History and Origin of Judaism
Judaism is a monotheistic religion, believing in one god. It is not a racial
group. Individuals may also associate or identify with Judaism primarily
through ethnic or cultural characteristics. Jewish communities may differ
in belief, practice, politics, geography, language, and autonomy.
The origins of Judaism date back more than 3500 years. This religion is
rooted in the ancient near eastern region of Canaan (which today
constitutes Israel and the Palestinian territories). Judaism emerged from
the beliefs and practices of the people known as “Israel”. What is
considered classical, or rabbinical, Judaism did not emerge until the 1st
century CE. Judaism traces its origins to the covenant God made with
Abraham and his lineage—that God would make them a sacred people
and give them a land. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share this
Abrahamic heritage and are often referred to as being Abrahamic
religions. In other words, they all claim descent from the practices of the
ancient Israelites and the worship of the “God of Abraham”. The primary
figures of Israelite culture include the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
and the prophet Moses, who received God’s Torah at Mount Sinai.
Historically, Judaism went from being a religion practiced primarily in
and around the lands that are modern Israel up to the year 70 CE to one
practiced in lands beyond due to the exile and forced dispersal of Jews.
It also evolved from a religion centered in religious practice in the two
great temples, to rabbinic Judaism and religious worship and education
in synagogues.
Rabbinic Judaism has been the mainstream form of Judaism since the 1st
century. It is based on the belief that Moses received God’s Torah in two
forms; the Written Torah (Pentateuch) and an oral explanation, known
as the Oral Torah, that Moses transmitted to the people.
Rabbinic Judaism contrasts with Sadducees, Karaite Judaism, and
Samaritanism, which do not recognize the oral law as a divine authority
nor the rabbinic procedures used to interpret Jewish scripture.
Judaism is a tradition grounded in the religious, ethical, and social laws
as they are articulated in the Torah—the first five books of the Hebrew
Bible. Jews refer to the Bible as the Tanakh, an acronym for the texts of
the Torah, Prophets, and Writings. Other sacred texts include the
Talmud and Midrash: the rabbinic, legal, and narrative interpretations of
the Torah.
Rabbinic Judaism is also based on the emergence of rabbi’s as leaders,
the study of the Torah, and thrice daily prayer.
The Religion’s Concept of Good
“yetzer ha-tov” (GOOD INCLINATIONS)
The term yetzer ha-ṭov (“the good inclinations or the good impulse”)
was used to indicate humans’ obedience. This term more clearly suggest
the ethical quality of human duality, while their opposition and conflict
point to human freedom and the ethical choices humans must make.
Judaism lays great emphasis on the importance of a good moral life at
every moment, for salvation is obtainable only through good deeds. Acts
of charity, loving-kindness and righteousness, are the onward
manifestations of an interior faith. Spiritual life, which begins with faith
and devotion to ultimate reality, finds its completion in deeds of
compassion, loving-kindness and service coming from a pure heart.
Judaism teaches the unity of the human race. It says, ‘Love thy
neighbour as thyself ’, and declares this command of all embracing love
to be the fundamental principle of the Jewish faith. Judaism, therefore,
forbids every act of animosity, envy or unkindness towards any race,
nationality or religion.
For example, for them giving is not the essential act of kindness but to give
with delicacy of feeling is essential.
As the Bible says, ‘Happy is he who gives to the poor.’ But ‘Happy is he
who wisely considers the poor.’
The Kingdom of God, the Rabbis held, is inconsistent with the state of
social [Link] were not satisfied with merely feeding the poor. Their
great ideal was to prevent poverty. They said, “Try to prevent it by
teaching man a trade. Try all methods before you permit him to become
an object of charity which must degrade him, tender as your dealings with
him maybe.” (pwede na ni sya di ibutang sa ppt basahon na lng ni sa
reporter)
The Religion’s Concept of Evil
“yetzer hara” (EVIL INCLINATIONS)
In Judaism, yetzer hara is the congenital inclination to do evil, by
violating the will of God. The term is drawn from the phrase "the
imagination of the heart of man [is] evil", which occurs twice at the
beginning of the Torah (Genesis 6:5 and Genesis 8:21).
