The Growth of Judaism - 6th Grade Social...

The Growth of Judaism

Looking Back, Looking AheadIn Section 2, you learned that the

Chaldeans forced thousands of Jewsto go to Babylon. Life in Babylon wasvery difficult. Many of Judah’s peoplelooked to their religion for hope andstrength.

Focusing on the • The Jews continued their religion

during their exile in Babylon. (page 214)

• Jews spread their beliefs to the Greekworld and regained control of Judah.(page 215)

• Religion shaped the Jewish way oflife. (page 217)

• Under Roman rule, the Jews weredivided and rebellious. In response,the Romans destroyed the templeand exiled the Jews. (page 220)

Locating PlacesBabylon (BA•buh• luhn)

Meeting PeopleJudas Maccabeus

(JOO•duhs MAK•uh•BEE•uhs)Herod (HEHR•uhd)Zealot (ZEH• luht)Yohanan ben Zaccai

(YOH•kah•nahn behn zah•KY)

Content Vocabularyexile (EHG•ZYL)Sabbath (SA•buhth)synagogue (SIH•nuh•GAHG)Diaspora (dy•AS•pruh)messiah (muh•SY•uh)rabbi (RA•BY)

Academic Vocabularyseries (SIHR•eez)version (VUHR•zhuhn)trace (TRAYS)

Reading StrategySummarizing Information Use adiagram to describe the Maccabees.

Maccabees

538 B.C.Cyrus allows Jewsto return to Judah

168 B.C.Judas Maccabeus rebels againstAntiochus

A.D. 66Jews revoltagainst Romans

600 B.C. 250 B.C. A.D. 100600 B.C. 250 B.C. A.D. 100

Jerusalem

Babylon

CHAPTER 3 • The Ancient Israelites 213

HistorySocial ScienceStandardsWH6.3 Studentsanalyze the geographic,political, economic,religious, and socialstructures of theAncient Hebrews.

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WH6.3.2 Identify the sources of the ethical teachings and central beliefs of Judaism (the Hebrew Bible, the Commentaries): belief inGod, observance of law, practice of the concepts of righteousness and justice, and importance of study; and describe how the ideas ofthe Hebrew traditions are reflected in the moral and ethical traditions of Western civilization.

Exile and ReturnThe Jews continued their religion during

their exile in Babylon.

Reading Connection Have you ever learned some-

thing important by experiencing a hardship? Read on to

find out what lessons the Jews learned from hard times.

The Jews called their time in Babylon anexile (EHG • ZYL). This means they wereforced to leave their homeland. Duringtheir exile, the Israelite religion becamewhat we call Judaism.

While in Babylon (BA • buh • luhn), smallgroups of Jews met on the Sabbath (SA •buhth). This was their weekly day of wor-ship and rest. The Jewish Sabbath goesfrom sundown Friday to sundownSaturday. These weekly meetings tookplace at synagogues (SIH • nuh • GAHGS), orJewish houses of worship. The synagoguemeetings gave the people hope.

Why Did Jews Return to Judah? Duringthe 500s B.C., a group of people calledPersians swept across southwest Asia. ThePersians defeated the Chaldeans and tookover Babylon. In 538 B.C. the Persian kingCyrus permitted Jews to return to Judah.

Some Jews stayed in Babylon, but manywent home. They rebuilt Jerusalem and thetemple. Cyrus appointed officials to rule thecountry and collected taxes from the peo-ple. The Persians did not allow the Jews tohave their own government or king, so theJews depended mainly on their religiousleaders—the temple priests and scribes—torun their society.

Many scribes became religious scholars.Under a scribe named Ezra, the Jews wrotethe five books of the Torah on pieces ofparchment. They sewed the pieces togetherto make long scrolls. The Torah and writ-ings that were added later made up theHebrew Bible.

Torah scrolls are carried in decorated casessuch as this one from the main synagoguein Jerusalem. What larger text is made up of the Torah and other important writings?

