Jewish History Notes

* Sept. 4 * * Three Ways to Look at History: * These are three different ways of interpreting historical events: * 1) Divine Causation (hasgachah pratit) is a theological term which refers to the sovereignty, superintendence, or agency of God over events in people’s lives * 2) Human Causation suggests that events in people’s lives are a result of the outcome of human involvement, i.e., God either does not exist or does not involve himself in the affairs of humans. * 3) Chronologically suggests no causation of any kind. Events take place divorced from each other, i.e., there is no cause and effect. * * * * How do we know if an event really took place? * Here is the criterion often used to determine if an event really took place. Note: If this criterion is not met it does not mean that the historical claim is false. * * 1) Multiple Attestation rests on the premise that, the more independent testimonies to a tradition there are, the greater is the probability that it is authentic i.e., more than one independent source refers to the same person, place or thing.

2) Contradiction is when a source mentions a person, place or thing in a way that serves not to benefit the author in any way

Sept. 7

What is a fact?

1. Something demonstrated to exist or known to have existed: Genetic engineering is now a fact. That Chaucer was a real person is an undisputed fact.

2. A real occurrence; an event: had to prove the facts of the case.

3. Something believed to be true or real: a document laced with mistaken facts.
1. Movement to Poland

-Poland was home to the largest Jewish population in Europe and served as a centre for Jewish culture.

-A diverse population of Jews from all over Europe sought refuge in Poland, contributing to a wide variety of religious and cultural groups. Before the outbreak of WWII, more than 3.3 million Jews lived in Poland, the second largest Jewish community in the world.

-No specific date that marks Jewish immigration to Poland

-While persecution took place across Europe during the Crusades in the 13th century, Poland served as a haven for European Jewry because of its relative tolerance.
-During this period Poland began its colonization process
-Suffered great losses from Mongol invasions in 1241 + therefore encouraged Jewish immigrants to settle the towns + villages
-Refugees from Germany brought w/ them German + Hebrew dialects that eventually became Yiddish

2. Organization of Jewish Life in Poland

-From 16th to 18th century, Jews enjoyed a measure of self-government – the Council of Four Lands (Va’ad Arba Artsot)
-^ served as a Jewish parliament.
-Ordinances of the Council of the Lands revealed the ideals of widespread Torah study
-Jews were active at all levels of society + politics
-Almost every Polish magnate had a Jewish counselor, who kept the books, wrote letters, + managed economic affairs.

3. Anti-Semitism in Poland

-In 1648, a Ukrainian officer Bogdan Chmielnicki roused the local peasants to fight with him and the Russian Orthodox Cossacks against the Jews
-The first wave of violence in 1648 destroyed Jewish communities of the east.
-Following the violence, thousands of Jews fled west, across the river, to the major cities.
-The Cossacks + the peasants followed them; the first large-scale massacre took place at Nemirov (small town, part of present-day Ukraine).
Estimated 100,000-200,000 Jews died in the Chmielnicki revolt from 1648-1649.
-This wave of destruction is considered the first modern pogrom.
Pogrom: large scale assault on Jewish community causing damage to the society

4. Isaac Luria

-According to Lurianic theology, its adherents should devote their lives to tikkun, mending cosmic disharmony; redemption will come when tikkun is achieved.
-According to Scholem, the spread of this theology sowed the seeds of redemptive/messianic fervor

5. Shabbetai Tzvi

-Shabbetai Tzvi born in Smyrna in 1626, he showed early promise as a Talmudic scholar, and even more as a student and devotee of Kabbalah. More pronounced than his scholarship were his strange mystical speculations and religious ecstasies. He travelled to various cities, his strong personality and his alternately ascetic and self-indulgent behaviour attracting and rebelling rabbis and populace alike. He was expelled from Salonica by its rabbis for having staged a wedding service with himself as bridegroom and the Torah as bride. His erratic behaviour continued. For long periods, he was a respected student and teacher of Kabbalah; at other times, he was given to messianic fantasies and bizarre acts. At one point, living in Jerusalem seeking “peace for his soul,” he sought out a self-proclaimed “man of God,”. Nathan of Gaza, who declared Shabbetai Zvi to be the Messiah.

Messianic Expectation

1492 – expulsion from Spain
1648 – Cossacks
1626 – Kabbalistic dating of the Messiah coming

People feel fragile, so it is easier to convince that you are the Messiah

Pg. 169 Questions

1. Shabbetai gained support in Germany, Turkey perhaps, Egypt, Greece, Israel. Gained 1.2-1.3 million supporters. -TEST
2. 3 major events: Externally: Expulsion from Spain, Chmielnicki Massacres and internally, Kabbalistic predictions of the Messiah
3. Shabbetai converted to Islam in 1666 and his rocked the entire Jewish population. It rattled them so hard. They were so cheesed.
4. He was Shabbetai’s PR guy. He publicized Shabbetai and convinced Jews that he was the real Messiah.
5. They had staked their entire reputations on the belief that Shabbetai was the Messiah. Some had even sold their businesses in preparation for the journey to Israel/Palestine. They were too engulfed to turn around and stop believing.
Some of them saw it as a test.
6. He converted cause he’s a tool.

