...“Loyalty of the Ancient Jews” 17 February 2010 It is interesting how many of the values of the Jews can be seen from the earliest of their documents, and through these writings we can see how they attempted to remain steadfast to their morals and beliefs. As I read the excerpts of ancient writings in our Encounters in World History book, what seemed to stand out most to me about the Jewish values, was the concept of unwavering commitment to the ways of Yahweh. I’m not saying that the Jewish people were always successful in this endeavor, but it appears that the endeavor itself never changed. There was always a deep sense in their historical writings that committing to the ways of their creator was not only the correct, but the most absolute valuable thing they could do with their existence. We can trace this theme of commitment from Yahweh back to the creation story of the Jews which is found in the book of Genesis. After Yahweh created man he commanded to Adam that “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die” (49). This appears to be the first instruction that man ever received from the Creator. As the story goes, Adam and Eve both ate from the tree exposing them to the knowledge of good and evil. Yahweh went on to say “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it...
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...In The Wake of The Plague In the Wake of the Plague, Cantor reasons his thesis that the Black Plague had tremendously altered the history of Europe and the lives of its people. Furthermore, he reasons that the plague has not just had an effect on a particular estate or a specific aspect in a society, but affected everyone alike in many different aspects. He specifically states in his writing how the plague had affected the nobilities, the priests, and the peasants. Subsequently, he argues that the plague had an impact on the population change, economics, literature, and science of medieval Europe. Cantor makes a coherent and clear argument that justifies his thesis through organizing the novel in three parts: biomedical context, people, and history. The first part serves as an introductory reading that defines the Black Plague in biological terms and gives background information of how the plague swept the entire continent of Europe. The second part serves as the body of his argument, where he refers to how the plague had affected all three estates of people: the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. The body of the argument is not necessarily organized in a chronological order, but organized in different estates of people. In the third chapter, Cantor uses the example of Princess Joan and the incident of Bordeaux fire to explain how a noble family was affected by the plague. When Edward III asked Pedro to rescue Princess Joan from Bordeaux where the plague was spread, the...
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...Name: Instructors name: Course: Date: Jewish Holy Day of Hanukkah With many religions worldwide, there are special and dedicated times of the year where followers celebrate the associated holidays with the religion practiced. I had the privilege of celebrating one of the historic Jewish Holy Days called Hanukkah or Chanukah with my friends from the Jewish community. Chanukah or Hanukkah celebrates Jewish rededication of their temple in Jerusalem during the second century. Chanukah or Hanukkah as I came to learn means dedication in Hebrew and it commemorates a miracle which is oil based. The festival ran for eight consecutive days and each of the days was marked with games, dances, songs, oily fried foods, candle lighting and a lot of joy and laughter. Each day of Hanukkah we thanked God by reciting a complete ‘Hallel’ during the Morning Prayer service. We also inserted a special thanks giving prayer and read from the Torah. After each Morning Prayer service we ate oily fried foods such as fried potato pancakes also known as latkes, deep fried doughnuts also known as sufganiyot, cheese and a lot of dairy foods. We also got to play dreidel games. From the brief history given I came to learn that during the ancient days, the Greek oppressors banned Torah schools and so the young children would study deep in the forest. All this while, they would post sentry to make them aware of Greek patrols. When the soldiers came, the kids would hide or bury their texts into the...
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...Alcohol: Permitted or Forbidden in Judaism? Alcohol use in Jewish Law is contradicting. There are several examples in the Torah and other Jewish sources, where alcohol, which is most of the time wine, is permitted and sometimes even suggest but on the other hand, sometime alcohol is condemned. I will discuss the different sides and state what the Jewish Law is trying to allow or condemn alcohol use and abuse. In places in the Torah wine seems to be a very important attribute to several different occasions in Judaism. Wine is used for Havdallah and Kiddush on every Sabbath and many other Jewish holidays. Mitzvot and blessings are recited on a cup of win. Under the Chupah we bless the couple over a cup of wine, a circumcision we do the same and we also have four cups of wine at the Passover Seder. Even in text, wine is described as “bringing joy to God and man”(Judges 9:13). Even during the Holy Temple days, wine was used for sacrifice and even has it even has its own blessing (Hagafen). Even with all of these uses of wine for Jewish circumstances, the Torah clearly states “Do not drink wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons with you, when you come into the tent of meeting, so that you will not die—it is a perpetual statute throughout your generations…”(Leviticus 10:9) The Torah is very clear in that drinking wine is not permitted. Noah, whose righteousness help God spare the world, was condemned for his excessive wine consumption. Other texts also...