214

A rabbi reads from the Torah.

Torah scrolls

ety-r

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WH6.3.4 Discuss the locations of the settlements and movements of Hebrew peoples, including the Exodus and their movement toand from Egypt, and outline the significance of the Exodus to the Jewish and other people.

The Jews and the GreeksJews spread their beliefs to the Greek

world and regained control of Judah.

Reading Connection How do you show loyalty to

friends and family? Read to learn how Jews showed loy-

alty to their religion and country.

In 334 B.C. a Greek king namedAlexander the Great began taking overkingdoms around the Mediterranean. In331 B.C. his armies defeated the Persians, soJudah came under his control. Alexanderallowed the Jews to stay in Judah. However,Alexander, who loved all things Greek,introduced the Greek language and Greekways to Judah.

What Was the Diaspora? At the time,Jews were living throughout Alexander’sempire. Many still lived in Babylon. Somelived in Egypt and other lands around theMediterranean Sea. The scattering of theJews outside of Israel and Judah becameknown as the Diaspora (dy • AS • pruh).

What Is in the Hebrew Bible? The HebrewBible is really a series of 34 books collectedtogether. The Torah, the Prophets, and theWritings that were added later make up theHebrew Bible. Some of these books describeevents in Jewish history, others are books ofpoetry, literature, and proverbs.

For example, Genesis, the first book ofthe Torah, tells how God created the earthin six days and rested on the seventh day.He also created the first man and woman,Adam and Eve. Genesis also tells how Godpunished the world for its bad behavior. InGenesis, God tells Noah to build an ark, orlarge boat. Noah, his family, and two ofevery animal on Earth boarded the ark.Then a great flood covered the land, andonly those on the ark escaped drowning.After the flood, God promised to neveragain destroy the world with a flood.

Genesis also explains why the world has many languages. It tells how the peoplein the city of Babel tried to build a tower toheaven. God disapproved and made thepeople speak in different languages, thenscattered them across the earth.

The Jews Look to the Future Parts of theHebrew Bible describe God’s plan for apeaceful future. The book of Danieladdresses this issue. Daniel lived inBabylon and was a trusted adviser of theking. However, he refused to worshipBabylonian gods. The Chaldeans threwDaniel into a lion’s den, but God protectedDaniel from the lions. The story was meantto remind Jews that God would rescuethem.

The Jews believed that evil and suffer-ing would eventually be replaced by good-ness. Christians and Muslims share thisidea of good triumphing over evil.

Identify Who allowed theJews to return to Judah?


According to the Hebrew Bible, Daniel is throwninto a lion’s den for refusing to worship theBabylonian gods. God, however, kept Daniel safefrom the lions. What lesson did this storypresent to the Jews?

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Diaspora is a Greek word that means “scat-tered.”

Many Jews of the Diaspora learned theGreek language and Greek ways butremained loyal to Judaism. A group of themcopied the Hebrew Bible into Greek. ThisGreek version helped people who were notJews to read and understand the HebrewBible. As a result, Jewish ideas spreadthroughout the Mediterranean world.

Who Were the Maccabees? In 168 B.C. aGreek ruler named Antiochus (an • TY • uhkuhs) controlled Judah. He decided to makethe Jews of Judah worship Greek gods andgoddesses. A priest named Judas Maccabeus

(JOO • duhs MAK • uh • BEE • uhs) and his fol-lowers rebelled. They fled to the hills andformed an army known as the Maccabees.

After many battles, the Maccabees drovethe Greeks out of Judah. They destroyed all traces of Greek gods and goddesses intheir temple and rededicated it to the wor-ship of God. Each year Jews recall thecleansing of the temple when they celebrateHanukkah (HAH •nuh •kuh).

Priests from Judas Maccabeus’s familybecame the new rulers of Judah. Undertheir leadership, Judah took over land thathad been part of the kingdom of Israel.

Analyze How did Alexanderthe Great affect the Israelites?

