How Purim Began
How Purim Began This story of Purim can be found in the Book of Esther. This book is unique within the Bible because it is the only one that does not mention God in its writings. In 586 BCE Solomon's temple, also known as the first temple, was destroyed along with a major part of Jerusalem, by the Babylonian army. Their king, Nebuchadnezzar II, also told his men to deport most of the remaining Israelite population to Babylon, nowadays known as Iraq. However fifty years later the Persians under the control of King Cyrus conquered the Babylonians. The new king gave the Jews the permission to re-build their Temple and return home. The exile was over but unfortunately Israel still remained in Persian Empire. Ninety-five years later Xersces I came to the throne. He married a young girl named Esther that he had taken a fancy to. But the happy couple was unaware that rumours were brewing. Far away around the borders of the Persian Empire the population were spreading the word that the Jews were generally bad people. These rumours eventually diffused through the empire, critically reaching the king. Xerces, who had also been persuaded by the neighbouring countries/states about the negative attitudes and actions of the Jews, ordered the building of the temple to cease. He also inflicted strict laws upon them. At this time a man called Haman became Prime Minister. He
Explain why Jews may observe the Sabbath in different ways
b) Explain why Jews may observe the Sabbath in different ways In Judaism there are many divisions of Jews and their faiths. However, there are two main sub-divisions that all Jews will fit into unless they are only Jews by race and not by faith (Secular) although these Jews may carry on the traditions of their ancestors. The sub-divisions are Progressive Jews and Orthodox Jews. Orthodox can be translated from ancient Greek as meaning 'God given/ Right Belief', Orthodox Jews are those who are very strict observers of the Torah and rules regarding Jewish celebrations. Due to the ways in which society has changed since the torah has written, the orthodox Jews try to find ways of fulfilling the Torah in their society. The orthodox Jews believe that the Torah is the exact word of God as given to Moses who carved out the 10 commandments. The orthodox Jews believe that Moses was only secretary to God and what is written in the Torah is exactly Gods words from Mount Sinai. This makes it very important for orthodox Jews to keep all 613 mitzvot. As a result of this strict following of the law means that the orthodox Jews have strict ways of following the Sabbath. On this day they will always eat Kosher meals, as at all other times in the year, they will not drive a car, this is thought to resemble lighting a fire- forbidden to do on Sabbath in Torah, and this can be seen
Explain how the attitude of Jesus towards the Sabbath in Marks Gospel might affect Christians today.
AO2: Explain how the attitude of Jesus towards the Sabbath in Marks Gospel might affect Christians today. Jesus' attitude to the Sabbath was that: "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath" This attitude totally contrasted the view of the Pharisees, who treated the Sabbath, and encouraged everyone else to treat it like man was made for it. Jesus compared his actions in the "Lord of the Sabbath", when he picks grain for him and his disciples, on the Sabbath, to David, who: "Entered the house of God and ate the consecrated bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat" The Pharisees, who led Jesus to explaining his opinion to the Sabbath (above), by questioning him for "working" on the Sabbath were very upstanding and well respected people in the community of Jesus' time. They were the people who the public went to if they had any questions on how to please God or how you should live life and be "safe". The Pharisees attitude as I have briefly mentioned above was one that made sure everyone carried out every one of the 516-619 oral laws that existed and monitored the people making sure they ere not violating the Sabbath law by doing something that, for example, existed under the 39 categories of which work could be classified under. They enforced the fence around the law to make it unbreakable. They enforced each law rigidly and made sure that everyone else
Sukkot. Sitting in the sukkah is not the most important thing of sukkos do you agree?