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...Worship Observation Paper Assignment Sheet THRS 2105 Spring During the semester, you must attend/observe one service of Jewish worship and present your observations in a five page paper. (If you regularly attend a Jewish worship service, you should visit a different denomination.) A list of synagogues of various denominations will be posted on line. You are welcome to visit a synagogue outside the list as long as you check in with me first. There are three components to the assignment. 1) Preparation Once you have decided what synagogue you will visit, you are expected to do a minimal amount of basic research on the historical background of the denomination, the worship style, its institutional organization and its place in the American religious scene. You may also want to do some research into the specific synagogue’s community you plan to visit, especially if it is of historic interest. Many religious denominations (and many individual synagogues) have web pages with helpful information. This preparation is important as it will help make your visit more comfortable and will enable you to get more out of the experience. Your finished paper should include a brief (one and a half to two pages) introduction to the tradition. Keep in mind that you must cite in a footnote or endnote all sources which you quote or paraphrase, as well as works to which you refer or from which you have culled information. Take notes carefully so that you don't have to go back to relocate...
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...Torah, saying the blessing for the reading, and by helping to lead the service, the Bar Mitzvah will show he has acquired the knowledge and skill to accept this responsibility and its privileges. Becoming a Bar Mitzvah is not itself a religious service. That is, the Sabbath services are not being conducted because of the Bar Mitzvah. The reverse is true: The boy marks the fact that he is a Bar Mitzvah by participating in the Sabbath service. If no one was celebrating a Bar Mitzvah, the services would still be conducted and the portions read by the boy would be read by another adult member of the congregation. The Sabbath service at Congregation Tifereth Israel is a traditional service conducted almost entirely in Hebrew, the Jewish language of prayer. The form and structure of the service are 1,800 to 2,000 years old, with some sections dating back 2,500 years. For example, the "Musaf" service dates almost to the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. and was written to replace the sacrificial ceremony in the temple. (It is interesting to note that the synagogue itself, as an institution, dates to that event, when the Jews were exiled to Babylonia (now Iraq) and established houses of worship there.) The Torah Service is the central part of the morning, and marks the reading of the weekly portion of the Torah scrolls. The Torah contains the entire text of the five books of Moses, hand written in Hebrew characters on parchment and unchanged...
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...Signature assignment: The Impact of Jewish life in Florida Michael Otero West Coast University Abstract This paper identifies and shows my reflection on the Jewish museum of Florida which exhibits the richness and diversity of Jewish life from 1763 to the present Jews, non-Jews, Florida residents and visitors alike. I examined how Jews during these times grew to develop a dynamic variety of ethnic groups, all seeking to balance the continuity and traditions of their heritage wit the values and customs of a larger society. This paper also explains the central issues rose from the museum and historical purpose it served as the Jewish community made its contributions in Florida. Topics * Identify and explain the central issues raised by the museum. * Formulate a distinct, individual point of view (personal reflection) that engages critically with various perspectives offered by the museum. * Evaluate the evidence that the museum offers for its point of view. * Consider how the site/exhibit/museum uses cultural, political, and (or) historical contexts to present its issues and purposes. * Exhibit your knowledge of how the museum presents and uses cultural worldview frameworks, and also how you use your own knowledge of those frameworks to engage the museum. The Jewish museum of Florida located in Miami was home to congregation Beth Jacob and was the first synagogue on south beach. The synagogue is the building in which congregation meets...
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...contrasts in the film The Pianist allows the viewer an understanding of the extreme emotional distress, sadness and despair of the characters. Color emphasizes the differences between the life of the Polish and that of the Jewish people separated only by a dark wall Through the multiple layers of color symbolization the viewer is able to recognize first the happiness and normalcy of the Szpilman family. The film opens with brightly colored scenes and their daily life of the Jewish and Polish in Warsaw. The appearance of the characters is clean with rich and colorful clothing. Wladyslaw, the protagonist, is dressed in soft blue suits giving him a very content and soft appearance. The apartment in which the Szpilman family lives is full of warm colors and rich furniture. There is a welcoming atmosphere and a comfortable, homey feel to the apartment. When outside the sun is shining and people smile in the streets. The Jewish people interact with the Polish comfortably, there seems to be no noticeable differences between the two nationalities living in Warsaw. All seem happy as the war approaches and all seem oblivious to the horrors to come. When the Germans invade Warsaw and the war progresses the Jewish people are moved out of Warsaw and into the Jewish district. As the mood of the characters changes to depression and fear the colors become more shadowed. There are many greys, browns and blues combined with low natural lighting that...