Timeof Year

Name

September or October

Length

Passover

Rosh Hoshana

Yom Kippur

Hanukkah

April

September or October

2 days

8 days (7 in Israel)

25 hours

Reason for the Holy Day

to celebrate the Jewish New Year

to celebrate the escape of the Jews from slavery in Egypt and their return to the Promised Land

to make amends for sins of the past year

Customs

plan changes for the new year; no work; synagogue services; a shofar (horn) is blown in synagogues

foods with leavening are not eaten to remember the haste of the flight from slavery to freedom whenthere was not time for thebread to rise

no work; synagogue services; pray; fast; apologize for wrongs during the past year

December 8 days to celebrate religious freedom and the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem

light candles each night; eat fried foods; play a game called dreidel; give gifts

Major Jewish Holy DaysMajor Jewish Holy Days

A menorah is an eight-branched candlestand used by Jews to celebrate Hanukkah.

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WH6.3.2 Identify the sources of the ethical teachings and central beliefs of Judaism (the Hebrew Bible, the Commentaries): belief inGod, observance of law, practice of the concepts of righteousness and justice, and importance of study; and describe how the ideas ofthe Hebrew traditions are reflected in the moral and ethical traditions of Western civilization.

Jews still wear headcoverings, but only the most

conservative—Orthodox Jews—wearthem at all times. Most Jewish men wear

skull caps called yarmulkes. Jewish womenwear scarves or skull caps.

Head Coverings

Under Greek rule, Jewish leaders begancovering their heads to distinguish themselvesfrom the Greeks and to remind themselves tothink about God. Gradually, all Jewish menstarted wearing turbans or skull caps.Jewish women always kept their headscovered because a woman’s hair wasconsidered very private.

Ancient Jewish head covering

Jews in modern-day head coverings


The Jewish Way of Life

Religion shaped the Jewish way of life.

Reading Connection What types of things influence

the way you live? Read to find out how religion influ-

enced Jewish life.

Jewish law set out many rules for Jews tofollow that affected their daily life. These lawsinfluenced their education, the foods they ate,and even the clothes they wore. They alsorequired Jews to provide for the poor, visitthe sick, do good deeds, give to charity, andapply just laws to rich and poor alike. The

laws emphasized self-control and remindedJews of their religion.

Jewish Clothing Jewish law forbade mixingsome fabrics. So women used flax or woolto make cloth but did not combine the two.

Jewish men wore tunics made of linen.Some men layered another tunic on top. Incold weather, they wore wool or sheepskincloaks. On their heads, they wore caps orturbans. On their feet, they wore sandals.Women draped themselves in long, simpledresses. They covered their heads withshawls. Wealthy women wore leathershoes, makeup, and jewelry.

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Education in Ancient Israel and JudahEarly Israelites placed a high value oneducation. Rabbis—Jewish religiousteachers—taught their followers, “If youhave knowledge, you have everything.”

Fathers taught their young sons thecommandments. They also taught themabout the meanings of Jewish traditionsand holy feasts. At age five, boys wentto a school that was connected with the synagogue. There, the hazan, aspecial teacher of the synagogue, taughtthem the Torah. Everything the studentslearned—from the alphabet to Jewishhistory—they learned from the Torah.

Jewish laws decided the stages ofstudents’ education. Different subjectswere introduced at the ages of 5, 10,and 13. Most Jewish boys finished their education at age 13. At that age,boys became adults.

Connecting to the Past1. Why was education important to the

ancient Israelites?

2. What was a father’s role in his son’seducation?

Family Life The Jews placed great impor-tance on family. Sons were especially val-ued because they carried on the familyname. Upon a father’s death, the sonbecame head of the family.

Education was also important. Jewishchildren’s first teachers were their mothers.When sons grew old enough, fathers taughtthem how to earn an income and to wor-ship God. Later, elders took over the reli-gious education of boys and taught themthe Torah. Because reading the Torah wascentral to Jewish life, religious teachersbecame important community leaders.