Sukkot Sitting in the sukkah is not the most important thing of sukkos do you agree? There are two views of either side of the argument first of all we will discuss why some views hold that sitting in the sukkah is the most important thing of Sukkot. Some people hold that the main thing of Sukkot is the actual sitting in the sukkah bit, and why do you think the festival is called Sukkot, sukkah is taken out from Sukkot and sukkah means hut and we sit in the hut for 7 days. Others hold why it is the most important thing is because it says in the torah that 'One shall sit in succah for 7 days' so that's why some hold the main thing of Sukkot is to sit in the sukkah. The other view which is that sitting in the sukkah is not the most important thing of Sukkot. The reason why some people hold this is because a festival is not about one thing but many things just because it is called one of the things we do in the festival doesn't mean that is the main thing of the festival. In Sukkot it is not just sitting in the hut but also shaking the different species, so the main thing of the festival can't be just sitting in the sukkah. When we pray we add in lots of extra prayers and that is also important. In conclusion I think that sitting in the sukkah IS NOT the main thing of Sukkot, because although it says in the torah one should sit for 7 days in a sukkah, that doesn't mean it
Has Hasidism has been essential to the continuation of Judaism?
Tom Walker 13N 6th December 2009 Religious Education 'Hasidism has been essential to the continuation of Judaism' (20) I believe that Hasidism has indeed been essential to the continuation of Judaism. The Hasidic movement arose in the early eighteenth century as a result of persecution and arguably too much academic study of the Torah. Its founder, the Baal Shem Tov (Master of the Good Name) was not a scholar, however. He was a simple villager who lived in the 1700's. According to Lavinia and Dan Cohn-Sherbok, "Hasidism was primarily a response to the dry intellectualism of much Talmudic study." Judaism became a much more practical religion for Jews who were previously unable to practice their faith due to persecution by Cossacks and Russians due to many of them working for the Polish nobility. Hasidism was also a lot more accessible for Jews who were less well-educated and could not read Hebrew. It was focused on the personal and spiritual aspect of worship, as Lavinia and Dan Cohn-Sherbok put it, "worship became part of the religious experience of everyday Jews." Hasidism began to emerge after many Jews began to question their own relationship with God after centuries of hardship and persecution throughout Europe notably in Germany in the 12th century and Spain in the 13th century. Many felt that Jews needed to regain their intimacy with God and sought to reconnect
Explain the different aspects of Kashrut practice.
Explain the different aspects of Kashrut practice. (25 Marks) In Judaism, keeping kosher is one of the most common mitzvah's that many people understand that it only applies to Jews. With regards to Kashrut there are three different sets of laws that Jews must keep to in order to keep kosher. These include dietary laws which tell Jews what they can and cannot eat, there are laws on what clothes can be worn and how the are worn and there are also laws to deal with money and trading. Something that is not kosher is considered to be treif and must be avoided. It may be difficult to understand why Jews keep these laws and this is because there is not a clear reason however it is just one of the requirements that God has told the Jews in the Torah they must fulfil. Rambam has suggested that these laws have no reason to teach Jews to be self disciplined and to have a certain attitude to life however this is just an opinion. In this essay I will explain these three different aspects of Kashrut into detail so there is a clear understanding of what the laws are to keeping kosher. With regards to food, one must understand that there are separate laws for different types of food. The requirements for animals are that they must chew the cud and they must also have split hooves in order to be kosher. One famous animal known for not being kosher is the pig. It is treif because it has
Religion:Pharisees question and their impact on jewish life
