Huston Smith: Judaism

In Judaism, what is the meaning in history

-History is important for Jews, because history is scripted and planned by God, so every event in history holds some extent of significance. They happen for a reason. Jews have active stance toward their lives and their contexts: history, according to free will that God gave. the goal of Judaism is to better the world by acting on changing what is to what should be. They also value collectiveness because an individual can't make a change on history but a group. Even a prophet needs a group to effect a change in a society.

In Judaism what is the meaning in morality

-Since human beings are social creatures, the need for morality becomes necessary in which the focus of morality in the religion is narrowed on force, wealth, sex, and speech. there is no need of morality for animals because they do not have free will that conflicts morality. the rules for these morality are well written in the Ten Commandments that promotes collective life with others rather than solitary life.

In Judaism what is the meaning in Justice

-Advocates of justice in Judaism are prophets who are extraordinarily attentional at the social order. They are meant to speak on the authority of another. To be a prophet, one has to go through three stages. the progress seems like one has decent spirituality and others follow this one for its decency and as it gets a bigger crowd of followers, it becomes a religion. a prophet at first or second stage is a joke. the custom(?) of a prophet is revolutionary, because someone without official position took the side of a wronged man and denounced a king to his face on grounds of injustice as well as the prophet was speaking of an authority not his own.

In Judaism, what is the meaning of suffering?

-Suffering in general carries a negative connotation, however in Judaism, suffering is significant in a way that God gives Jews suffering in order to test or punish so that they can learn from it. suffering might give some Jews doubt about God and his will, however faithful ones get a lesson and reward from God in return. Because those lessons and rewards are acquired with difficulty, Jews value and take them in consideration every time whenever practicing privilege.

In Judaism, what is the meaning in Messianism?

-Messianism is a belief that the conditions of life can improve by a messiah. Jewish history is full of oppression and persecution in which Jews were a minority: underdogs. that's why messianism is very important or appealing in Judaism; oppressed people hope for improvement. There are two sides to it: the politico-national side and spiritual-universal side. a messiah would come, save Jews from persecution and restore their position in the world (politico-national side). Aftermath, the messiah would better morality of the world. Therefore, there are three ideas of messianism: hope, national restoration, and global betterment of morality.

In Judaism, what is meant by the "hallowing of life"?

-Judaism puts emphasis on practice and ritual for hollowing like eastern religions whereas western religions do on abstract reason and theology. those rituals which is seemingly wasteful and nonsensical, ease people through tense situations and times of anxiety, or intensify experience and joy in times of happiness by connecting people who practice the same rituals. the mental aspect of hollowing in Judaism is piety that consists in seeing the entire world as belonging to God and reflecting god's glory. Hollowing doesn't mean abstinence in Judaism, but Jewish law recommends that enjoying what's given by God is good without conflicting with other laws. Through tradition and history, Jews could maintain their identity and find holiness in historical events where God was involved.

In Judaism, what is the role of revelation?

-Jews say that they didn't reach these ingenious doctrines on their own but were revealed to them. God revealed himself and ideas in Torah by actions rather than words, described first in the Exodus where God liberated an unorganized, enslaved people from Egypt, launching Israelites as a nation. there is another evidence of revelation: a tiny, loosely related group of people, who had no real collective identity and were in servitude to the great powers survived for thousands years, which seems impossible without divine intervention. from the beginning, God has been leading, protecting and shaping his people from the Exodus to their survival in modern world. the Exodus reveals that God is powerful and merciful, and that God wants Jews to be good as he is and most importantly that suffering must carry significance because it was unthinkable that a God who had miraculously saved his people would ever abandon them completely. God once revealed himself and made a covenant saying God would continue to bless the Israelites if they would honor the laws they had been given.

As I read this section, I got deeply confused about the concept of revelation. I thought it only meant divine ideas revealed by God, but it also means revealing himself in order to lead Jews and what the Bible reveals about God. I personally don't think that the book should be written in this way, but I am not Huston Smith. I guess the role of revelation is where Jewish belief starts as well as a way to learn God and morality.

