Hum130 Judaism Paper

Judaism Paper

Name

HUM/130

May 22, 2011

Teacher

Judaism Paper

The history of Judaism traces to the beginning of mankind. The historic origins of Judaism began with the Hebrews and Abraham. The Jewish Bible explains the holidays that help to connect the modern Jews with their historical traditions and ancestors. Judaism has many holidays that occur throughout each year. One holiday called Hanukkah, which is also romanized as Chanukah, is a Jewish holiday known as the Festival of Lights. During this holiday there are many different practices that Jewish people do to celebrate this holiday.

Hanukkah starts on the 25th day of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar and on the Gregorian calendar its November to December. The holiday is celebrated for eight days and nights during this time. The Hanukkah holiday reminds the Jewish people of the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem after the Jews victory over the Syrians. Jewish rituals were ordered to stop by the Greek king of Syria. He demanded all Jewish people to only worship the same gods he worshiped, Greek gods. The holy temple of the Jews was seized by the Syrians, and the temple was only dedicated for the worship of Zeus. Most of the Jews were outraged by the seizing of the temple and decided to fight back. Some Jews were very frightened by the Greek soldiers and so they took no part in the fight and decided to obey them.

Modiin is the name of the village where the fighting began, this was not far from Jerusalem. Jewish people were assembled together by a Greek officer who forced them to eat the flesh from a pig and bow to an idol; these activities were forbidden by the Jewish religion. During this ceremony a Greek officer asked a Jewish High Priest named Mattathias to take part in the ceremony. Mattathias disobeyed the Greek officers and refuse to participate in the forbidden ceremony. Another Jew stepped forward and offered to eat the flesh of a pig and bow to the idol in place of the...