In traditional Judaism, the yetzer hara is not a demonic force, but rather
man's misuse of things the physical body needs to survive. Thus, the
need for food becomes gluttony due to the yetzer hara. The need for
procreation becomes promiscuity, and so on.
The Jewish concept of the yetzer hara is similar to the Christian concept
of a "sin nature" known as concupiscence, which is the tendency of
humans to sin. However, concupiscence stems explicitly from original
sin, while the yetzer hara is a natural part of God's creation.
According to the Talmudic tractate Avot de-Rabbi Natan, a boy's evil
inclination is greater than his good inclination until he turns 13 (bar
mitzvah), at which point the good inclination is "born" and able to
control his behavior. Moreover, the rabbis have stated: "The greater the
man, the greater his [evil] inclination."
The steps needed by a person to become good and prevent
himself/herself becoming evil.
Judaism regards improving character as the goal of life. As the Midrash
teaches, "The Torah's commandments were not given to humankind for
any purpose other than to refine people" (Genesis Rabbah 44:1). Based
on Jewish teachings, here are 13 paths towards becoming a person of
goodness.
1. Do good deeds often.
We become good people not by thinking good thoughts but by doing
good deeds again and again, until they become part of our nature.
Maimonides teaches that it is better to give needy recipients one gold
coin on a thousand different occasions than to give someone a thousand
gold coins all at the same time, for "if he opens up his hand again and
again one thousand times, the trait of giving becomes part of him"
(commentary on The Ethics of the Fathers 3:19).
2. Cultivate the friendship of people who are both good and wise.
In his "Laws of Character Development" (6:1), Maimonides says, "It is in
the nature of human beings to be influenced in their opinions and
actions by their friends and neighbors....Therefore, a person should
strive to become friendly with righteous people, and to stay in the
presence of those who are wise, so that one will learn from their
actions." Experiencing friendships like these and spending time among
kind people will inspire us to want to become better.
3. Avoid people with bad character and unkind dispositions.
The Book of Psalms [1:1] states: "Fortunate is the person who doesn't
follow the advice of the wicked, who doesn't associate with sinful
people, and who doesn't spend time among scoffers." People with bad
characters can easily influence us to become like them. The contagious
quality of bad character helps explain the phenomenon of children from
"good homes" who engage in self-destructive and/or criminal behavior.
Frequently they have been swayed by bad companions who exert a
stronger influence.
4. Live up to the reputation to which you aspire.
Judaism places great value on maintaining a good name. Even at the
time when men dominated the household, the rabbis ruled that if a man
forbade his wife from helping her neighbors, she could have a court
compel him to grant her a divorce.
5. See every act you do as one of great significance.
Maimonides suggests that we regard ourselves as being equally
balanced between good and evil, and the world itself as similarly
balanced. Thus, a single good act will tip the balance toward good in our
own life, and in the world. Conversely, one bad deed will tip the balance
toward evil ("Laws of Repentance" 3:4).
6. If you offer personal prayers to God for your own well-being and
success, pray for others before you pray for yourself.
Offering such prayers helps us develop greater empathy for others.
Often, when we hear of someone else's hardship, we feel a momentar
sense of sympathy and concern, but soon forget about it. But if, each
morning, we spend a few minutes praying for others, their hardships and
needs will remain fresh in our consciousness. In so doing, we may help
them--such as the case of a man who prayed daily for his unemployed
friend and was thus prompted to make a considerable effort to help him
find work, and eventually his efforts paid off
7. Cultivate and develop your moral strengths.
Commenting on the verse "Follow the path of your heart" (Ecclesiates
11:9), the nineteenth-century rabbinic scholar Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin
(the Netziv) taught that each of us must find our own way of serving
God. One person may carry out his Divine service and fulfill his life's
mission primarily through Torah study, another through prayer, and a
third by means of charity and acts of loving-kindness. Clearly, these are
not mutually exclusive, but represent a person's primary focus. It is
incumbent on each of us to discover the path for which we have a
natural affinity and cultivate it.