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...Jewish Holidays James Morales REL/134 August 27, 2012 Joseph Becker Jewish Holidays This essay will be on Yom Kippur, the historical origins of the Jewish holiday, what time of year the holiday is celebrated, and what religious practices are associated with the holiday. Yom Kippur is better known as The Day of Atonement, a day to repent or to make right the wrong done to God for the past year. Yom Kippur is considered the most sacred of all Jewish Holidays. Historical Origins Of The Day The Kohen Gadol (high priest) entered the Holy of Holies at the temple to perform rituals of purification for the temple. The Kohen Gabdol went through many rituals to be free of any evil or wrong doings, in order to not bring these things into the temple. The high priest would have two animals chosen, one would be sacrificed through fire, and the second animal would be kept alive. Through prayer and laying of hands on the second animal the high priest would transfer the evil and wrong doings of the people to the animal. Then the animal would be sent off to the wilderness removing all evil and wrong doings for the past year. Yom Kippur as a holiday changed after the second temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 C.E., the holiday is a little more familiar to this passage. The Lord said to Moses, “The tenth day of this seventh month is the day of Atonement. Hold a sacred assembly and deny yourself, and present an offering made to the Lord by fire. Do not work on that day...
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...Jewish Holy Days Paper REL/134 June 12, 2013 Hanukkah Hanukkah is an eight day and night celebration. That begins in the Jewish month called Kislev, occurring in November or December of a secular calendar. The word Hanukkah means dedication. The holiday is rededication of the holy temple in Jerusalem (165 B.C). The event was established when Jewish victory over the Syrian Greeks. Hanukkah is a holiday that has significance like Christmas. The celebration has a meaningful history, traditions practices, and cultural differences in the various branches of Judaism. The story is in 168 B.C. the Jewish temple was seized by the Syrian Greek soldiers. The Jewish people were afraid to fight back. After the Syrian Greek Emperor ordered all Jews to worship Greek gods. The Jews began to resistance and join together to retake their land from the Greeks. The rebels were called Maccabees. Maccabees got control of their land and returned to the temple of Jerusalem. The Jews were forced to eat swine and worship ideal gods. So to cleanse their selves they burned ritual oils in the temple of Jerusalem for eight days. The significant thing was there was only enough oil for one day but, the oil surprised the Jews and lasted eight days. That was the miracle of Hanukkah. There are many traditions when it comes to celebrating Hanukkah. The celebration involves games, the songs, and foods. One of the games is called dreidel. It’s the spinning of the four side toy. The songs are like...
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...The Most Important Jewish Holy Day: Yom Kippur REL/134 February 28, 2012 The Most Important Jewish Holy Day: Yom Kippur The Holy Day of Yom Kippur is widely considered to be the most important of Jewish Holy Days. Yom Kippur translates to “Day of Atonement,” and is many times observed by even the most secular of Jews (Malloy and Hilgers 2010). It is observed on the tenth and final day of a period that begins with Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. These 10 days are referred to as The Days of Awe. According to Jewish law, on Rosh Hashanah, God inscribes the names of the righteous in His book of life and declares the evil to death; people who fall between righteous and evil have until Yom Kippur to repent. As a result, observant Jews consider Yom Kippur and The Days of Awe a time for prayer, donations, community service, reflection on the past, and making amends with others ("Atonement, Day Of",2010). “...In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your souls, and you shall not do any work ... For on that day he shall provide atonement for you to cleanse you from all your sins before the L-RD” (Leviticus 16:29-30). Yom Kippur is observed on the tenth day of Tishri, the seventh month of the Jewish year. Tishri occurs in September and October of the Gregorian Calendar. The traditions of Yom Kippur begin on the eve, just before the sun sets, with a fast that will last for the next 25 hours. During the fast, it is expected that...
