Judaism is an ancient, monotheistic, Abrahamic religion with the Torah as its foundational text. Judaism is considered by religious Jews to be the expression of the covenant that God established with the Israelites. The history of Judaism spans more than 3,000 years. Judaism is considered one of the oldest monotheistic religions. Jews are an ethnoreligious group and include those born Jewish and converts to Judaism. In 2015, the world Jewish population was estimated at about 14.3 million, or roughly 0.2% of the total world population.

SCV.01 - demonstrate knowledge of the key narratives and events in the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures and identify their importance for the life decisions of Jewish and Christian people;

SCV.02 - demonstrate an understanding of divine revelation and its connection with the sacred writings of Judaism and Christianity;

CMV.07 - demonstrate an understanding of the role of Covenant and commandment in the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam;

CMV.08 - recognize the role of Sacred Scriptures in the development of moral codes for the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam;

RBV.01 - summarize the major historical influences on and events in the development of various religions;

RBV.03 - analyse and describe the connection between the human experience and sacred writings and oral teachings.

RBV.04 - demonstrate how practice, ritual, and symbolism are external representations of the beliefs and principles of religion

RB3.01 - categorize the practices and rituals of various religions (e.g., almsgiving, asceticism, atonement, anointing, Covenant, sacrifice, holy days, dietary laws);

SC1.01 - demonstrate an understanding of the importance of Covenants (originating with Abraham, Moses, and David) in the self‑understanding of the Jewish people;

SC2.04 - respect sacred Scripture as revelation of God's Word;

SS1.05 - identify ways in which religion is reflected in specific works of art, architecture, music, literature, dance, and in dress and cuisine, and interpret their religious significance.

PF2.05 - recognize the centrality of human dignity and personhood to the world's religious traditions;

RB1.02 - identify the major influences in the development of various religions (e.g., social unrest, advances in technology, changing mores);

HE2.02 - analyse attitudes, biases, and prejudices held by adherents of various religions;

HE2.03 - analyze how positive and negative attitudes within religious traditions have been used to justify local and global prejudices and biases.

Be sure to watch the pre-recorded seminar on Judaism. You can follow along with the slide show presentation. Please attach the completed exit card below for assessment purposes and attach it to your unit guide.

Click here to watch the pre-recorded Seminar on Judaism

According to the Hebrew texts, Abraham received a vision from God that instructed him to leave his home in Ur and move to Haran and later to Canaan. The vision that Abraham received came from, what Abraham believed to be, one God, despite living in a polytheistic society. In the vision, God instructed Abraham to move to a special land to raise a nation. He did what God commanded and eventually settled in Canaan (modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Israel).

Two ideas emerged from Abraham's vision: 1) The idea that the Jews are the Chosen people, and 2) The idea that a Promised Land was extablished. These two ideas are the foundation of the Covenant that God made with Abraham.

You are required to answer all questions found throughout this unit using the Answer Recording Sheet found below. Download and save it to your Google Docs and work on your answers as you go through this page. You will need to print the questions and your answers as part of your unit submission.

Questions:

1. Why does history play an important role in shaping a modern religion?

2. Would Judaism be the same without the Covenant? Explain your answer.

3. "Chosen People" may sound like God gave the Jews preferential treatment, but the term really applies to all of humanity. Discuss the validity or fallacy of this statement.

4. Name three places in the world, outside of modern-day Israel, where the Jews were displaced. What caused them to be dispersed to each place?

Kahoot! Judaism History

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Shema - The Jewish declaration of faith from Deuteronomy 6:4 "Hear O Israel, The Lord is our God, the Lord is One.

Thirteen Articles of Faith - Written by 12th Century Jewish Philosopher in Spain, Moses Maimonides. Of the thirteen articles, three have been accepted as absolute:

• There is only one God

• God is a unified being

• God is immaterial

Mitzvah - the act of performing a good deed. It is a commandment from God that gives people direction on how to live ethically while honouring God.

