ISRAEL IN A PROMISED LAND: JEWISH RELIGION

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ISRAEL IN A PROMISED LANDJEWISH RELIGION
PEOPLEHOOD
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Introduction When did Jewish People arrive in
America?

• 1492 - Columbus
• 1654 to New Amsterdam

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I. Jewish Immigrants

• Sephardim

• Ashkenazim

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1800s Reform Judaism in the USA

• Ancient Judaism adapts to modern America
• Isaac M. Wise (1819-1900)
• Reform Judaism
• 1885 Pittsburgh Platform

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1900 wave of Eastern European Jewish immigration

• Most immigrants are Orthodox

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II. Jewishness Peoplehood

• Jewishness both an ethnic and religious
  identity
• Ethnic minority in Europe Community of
  Suffering (Pogroms Holocaust)
• Religious distinct Creed/Code/Cult/ Community

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III. Judaism Biblical Religion

• Monotheism
• Ethical Monotheism
• Fall Redemption
• Covenant Ethical Monotheism
• Torah
• Consecrated Time

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1. MONOTHEISM

• NOT a question of arithmetic!
• Ask
• (1) IS the world the way it OUGHT to be?
• (2) is the realm of OUGHT coherent or is it
  chaotic?

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1. MONOTHEISM

• Behind, beneath, through Reality is a Coherent
  Pattern Plan Mind
• Shma Hear O Israel, the Lord is Your God, the
  Lord is One!

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2. Ethical Monotheism

• The Divine is coherent, not chaotic
• The Divine has a Way for humans to Live
• Living Properly is Right Worship
• PRIORITY OF ETHICS
• Example each person is made in the Divine Image
  therefore each person deserves great respect!

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3. Fall Redemption

• Reality IS NOT as it OUGHT TO BE
• We have Fallen from Ought
• But We will, one day, Return to Ought, we will
  be redeemed

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4. Covenant

• God and Humans are in a unique and inescapable
  relationship
• Chosen People NOT because of Superiority! But
  because of unique role to play as witnesses to God

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5. Torah

• The Covenant is especially spelled out in the 5
  Books of Moses, the TORAH
• And developed further in the Prophets, and
• In Biblical commentaries, the TALMUD

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6. SACRED TIME

• CREATION time had a beginning
• SALVATION HISTORYGod intervenes in Time
• REDEMPTION The MESSIAH will come to lead us
  home

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IV. Jewish Tradition the Consecration of TIME

• The SABBATH
• Passover (Pesach)
• Shavout (Weeks)
• Sukkot (Booths)
• Hanukkah

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The High Holidays(Days of Awe)

• 6. YOM KIPPUR
• 7. ROSH HASHANAH

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The Consecration of TIME

• Bar/ Bat Mitzvah
• Sabbath worship
• Dietary Law (shapes daily life)
• Ethical Action (Tikkun helping make the world
  right again)

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V. American Forms of Judaism

• Orthodox Judaism
• Reform Judaism
• Conservative Judaism
• Reconstructionism (focus especially on Jewish
  ethnic identity rather than religious identity)

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Varieties of American Judaism

• Zionism (political movement to create Jewish
  Homeland)
• Hasidism Jewish Mysticism -- KABBALAH