Mothers educated their daughters athome. The girls learned to be good wives,mothers, and housekeepers. This includedlearning Jewish laws about food and clothing. They also learned about the coura-geous women of ancient Israel. One of thesewomen was named Ruth. Her biographyappears on the next page. Her courage anddevotion to her family provided an exam-ple for Jewish girls to follow.

The Jewish Diet Under Jewish law, Jewscould eat only certain animals. For example,they could eat beef and lamb but not pork.They could eat scaly fish, like salmon, butnot shellfish or smooth-skinned fish, likeeels. Laws about food are known as kashrut,which means “that which is proper.”

Today, food that is prepared according toJewish dietary laws is called kosher. Animalsused for kosher meat must be killed in aspecial way. The meat must be inspected,salted, and soaked. To be kosher, Jews mustnot cook or eat milk products with meat.

In ancient times, everyday meals weremade up of fish, fruit, vegetables, and bar-ley bread. Beverages included mainly milk,water, wine, and beer.

Analyze Why were sonsespecially valued in ancient Jewish society?

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RUTH ANDNAOMITo show the importance of family love and

devotion, Jewish girls learned about therelationship between Ruth and Naomi. The Bookof Ruth in the Hebrew Bible tells about Ruth’slife and of her dedication to her mother-in-law,Naomi. Years before, there was so little food inBethlehem that Naomi, her husband, and theirtwo sons moved to the kingdom of Moab. There,one of their sons met Ruth and married her.Tragically, Naomi’s husband and both of hersons died. Naomi wanted to return toBethlehem, but she urged Ruth to stay in Moabwith her parents and friends. Ruth refused toleave Naomi by herself. She insisted on travelingwith her to Bethlehem. Ruth said to Naomi,“Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you lodge;I will lodge; your people shall be my people, andyour God my God.”

Naomi and Ruth arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. BecauseRuth was from Moab, she was considered an outsider by the Israelites. Furthermore,because Ruth was a widow and did not have children, she did not have any propertyrights. To survive in Bethlehem, she had to rely upon her mother-in-law’s advice and thekindness of a wealthy landowner named Boaz.

During the harvest, Ruth worked in Boaz’s fields, gathering grain left behind on theground by the reapers. It was hard work that began at dawn and ended at dusk, but Ruthnever complained. She soon earned the respect and admiration of her new people. Intime, Ruth married Boaz. They had a son named Obed. In the Hebrew Bible, at the end ofthe Book of Ruth, Obed is named as the grandfather of David, the future king of Israel.

To survive in Bethlehem, Ruth had to rely onNaomi and Boaz. If a present-day woman movedto a new city, what resources would she use tohelp her find work, shelter, and other necessities?

WH6.3.3 Explain the significance ofAbraham, Moses, Naomi, Ruth, David, andYohanan ben Zaccai in the development ofthe Jewish religion.

Naomi and Ruth

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WH6.3.2 Identify the sources of the ethical teachings and central beliefs of Judaism (the Hebrew Bible, the Commentaries): belief inGod, observance of law, practice of the concepts of righteousness and justice, and importance of study; and describe how the ideas ofthe Hebrew traditions are reflected in the moral and ethical traditions of Western civilization. WH6.3.3 Explain the significance ofAbraham, Moses, Naomi, Ruth, David, and Yohanan ben Zaccai in the development of the Jewish religion. WH6.3.5 Discuss howJudaism survived and developed despite the continuing dispersion of much of the Jewish population from Jerusalem and the rest ofIsrael after the destruction of the second Temple in A.D. 70.

The Jews and the RomansUnder Roman rule, the Jews were

divided and rebellious. In response, the Romansdestroyed the temple and exiled the Jews.

Reading Connection Do you consider freedom

worth fighting for? Read to find out what happened to

the Jews after they fought for their freedom.