5. Ba’al Shem Tov

-The Ba’al Shem Tov’s teachings were largely based upon the Kabbalistic teachings of the AriZal (Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (1534-72)) but his approach made the benefits of these teachings accessible even to the simplest Jew. He emphasized the profound importance and significance of prayer, love of God, and love of one’s fellow Jews. He taught that even if one was not blessed with the ability or opportunity to be a Torah scholar, one could still reach great spiritual heights through these channels. It is important to note that while the Baal Shem Tov taught that Torah study was not the only way to draw close to God, he did not teach that Torah study was unimportant or unnecessary. On the contrary, he emphasized the importance of having a close relationship with a rebbe, a great Torah scholar who would be one’s spiritual mentor and leader.

Pg. 186 Questions

1.
Orthodox

Traditional Judaism | Hasidim | Rabbi-No spiritual qualities-An advisor | Rebbe-Spiritual authority-“has the spiritual formula”-Kind of like a spiritual guru- God Rebbe People-Kind of a middleman-Role is passed down to next generation (Uh oh) | Mitnagdim-Jews part of the mainstream group who actively want to ban Hasidim-Role of the Rebbe is problematic-Polemic material ex. song (see handout) | | Value of study (important to do all the prayers and traditions properly) | Value spiritual experience more (praying with enthusiasm is more important than just going through the motions) |

The traditional people think Hasidism is a scam

2. Vilna Gaon was the leader of the Mitnagdim (neged – against). Tried a cherem (excommunication) against the Hasidim
-Tries to make life harder for Hasidim by not making them feel like part of the community
-Ex. Can’t get married to people, can’t be buried in Jewish cemetery etc.

3. They think the Hasidim are ruining traditional Judaism with idolatry etc.

4. They said let’s get up and leave

UNIT 2 – The Enlightenment

Phase 1 – The Ancient World
Phase 2 – The Middle Ages
Phase 3 – The Enlightenment

1. Religion

Ancient World

-Paganism

Middle Ages

-Paganism Monotheism (Christianity/Islam)

Enlightenment

-Monothesism Tolerance

2. Socio Economics:

Ancient

-Empires

Middle

-Empires Feudal Sysyem
---Persecution
---God Centred
Tradition

Enlightenment

-Feudal System Equal Rights
---Assimilation
Progress

1. Unit 3 Portents of Change – UNIT TIMELINE

-Renaissance
-Reformation
-Scientific Revolution
-Enlightenment
-French Revoution

1. Renaissance

-Renaissance – rebirth or rediscovery of Greek classics such as philosophy, educational reform with an emphasis on humanism

-Poetry, grammar..

-Putting language back in the curriculum

-Emphasis on the human mind
--ability to be logical

-Education. art, culture...

-Taking emphasis off religion, and putting it on humanities

Humanism
--Ethical movement
--Value of the human being

Martin Luther: The Prostestant Reformation (1300-1570 CE)

-Born in Germany in 1483
-After surviving a violent storm, he vowed to become a monk.
-Lived in the city of Wittenberg
-Died in 1546

Catholic:

God Pope People

Definitions:

Protest – to express strong objection
(Protestant was a protest to Catholicism, because human beings should not have the type of authority the Pope has, corrupt religion)

Reform – to improve by correcting errors

Problems in the (Catholic) Church

-Corruption
-Political conflicts

Corruption

-The church raised money through practices like simony and selling indulgences

Advantages of Buying Indulgences

-Go directly to heaven!

-Do not go to Hell!
-Do not go to Purgatory!
-Get through Purgatory faster!
-Do not pass Go!

Political Conflict

-Kings and queens
-Popes

-Multiple kings, one pope
-Kings responsible for territories, kings responsible for regions
-Tensions b/w kings + popes b/c different kings within a pope’s region of power would have conflicts

--not tested on

Papal Schism

-In 1301, the king tried to tax the French clergy (people associated with Church)
-The pope threatened to excommunicate the king and so was arrested. He was later released
-The next pope, Clement V, moved the headquarters of the Church from Rome to Avignon in southern France
-Many people felt that the French kings controlled the Church (people thought that the Church was controlled by the king)

Three Popes!

The next six popes lived in Avignon. Pope Gregory then moved the papacy back to Rome in 1377.
-When Gregory died, the French cardinals did not like the new pope in Rome, so they elected a different pope in Avignon.
-Later, a church council elected a third pope.

