Judaism
Ancient Jewish Practices
Ancient Judaism met it’s beginning around the 18th century B.C.E, with the birth and life of nomadic herder Abraham, who is depicted in a series of patriarchal narratives located in the Hebrew Bible. Abraham is thought to have had an unconditional covenant with God, given two promises to the herder: as many children as he could ask for, and possession of the land of Canaan. The tale unfolds itself with conflict and hardships, but Abraham ultimately prevails, and his son Isaac gains rights to the holy land. Isaac’s children become enslaved in Egypt, one thing leads to another and God ends up leading his faithful followers to Israel, where there lies a rally to oppose their enemies. It is decided it needs to be governed by a king, and several were anointed and dethroned for various reasons including Saul, Samuel, and David. Solomon then built the first temple which would remain forever, the throne always in his bloodline.
Several Jewish texts contain these and other religion tales including the Mishnah, the Talmud, and the Gemara, all very important works that stressed the importance of the history, practices, and myths of Judaism. Some of these newly adapted Jewish lifestyles were quite strict, requiring a belief in god, constant reverence, and community meals. Others on the other hand didn’t require you to believe in a god at all (though most chose to) and simply follow moral values as compared to theological beliefs. Daily practices included daily worship, traditional prayers, study of the Torah, dietary laws, and gender segregation in the synagogue.
Modern Jewish Practices
Judaism has changed a great deal over the centuries, but then again, has remained virtually the same in certain areas. Orthodox Jews have adhered strictly to the practices of ancient times, learning the Hebrew language and weaving the rituals into their daily lives. Women are not allowed to sit with the men in the synagogue, or contribute ideas in the presence of them. Certain foods are not allowed to be eaten, and daily worship is required. In Reform Judaism however, is probably the more liberal form of the religion. It came as a challenge to the belief that laws and rituals taken from the Bible required strict observance from the modern world. Expansion caused certain practices to be questioned, and loosened over time, and the results were quite obvious. Women were now allowed to sit with their husbands and contribute to worships and formal conversations, even going so far as to become rabbis. The Hebrew language was not required, though worship and Jewish texts were still an important part of everyday life.
The Comparison
As Judaism grew more and more popular (although needless to say it was persecuted and pushed down many, many times) it was forced to change. It expanded over the land, and where it landed, was shaped by the area and changing times of that particular region. Of course it (as reflected in Orthadox Judaism) did remain untouched due to faithful followers and perhaps a lack of leniency towards that which cannot be re-written, but otherwise was greatly affected by expansion and time. Though it is often said things have to change because of time, perhaps it should be taken into consideration that things may change because of power. Power is the force that rules modern society, and t with several ways to go about getting it, there is no short source of examples. Greed, money, belief, and respect are all contributing factors in what drives us to succeed, and sometimes the issue is just trying not to be forgotten, as with some religions. Religions and government (unfortunately sometimes a mix of the two) are the greatest limiting factors in modern society, as well (especially so) in ancient times. Rulers were often attributed with having a close connection with the gods, and the kinds in Judaism were no exception. That being said, it was perhaps the lack of moral control held by these religious leaders that lead to Judaism’s corruption as it expanded.
Ancient Judaism met it’s beginning around the 18th century B.C.E, with the birth and life of nomadic herder Abraham, who is depicted in a series of patriarchal narratives located in the Hebrew Bible. Abraham is thought to have had an unconditional covenant with God, given two promises to the herder: as many children as he could ask for, and possession of the land of Canaan. The tale unfolds itself with conflict and hardships, but Abraham ultimately prevails, and his son Isaac gains rights to the holy land. Isaac’s children become enslaved in Egypt, one thing leads to another and God ends up leading his faithful followers to Israel, where there lies a rally to oppose their enemies. It is decided it needs to be governed by a king, and several were anointed and dethroned for various reasons including Saul, Samuel, and David. Solomon then built the first temple which would remain forever, the throne always in his bloodline.
Several Jewish texts contain these and other religion tales including the Mishnah, the Talmud, and the Gemara, all very important works that stressed the importance of the history, practices, and myths of Judaism. Some of these newly adapted Jewish lifestyles were quite strict, requiring a belief in god, constant reverence, and community meals. Others on the other hand didn’t require you to believe in a god at all (though most chose to) and simply follow moral values as compared to theological beliefs. Daily practices included daily worship, traditional prayers, study of the Torah, dietary laws, and gender segregation in the synagogue.
Modern Jewish Practices
Judaism has changed a great deal over the centuries, but then again, has remained virtually the same in certain areas. Orthodox Jews have adhered strictly to the practices of ancient times, learning the Hebrew language and weaving the rituals into their daily lives. Women are not allowed to sit with the men in the synagogue, or contribute ideas in the presence of them. Certain foods are not allowed to be eaten, and daily worship is required. In Reform Judaism however, is probably the more liberal form of the religion. It came as a challenge to the belief that laws and rituals taken from the Bible required strict observance from the modern world. Expansion caused certain practices to be questioned, and loosened over time, and the results were quite obvious. Women were now allowed to sit with their husbands and contribute to worships and formal conversations, even going so far as to become rabbis. The Hebrew language was not required, though worship and Jewish texts were still an important part of everyday life.
The Comparison
As Judaism grew more and more popular (although needless to say it was persecuted and pushed down many, many times) it was forced to change. It expanded over the land, and where it landed, was shaped by the area and changing times of that particular region. Of course it (as reflected in Orthadox Judaism) did remain untouched due to faithful followers and perhaps a lack of leniency towards that which cannot be re-written, but otherwise was greatly affected by expansion and time. Though it is often said things have to change because of time, perhaps it should be taken into consideration that things may change because of power. Power is the force that rules modern society, and t with several ways to go about getting it, there is no short source of examples. Greed, money, belief, and respect are all contributing factors in what drives us to succeed, and sometimes the issue is just trying not to be forgotten, as with some religions. Religions and government (unfortunately sometimes a mix of the two) are the greatest limiting factors in modern society, as well (especially so) in ancient times. Rulers were often attributed with having a close connection with the gods, and the kinds in Judaism were no exception. That being said, it was perhaps the lack of moral control held by these religious leaders that lead to Judaism’s corruption as it expanded.