In 63 B.C. a people known as the Romansconquered Judah. Led by powerful generals,the Romans were intent on expanding theirempire. The Roman capital was far to thewest in what is today the country of Italy.When the Romans conquered Judah, theyrenamed it Judaea (joo•DEE•uh). At first, theRomans allowed Jewish rulers to run Judaea.

The Rule of King Herod The most famousruler of Judaea during this time was KingHerod (HEHR • uhd). He is known for theadditions he made to the Jewish temple inJerusalem. He made the temple one of themost awe-inspiring buildings in the Romanworld.

Shortly after Herod died, the Romansreplaced the Jewish king with Roman offi-cials. The Jews were divided over the bestway to deal with the Romans. Differentgroups had different opinions about thebest course of action.

One group of Jews was known as thePharisees (FAR • uh • seez). They taught theTorah and that people should strictly obeyits teachings. They also taught how to applythe Torah’s laws to daily life. In doing so,they helped make Judaism a religion of thehome and family. The Pharisees also taughtin synagogues and were supported by thecommon people.

One of the main teachings that set thePharisees apart from other groups was theirsupport of the oral traditions. These wereteachings of Jewish leaders and interpreta-tions of Jewish writings that had beenpassed down over time by word of mouth.The Pharisees believed the oral traditionswere very important in helping peopleobey the commandments.

The Sadducees (SA • juh • SEEZ) alsoaccepted the Torah. However, they weremore concerned about how it applied to thepriests in the Temple. This was becausemany of them were priests and scribes.They did not agree with many of thePharisees’ teachings. For example, they didnot hold to the oral traditions. Instead, theyemphasized the law and commandments.

220 CHAPTER 3 • The Ancient Israelites

Dead Sea ScrollsIn A.D. 1947 shepherd boys in theJudaean desert near the Dead Seafound the first of the Dead Sea Scrollsin a cave. The Dead Sea Scrolls areancient scrolls of leather, papyrus, andone of copper written between 200B.C. and A.D. 68. The documents includethe oldest complete copy of the bookof Isaiah and pieces of many otherbooks of the Hebrew Bible. Mostscholars believe that the scrolls werepart of a library that belonged to anearly Jewish community.

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Today Jews come to the Western Wall to pray. What structure is theWestern Wall the remains of?

A third group was called Essenes (ih •SEENZ). They were priests who broke awayfrom the Temple in Jerusalem. ManyEssenes lived together in the desert. Theyspent their lives praying and waiting forGod to deliver the Jews from the Romans.Like the Sadducees, they followed the writ-ten law strictly.

In A.D. 1947 ancient scrolls were foundin caves near the Dead Sea. Because of this,they became known as the Dead Sea Scrolls.The scrolls have helped historians under-stand more about Judaism during Romantimes.

Jewish Revolts During the A.D. 60s, Jewishhatred of Roman rule was at its peak. ManyJews were waiting for a messiah (muh • SY •

uh), or deliverer sent by God. Other Jewsknown as Zealots (ZEH • luhts) wanted tofight the Romans for their freedom.

In A.D. 66 the Zealots revolted againstthe Romans and drove them out ofJerusalem. Four years later, the Romansretook Jerusalem. They killed thousands ofJews and forced many others to leave. TheRomans also destroyed the temple inJerusalem. The Western Wall is all thatremains of it today.

This was a very difficult time for theJews, but they were able to keep the city ofJerusalem. For a number of years they wereable to prosper despite not being able togovern their own lands.

Eventually some Jews decided theywere willing to fight for freedom again. In

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A.D. 132 a military leader named Simon BarKochba led the Jews successfully in battleagainst the Romans. However, three yearslater, the Romans crushed the revolt. BarKochba and many Jewish leaders werekilled during the fighting.

This time, the Romans forbade Jews tolive in or even visit Jerusalem. The city wasdestroyed. The Romans began calling theregion of Judah by the name of Palestine.This name refers to the Philistines, whomthe Israelites had conquered years before.