What is the concept of the "chosen people" in Judaism

-The idea that a universal God decided that the divine nature should be uniquely and incomparably disclosed to a single people is difficult to grasp because God shouldn't be unfair toward everyone. however "being chosen" in Judaism is different. God make chosen people suffer as a sacrifice for the fellow human beings, rather than give them privileges. Deducing from the idea, the reason that Jews were chosen might be that they were only people who are willing to endure vicarious suffering when God was presented to peoples. Therefore they are not chosen for favoritism, however in return, God leads them. Also Jews don't see themselves as a innately special people, giving God a credit for what Jews have done.

year of living biblically

Answer the following questions on the blog or hand in a hardcopy by Friday, December 4th.

1. On Page 208 Jacobs is told to stop using the Bible as a "self help" book. Based on the the information given by his adviser Yossi what is the role of religion and why is Jacobs on "thin ice?"

- Only using the Bible as a self help book is selfish while religion is about serving God. The role of religion should be to teach selflessness rather than selfishness.

Thin ice is associated with fragility. I guess the reason Yossi said that to Jacob is that he solely focused on self-contenting "Thanksgiving prayers", excluding selfless glorifying god prayers, which broke the balance of the goals set in religion.

1. On page 219 - 220 Jacobs describes his experience of being "hit" with a realization like a punch in the stomach and then he "praises the Lord." What was his realization and how does this reconcile a problem he previously had in his search of religion?

-he realized the might of God that created almost perfect world by himself, which solved the issue with saying praising prayers to God. this realization and the prayers humbled Jacob and made him realize how small his existence is

year of living biblically

Answer each of the following points on the blog or in a hardcopy version.

1) On page 191, why does Jacobs refer to the red heifer as not just "zany" but also "potentially dangerous"? What is his hang up with this particular idea of the bible?
Red Heifer can be seen as a divine permission to rebuild the third temple at the Temple Mount, which is currently under the administration of Muslims. so if Re heifer arrives and Jews try to build it, it would cause a conflict between two parties.

the description of how the world would end in accordance to Revelation should not be taken literally, which is the epic battle between Jesus and Anti christ brought by the third temple. it's symbolic for something else such as history of Roman invasion.

2) How does the following verse describe the author's dilemma as he is half way through his "spiritual journey"?

Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment of men by rote.

-Jacob was confused if he felt spiritually connected because of repetition of prayers to God or he actually loved God. He didn't know if he truly became spiritual or this is a mere alternative to his rational mind, which caused boredom in him.

3) How does the author compare the Bible to wikipedia? Do you agree? Explain.

Both have many authors and editors and passages are evolved throughout the history by many people.

I agree with this hypothesis. I've never believe that the Bible is words of God, but collection of many socalled prophets, who were actually great philosophers, because it's evident that the Bible is written by humans, even though it's said that God gave them the lessons. I also believe in the theory that the Bible is just one of renowned legends among the region and Jesus was an outstanding spiritual leader.

Psalm~

Psalm 8:

Write a summary

-Psalm 8 praises God about his accomplishment of creating the universe and shows gratitude from humans to God for their superiority over all other creatures.

• Choose TWO of the following questions to answer: 1, 2, 3, 4

1. The central theme of Psalm 8 is the role of humans kind of the creation.

(a) In what verse is this theme first sounded?

-Fifth verse by saying humans are a little lower than the angels- immortals

(b) According to the psalmist, what places do humans occupy in realation to heaven and the rest of creation?

-Humans occupy everything below the heavens except for God and angels

(c) what does this unique place suggest about the relationship between humans and God?

-God cares humans most among all the creatures

3. In what ways does this psalm draw upon the first chapter of Genesis?

-the psalm mentions how glorious the universe created by God is by praising "the word of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained". this psalm also mentions the part of God commissioning humans to be superior over animals.

Psalm 19:

• Write a brief summary

-Psalm 19 praises the glory of heaven, including Sun, created by God

And mentions every aspect of God including fear and law, etc. Even though something created by God might seem faulty, they are not, only because humans don't understand his intention.

