JEWISH BELIEF
2. Handout (either distribute or use as a resource for lecture)
NOTES:
- If the handout is distributed to students, use this opportunity to explain why "God" is written "G-d". First, ask students if they know the reason, and clarify with them that it is out of immense reverence for the Creator that even His name is viewed as sacred. It is as a sign of respect for the holiness of God's name that Jews do not fully write out the word.
- Solicit from students definitions of the words unique, incorporeal, eternal
- The word "halakhah" comes from the root letters h-l-k, which form the stem of the verb "walk", and so halakhah is best rendered as "the way one walks. The emphasis here is on a complete way of lifeconducive to serving and obeying God, rather than a list of laws and rules.
- There is a wonderful story which illustrates the true nature of halakhah: Rabbi Hillel, who lived about two thousand years ago, was visited by a cynical non-believer who told him that he would convert to Judaism if Hillel could teach him the whole of Jewish law in the time he could stand on one foot. The cynic waited, believing he'd found the perfect way to mock the rabbi, but Hillel responded, "What is hateful to yourself, do not do to your fellow man. That is the whole Torah; the rest is just commentary. Now go and study it."
- Vocabulary words: Torah, halakhah, mitzvah (pl. mitzvot), Talmud, kashrut
3. Activity: Have students work in small groups to come up with their own answers to the following questions, and then discuss them as a class.
(a) To show respect for God, Jews do not write out His name. What is one way that
we, as Christians learning from this practice, can show more respect to God?
(b) What is the role of halakhah in Jewish life?
(c) What are some ways that we can fill our day with remembrances of God?
