​IB Exam Material

Know:

• Yahweh is the acknowledgement of the covenant of the One God

• God and his people enter into a covenant

• This covenant is a responsibility and partnership, and includes the entire people of Israel

• Jews identify themselves as the descendants of Abraham

• All who follow the "law" of the covenant will find salvation

• Jewish people are "the chosen people"

• God is the absolute oneness and uniqueness of God

• The most important verse in the bible is the Shema Yisrael. This is a central prayer.

• People must honor the commandment of not worshiping false images of God

• Though God appears in many forms, he is still one God.

• "Elohim" is a Hebrew word for God used in the Bible

• The central message of Judaism is that God is the creator of all things, he controls all things, and he is one, nothing can be compared to him.

• God knows all things

• Man is created in God's image

• The man is mad from the dust of the earth (clay)

• People are in charge of their own actions, they were given the power of reasoning or free in order to have the ability to make their own decisions.

• Sin is considered a rebellion against God

• A child becomes an adult in the eyes of the synagogue when he or she turns 13

• This is often but not always celebrated with a bar or bat mitzvah

• The synagogue is the center of the Jewish community

• Pesach and Tirishi are important holidays in the Jewish calendar

• Small scrolls are usually present at each doorway called Mesuzah

• Jewish dietary laws are known as kashrut

• A kosher diet is usually followed, meaning no pork, no combining dairy and meat, no shellfish and other restrictions

• This is partially because pigs are considered to be unclean animals

• A prayer of thanksgiving is said before meals

• Jews have been persecuted constantly since biblical times, in the crusades and during World War II, though this is not the extent of their troubles.

 

Don't know:

• Jews believe that their faith will be judged more severely than people of other religions.

• However, they have not sinned more, they are only punished more severely

• Because of this, the covenant is considered a burden and obligation in addition to a great honor.

• The state of being "chosen" by God is unfathomable

• One of God's many names is "the Eternal", which represents his omnipresence

• The "actual sin against God" is falling away from God and praying to other gods or idols.

• "Teshuvah" is the Hebrew word for remorse, and translates directly to "returning", meaning the people are returning to their natural and original human state

• A person had experience suffering in three ways: a punishment, a test or the atonement suffering of the righteous

• "Navi" means the prophet of the word

• Every child is given a Jewish name along with their first name. This Jewish name will be used as they are called to the Torah throughout  their life

• Jews follow a "Jewish year" which is based on the lunar calendar of 354 days

• Learning is considered a religious duty

• The "written Torah" is always complimented with the "oral Torah"

• From an early age, children attend Hebrew school or "Talmud school" in preparation for their bat/bar mitzvah

• Knowing the Hebrew language is highly valued

• The word "synagogue" means assembly or community

• Cleanliness of the animals does not refer to their literal state of being clean, but the purity that they represent to God.

• Eschatology is the idea that God is first and last, and history unfolds between the creation and completion of man.

• Ancient literature describes the promise land as the center of the world

•  In biblical times when people were let go exile, it was believed that God never abandoned them.