• Answer the following questions: 1 and 4

1. Scholars have suggested that this psalm combines two originally distinct poems (1-6 and 7-14).

How do these poems differ in what they praise?

- first one is about the heavens and the world, whereas the second one is about aspects of God.

4. A prayer is a request or plea directed to God. This psalm is unusual because it ends with a prayer and a prayer about this prayer.

(1) identify each of theses prayers – “keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have domnion over me then shall I be upright and I shall be innonect from the great transgression“

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sigh, O lord, my strength and my reddemer”

(2) what is the author requesting of God in each case.

-the first one requests for minds not to get tempted by sinful actions. and the second one requests for words and minds that are morally acceptable

Psalm 23:

• Write a brief summary

-God guides people all the hardships and sinful temptations, therefore they can live well

• Choose TWO of the following questions to answer: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6

• 1. An extened metaphor is on that is developed at length and includes several points of comparisons

(a) Identify the extended metaphor in this psalm.

-The metaphor is present throughout the psalm in a way that God is the shepherd who leads people in green pastures to the house of the Lord

• (b) what does this metaphor suggest about the relationship etween God and humans

– God is a parent-like existence to humans, leading and teaching them.

• 4. Which verse best summarieds the theme of the paslm? Give reasons for your choice

-the first verse summarizes the theme of the psalm best because the sentence is the beginning of metaphor which this psalm is about. And The sentence that the Lord is my shepherd defines this psalm

Psalm 137:

• Write a brief summary

-this psalm shows dedication of Israelites who promised not to forget glory of God and Jerusalem when they were captured by outside force and had to leave the city.

Choose TWO of the following questions to answer: 1, 2 or 3

1(a) how does the situation of this psalmist differ from that of the authors of the other psalms.

- Israelites including the psalmist, seemed on the move, because they are captured whereas people in other psalms seemed peaceful, praising God. This psalm is particularly different from other psalms because it seems to have emphasis on Historical aspect rather than pleading for religious or divine aspect.

b) What special problem does this new situation present?

-This situation might have provoked doubt in God who let this invasion happen.

3 other psalm appeal to god’s mercy and goodness. To which qualities of God does this psalm appeal? Why?

-Justice. This psalm pleads for retaliation against Babylonians who conquered the holy land

Bible and Genesis

The Bible is a collection of writings including several books, written through a long time ranging from tenth century B.C to fifth century B.C. by anonymous people to deliver supposedly god’s words. The major theme of this book is worshiping the power, goodness and mercy of the one god. He gives people a treat if they follow him well and he also forgives them who are born sinful because they are human beings.
The Bible has had significant influence on not only Jews but also on all the people around world in every aspect such literature, morality etc.

1. What meanings are associated with light and darkness in the first chapter of Genesis?
-Light is contrast to darkness. God saw darkness and created light to compensate the balance. They are used to measure or divide a certain amount of time like a day. Light is subdivided into the greater light and lesser light. They don’t have any significance in terms of morality or good and bad, they are just light and darkness.

2. What attitude toward nature does Genesis convey?
-Apathy in a benign way like my parents. They don’t care about what I do but they make me take responsibility for whatever I have done. God created all the things, gave them freewill to live by themselves and made them take responsiblity “ God blessed [humans], and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it” and “ because thou has done this, thou art cursed above all cattle and above every beast of the field”


3. What are the implications of the relationship established between humans and the rest of creation?
-two humans should have subjugation from all the creatures such as beats, fowls, fishes, trees and grasses, suggested by God, therefore God created humans superior to every creature on earth.

year of living biblically

For this week your task is to take two of the Bible verses Jacobs uses at the beginning of each day he writes about and analyze both the meaning behind the quote and how this applies to life / how it is interpreted by Jacobs. So for both: Write the quote, describe what it means and apply it to either Jacobs journey in literalism and/or what it means, metaphorically, in the modern world.