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...When studying religions there are different types of rituals and events. As in Judaism, they set aside certain holidays and days of remembrance. These holy days are scheduled with a different type of calendar. The Jewish use a lunar calendar this calendar is based on three astronomical phenomena: the rotation of the earth’s axis (a day), the revolution of the moon about the earth (a month), and the revolution of the Earth about the sun (a year). (Cation) The Jewish calendar beings when the first sliver moon becomes visible. As with the secular calendar almost every holiday falls on the same date, but with the Jewish calendar these dates would not be on the same date but in the same season. It is important to understand the lunar calendar in this religion because all the holy days are base on this type of calendar. As with the secular calendar almost every holiday falls on the same date, but with the Jewish calendar these dates would not be on the same date but in the same season. All Jewish holidays begin the night before the date of the holiday. The reason the Jews start the holiday the night before is from the story in Genesis ch1, it says "And there was evening, and there was morning, one day." From this they believe that the day begins at sunset and with that being said ends at the nightfall of the next day. They also have strict rules about work on specific holy days, which is work is not permitted. There is thirteen holy day in which work is not permitted Rosh Hashanah...
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...important to a Jew wherever they may be, in a synagogue; at home and even if they are out and about. Yet some may say that it is more important to daven in a minyan, this is a group of ten men. This can usually only be obtained at a synagogue. Worshipping in a minyan means one can say even more prayers to G-d and therefore, making the synagogue an important place of worship because it means we can say as many prayers as possible to G-d. One of the main importance’s of worshipping with a minyan in the synagogue is that a mourner can say the prayer of Kaddish which is said during the year after a relative’s death. This prayer can only be said amongst a minyan and therefore gives prayer in a synagogue a significant amount of importance for the Jewish people. The Torah is an extremely important act...
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...and the preparation of the divine services in the context of a secular or monastic liturgy. Chevra Kadisha - The organization of Jewish men and women who see to it that the bodies of the Jews are prepared for burial according to Jewish tradition and are protected from desecration, willful or not, until burial. El Malei Rachamin - A funeral prayer used by the Ashkenazi Jewish community. Hasped - This word has direct physical meaning of "enclosed with a hasp" as thus used in Garth's 'Dispensary'. Kaddish - Hymm of praises to God found in the Jewish prayer service. Central theme is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. Kever - The custom of visiting the graveside of parents or close relatives and praying there. ( grave of the fathers) Kriah - Hebrew word meaning tearing. It refers to the act of tearing one's clothes of cutting a black ribbon worn on one's clothes. Levaya - Hebrew word for funeral. Menorah - A 9 branched candelabrum lit during the eight day holiday of Hanukkah. Mogen David -Means "shield of David" but is used to refer to the six pointed Star of David. Rabbi - Jewish scholar or teacher of the Torah. Meaning "My Master" Shabbat - Jewish day of rest and the seventh day of the week, on which religious Jews remember the Biblical creation of the heavens and the earth. Shivah- Jewish Sabath - Mourning period following the funeral and lasting...
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...Jewish Holidays Passover: 15th of Nisan (spring, March-April) The Passover in Hebrew is known as Pesach. It begins in the Sunset of Monday, April 10, 2017, and ends at the nightfall of Tuesday, April 18, 2017. The Pesach is depicted in the book of Exodus 12:23. It describes the day when God passed over Israelites. During the Passover, the Israelites usually celebrate their Liberation from the Egyptian bondage. This is when God delivered them from slavery in Egypt. The Passover is also considered to be one of the most theologically important holidays in the Jewish calendar. It normally goes for eight days but in other communities, it lasts for only one week. The Jews are prohibited to eat any bread or leavened food. They are only allowed to eat unleavened bread and traditional foods made of ground matzah referred to as matzah meal. Such foods may include gefilite fish, ponge cake cakes and cookies made from Nuts and macaroons (Hexham, 89). Other activities comprise of the Jewish reading the Haggadah to retell the story of the Exodus and their migration from Egypt. During the Passover, the firstborns of Israel must fast to thank God for being merciful and sparing them. The seventh day usually marks the day they crossed the Red Sea. On the last day, the Yizkor memorial prayer is recited for dead. Feast of Weeks: Shavuot Shavuot begins in the sunset of Saturday, June 11, 2016, and ends at the nightfall of Monday, June 13, 2016. The name Shavuot is a Hebrew name that means Weeks...
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