RMPS - Int2/Higher - World Religions - Judaism - Education Scotland

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THE HUMAN CONDITION The nature of humanity The story of Creation showed that God has given a blueprint for a happy life, but man’s desire for independence upsets this existence. 20 Source And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man saying: ‘Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.’ Genesis 2: 15–17 Only after God told man to cultivate, work on the land and look after it, did He give him permission to eat of its fruits. Man’s most sacred privilege is freedom of will which is one of the basic principles of Judaism. Jews are required to learn what God has taught about what is right and what is wrong; and they are then left to choose between the alternatives. This includes the ability to obey or disobey God, the ability to choose between good and evil. So man is responsible for his actions. This is a very important principle in Judaism. God does not predetermine whether a man is good or bad. The one rule that God made was a test of the use that man would make of his freedom. This shows that man’s spiritual life may require the subordination of his desires to the law of God. There is a Jewish legend that man was created to be immortal but as a result of Adam breaking God’s law the gift of immortality was lost, a punishment that has subsequently affected all mankind. Genesis 3 tells of Eve falling into the temptation of the serpent, eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and giving Adam one of its fruits. When Adam replies to God’s call and says ‘I was afraid, because I was naked’ (Genesis 3: 10), he commits another offence by making an excuse for his wrongful behaviour and concealing the truth. Adam continues to throw the blame upon everybody but himself. First he blames Eve and then God himself. The Rabbis view this is an example of ‘one sin leading to another sin’, i.e. the consequence of sin is further evil. RMPS: WORLD RELIGIONS – JUDAISM (INT 2, H) © Learning and Teaching Scotland
THE HUMAN CONDITION Yet, even in judgement however, God shows his care, e.g. by ensuring clothing (Genesis 3: 21) after exiling Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. One interpretation for God’s cushioning of their punishment is that the relationship God had with Adam was like that of a parent to a firstborn child – i.e. it is particularly close and forgiving. Yet mankind’s suffering is a result of Adam and Eve succumbing to temptation and breaking God’s law. The story of Eden indicates the moral dilemma for people – they seek further knowledge and wisdom but they must not disobey God’s instructions in orer to gain these things. This reminds us that although God is the giver of life, humans are nothing without God. Activity 9 Here are three examples of freedom of will. Highlight the actions that you would be most likely to choose in each of the following situations: (a) You are walking to the shops and see someone from school who you do not like, walking towards you. It is clear that this person is glad to see you and wants to speak to you. Do you: • Say hello and walk on • Stop and say hello • Walk over to the other side of the street to avoid the person • Ignore the person and keep walking • Other action – please state: (b) You see a £20 note on the ground as you walk home from school. Do you: • Leave it on the ground • Pick it up and keep it • Pick it up and take it to the police station • Pick it up and spend it immediately. • Other action – please state: RMPS: WORLD RELIGIONS – JUDAISM (INT 2, H) 21 © Learning and Teaching Scotland
Page 1 and 2: Religious, Moral and Philosophical
Page 3 and 4: CONTENTS Introduction 1 Section 1:
Page 5 and 6: INTRODUCTION Using these support ma
Page 7 and 8: SECTION 1 JUDAISM - AN OVERVIEW The
Page 9 and 10: JUDAISM - AN OVERVIEW that commemor
Page 11 and 12: SECTION 2 What does it mean to be h
Page 13 and 14: The concept and image of God THE HU
Page 15 and 16: THE HUMAN CONDITION He had already
Page 17 and 18: Creation THE HUMAN CONDITION Jews b
Page 19 and 20: Shabbat THE HUMAN CONDITION God res
Page 21 and 22: THE HUMAN CONDITION of the Torah, c
Page 23: Suggestions for further reading and
Page 27 and 28: SECTION 3 Yetzer Harah and Yetzer T
Page 29 and 30: THE CAUSE OF THE HUMAN CONDITION Su
Page 31 and 32: Suffering is at times inexplicable
Page 33 and 34: SECTION 4 THE GOALS The meaning of
Page 35 and 36: THE GOALS The Shema is the most imp
Page 37 and 38: THE GOALS The meaning of obedience
Page 39 and 40: THE GOALS Activity 17 1. Give the r
Page 43 and 44: Activity 18 1. Read the Ten Command
Page 47 and 48: THE GOALS rest is commentary. Go an
Page 49 and 50: The importance of repentance Repent
Page 51 and 52: Rosh Hashanah THE GOALS Rosh Hashan
Page 53 and 54: Source THE GOALS For the sin that w
Page 55 and 56: 3. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are
Page 57 and 58: SECTION 5 The concept of the Messia
Page 59 and 60: Olam ha-Bah THE FINAL AIM OF EXISTE
Page 61 and 62: THE FINAL AIM OF EXISTENCE Genesis
Page 63 and 64: SECTION 6 The Torah THE MEANS Torah
Page 65 and 66: THE MEANS The prophetic writings al
Page 67 and 68: The Ten Commandments THE MEANS The
Page 69 and 70: Activity 26 THE MEANS (a) Categoris
Page 71 and 72: THE MEANS fifth century these were
Page 73 and 74: A page from the Talmud (see Activit
Page 75 and 76:
THE MEANS Theoretically, the term h
Page 77 and 78:
SECTION 7 Moral and social responsi
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THE PRACTICES THAT HELP ACHIEVE THE
Page 81 and 82:
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Rites of passage and education Brit
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APPENDIX Glossary APPENDIX Amidah:
Page 91 and 92:
APPENDIX Tanakh: the term for the H
Page 93 and 94:
Useful addresses J E Levingstone (f
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RMPS - Int2/Higher - World Religions - Judaism - Education Scotland

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