Introduction to Judaism

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The Burning Bush

"While Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, ...the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire, rising out of a bush...When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look at it, God called to him out of the bush. "Moses, Moses!" he said. "Here I am!" And he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire and the bush was not consumed. (Exodus, III 1,2, 4, 6).

God spoke to Moses and told him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to the promised land with the help of his brother Aaron. Moses and Aaron went to the king of Egypt to ask him to let them lead the Israelites out but the king would not let them go. God showed the king his power and changed the water in the rivers to blood so the people could not drink and all the fish died. But the king would not let them go and so God sent frogs to Egypt. The king then promised to let them go if the frogs went away. The frogs went but the king had lied to Moses and would not let them go. Then came lice. The king still refused. Than came flies. Moses said that God would next make the Egyptians' animals all die. This happened but still the king would not let them go. Then God put bad sores on the people and sent a bad hail storm. Then came grasshoppers who ate all the fruit and green plants. Then came darkness for 3 days and only the Israelites had light in their homes. Then God told Moses that a sickness would come. The oldest child in every Egyptian family would die. Even the king's oldest son would die.

God told Moses how to save the Israelite children. He said each father should get a lamb and kill it and put the lamb's blood on the door. The sickness would pass over the houses with blood. The houses of the Israelites were passed over and their children saved. That night the oldest child of each Egyptian died, even that of the king.

In Judaism this is called the Passover and is observed as a celebration every year.

So then the king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them to take the Israelites out of Egypt. But the king still wanted the Israelites for slaves and so he took his army and chased them. When the Israelites came to the Red Sea they saw the army behind them and thought they would be killed.

Passing Through the Red Sea

"Then the Lord said to Moses: "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariotry and cavalry". So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea... The water returned, and covered the chariotry and cavalry belonging to the whole army of the Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not so much as one being was left" (Exodus, XIV 26-28).

Now the Israelites were free. They traveled for 3 days and needed water.

The Waters Rushing from the Rock

"The Lord said to Moses: "Pass on ahead of the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel; take the staff in your hand with which you struck the Nile, and go on. I will station myself there before you on the rock at Horeb, and when you strike the rock, water will gush out of it, so that the people may drink" (Exodus, XVII 5, 6).

The water came and they traveled on but soon there was no food. God gave them manna to eat. This was like bread and honey. It fell to the ground each morning. For two months they traveled and then they came to Mount Sinai.

Moses Receives the Tablets of the Law

"The Lord said to Moses: "Ascend the mountain to me, and be present there, that I may give you the stone tablets, with the instructions and commands that I have written on them for their instruction...So Moses ascended the mountain, while the cloud covered the mountain, and the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai; for six days the cloud covered it". (Exodus, XXIV 12,15,16).

And he (God) gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him on Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. (Exodus, XXXI, 18).

Moses (Michelangelo) 1513-16

Moses is occasionally shown with horns. These are explained by a mistranslation in the Vulgate. In the Book of Exodus (34:29), it is written that Moses shone brightly when he came down from Mount Sinai after had been given the Tables of the Law. St. Jerome translated the Hebrew verb for shine, similar to the word for horn.

Adoring the Golden Bull

Moses was gone for 40 days and 40 nights. In the meantime the people got tired of waiting for him. They went to Aaron and wanted him to make an idol for them to worship. The idol was made from gold and looked like a calf. They made sacrifices to it and when Moses came down and saw what was going on he was angry. He had the tablets of the law in his hands. He then threw the calf in the fire and told the righteous Israelites to come with him.

Moses Shows His People the Tablets

"When Moses descended from Mount Sinai...Aaron and the Israelites all saw that the skin of Moses' face was in a glow, and they were afraid to approach him....After that all the Israelites came up, and he enjoined on them all the things about which the Lord had conversed with him on Mount Sinai" (Exodus, XXXIV 29, 30, 32).

According to the Pentateuch, what God gave Moses was a set of rules for righteous living. It forbids the people to worship any other gods or anything in the natural world or to create sculptured images of them.