Calls for Reform

John Wycliffe (1330-1384)
-Questioned the authority of the pope

Jan Hus (1370-1415)
-Criticized the vast wealth of the Church

Desiderius Erasmus (1469-1536)
-Attacked corruption in the Church

Names not impotrtant

Luther Looks for Reforms

-Luther criticized Church practices, like selling indulgences
-He wanted to begin a discussion within the Church about the true path to salvation
-He nailed his Ninety-Five Theses, or arguments, to the door of Wittenberg cathedral for all to see

Protestant Teaching: Justification by Faith Alone

-The Bible is the only source of truth
-People can read and understand the Bible themselves
-Salvation comes only through faith in Christ

Excommunication

-Pope Leo X demanded that Luther recant 41 of his Ninety-Five Theses
-Luther was brought before the Diet of Worms
-In January 1521, Luther was excommunicated from the Church

The Printing Press

-Luther’s ideas spread quickly with the help of the printing press
-Luther’s supporters distributed copies of his speeches and essays far and wide
-Millions of people sided with Luther against the Roman Catholic Church

A New Church

-Luther soon had many followers
-His supporters began to organize a new Christian denomination
-Several German princes supported Luther
-Lutherans and Catholics fought each other
-The first wars ended with the Treaty of Augsburg, but fighting in Europe over religion continued to the 17th century

* Lutheranism: * * -Luther’s followers disagreed with many of the teachings of the Catholic Church. * -They rejected the authority of the Church councils and the pope. * -Reading the Bible was the only way to learn how to lead a good life. * * The Reformation spread to other countries: * * -France and Switzerland: John Calvin preached the idea of “predestination” and that some people had been chosen by God for salvation. * * -England: King Henry VIII refused to recognize the Roman Catholic Church and started a new church, the Church of England.

* The Scientific Revolution: * * -With a new focus on education and a new willingness to go outside church teachings science, as we know it today, was born. * -Observation and experimentation became the new rules. Making assumptions based only on thought would not be enough. Tradition passed down was not science. * -This was yet another great challenge to The Catholic Church and just like with the Reformation, they would not take it quietly. * -Power was more important than truth. * * The Revolution: * * Revolution: a dramatic change.
During this time science changed from what people thought to what people observed.
They started doing experiments, what a great idea! * * The Truth Hurts:
The problem is that this challenged many long held beliefs.
The Church did not happily accept being challenged.
“Take the red pill and I’ll show you how deep the rabbit hole goes…”
Instead of just accepting anything the Church said people used the Scientific Method:
Hypothesis
Observation
Experiment
The Challenge of Creation by Rabbi Natan Slifkin
Fossils and Faith: Understanding Torah and Science by Nathan Aviezer

12 font double spaced

Rambam says that if you want to know God, do it through science
-(Studying science is the way to understand God)

TEST II REVIEW DEC. 11

Part 1:
Vocab

Part 2:
Scientific Revolution
Enlightenment (pg. 37-39) + how it came to be
-Handout

Long/Short Answer

Part 3:
Feats of Strength
--Moses Mendelssohn fill in the blank
---Story you have to read and fill in 2 blanks he gives us the words for (word bank for 2 words lol)

Moses Mendelssohn

-Brings the Enlightenment to the Jewish world
-“Packages it” in Jewish “clothing” (like Jews for Jesus)

-All the new movements of Judaism came from this movement
--Orthodox, Conservative, Reform

Orthodox – Stick to the old ways
Conservative – Find a good balance
Reform – Change with the times

Page 46

1. Through studying natural events and science, one can come to know God, so there is no confliction b/w Judaism and reason.
He says reason is inherent, it’s not like the Enlightenment was inventing reason. Therefore, to be rational is to be a good Jew. Our faith is based on reason, so as it develops, Judaism develops.

2. Since Judaism is based on reason, and the two coincide, rather than conflict, reason will help develop Judaism.

3. B/c Judaism doesn’t conflict with Christianity, and they are both inherently rational (commonality with respect for reason). Reason has created a bond between Judaism and Christianity (even though Christians appreciate it more). He sees this as a time where things will change for Jews forever.

4. He says that people should let others live with whatever beliefs they choose. Since our goal as people is to worship God and do good to man, nothing else matters. Therefore our view towards others should be that they can suit themselves, as long as you love God and peace.

Timeline

Middle Ages (from grade 10) Renaissance (not important) Reformation Scientific Revolution Enlightenment Emancipation “Jews become free”

Middle Ages Reformation

-Martin Luther
-Catholic Church

Scientific Revolution

-Empirical thought (need to know something is true by experiencing it)
-Challenges church even more
--World is not the centre of the universe
--World not round if church can be wrong about big things like that, maybe its authority should be questioned

Enlightenment

-John Locke
-Hobbes

-Builds on the Scientific Revolution

Enlightenment Emancipation

-Moses Mendelssohn is the bridge
-Takes ideas from the Enlightenment and sells them to Judaism
-Says you can take ideas from Enlightenment but stay Jewish at the same time
(see sheet in binder comparing Enlightenment + Jews)

The Madman

-He is warning the people about the dangers of an enlightened society gone too far