Torah and its Development: Key Concepts in Judaism

Key Concepts in Judaism - New Format

• 13 learning units are in this course, aiming for the completion of one unit per week.
• Each lesson contains a collection of concepts, definitions, and optional reading material.
• Terms will be concentrated and defined briefly
• It's not recommended to study for the exam, but from the regular lessons
• 2 units contain a forum where students must post an original answer and reply to someone else.
• Final grade assessed by comprehensive exam (80%) and forum participation (20%).

Lesson 1 - Torah and its Development

Torah Definition

• The term 'Torah' can have 2 meanings:
  • As a general term for all Jewish religious works of all time
  • A specific term for the five books of the Torah explained below.
• The term Torah will be used in the specific sense unless otherwise specified.

Tanakh

• Tanakh is an acronym meaning Torah, Nevi'im (Prophets), Ketuvim (Writings).
• The Torah consists of the five books of the Torah.
• There are two types of writing in Nevi'im:
  • Narrative writing, describing history of the people of Israel from entering Israel to the Babylonian exile/destruction
  • Prophecies: Messages from God during certain periods, conveying them to the people.
    • Prophecies mainly contain rebuke for the people's actions and words of comfort regarding Jerusalem's destruction and exile.
• Ketuvim (Writings) also contains two types of books:
  • Narrative written by people who aren't prophets, mainly describing the period after Babylonian destruction
  • Intellectual and religious writings of various types
    • Prayers and Psalms (Book of Psalms), wisdom and morality (Proverbs and Ecclesiastes) as well as poetry and lament (Song of Songs and Lamentations).

Torah

• The term generally refers to the first 5 books of the Tanakh, consisting of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy.
• These books are also referred to as the Written Torah.
• Tradition says that the oral Torah was given to Moses by God during the Israelites' time in the desert after leaving Egypt.
• Moses wrote the books of the Torah and passed them down to the people of Israel.
• The Torah basis for the system of Jewish religious laws - halakha, and Jewish worldviews.

Torah Scroll

• Ashkenazi Torah scrolls and Sephardi Torah scrolls are hand-written on parchment, the treated hide of an animal.
• The parchment is formed as a long scroll connected at either end to wooden poles for easier handling.
• The scroll contains the Five Books of Moses
• A scribe uses special ink
• Special sanctity is awarded to the traditional Torah scroll
• They are typically kept in special ark in synagogues.

Ten Commandments

• The Ten Commandments also known as the Ten Utterances, are ten commands appearing in the Torah.
• They were said by God to the people of Israel at Mount Sinai, two months after they left Egypt.
• Reported twice in the Torah:
• Exodus
• Deuteronomy
• Split into two parts, it contains five commands:
• Regarding the relationship between people and God
• Concerns relationships between people.

Oral Torah

• Refers to the Jewish religious works created by various scholars from the Tanakh onward.
• The earliest parts of the oral Torah elaborate on the Tanakh, especially the Torah.
• Later parts concern the Tanakh in addition to other parts of the oral Torah.
• Contents include 'Halacha,' the system of religious law, and 'Aggadah' containing non-legal content like stories and philosophical discussions.
• Though it's written nowadays, it's called 'Oral Torah' since it was initially created and transmitted orally.

Chazal

• "Chazal" is an acronym for "Chachameinu zichronam livracha" translating to "our sages, may their memory be blessed," and is a term referring to the sages who lived in the Land of Israel and in Babylon from the time of the Second Temple (6th century BCE to 1st century CE) until the 5th century CE
• Chazal is responsible for the creation of the oral Torah

Talmudic Period Division

• The Talmudic period is split into to eras:
  • Tannaim
  • Ended at the start of the 3rd century CE
  • Resulted in the Mishnah
  • Amoraim
  • Started at the beginning of the third century CE on to the 4th century CE
  • Talmud was written

Temple

• The Temple was a structure in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount, where the Dome of the Rock stands today. It was around during two extensive periods in Jewish history
• The first Temple built during the second half of the 10th century BCE and destroyed by the Babylonian Empire in 586 BCE.
• The second Temple built between the 6th and 5th centuries BCE then destroyed by the Roman Empire in the year 70 CE.
• The Jewish worship of God took place in the Temple and was the center of the Jewish world, with its destruction a traumatic event affecting Jewish history and marked by fast days.
• Unlike the first Temple, the Second Temple saw the rise of sages such as members of religious leadership

Mishnah

• Rabbis accumulated many halakhic texts over generations
• Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi created a central repository for scholarly activity between the 3rd century CE and the years 200 to 220
• He incorporated and synthesized many texts in to sections and tractates.