The 13 Articles of Faith by Moses Maimonides

Question:

5. Create a statement that exemplifies your own personal beliefs. How is it similar or different from the Shema and a Mitzvah.

6. The 13 articles of Faith by Moses Maimonides were meant to apply religious ideologies from 1000 BCE to the 13th Century. Choose any three articles, and describe how they are or are not relative at this present time.

7. Why is it important to do a Mitzvah?

Inside a Synagogue, you will find:

Torah - The Torah Scroll is the text of the five books of Moses written on parchment. It is the most sacred object of Jewish life and is kept in a place of honour in the synagogue - in the Holy Ark.

Holy Ark - sits on a raised platform in the synagogue and contains the Torah scrolls.

Rabbi - A Rabbi is a trained Jewish scholar and interpreter of Jewish law. They offer council to members of the community and can officiate over ceremonies like weddings and Bar Mitzvahs.

Kahoot - Teachings and Festivals

Question:

8. Everyone has a safe and sacred place where they can feel grounded or be themselves. Places of Worship, like a synagogue, create a space for Jews to comfortably express their spirituality. How is a synagogue similar or different to your ideal sacred space?

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"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads." - Deuteronomy 11:18

Question:

9. Wearing a tefillin may seem bizarre to someone who is not Jewish, but it demonstrates how seriously Orthodox Jews take their faith. What things to you practice, or even wear, because you believe in that idea so strongly?

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Question:

10. How does adhering to dietary ideals describe the character of a person? What dietary limitations would you make for yourself if it meant you could make the world around you better?

11. If you had to create a symbol that represented yourself, what qualities would you accentuate (your intelligence, your strength, etc . . .)? What qualities of Judaism are accentuated by their symbols?

Kahoot - Symbols and Rituals

Be sure to complete the UNIT COMPLETION ASSESSMENT and consult with your teacher BEFORE you continue to the Unit Task.

Choose one of the following task ideas below to demonstrate your learning and complete this unit. It is always advisable to consult with your teacher while you work on this task to ensure you are meeting the expectations and getting the best possible mark. Be sure that all of your work is properly cited with appropriate analysis. As Mary Ward is a Self-Directed Learning system, you may also create and develop your own task in consultation with your teacher.

1. SELF DIRECT! Always recommended! Choose one topic in this unit that you were particularly interested in (i.e. Symbols, Rituals, History, Beliefs, etc . . . or a topic related to this unit that was not covered but worthy of exploring), then choose one style of presentation that you are confident with or would like to develop (i.e. written paragraph, website, documentary, video, slide presentation, art installation, podcast, etc . . . ) and consult/discuss with your teacher what the product will look like. You also have the option to make the task interdisciplinary with another course(s), and/or do a group project.

OR

2. (You may do an interdisciplinary project with SHSM Construction) Create a design for a synagogue after researching the essential architectural elements of a synagogue, then adding any new features from your creative process. Be sure to study the interior of a Synagogue, and apply the principles of Synagogue design along with common symbols found in most synagogues.

OR

3. (You may do an interdisciplinary project with SHSM Health Care) Create and follow a kosher meal plan for one week that includes three meals a day and two snacks. You must discuss what Jewish Dietary Laws that apply to the meal plan, preferably quoting from the Old Testament. Describe in your meal plan the health benefits and/or detriments and how is the meal plan environmentally sustainable?

OR

4. The Jews are considered to be "People of the Book." Conduct some research to better understand why the Jewish people consider their history and sacred text so important. Do you think their beliefs still carry value or are they hanging on to ideologies that are irrelevant. Be sure to cite your sources.

NOTE: All of your work must be properly cited. Work that is not cited properly will be returned to you to be redone with a stronger sense of academic integrity.

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Please see evaluation rubrics below for your task. Consult with your teacher for any clarification regarding your evaluation.

Be sure you have answered the following questions and completed the following tasks before submitting your unit to your teacher. This checklist needs to be signed by the religion counter for your unit submission to be accepted.

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Be sure to complete the UNIT COMPLETION ASSESSMENT and consult with your teacher BEFORE you continue on to the Second Unit Task.