Moses Maimonides : A Scholar Of The Middle Ages Who Decoded

The Mishnah, the 1st part of the Talmud, an important Jewish work compiled in A.D. 200 regarding Judaism's Oral Law

The Tanakh, the Talmud, and the Mishnah are three very vital pieces in Judaism. They are very important collections of Scriptures that are central to the Jewish way of life and practices. The Tankakh includes the teachings and stories of Judaism; the Torah, the Book of Ruth, Ecclesiastes, et cetera. The Talmud and the Mishnah are collections of interpretations of the teachings given in the Torah and other teachings. Various rabbis give their input on what Yawheh truly meant in his commandments and try to teach other Jews how they should follow them. The Tanakh, Talmud, and Mishnah are all central pieces to what makes Judaism what it is.

William Manchester divides the period of time from A.D. 400 to roughly the 1600s into three parts in A World Lit Only By Fire. The first part, entitled “The Medieval Mind,” is how the standards of living and the overall wellbeing of the people living in that time were and how education was virtually nonexistent. The book then shifts to the second section, entitled “The Shattering,” this section describes the intellectual movements and activities, such as the Protestant Reformation, that ended up destroying the Medieval Mindset and replacing it with a mindset that questions everything about authority. The third and final section of Manchester’s novel is entitled, “One Man Alone.” This section focuses on Magellan and the three year voyage of

Judaism, which originated in the middle east, is one of the oldest religions in the world. Judaism is the religion from where Catholicism and Islam have their roots. The main difference between Judaism and the previously mentioned religions is that Judaism is based on the old testament entirely excluding the new testaments in its teachings. Jews believe that they are the people chosen by God and that because of the covenant they have the duty, more than any other group of people, to keep the law of God. The law of God in Judaism comes in the form of the Torah. The books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, which are said to have been written by Moses, form the Torah.

Early modern Jewish history is filled with depth and knowledge that captivated and cultivated the religion into what it would become. An important part of the history were the ideologies and philosophies of Moses Mendelssohn. Considered the first modern Jewish philosopher and a shaper of Judaism, Mendelssohn was the start of what would become the Jewish Enlightenment. Being the first person to translate the Bible from Hebrew to German, he opened up the door for Jews to rediscover and enhance their knowledge. A writer and philosopher, several of Mendelssohn's writings were highly successful and considered a herald to a new way of thinking. While many of his writings received praise from people of different parts, critiques arose, including

The Torah, which refers to all sacred Jewish texts, is the origin for all Jewish teachings. *

Maimonides searched out the heart of Jewish tradition and codified it in the Mishnah and Torah. He said, “I wish to help the common man out of his confusion so he may be able to rest and be at peace.” Towards the end of the Golden Age it would

Judaism is different from Islam and Christianity in surprisingly different ways considering that this was the starting religion and all other religions branched off from here. Jews believe that the Torah is the most important part of the holy book, which is called Tenakh and is written in Hebrew. The holy book has three distinct parts called Neviim, Ketuvim, and torah. They believe that about 3,000 years ago, God gave the torah to Moses, Judaism’s most important prophet. Judaism’s rituals involve breaking of Shabbat bread, and sharing wine. They worship on Friday evening and Saturday morning. They come together at a Holy building called a synagogue to pray. Jews are orthodox, conservative and reformed.

Although it is argued that rabbis began work on compiling the oral histories prior to the fall of the Second Temple, there was a definite resurgence in documentation of the important history and moral laws of Judaism after the fall. The most important of these written documents in the Jewish faith is the Hebrew Bible. This bible is comprised of the Torah, Nevi’im and Ketuvim, these three components combine to make up the Tanakh. The Torah is the core of the Hebrew Bible and contains the story of creation, as well as directions on daily conduct and religious rituals. The Nevi’im contains the stories of prophets. The prophets were people that spoke on behalf of God to the Jewish people. Lastly, the Ketuvim is comprised of mostly imaginative literature such as psalms, proverbs and poetry (Molloy, 294). Shifting the focus from priests and temple to a written work that is accessible to all regardless of location was the main adaptation of Judaism and certainly saved the faith. Although the historical accuracy of the Hebrew Bible is debatable, as some stories may have morphed from their origination to when they were assembled in writing, the bible still remains at the core of Judaism today.

The mitzvoth are the centrepiece of Judaism because it encompasses every aspect of Jewish day to day life. Jewish people are able to demonstrate their faithfulness to god and the Torah through the way of the mitzvoth. Differentiating from other legal systems, mitzvah rule gives the promise

The Jewish faith consists of founding principles that are quoted in the Tenak and Talmud. It is through the principle beliefs that Jewish adherents are conscious of God’s monotheism, The Covenant and the importance of divinely inspired moral law. Variants across Judaism including Hasidic and the Reform Jewish Movement, uphold differing interpretations of these beliefs which are reflected through their practices of faith everyday.

Once a faith centered on priesthood, sacrificial rituals, communal gatherings and oral traditions, the people of the Jewish religion decided to restructure the faith around written scripture. Although it is argued that rabbis began work on compiling the oral histories prior to the fall of the Second Temple, there was a marked resurgence in documentation of the important history and moral laws of Judaism after the fall (Molloy, 291). The Jewish people felt a sense of urgency to finish the written works. They believed the incorporation of written word into Judaism would help to solidify their place in the religious world, as well as make the faith easier to correctly interpret among their own vastly dispersed people (BBC, 2009).

The history of the Jewish faith begins with the Hebrew bible or the Tanankh which has been referred to as the old testament by Christians (Fisher, 2005). The history begins with Moses who led the people according to gods commandments. This includes new teachings and a book called the Talmund. The Jewish people believe that if they obey God’s commands in turn God will deliver on promises he had made to them. The Torah is a set of rules that was given to the Jewish people by Moses. It contains rules for living a moral

It is estimated that around 3.8 billion people in the world follow a religion that has either branched off of or has been significantly influenced by Judaism. Judaism is an ancient religion from the Middle East based off of the Hebrew Torah that teaches devotion to an all-powerful monotheistic God and the reality of an afterlife. Although only accounting for a tiny percent of the world’s religious followers, Judaism has had a greater impact on the world than any other religion in the history of mankind. The foundations of Judaism teach truths held by the world’s most prominent religions.

Over thousands of years, the religion of Judaism has evolved. With years of suffering, persecution, and dispersion the Jews’ religion stays constant. When researching the religion, the history is extremely strong, and the doctrine of the religion dates back thousands of years. With such a vast history, one might want to examine the change into modern society.