Judaism
Judaism of today is not the Judaism of the the Old Testament. After Jerusalem was sacked in 70 AD, it began to take on a new form. The Pharisees, which were the only group of Jews that survived, went on to develop Judaism according to the trajectory that they had already been on with their traditions. The rabbis then became the authoritative teachers who gave the normative teaching after 70 AD. In sum, much of what is now regarded as Judaism developed between 70 - 1000 AD.
SECTS
Up until the 1700’s the Jews were essentially a homogeneous group, consisting of what we now call ‘Orthodox Jews.’ At that time the ‘Reform Jews’ began to arise in Germany. Due to the Enlightenment these Jews wanted to modernize what was believed to be outdated. They began to emphasize more outward, social action. In the 1800’s another group, called ‘Conservative Jews,’ began to emerge. These attempted to be a middle way between the Orthodox views and the Reform Jews (conserving many of the traditional beliefs/practices while recognizing that things need to keep up with the times).
**Note that the tags ‘Orthodox,’ ‘Conservative’ and ‘Reform’ (or ‘Reformed’) are not what we typically think of when we use those terms.**
THE SCRIPTURES OF JUDAISM
1. The Tanakh
This is what we call the Old Testament. They obviously don’t have a New Testament, so don’t use the same lingo. TaNaKh consists of three books: Torah (law), Nevi’im (prophets), Ketuvium (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, Song of Songs, Ruth, Esther, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Daniel)
Difference of reception: Orthodox believe this to be the Word of God. Conservative believes it to be the word of God and man. Something like a “living document” that can be adapted and interpreted differently to fit different times and places. Reform believe it is only a human document containing culture, history, and some moral truth.
2. Talmud -
The Talmud is comprised of 64 tractates (11 or so BIG volumes). It consists of four different parts, all of which are on the same page.
a) Mishna - this is known as “the oral Torah.” Moses gave the commandments in the Torah (OT), and there supposedly rose an oral tradition of how those commandments were to be observed. It was written down in the 2nd century and called the Mishna.
b) Gamara - These are the interpretations and discussions of the Mishna by the Rabbi’s over the following 3 centuries.
c) Rashi commentary was added in the 1400’s
d) Tosafists - commentary on the Rashi commentary
Talmudic Teachings
Note that Judaism today is primarily Talmudic in nature. While they acknowledge the importance of the OT, the Talmud is essentially the authoritative Scripture for the Jewish people. Some of the teachings of the Talmud include:
Adam had sex with all the animals that God had created and did not find satisfaction until he lay with Eve. - Yevamot 63a
Sodomy with kids under 9 years old does not incur guilt. - Sanhedrin 54b
If you bind a man and allow him to die of starvation, you are not guilty. - Sanhedrin 77a
§ Rava says: If one bound another and he died of starvation, he is exempt from the liability to receive a court-imposed death penalty, as it was not his action that caused the death of the victim. Even if the victim was hungry when he was bound, the starvation that caused his death ensued at a later stage. The one who bound him is liable to be punished by the heavenly court. And Rava says: If one bound another in the sun and he died of the heat, or in a cold place and he died of exposure, he is liable to be executed, as from the moment that he bound him, the victim began dying. But if one bound another in a place that at the time was not exposed to the sun or the cold, even though ultimately the sun would arrive at that place, or ultimately the cold would reach that place, he is exempt from execution, as when he bound the victim, the future cause of death was not present.
And Rava says: If one bound another before a lion, he is exempt from execution. Since perhaps the lion will choose not to prey on the victim it was not his action that caused the damage. If he bound another before mosquitoes he is liable to be executed, as inevitably, the mosquitoes will bite him until he dies. Rav Ashi says: Even if he bound an individual before mosquitoes he is exempt from execution, as the mosquitoes who were there when he bound the individual are not the ones who killed him.