I think this is a coincidence, maybe divine if so. I have never commented on the bible verses because they sound absurd or insensible and it was the first time that I underlined and commented ""So good, nothing more" on the verse. After I read the heading "Month Five: January", right under it, there is a verse from Ecclesiastes "Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you for you know in you heart that many times you yourself have cursed others". It is neither absurd nor insensible. the meaning of this sentence is very self-examplatory: don't get upset nor pay attention to badmouthing about you, because you have done the same thing about others many times. I think that this verse is still valid, if not more, in the modern world, because nowadays the ways of communication are developed and varied, compared to the method used in the ancient Israel. people gossip or hear gossips all the time with all the devices as well as actual conversations. I think this is one of a few verses that could be taken as literal as possible.

the second one doesn't affect me as much as the first one, since I chose it because it's easy and standing out. the versus is from Deuteronomy "you shall write them on the doorposts of your house", meaning that you should write religious rules in doorposts. Jacob took this literally and wrote God's words on the post with a pencil after feeling the house wasn't Biblified enough. at first he felt absurd and nervous, however he realized that he started absorbing the words and meanings more deeply, lingering over every letter and cadence. as he said, behavior shapes mind

Noah, Ruth and David

The Flood
1. (a) What is the meaning of the statement, "Noah walked with God"?

-God saw every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, repented that he had made man on the earth with grief. however Noah who was a just and perfect man in his generations, was different from others. he followed the ten commandments well and God's words

(b) what does God's willingness to spare the earth because of Noah suggest?

-God's willingness to spare the earth because of Noah suggests his two different sides: Justice and Kindness. he punished all the living creatures because men betrayed God's words and filled the world with violence. however he still loved them and forgave them in a way that he let the creatures last afterwards with a fresh start.

2. Find two details and explain why you think they are especially vivid.

-Two details that I found vividly visual are how Noah made the Ark and survived the Flood with animals for a long period, and how the water submerged the world gradually. Because Genesis has such a long and elaborate description on both of them. it shows how the ark should be made, "Make thee an ark of gopher woo; the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits and the height of it thirty cubits" and even the amount of animals according to hygiene. also the Bible has this description of gradual change of water engulfing the surface. "the waters prevailed and were increased exceedingly upon the earth and all the high hills that were under the whole heaven, were covered" I can just imagine those two descriptions like pictures.

3. (a) What does God require of Noah and his sons before he makes the covenant?

-he demanded that Noah made the Ark, brought a pair of each living thing of all flesh, and prepared food for them including Noah himself.

(b) What is the reason for these demands

-as said earlier, this shows generosity of God that wanted to save his creations but also punished them in some say for betraying him.

David vs. Goliath
1. How does the description of the setting heighten the drama of this one on one combat?

-"the Philistines stood on a mountain on the one side and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side and there was a valley between them" the description created by this quote heightens the drama of this one on one combat by creating juxtaposition of two extreme sides. the juxtaposition isolates all the components except for the two sides, which are shown by David, Goliath in the valley and two gatherings on the mountains.

2. What devices does the author use to create suspense in building toward the battle of David and Goliath?

-Mainly, the author used comparison and contrast. he put two opposite sides on each top of mountains, and described Goliath as a huge guy with brass mail whereas David as a small youth with a mere slingshot.

3. (a) in what ways do these two opponents represent opposite views of life?

-I couldn't find much clue to decide their views of life from the text. after finishing question (b), I realize that Goliath represents a barbaric way of living whereas David represent a peaceful way of living, concerning about spiritual advancement.

(b) how do the descriptions of their weapons emphasize these contrasting outlooks?

-Goliath was armed with a coat of mail, helmet,and spear whereas David was equipped with a staff and slingshot. I feel that Goliath is a man of brutal force and david is a man of wisdom or intellect, not interpreting it literally.

4. is it fair to call the combat between David and Goliath a contest between good and evil? Explain

-No, because No one is bad or good. that Goliath is not circumcised doesn't prove that he is evil, so doesn't that he doesn't believe in a god that Hebrew people believe in.I guess history is always written by winners

circumcise, god,

For the two sections you choose to read you are assigned to answer three questions from the end of the reading. You can choose any of the questions to answer as long as each has clear connection to what we are studying. (In other words, try to avoid answering literary analysis questions.) In total you will answer 6 questions of your choice from two of the three readings.