Explain the religious ideas of the Pharisees and their influence on Jewish life. (25) At the times of Jesus there were three main Jewish religious groups. These were called the Sadducees, the Pharisee's and the Zealots. These groups were all mentioned in the New Testament. In this essay I am going to explain the religious ideas of the Pharisees and their influence on Jewish life. The Pharisee's name means the "separate ones". I believe that it means that they would not associate themselves with people whom they believed were to be unclean such as prostitutes and people with leprosy. However, some scholars consider that their name means "the saints". This shows their importance because only people who did very good deeds and followed the laws very well became saints. The Pharisee's movement began around the second century BCE but their origin is uncertain. Many scholars have asked the question how did the Pharisees survive the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem when the Zealots had died out? The answer is simply that the beliefs of the Pharisees could be adapted into new religious life. After the destruction of the temple, the Jewish race carried on and continued with their religious lives. In the times of Jesus there were around 6,000 Pharisees. This shows that they were followed and were very influential at the time. Ordinary men could join the Pharisee's and any
Discuss at least four key Biblical events and their significance to Jewish Scriptures
Jessica Rubens Jewish Scriptures Mr Marcus 12B Discuss at least four key Biblical events and their significance to Jewish Scriptures (25) There are many Biblical events that have taken place, which have become stories we still tell today. They are around now to help prove G-d’s existence and all that he has done for the Jewish People. Our generation learn about these events to teach us lessons and morals from the past and what their relationship with G-d was like, and what it should still involve today, to help build a connection to Him. Even though these morals are challenged and criticised, it is people’s faith that keeps the religion going and it’s enhanced through Jewish scriptures. One key Biblical event that is taught today is the Noachide Covenant and the flood. G-d created the world and everything in it, including mankind as Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit and were exiled from the Garden of Eden, Cain kills Abel because he was jealous of his brother’s sacrifice being accepted over his own and then G-d regretted creating man and as a result, G-d was seen as wicked. However, Noah found grace in the eyes of Hashem. G-d instructs Noah to build an ark, fill it with animals and take refuge to it whilst he floods Earth to destroy the corruption of
Feasts of Israel - Redemption Celebrated
Feasts of Israel Redemption Celebrated "The Feasts of Israel" written by Victor Buksbazen describes the reverent and celebratory tenets, which encompass the Jewish faith. A most interesting aspect of this book is how Buksbazen compares and contrasts Jewish 'feasts' with Christianity. Not only does "The Feasts of Israel" describe the significance of each feast, it also proves the divinity of Christ in a plain comprehensible way. For example, in his introduction Mr. Bukzaben explains the logistical relationship between Christianity and Judaism in one sentence. When he said, "Biblical Christianity is not a continuation of Judaism, but it is the logical outgrowth and consequence of adherence to Moses and the prophets" (ii). Bukzaben's first example of Christian / Judean reconciliation is apparent in his discussion of the Passover. Of course, many of us know what this feast symbolizes for the Jewish people, but how many of us realize the Christian aspect of it? To avoid the 'death angel,' we know that the Israelites were told to prepare a lamb sacrifice, and then paint the doorposts and lentils with the blood. Those who followed this instruction are spared, their faith is proven, and they are worthy to be taken out from under the bondage of Egypt. Similarly, Christians are released from bondage and delivered to glory through faith in Jesus Christ the Lord. And, as the
Explain how Mark shows the difference in attitude between Jesus and the Pharisees over the Sabbath.
Explain how Mark shows the difference in attitude between Jesus and the Pharisees over the Sabbath. Mark shows Jesus to be more liberal than the Pharisees over the Sabbath. Jesus' emphasis on moral honesty rather than strict obedience to Jewish rituals didn't go down well with the Pharisees. They feared that his teachings might lead to disregard for the authority of the Law, or Torah. The problem came to confrontation many times when Jesus healed people on the Sabbath. Two examples of this include the 'Question of the Sabbath' (Mark 2: 23-28) and 'The man with the paralysed hand' (Mark 3: 1-16), which I will look at. The Sabbath The Sabbath is considered to be the most important of all Jewish religious festivals. It observes both the creation of the world and the escape of the people of Israel from Egypt. It has played a significant role in the preservation of Judaism. It is a day of worship and rest lasting from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. The origination of Jewish rules on the Sabbath The rules of the Sabbath can be traced back to the 'Story of Creation' (2:2,3) in the Book of Genesis. God created the universe in six days and rested on the seventh. He blessed it and set it apart as a special day, because he had completed his creation and had stopped working. God, by keeping the day holy, established the divine order that Israel will observe it as well.