Atonement is affected by one who asks that his death take away his sins
When the condemned man is at a distance of about ten cubits from the place of stoning, they say to him: Confess your transgressions, as the way of all who are being executed is to confess. As whoever confesses and regrets his transgressions has a portion in the World-to-Come. For so we find with regard to Achan, that Joshua said to him: “My son, please give glory to the Lord, God of Israel, and make confession to Him” (Joshua 7:19). And the next verse states: “And Achan answered Joshua, and said: Indeed I have sinned against the Lord, God of Israel, and like this and like that have I done.” And from where is it derived that Achan’s confession achieved atonement for him? It is derived from here, as it is stated: “And Joshua said: Why have you brought trouble on us? The Lord shall trouble you this day” (Joshua 7:25). Joshua said to Achan as follows: On this day of your judgment you are troubled, but you will not be troubled in the World-to-Come. And if the condemned man does not know how to confess, either from ignorance or out of confusion, they say to him: Say simply: Let my death be an atonement for all my sins.
BELIEFS
1. Shema - Deut. 6:4 - All sects are united on this. This would be their “creed” if there was one.
2. God
a) Orthodox - basically the same as Christian theology, but not trinitarian. God is one, omniscient, eternal, incorporeal,
b) Conservative - not overly dogmatic on the nature of God. God is impersonal, transcendent (not able to be fully comprehended).
c) Reform - Don’t really care.
3. Man
a) Orthodox - Man is morally neutral, but has good & evil inclinations. Evil can be overcome by observing the law. There’s no such thing as original sin (a sin nature that one inherits from Adam; Adam’s sin does not incline us to sin; we sin when we break a law.) There is something of an “original righteousness,” in that one has the basic goodness of Adam.
b) Conservative - Similar to Orthodox, but the law is not necessarily needing to be followed to overcome evil.
c) Reform - Man needs to actualize his inherent potential
4. Salvation -
a) Orthodox - Salvation comes through repentance, belief in God’s mercy, prayer, & obedience. (Ultimately, salvation isn’t needed because Jews have favored standing with God)
b) Conservative - same as Reform, but must retain Jewish identity.
c) Reform - Salvation obtained through betterment of self and society.
“And these are the ones who have no portion in Olam Ha-Ba: One who maintains that resurrection of the dead is not a Biblical doctrine, that the Torah was not divinely revealed, and one who despises the sages.38Meaning that every Jew is born with a Every Jew is born with a share in Olam Ha-Ba.share in Olam Ha-Ba, but through certain misdeeds, a soul can forfeit that share. One who knows and understands what Olam Ha-Ba is all about, but denies its truth, cuts himself off from the experience.” Chabad.com
5. Life after Death
Not a lot of emphasis on this by any of the groups. The Orthodox will acknowledge a resurrection and a world to come. Reform & conservative do not really concern themselves with such questions except to say that you live on in your accomplishments.
“Indeed, if there’s one overarching, repetitive motif throughout the Tanakh that stands out above all others, it is this: the promise to the Jewish people of eternal life upon a precious land. The real heaven is not what happens in a supernatural realm after death. The real heaven is what happens down here as the fruit of our collective labor of millennia. We’re not in the business of getting to heaven. We’re in the business of bringing heaven down to earth.” (Tzvi Freeman, Chabad.org)
6. Law
Orthodox - Law leads to nearness to God. Conservative - laws are adaptable to contemporary situation
7. Messiah -
Orthodox believe in a human messiah (not a divine one) who will right all wrongs and restore the world to its proper state, rebuild the temple. Conservative believe in a utopic age
8. Misc
Worship is done in the synagogue where large sections of the Tanakh are typically read in the Hebrew language. A short homily in English may be given. Circumcision is still practiced. Weddings are performed under a canopy. Shabbat is observed with a high degree of religiosity. Orthodox wear the Teffilin - Scriptures in boxes tied to hands and head.
Critique
1. God had covenanted with Israel to follow a written Law, not an Oral Law:
“’If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the LORD your God, then the LORD will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions’” (Deut. 28:58–59).
If Israel was to obey the oral law, why wasn’t it recited by Joshua? (Did Joshua fail in his duty?)
“And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them” (Josh. 8:34–35).
Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left” (Josh. 23:6).
