consolidated the power of the Jews throughout Palestine. He established a new capital of the state in Jerusalem, which in time became the holiest city of judaismjudaism – the religion of the Jewish people. The successor of King David was Solomon. The ruler surrounded the capital with magnificent walls and built the first Temple in Jerusalem, in which the greatest relic, the Ark of the Covenant containing the Stone Tablets with the Ten Commandments, was placed.
In the 6th century BC Jerusalem was conquered by Babylonia, starting the so‑called period of Babylonian captivity. The next invaders were the Persians, the Greeks, and finally the Romans. Numerous uprisings against the occupiers ended in defeat and most often with destruction of Jerusalem. This was the case in the 1st and 2nd centuries, when the Israelites, defeated by the Romans, were forced to leave Palestine and live away from their homeland in diasporadiaspora. This continued until the middle of the 20th century, contributing to the strengthening of the sense of community among Jewish people, but also to their separation from others. They were distinguished not only by the monotheistic religion, but also by the rules of the kosherkosher diet, their rituals, and celebration of the holy day – the Shabbat.
To this day, the symbols of Judaism and the state of Israel are considered to be the six‑armed star of David and the seven‑branched candle holder – menorahmenorah.
Arrange in chronological order the events from the history of the Jewish nation.
- The arrival of the Jews, led by Abraham, to Palestine.
- The Jews, led by Moses, cross the Red Sea.
- The reign of King Solomon.
- The period of Egyptian slavery.
- The period of Babylonian captivity.
- The beginning of life in the Diaspora.
Look carefully at the graphics depicting the Jerusalem Temple and then answer the questions. Why until today (its remains - the Wailing Wall) has it been considered the holiest place by the Jewish people? What does this mean now and what did it mean in the past? What symbols of Judaism could be found on it?
Use the timeline to review what you have learned form the lesson.
Complete the text by inserting the appropriate terms:
Yahweh, Moses, Ark of the Covenant, Temple of Jerusalem, Canaan, Torah, Israelites, Abraham, Ten Commandments, Moses
The Hebrews, who called themselves the ......................................, were nomadic people traveling through areas of the Middle East. We know very little about the beginnings of their existence, and the main source of knowledge is the first five books of the Old Testament called ....................................... According to it, the forefather of all Jews was to be ......................................, who made a covenant with God - ......................................, in which God promised him many offspring and his own country after the period of slavery. It lasted over 400 years in Egypt and ended with the help of ......................................, thanks to whom the Jews, after 40 years of wandering, found their way to the land God had promised - ....................................... During their journey, God made a covenant with ......................................, under which they have become the chosen people. God gave Moses the stone tablets with the ......................................, which constituted a set of rules governing the lives of the Israelites. Placed in the ......................................, they constituted the most sacred relic in the .......................................
Keywords
Israel, Palestine, Judaism, diaspora, Israel
Glossary
Politeizm – wiara w wielu bogów, którzy zajmują się odrębnymi sferami życia.
Monoteizm – wiara w jednego Boga, wykluczająca istnienie innych bóstw.
Palestyna – kraina geograficzna w zachodniej Azji, kolebka judaizmu i chrześcijaństwa.
Judaizm – religia monoteistyczna, wiara w jednego Boga Jahwe, wyznawana przez Żydów.
Prorok – osoba będąca w kontakcie z Bogiem, której zadaniem jest przekazywanie jego woli.
Diaspora – rozproszenie osób jednej narodowości lub religii wśród innych. Nazywa się tak również żyjących poza Izraelem Żydów.
Tora – pięcioksiąg, pięć pierwszych ksiąg Starego Testamentu, najważniejszy tekst judaizmu.
Jad – przyrząd liturgiczny w kształcie pałeczki zakończonej dłonią używany do wskazywania i czytania Tory.
Koszerność – reguły obowiązujące w religijnym prawie żydowskim halacha, określające rodzaje produktów dozwolone do spożycia i warunków w jakich powinny być one przygotowywane i spożywane.
Obrzezanie – rytuał, zabieg medyczny, wykonywany najczęściej z powodów religijnych polegający na usunięciu napletka.
Menora – siedmioramienny ozdobny świecznik obecny przy każdym święcie żydowskim.
Tefilin – przedmiot modlitewny; czarne, skórzane pudełeczka przymocowywane za pomocą rzemieni do czoła i ramienia, w których znajdują się cztery spisane odręcznie fragmenty Tory.
Mezuza – małe pudełeczko, futerał zawieszone na drzwiach domu żydowskiego zawierające fragment z Tory. Ma za zadanie oddawać jego mieszkańców bożej opiece.