8. Keep a daily "character journal" focusing exclusively on the area in
which you wish to improve yourself.
If we are honest and comprehensive in what we record, we will soon
note patterns in the events that can provide insights into our
inappropriate behaviors. Keeping a journal will help us to lead the kind
of life we want, instead of allowing ourselves to be controlled by
emotions and impulses.
9. When trying to correct a bad trait, temporarily embrace the
opposite extreme.
As a medieval commentator on Maimonides explains, "To strengthen a
bent bamboo cane, we [must] bend it in the opposite direction, until it
bounces back to the middle. If we bend it back only to the middle, it will
remain permanently misshapen." Although going to extremes is usually
counterproductive, sometimes we need to do so for the short term to
achieve balance.
10. Avoid even sins that seem minor because, as a rabbinic maxim
teaches, "One sin will lead to another"
(The Ethics of the Fathers 4:2).
11. When confronted with a situation that leaves you uncertain as to
whether you are taking the right action, ask yourself one question:
"What is motivating me to act in this way, my yetzer hatov (good
inclination) or my yetzer hara (evil inclination)?" Just answering this
question will usually determine the appropriate course of action.
12. Look at your life from the future.
As moral educator Michael Josephson teaches: "If you want to know
how to live your life, think about what you would like people to say
about you after you die--then live backwards." All of us can strive to
leave a legacy of goodness. As the rabbis taught, "Righteous people are
even greater after their deaths than in their lives" (Chullin 7b). Those
who leave a legacy of goodness affect not only their own generation, but
succeeding ones
13. Emulate God.
God represents the ultimate biblical model for character building.
Deuteronomy 13:5 commands that "you should walk after God."
REFERENCES:
Rabbi Joseph Telushkin is the author of The Book of Jewish Values,
Jewish Literacy, The Ten Commandments of Character, and many other
books. This article is adapted from A Code of Jewish Ethics: Volume 1:
You Shall Be Holy, copyright © 2006 by Rabbi Joseph Talushkin,
published by Bell Tower, a division of Random House, Inc.
The Torah (/ˈtɔːrə, ˈtoʊrə/; Biblical Hebrew: ּתֹוָר הTōrā, "Instruction",
"Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of
the Hebrew Bible, namely the books
of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.[1] In that
sense, Torah is the Pentateuch (/ˈpɛntətjuːk/) or the Five Books of
Moses. It is also known in the Jewish tradition as the Written Torah (
ּתֹוָר ה ֶׁש ִּבְכָת ב, Tōrā šebbīḵṯāv). If meant for liturgic purposes, it takes
the form of a Torah scroll (Sefer Torah). If in bound book form, it is
called Chumash, and is usually printed with
the rabbinic commentaries (perushim).
Midrash, Hebrew Midhrāsh (“exposition, investigation”) plural
Midrashim, a mode of biblical interpretation prominent in the
Talmudic literature. The term is also used to refer to a separate body
of commentaries on Scripture that use this interpretative mode.
A rabbi is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One
becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as
semikha – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts
such as the Talmud.
The Talmud (/ˈtɑːlmʊd, -məd,
ˈtæl /; Hebrew: ַּת ְלמּוד, romanized: Talmūḏ) is the central text
of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law
(halakha) and Jewish theology.[1][2] Until the advent of modernity,
in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the centerpiece
of Jewish cultural life and was foundational to "all Jewish thought
and aspirations", serving also as "the guide for the daily life" of Jews.
Moses ben Maimon[a] (1138–1204), commonly known
as Maimonides (/maɪˈmɒnɪdiːz/)[b] and also referred to by the
acronym Rambam (Hebrew: )רמב״ם,[c] was a Sephardic
Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and
influential Torah scholars of the Middle Ages. In his time, he was also
a preeminent astronomer and physician, serving as the personal
physician of Saladin. Born in Córdoba, Almoravid Empire (present-
day Spain), on Passover eve, 1138 (or 1135),[d][8][9][10] he worked
as a rabbi, physician and philosopher in Morocco and Egypt. He died
in Egypt on 12 December 1204, his body was transported to the
lower Galilee and was eventually buried in Tiberias