God told Moses that the Israelites should build a tabernacle and told him how to build it. They obeyed and it looked like a tent but was made of gold and silver. Inside was a beautiful box, called the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the stones with the Ten Commandments. The tabernacle was a holy place like a temple. God put a cloud above the tabernacle in the day and a fire above it in the night. When the cloud moved the Israelites took down the tabernacle and carried it with them in the wilderness to follow the cloud.

The Israelites lived at Mount Sinai for a year. But then the cloud went away and they followed it carrying the ark of the covenant in front of them. But they grew tired of the wilderness and even though they were given manna they did not have faith in Moses and wanted to go back to Egypt. God told Moses he would not help them anymore to go to the promised land and told Moses to take them back to the wilderness for the next 40 years. This long time in the wilderness was a test to the people that God would not forsake them.

At the death of Moses, Joshua was commanded to lead the people of Israel across the River Jordan towards the Promised Land which God had not permitted Moses to see.

Crossing the River

"When the People left their tents to cross the Jordan...The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord took their stand on dry ground, right in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan". (Joshua, III 14, 17).

The Fall of Jericho

Joshua led the Israelites to the city of Jericho which was surrounded by a high wall. The gates were closed to keep them out but an angel appeared who told Joshua to have some priests carry the ark of the covenant in front of the army. The army marched with it around the walls for six days. On the seventh day Joshua told all the men to shout. They did and the walls came tumbling down. All the people heard that the Israelites had captured Jericho. They were afraid but the Israelites captured all the promised land . This was the land God had promised to Abraham, Issac and Jacob. God had told Joseph, Moses and Joshua that this land would be the land of Israel. He had kept his promise.

Dividing the Promised Land

"Then the whole Israelite community assembled at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there, the region having been brought into subjection to them...So Joshua cast lots for them at Shiloh before the Lord and there Joshua distributed the land among the Israelites, to each his share". (Joshua, XVIII 1,10).

Joshua divided the land into 12 parts. He gave one part of the land to each tribe of Israel.