Jewish Teachers Despite losing their land,the Jews managed to survive. They nolonger had priests. Instead, leaders calledrabbis (RA• BYZ) became important. The pri-mary role of the rabbis was to teach from theTorah to interpret its meanings, and to pro-vide guidance to the people in their care.

One of the most famous rabbis wasYohanan ben Zaccai (YOH• kah• nahn behnzah• KY). Zaccai was a Pharisee who had animportant political influence during theRoman rule of Judaea. Although theRomans sacked Jerusalem in A.D. 70because of the Jewish revolt, Zaccai con-vinced the Romans not to destroy theJewish city of Yavneh. Instead, they allowedhim to settle there and found a school tocontinue teaching the Jews.

Zaccai helped Judaism survive thedestruction and loss of the temple. Heplaced great emphasis on the study of theTorah. He also emphasized acts of lovingkindness. As a result of his efforts, Zaccai’sschool became a center of Torah studies forhundreds of years. Other rabbis foundedTorah schools in places as far away asBabylon and Egypt.

One of the Ten Commandments tellsJews to keep the Sabbath holy. Part ofthe Talmud declares that most types ofwork and business are not allowed onthe Sabbath, or Jewish day of worship.This passage identifies the only times itis okay to break those rules.

“One is permitted to remove debris onthe Sabbath in order to save a life or toact for the benefit of the community; andwe may assemble in the synagogue onthe Sabbath to conduct public business[i.e., matters of community concern].”

—The Talmud for Today,Rabbi Alexander Feinsilver,

trans. and ed. Why do you think these exceptions weremade for the benefit of the community?

The Talmud Jews reading the Talmud today

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The rabbis wanted to save and pass onteachings about the Torah. They did this bycombining their teachings into books calledcommentaries. The Talmud is the mostimportant book of commentaries. It dealswith almost every aspect of daily life,including agricultural activities, feasts,prayer and marriages. To this day, theTalmud remains an important record ofJewish law.

For 2,000 years, most Jews lived outsideof Palestine. They lived throughout theMediterranean world and migrated evenfarther to Southeast Asia, Central Europe,Russia, and eventually the United States. Inthese places, they made notable contribu-tions to commerce, the professions, andintellectual life, and they also often facedhatred and persecution. In A.D. 1948Palestine was divided, and a new Jewishnation called Israel was created.

Explain How did theRoman conquest affect the Jews?


Reading SummaryReview the • During their exile in Babylon, the

Jews developed their religion,which is based upon the Hebrew Bible.

• Jews spread their ideas to theGreek world. About 168 B.C.,they fought the Greeks for control of Judah.

• Religious laws concerning foodand clothing affected everydayJewish life.

• In 63 B.C. Judah was taken overby the Roman Empire.

1. What was the Diaspora?

2. What was education like withina Jewish family?

Critical Thinking3. Organizing Information

Draw a table to describe thedifferences between thesethree Jewish groups.

4. Summarize How did the Jewspractice their religion duringthe exile in Babylon?

5. Identify Who was Yohananben Zaccai, and why was heimportant?

6. Do you thinkthat Jewish beliefs and valueswould have spread so widely ifIsrael and Judah had not beenconquered by other peoples?Explain.

7. Persuasive Writing Imagineyou are living in Judaea duringthe Roman conquest. Write aletter to a friend describingwhat you think about theRomans and what actions youwould like to see taken tomake Judaea free again.

CA 6WS1.1; 6WA2.5

CA HI2.

CA 6RC2.3

CA 6RC2.0

CA 6RC2.2

What Did You Learn?

Pharisees Sadducees Essenes

The Dead Sea Scrollswere damaged andhad to be put togetherpiece by piece.

Restoration of theDead Sea Scrolls

Study Central Need help understandingJudaism? Visit ca.hss.glencoe.com and click onStudy Central.

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http://ca.hss.glencoe.com

Noah and the Ark

According to the Hebrew Bible, at the timeof Noah, people throughout the earth hadbecome wicked. God sent a flood to destroythem, but saved Noah and his family.

