Introduction to Judaism


This week we began to study Judaism, the world's first monotheistic religion. The students have asked some excellent initial questions:

Questions About Abraham's Meeting with Yahweh...

Sean: According to this religion, Abraham met God. How would you feel if you met God?

Berra (after being inspired by Sean's question): If we are always under God's presence, would it feel any different to meet him (because he is always there)?

Reese, James A. and Case: Why did God choose Abraham to talk to, instead of someone else?

Malcolm: Did Abraham hesitate at all, when making the covenant with Yahweh?

Liam J.: Why did Abraham decide to worship Yahweh instead of continuing to follow his current religion?

Burke: Is every Jewish person a descendant of Abraham?

Questions About The Different Kinds of Judaism...

Caroline: How do you figure out if you are an Orthodox Jew or not?

Kemper: Why do men and women sit apart in Orthodox Jewish synagogues?

Austin and Eliza: Why are there different kinds of Judaism?

Questions About Consequences...

Cadigan: What do Jewish people believe happens if you break one of the Ten Commandments?

James B.: If you forget to do one of the rituals, what is the consequence?

Miscellaneous Questions...

Carson N.: How do you make food kosher?

Courtney: Did ancient Jews believe in having pets? If a pet died, how did they react?

Caden and Sofia: Where did the names "Judaism" and "Jewish" come from?


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Quiz Review

Image
For tonight's homework, please answer the following questions on a sheet of looseleaf paper: 1. Which vocabulary word refers to " the spiritual or non-physical part of a human being or animal, often regarded as immortal "? 2. Which vocabulary word refers to " a religious journey, usually to visit a sacred place "? 3. What is a ritual ? 4. What is a religion ? 5. What is the difference between an atheist and an agnostic ? a Hindu temple 6. In addition to often being arranged by the parents and lasting for up to 12 days, what is another detail about Hindu weddings ? [ if you are uncertain, re-read page 19 in the textbook ] 7. What do Hindus believe happens to a person after he/she dies? 8. According to Judaism, how should people behave? 9. According to Judaism, who created the universe? 10. What is a specific way that Hinduism and Judaism are similar to each other?  [ try to come up with an original, interesting answer, based on your notes or the textbook ] Here...
Read more

History Video #11: Breaking News // Comparative Paragraph Highlights

Image
I am beginning to read your paragraphs comparing two of the world religions. Here are several highlights I have come across, so far: Brynne pointed out that Jesus was considered special and sacred from the moment of his birth, when many people immediately believed he was the messiah or son of God. She said that Buddha, on the other hand, became an important leader later in his life -- not until he was an adult (and after he saw the "four sights").  In her paragraphs, Cadigan observed that the Bible stories about Jesus were not written down until many years after his death. The stories in the Qur'an, however, are believed to have been given directly from Allah to Muhammad. She then wrote " That would lead some people to believe that the Qur’an is more accurate to Muhammad's vision of what god wanted than the Bible, because it wasn’t actually written by Jesus. " Wow . Brynne's and Cadigan's explanations are original, deep, and sophisticated. Meanwhil...
Read more

Johann Gutenberg: Did He Tweet, Too?!

Image
Tonight I'm sharing an imagined tweet written by a German social media company that is promoting Gutenberg's amazing invention. I love the way this tweet shows the connection between the printing press and the ability of Martin Luther to spread his ideas, even after Pope Leo ordered that all copies his writings be burned: Changing a wine press into a printing press -- what an invention! Gutenberg's printing press was good for everyone, creating books (and theses) for all. So much for that strategy of burning a few copies of something you disagree with!                                                     ( By Liam B., Marin and Brynne )
Read more