Do not add to the law - Deut. 4:2, 12:32
2. The law is king -
The Talmud deals extensively with the law and the way of life. The question becomes, how is that working for you? Are you really able to stand before a holy God?
SECTS
Up until the 1700’s the Jews were essentially a homogeneous group, consisting of what we now call ‘Orthodox Jews.’ At that time the ‘Reform Jews’ began to arise in Germany. Due to the Enlightenment these Jews wanted to modernize what was believed to be outdated. They began to emphasize more outward, social action. In the 1800’s another group, called ‘Conservative Jews,’ began to emerge. These attempted to be a middle way between the Orthodox views and the Reform Jews (conserving many of the traditional beliefs/practices while recognizing that things need to keep up with the times).
**Note that the tags ‘Orthodox,’ ‘Conservative’ and ‘Reform’ (or ‘Reformed’) are not what we typically think of when we use those terms.**
THE SCRIPTURES OF JUDAISM
1. The Tanakh
This is what we call the Old Testament. They obviously don’t have a New Testament, so don’t use the same lingo. TaNaKh consists of three books: Torah (law), Nevi’im (prophets), Ketuvium (Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Chronicles, Ezra-Nehemiah, Song of Songs, Ruth, Esther, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Daniel)
Difference of reception: Orthodox believe this to be the Word of God. Conservative believes it to be the word of God and man. Something like a “living document” that can be adapted and interpreted differently to fit different times and places. Reform believe it is only a human document containing culture, history, and some moral truth.
2. Talmud -
The Talmud is comprised of 64 tractates (11 or so BIG volumes). It consists of four different parts, all of which are on the same page.
a) Mishna - this is known as “the oral Torah.” Moses gave the commandments in the Torah (OT), and there supposedly rose an oral tradition of how those commandments were to be observed. It was written down in the 2nd century and called the Mishna.
b) Gamara - These are the interpretations and discussions of the Mishna by the Rabbi’s over the following 3 centuries.
c) Rashi commentary was added in the 1400’s
d) Tosafists - commentary on the Rashi commentary
Talmudic Teachings
Note that Judaism today is primarily Talmudic in nature. While they acknowledge the importance of the OT, the Talmud is essentially the authoritative Scripture for the Jewish people. Some of the teachings of the Talmud include:
Adam had sex with all the animals that God had created and did not find satisfaction until he lay with Eve. - Yevamot 63a
Sodomy with kids under 9 years old does not incur guilt. - Sanhedrin 54b
If you bind a man and allow him to die of starvation, you are not guilty. - Sanhedrin 77a
§ Rava says: If one bound another and he died of starvation, he is exempt from the liability to receive a court-imposed death penalty, as it was not his action that caused the death of the victim. Even if the victim was hungry when he was bound, the starvation that caused his death ensued at a later stage. The one who bound him is liable to be punished by the heavenly court. And Rava says: If one bound another in the sun and he died of the heat, or in a cold place and he died of exposure, he is liable to be executed, as from the moment that he bound him, the victim began dying. But if one bound another in a place that at the time was not exposed to the sun or the cold, even though ultimately the sun would arrive at that place, or ultimately the cold would reach that place, he is exempt from execution, as when he bound the victim, the future cause of death was not present.
And Rava says: If one bound another before a lion, he is exempt from execution. Since perhaps the lion will choose not to prey on the victim it was not his action that caused the damage. If he bound another before mosquitoes he is liable to be executed, as inevitably, the mosquitoes will bite him until he dies. Rav Ashi says: Even if he bound an individual before mosquitoes he is exempt from execution, as the mosquitoes who were there when he bound the individual are not the ones who killed him.