And God said to Noah, “I have deter-mined to make an end of all flesh, for theearth is filled with violence through them.Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.Make yourself an ark. . . .

For behold, I will bring a flood of watersupon the earth to destroy all flesh in whichis the breath of life under heaven. Every-thing that is on the earth shall die. . . . andyou shall come into the ark, you, your sons,your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.

And of every living thing of all flesh, youshall bring two of every sort into the ark. . . .

Noah entered the ark with his family and theanimals. It then rained for 40 days and nights.Then God commanded them to leave the ark.

Then God said to Noah and to his sonswith him, “Behold I establish my covenantwith you . . . that never again shall all fleshbe cut off by the waters of the flood, andnever again shall there be a flood todestroy the earth.” And God said, “This isthe sign of the covenant that I makebetween me and you. . . . I have set mybow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign ofthe covenant between me and the earth.”

—Genesis 6:13, 14, 17, 18, 19;Genesis 9:8, 9, 11, 12, 13

Words to Live ByMost ancient people in the Middle East believed that the deity

they worshiped had chosen them for a special relationship. Theancient Israelites believed they had a special relationship with Godand that God had given them specific instructions on how to live andact. These instructions were included in the Hebrew Bible.

Read the following passages on pages 224 and 225, and answer the questions that follow.

ark: a shipcovenant (KUHV•nuhnt): in the Hebrew

Bible, the solemn promises God madeto humans

bow: a rainbow

haughty (HAH•tee): too proudabomination (uh•BAH•muh•NAY•

shuhn): something hatefulhumility (hyoo•MIH•luh•tee): modesty

Reader’s Dictionary


Torah scrolls

WH6.3 Students analyze thegeographic, political, economic,religious, and social structures of the Ancient Hebrews.

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Proverbs

Proverbs are short sayings that share a truth orobservation in a way that is easy to remember.The Book of Proverbs in the Hebrew Bible con-tains a collection of parables and sayings, someabout everyday life and some more spiritual innature.

Pride goes before destruction,and a haughty spirit before a fall.

—Proverbs 16:18

Whoever gives thought to the word will discover good,

and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD.

—Proverbs 16:20

He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous

are both alike an abomination to the LORD.

—Proverbs 17:15

The reward for humility and fear of the LORDis riches and honor and life.

—Proverbs 22:4

Singing the Praises of God

The Book of Psalms of the Hebrew Bible containssacred songs or hymns that were sung in worshipin the temple. They tell about the Israelites’ rela-tionship with God. Following is a psalm that wasattributed to David, the second king of Israel.

Hear my cry, O God,listen to my prayer;from the end of the earth I call to youwhen my heart is faint.Lead me to the rockthat is higher than I,for you have been my refuge,a strong tower against the enemy.

—Psalm 61:1–3


A picture of the Ark of the Covenant

Noah and the Ark

1. Why do you think God chose to make acovenant with Noah?

2. Why did God tell Noah to bring two of everyliving thing, male and female, into the ark?

3. What was the sign God gave that he wouldnot cover the earth with a flood again?

Proverbs

4. Rewrite in your own words what you thinkeach of the proverbs means.

Singing the Praises of God

5. What does it mean to say that God is astrong tower against the enemy?

6. Think about what the rock and towerrepresent. What do these images tell youabout how the writer views God?

Read to Write7. Reread the passages. Do you think that Noah

would agree with the psalm and theproverbs? Explain. What do all of thesepassages tell you about the relationship theancient Israelites believed they had withGod? CA HR5.

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Review Content VocabularyMatch the definitions in the second column tothe terms in the first column.