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	The Burning Bush "While Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, ...the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire, rising out of a bush...When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look at it, God called to him out of the bush. "Moses, Moses!" he said. "Here I am!" And he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire and the bush was not consumed. (Exodus, III 1,2, 4, 6). God spoke to Moses and told him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to the promised land with the help of his brother Aaron. Moses and Aaron went to the king of Egypt to ask him to let them lead the Israelites out but the king would not let them go. God showed the king his power and changed the water in the rivers to blood so the people could not drink and all the fish died. But the king would not let them go and so God sent frogs to Egypt. The king then promised to let them go if the frogs went away. The frogs went but the king had lied to Moses and would not let them go. Then came lice. The king still refused. Than came flies. Moses said that God would next make the Egyptians' animals all die. This happened but still the king would not let them go. Then God put bad sores on the people and sent a bad hail storm. Then came grasshoppers who ate all the fruit and green plants. Then came darkness for 3 days and only the Israelites had light in their homes. Then God told Moses that a sickness would come. The oldest child in every Egyptian family would die. Even the king's oldest son would die. God told Moses how to save the Israelite children. He said each father should get a lamb and kill it and put the lamb's blood on the door. The sickness would pass over the houses with blood. The houses of the Israelites were passed over and their children saved. That night the oldest child of each Egyptian died, even that of the king. In Judaism this is called the Passover and is observed as a celebration every year. So then the king sent for Moses and Aaron and told them to take the Israelites out of Egypt. But the king still wanted the Israelites for slaves and so he took his army and chased them. When the Israelites came to the Red Sea they saw the army behind them and thought they would be killed.
	Passing Through the Red Sea "Then the Lord said to Moses: "Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may flow back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariotry and cavalry". So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea... The water returned, and covered the chariotry and cavalry belonging to the whole army of the Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not so much as one being was left" (Exodus, XIV 26-28). Now the Israelites were free. They traveled for 3 days and needed water.
	The Waters Rushing from the Rock "The Lord said to Moses: "Pass on ahead of the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel; take the staff in your hand with which you struck the Nile, and go on. I will station myself there before you on the rock at Horeb, and when you strike the rock, water will gush out of it, so that the people may drink" (Exodus, XVII 5, 6). The water came and they traveled on but soon there was no food. God gave them manna to eat. This was like bread and honey. It fell to the ground each morning. For two months they traveled and then they came to Mount Sinai.
	Moses Receives the Tablets of the Law "The Lord said to Moses: "Ascend the mountain to me, and be present there, that I may give you the stone tablets, with the instructions and commands that I have written on them for their instruction...So Moses ascended the mountain, while the cloud covered the mountain, and the glory of the Lord rested on Mount Sinai; for six days the cloud covered it". (Exodus, XXIV 12,15,16). And he (God) gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him on Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. (Exodus, XXXI, 18).
	Moses (Michelangelo) 1513-16 Moses is occasionally shown with horns. These are explained by a mistranslation in the Vulgate. In the Book of Exodus (34:29), it is written that Moses shone brightly when he came down from Mount Sinai after had been given the Tables of the Law. St. Jerome translated the Hebrew verb for shine, similar to the word for horn.
	Adoring the Golden Bull Moses was gone for 40 days and 40 nights. In the meantime the people got tired of waiting for him. They went to Aaron and wanted him to make an idol for them to worship. The idol was made from gold and looked like a calf. They made sacrifices to it and when Moses came down and saw what was going on he was angry. He had the tablets of the law in his hands. He then threw the calf in the fire and told the righteous Israelites to come with him.
	Moses Shows His People the Tablets "When Moses descended from Mount Sinai...Aaron and the Israelites all saw that the skin of Moses' face was in a glow, and they were afraid to approach him....After that all the Israelites came up, and he enjoined on them all the things about which the Lord had conversed with him on Mount Sinai" (Exodus, XXXIV 29, 30, 32). According to the Pentateuch, what God gave Moses was a set of rules for righteous living. It forbids the people to worship any other gods or anything in the natural world or to create sculptured images of them. God told Moses that the Israelites should build a tabernacle and told him how to build it. They obeyed and it looked like a tent but was made of gold and silver. Inside was a beautiful box, called the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the stones with the Ten Commandments. The tabernacle was a holy place like a temple. God put a cloud above the tabernacle in the day and a fire above it in the night. When the cloud moved the Israelites took down the tabernacle and carried it with them in the wilderness to follow the cloud. The Israelites lived at Mount Sinai for a year. But then the cloud went away and they followed it carrying the ark of the covenant in front of them. But they grew tired of the wilderness and even though they were given manna they did not have faith in Moses and wanted to go back to Egypt. God told Moses he would not help them anymore to go to the promised land and told Moses to take them back to the wilderness for the next 40 years. This long time in the wilderness was a test to the people that God would not forsake them. At the death of Moses, Joshua was commanded to lead the people of Israel across the River Jordan towards the Promised Land which God had not permitted Moses to see.
	Crossing the River "When the People left their tents to cross the Jordan...The priests carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord took their stand on dry ground, right in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until the whole nation had finished crossing the Jordan". (Joshua, III 14, 17).
	The Fall of Jericho Joshua led the Israelites to the city of Jericho which was surrounded by a high wall. The gates were closed to keep them out but an angel appeared who told Joshua to have some priests carry the ark of the covenant in front of the army. The army marched with it around the walls for six days. On the seventh day Joshua told all the men to shout. They did and the walls came tumbling down. All the people heard that the Israelites had captured Jericho. They were afraid but the Israelites captured all the promised land . This was the land God had promised to Abraham, Issac and Jacob. God had told Joseph, Moses and Joshua that this land would be the land of Israel. He had kept his promise.
	Dividing the Promised Land "Then the whole Israelite community assembled at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there, the region having been brought into subjection to them...So Joshua cast lots for them at Shiloh before the Lord and there Joshua distributed the land among the Israelites, to each his share". (Joshua, XVIII 1,10). Joshua divided the land into 12 parts. He gave one part of the land to each tribe of Israel.