Atonement is affected by one who asks that his death take away his sins
When the condemned man is at a distance of about ten cubits from the place of stoning, they say to him: Confess your transgressions, as the way of all who are being executed is to confess. As whoever confesses and regrets his transgressions has a portion in the World-to-Come. For so we find with regard to Achan, that Joshua said to him: “My son, please give glory to the Lord, God of Israel, and make confession to Him” (Joshua 7:19). And the next verse states: “And Achan answered Joshua, and said: Indeed I have sinned against the Lord, God of Israel, and like this and like that have I done.” And from where is it derived that Achan’s confession achieved atonement for him? It is derived from here, as it is stated: “And Joshua said: Why have you brought trouble on us? The Lord shall trouble you this day” (Joshua 7:25). Joshua said to Achan as follows: On this day of your judgment you are troubled, but you will not be troubled in the World-to-Come. And if the condemned man does not know how to confess, either from ignorance or out of confusion, they say to him: Say simply: Let my death be an atonement for all my sins.
BELIEFS
1. Shema - Deut. 6:4 - All sects are united on this. This would be their “creed” if there was one.
2. God
a) Orthodox - basically the same as Christian theology, but not trinitarian. God is one, omniscient, eternal, incorporeal,
b) Conservative - not overly dogmatic on the nature of God. God is impersonal, transcendent (not able to be fully comprehended).
c) Reform - Don’t really care.
3. Man
a) Orthodox - Man is morally neutral, but has good & evil inclinations. Evil can be overcome by observing the law. There’s no such thing as original sin (a sin nature that one inherits from Adam; Adam’s sin does not incline us to sin; we sin when we break a law.) There is something of an “original righteousness,” in that one has the basic goodness of Adam.
b) Conservative - Similar to Orthodox, but the law is not necessarily needing to be followed to overcome evil.
c) Reform - Man needs to actualize his inherent potential
4. Salvation -
a) Orthodox - Salvation comes through repentance, belief in God’s mercy, prayer, & obedience. (Ultimately, salvation isn’t needed because Jews have favored standing with God)
b) Conservative - same as Reform, but must retain Jewish identity.
c) Reform - Salvation obtained through betterment of self and society.
“And these are the ones who have no portion in Olam Ha-Ba: One who maintains that resurrection of the dead is not a Biblical doctrine, that the Torah was not divinely revealed, and one who despises the sages.38Meaning that every Jew is born with a Every Jew is born with a share in Olam Ha-Ba.share in Olam Ha-Ba, but through certain misdeeds, a soul can forfeit that share. One who knows and understands what Olam Ha-Ba is all about, but denies its truth, cuts himself off from the experience.” Chabad.com
5. Life after Death
Not a lot of emphasis on this by any of the groups. The Orthodox will acknowledge a resurrection and a world to come. Reform & conservative do not really concern themselves with such questions except to say that you live on in your accomplishments.
“Indeed, if there’s one overarching, repetitive motif throughout the Tanakh that stands out above all others, it is this: the promise to the Jewish people of eternal life upon a precious land. The real heaven is not what happens in a supernatural realm after death. The real heaven is what happens down here as the fruit of our collective labor of millennia. We’re not in the business of getting to heaven. We’re in the business of bringing heaven down to earth.” (Tzvi Freeman, Chabad.org)
6. Law
Orthodox - Law leads to nearness to God. Conservative - laws are adaptable to contemporary situation
7. Messiah -
Orthodox believe in a human messiah (not a divine one) who will right all wrongs and restore the world to its proper state, rebuild the temple. Conservative believe in a utopic age
8. Misc
Worship is done in the synagogue where large sections of the Tanakh are typically read in the Hebrew language. A short homily in English may be given. Circumcision is still practiced. Weddings are performed under a canopy. Shabbat is observed with a high degree of religiosity. Orthodox wear the Teffilin - Scriptures in boxes tied to hands and head.
Critique
1. God had covenanted with Israel to follow a written Law, not an Oral Law:
“’If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the LORD your God, then the LORD will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions’” (Deut. 28:58–59).
If Israel was to obey the oral law, why wasn’t it recited by Joshua? (Did Joshua fail in his duty?)
“And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the sojourners who lived among them” (Josh. 8:34–35).
Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left” (Josh. 23:6).
Do not add to the law - Deut. 4:2, 12:32
2. The law is king -
The Talmud deals extensively with the law and the way of life. The question becomes, how is that working for you? Are you really able to stand before a holy God?