1. tribe a. believed to be inspired by God

2. prophet b. Jewish house of worship

3. synagogue c. family group4. Sabbath d. holy day of worship

and rest5. messiah e. forced absence6. monotheism f. belief in one god7. covenant g. deliverer sent

by God8. exile h. agreement

Review the Section 1 • The First Israelites

9. Where did the Israelites record their history and religious beliefs?

10. Why did the Israelites fight theCanaanites?

Section 2 • The Kingdom of Israel11. Why did the Israelites choose a king?12. Where did David build his capital city?13. What happened when the Israelites were

conquered?Section 3 • The Growth of Judaism14. To where were the Jews exiled?15. How did Jewish ideas spread throughout

the Mediterranean world? 16. How did religion influence Jewish life?17. How did Romans respond to Jewish

rebellions?

Critical Thinking18. Contrast How was the Jewish religion

different from religions of other ancientcultures? CA 6RC2.2


100 km0Lambert Azimuthal Equal-Areaprojection

100 mi.0

N

S

W E

Jord

an

R.

MediterraneanSea

DeadSea

SYRIANDESERT

Jerusalem

Samaria

Tyre

Sidon

Byblos

Damascus

Israelite Kingdoms

Phoenicians

Kingdom of Israel

Kingdom of Judah

KEY

Standard WH6.3

19. Analyze Why do you think the Israelitesfelt so strongly about a Promised Land?

20. Compare and Contrast How were Sauland David similar, and how were they different?

21. Explain How did the Jewish religion survive during the exile of the Jews?

22. Describe What is celebrated on theJewish holiday Hanukkah?

Geography SkillsStudy the map below and answer the follow-ing questions.23. Location Which kingdom—Israel or

Judah—had an advantage when it came to trade? Why?

24. Identify About how far is Jerusalem fromDamascus?

25. Analyze Which kingdom had the mostaccess to the Mediterranean? CA CS3.

CA CS3.

CA CS3.

CA 6RC2.0

CA HI1.

CA HI2.

CA 6RC2.0

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Self-Check Quiz To help you prepare forthe Chapter Test, visit ca.hss.glencoe.com

Read the passage below andanswer the following question.

This proverb by Solomonreflects what important Jewishteaching?

A Working hard is all that matters.B Doing what is right and good is

the best solution.C As long as you are happy, it

doesn’t matter if you are goodor evil.

D Treat others as you would liketo be treated.

34.


Read to Write26. Understanding Perspective

Write a letter to a friend describing thethings Solomon is doing as leader.Mention which of these things the peoplelike and which they do not like. Also dis-cuss whether Solomon’s policies were suc-cessful in helping the kingdom.

27. Summarize Choose three events in thischapter that you think were the mostimportant to the history of the Israelites.Write a headline that might have appearedin a newspaper of that time.

28. Using Your Use the informationyou wrote in your three-pocket foldable to create a fill-in-the-blank quiz for a class-mate. Write a paragraph about one of thesections, leaving blanks for your classmateto fill in.

Using Academic Vocabulary29. Match the words from column A with the

correct word or phrase in column B.A B

trace signfocus to be in a location ofinstruct buildsymbol concentrateoccupy evidencecreate teach

Linking Past and Present30. Making Comparisons Trace the route of

one of the journeys of the Israelites on amap of ancient times. Then trace the routeagain on a map showing that region as it istoday. Identify the current nations andlandmarks in that region.

Building Citizenship31. Making Connections How are the Ten

Commandments reflected in the laws ofour own society today? Write an essayexplaining the connection between theIsraelites “rule of law” and laws in theUnited States. CA 6RC2.3

CA CS3.

CA HR1.

CA HI1.

CA HR5.

CA 6WS1.1

Reviewing Skills

32. Making Connections Thediscovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947helped scientists to learn about earlyJewish people. Research other importantdiscoveries that helped us to understandpeople and events from long ago. Write areport describing how these discoverieswere made and what impact they had.

33. Understanding Time andPlace Create a detailed story about theancient Israelites. Be sure to describe eachimportant event along the way, includingdetails of where and when they traveledand reasons for their departure. CA HI1.

CA HI5.CA 6WA2.3

“What you gain by doing evil won’thelp you at all, but being good cansave you from death.”

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