Jonathan Bacon's Web Site

Judaism

On September 4, 2005, Saul Epstein visited the Adult Sunday School class to discuss Judaism. His first handout with a list of sources appears below.

Speaker Information:

Saul Epstein
webster@lasatha.org

Recommended Books:

Kirsch, Jonathan. The Woman Who Laughed at God
ISBN: 0670030090

Sacks, Jonathan. The Dignity of Difference
ISBN: 0826414435

Recommended Web Sites:

www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0.htm
A complete Hebrew Bible, in Hebrew and English

www.rj.org
Official Web Site of Reform Judaism

www.telshemesh.org
“celebrating and creating earth-based traditions in Judaism”

www.jewfaq.org
“Judaism 101”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judaism
“Judaism” Article @ Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia

Saul also handed out copies of "A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism" (http://ccarnet.org/PrintItem/index.cfm?id=44&type=Articles) and "Genesis, Chapter 1" (http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0101.htm).  The text of an additional handout (outline form) follows:

I.                    About me

A.     Family Background

1.      Mother (RLDS>Jewish)

i.                     Her Father’s People German (Lutheran)

ii.                   Her Mother’s People English (LDS>RLDS)

2.      Jewish Ethnicities

i.                     Śəp_arədi (Roman/Arab)

ii.                   ʔašəkenazi (German/European)

(a)    Religious Branches

(i)      Reform

(ii)    Orthodox

(iii)   Conservative

(b)   Litvak, i.e. Lithuanian (Father’s Parents)

B.     Personal Background

1.      B’nai Jehudah (Reform)

2.      HBHA (Conservative, leaning to Orthodox)

3.      Shawnee Mission, KU

C.     …without Portfolio

II.                 Development

A.     Kənağan (Canaan) — popular, priestly

B.     Yəhudah (Judah) — state, opposition

C.     Babylon — collection, preservation, contemplation

D.     Persia — Concentration, Universion, Separation

E.      Rome — Familiar Strangeness

F.      America — a Kingdom of Priests

III.               Generalities

A.     Life Cycle

1.      Bərit Milah/Zəbed haBat

2.      Bəney (Bar/Bat) Mis.vah

3.      Marriage

4.      Death

B.     Seasonal Cycle

1.      Daily

i.                     Day Begins and Ends at Sundown

ii.                   Morning, Afternoon, Evening Prayers

iii.                  Hand-washing, Eating, Grace after Meals

2.      Weekly

i.                     Scripture Recitation Monday, Thursday, Saturday

ii.                   Sabbath

3.      Monthly

i.                     Counted by the Moon

ii.                   Year of 12 Months, 29-30 Days Each

iii.                  Short of Sun’s Year by ~11 Days

iv.                 “Leap Year” Adds a Month, Usually Every 3^rd Year

4.      Yearly

i.                     Summer (March-August)

(a)    Peśaħ (Passover)

(b)   Šabuwot (Pentecost)

(c)    Tamuz-ʔab

ii.                   Winter (September-February)

(a)    “New Year”

(b)   Yom Kipur

(c)    Śukot (Tabernacles)

(d)   Ħanukah

(e)    15 (T.uw) biŠəba t.

(f)     Purim (Esther)

5.      Sabbatical, Jubilee

IV.              Issues with the Text

A.     Specialness a Matter of Particularity, Not Exclusivity

B.     Distinctions Describe Arguments within Cultures, Not between Them

C.     Commandments (613, 10, 4?)

D.     View of History as God’s Plan Emerged during and after Exile

E.      Orthopraxis and Orthodoxy

F.      Hebraism, Israelitism, Juditism, Judaism

G.     Exodus

1.      Does Not Depict Israelites as Loosely-Related

2.      Promoted as a Metaphor for the End of Exile

3.      Election — to dilute the suffering of others?!

H.     What Constitutes Jewish Identity?

1.      Ethnicity, Nationality, Religion

2.      Authority

3.      Israel