Talmudim

• The Talmudim are two religious series created in the centuries after the Mishnah
• Rabbis expounded on the Mishnah in different ways, interpreted it, and completed it. Two Talmudim were created
• The "Jerusalem Talmud" was created in the Land of Israel from before the end of the fourth century
• "Babylonian Talmud" was created in Babylon until the end of the sixth or seventh century The Talmud, and especially the Babylonian Talmud

Additional Notes

• Left unresolved
• Sometimes they also included brief discussions of rabbis on a particular law
• The name "mishnah" is related to the word "shana" or "shinnun (repetition)": the contents of the Mishnah were taught and passed down from generation to generation.

Halakha

• Related to the Halakha code of conduct from rabinnic, literal origins
• It covers both mitzvot between individuals and God along with ethical judgements

Aggdah Note

• Is not from halakha origins but consists of stories moral statements etc.

Midrash note

• A collection of biblical studies and notes in the style of rabbis
• Sometimes organized according to biblical verse

Additional Information

• The term 'Halakha' is related to the Halachic code of conduct with both God and the people

Lesson 2 - Torah and its Development

Halakha

• Halakha is the way of jewish and righteous religious conduct
• Primarily from the torah and other rabbinic texts

Aggadah

• It consists of the torah texts but from rabinnic origins

Midrash Note

• refers to type of comment or biblical text

Summary of Kabbalah

It contains specific information required to understand the relation to god Contains some references to old documents, and mystical information

Chasidut note

Emphasize prayer

Additional Info

More emphasis on the torah portions

Note

• Pertains to people with knowledge is the Torah and that is also the Halacha

Lesson 3 - The Hebrew Calendar

Note on the calendar dates along with how they are celebrated

Note on what different texts are noted there

Additional Info

Talks of the nature and different texts found within

Additional notes on calendar names

• Explains each month the dates

The Jewish festivals and fasts

• New Year (Jewish Rosh Hashanah
• The Day of Atonements

Lesson 4 - The Sabbath

Notes on the Sabbath with Halacha

Positive aspects

• Includes prayer

תפילת מוסף

• More information as well

הפטרה

More info as well

Other Points Covered

Describes the various parts of the sabbath.

Lesson 5 - Holidays and Festivals (Part 1) - Elul and Rosh Hashanah

Chagim and Moadim (1):

Ellul and Selfichut

• Chodesh Elul (Month of Ellul), typically around September per year.
• Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur: the Holidays
• "Days of Judgment:" These days include a period of preparation for the coming days, also known as "Chodesh Hachodesh Hachodeshhachodesh H" (the month of self-protection and compassion).

Yamim Noraim

• Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur described as the "Days of Awe" and "Days of Awe"

Rosh Hashanah

• Rosh Hashanah BaTorah (Jewish Holiday Torah)
• Torah describes the High Holiday as "Yom Teruah."

Kinnuy Chab

• Teruah - Taqiya Hashoffar

Tokeeyah Hashoffar - the Taqiya Hashoffar on the holiday season. Notes

Lesson 6 Holidays and Festivals (Part 2) - The Days of Atonement and Yom Kippur

• Assara Yami Teshuva is translated to “The Days of Atonement." These are the days leading to “The Day of Atonement."
• Today, the Hebrew word “Teshovah” (Returning) is the most important. It means the same as "Day.”
• They believe that the days are the equivalent of New Year's Eve.

Yom Kippur - Yom Kaper)

• "It's important”
• J. Hanoch

The following notes are from the Yom Kippur - Yom Kaper) section

• Teffilat Yom Kippur

The following notes are from Teffilat Yom Kippur

• Notes on the history of the song, and how and why it was introduced into practice
• Avoda Seder
• They explain why some Jews feel very sympathetic for what is called "Eitan" and is also know as “Our leader.”

The following notes are from The End of Seder Avodam section:

These are the times one listens for Final Note Yom Kippor - Yom Kippur is considered a great day in the world. A. C.D. The rest of the section does not matter

There all about how the prayers have come from people

Lesson 7:Chagham and Moadin

• It's an overview from another’s point of view.
• It doesn't need to be looked at too closely- just looked over