HERITAGE: Civilization and the jews - PBS

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R E S O U R C E T E A C H E R ’ S HERITAGE: CIVILIZATION AND THE JEWS PEOPLE AND PLACES Remind your students to read this exercise before watching the program and to have a pen or pencil while viewing. The correct answers are: (1) D (2) C (3) A (4) B CATEGORIZING: MAJOR MONOTHEISTIC RELIGIONS This exercise will provide students with an overview of the three monotheistic religions discussed in this program. It will also be valuable in teaching the process of clearly organizing material to be learned. You might begin this lesson by putting the following number on the board: 123199. Ask the class what it means. Then rewrite it as 12 31 99, the last day of December 1999. Point out that by sorting things into categories, it is possible to create order and better see what is really there. Students may complete the chart on their worksheet as a homework assignment or library project. They may add other items to the list for extra credit. The answers are given below. Categories 1. Messiah: Judaism Awaiting his arrival Christianity Awaiting his return Islam Muhammad is God’s Prophet: mainsteam Islam believes that Muhammad was the final Prophet PROGRAM THREE: THE SHAPING OF TRADITIONS (30 - 732) Apart from the Bible, many of the earliest Jewish laws were transmitted orally. Rabbis continued to debate the exact meaning of the Torah in relation to everyday life. Their arguments were collected in about 200 C.E. and formed the Mishnah. Again, the oral debates continued—for another three hundred years—and when they were finally organized and written down, they became known as the Gemara, from the Hebrew word gamar, “to complete.” Together, the Mishnah and Gemara compose the Talmud. The vast majority of Jews came to regard the Talmud as authoritative. Scattered throughout the world, the Jews were nonetheless one people, united by their reliance on these volumes as a source of wisdom and guidance. * * * * * * * * * This activity is based on a selection from the Talmud. (See Student Worksheet.) The rabbis raised this problem to clarify the meaning of the biblical phrase “that thy brothers may live with thee.” Ask the class to answer the following two questions: 1. Do you agree with Ben Petura (that both should drink and both should die) or with Akiva (that one should drink and live and the other die) Why 2. Which teaching places a higher value on life Which on fair play and equality Allow ample time for discussion, then ask the class for other solutions to the dilemma. 2. First,second and third to be founded: 3. Title given to spiritual leader: 4. Day of Sabbath: 5. Central religious figure(s): 6. Holy cities: 7. Most sacred holiday: First Rabbi Saturday Moses, Abraham Jerusalem Yom Kippur or Passover (open to discussion) Second Priest, Minister Sunday Jesus Jerusalem, Rome, Bethlehem Easter, Christmas Third Imam Friday Muhammad Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem Feast of Ramadan NOTE: Ben Petura taught that if your brother could not live, neither should you, for you “should not behold your companion’s death.” Ask the class what values are implicit in this point of view (sharing equally, fair play, the wish not to bear the guilt of another person’s death). Rabbi Akiva taught that the solution centers on the word “with.”Your life must take first place, because if you are not alive, how can your brother live with you It is implied, however, that your brother had a right to his life after yours is assured. One of Judaism’s central values is that one must do everything possible to preserve life. Conclude the activity by making sure that the class understands that Ben Petura and Akiva represent two opposing sets of values—equality and fair play versus self-preservation and veneration of life. USING PRIMARY DOCUMENTS THE TALMUD The Talmud, from a Hebrew word for “study,” is the central compilation of law and lore for the Jewish people. It contains thousands of pages and millions of words and represents the ideas of approximately 2,000 scholars who lived over four centuries, from about 100-500 C.E. The Talmud touches on every conceivable aspect of human life: health, medicine, law, religion, ethics, charity, history, astronomy, etc. RESEARCH PROJECTS • Judaism has no central ruling organization; Catholicism does. Write an essay exploring this difference. • Write a report explaining when and why the followers of Jesus became alienated from Judaism and began to form a separate religion. • By the 9th century, Islam had produced great works of literature, philosophy, art, architecture, and mathematics. Write a report on these achievements and explain their lasting influence on the world. 20
S T U D E N T PREVIEW QUESTIONS PROGRAM THREE: THE SHAPING OF TRADITIONS (30 - 732) Answer these questions as you watch The Shaping of Traditions or as you explore the accompanying multimedia presentations, historical documents, and maps. 1. How did the Jewish world change after 70 C.E. How did the scholars at Jabneh help reshape Jewish life and traditions 2. How did Paul’s preaching differentiate early Christians from Jews 3. What factors allowed Christianity to flourish despite Roman persecution 4. What roots do Christianity and Islam share with Judaism 5. How did the Muslims, as reflected in the Pact of Umar, treat religious minorities, such as Jews and Christians 6. How did the Jews fare under Charlemagne CATEGORIZING: MAJOR MONOTHEISTIC RELIGIONS Complete this table by filling in the appropriate information for one of the three major monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. Indicate your choice of religion at the head of Column B. PEOPLE AND PLACES Column A contains a list of important people and places you will learn about in The Shaping of Traditions. As you watch the video, match the names from Column A with the correct descriptions in Column B. Column A 1. Saul of Tarsus 2. Johanan ben Zakkai 3. Judah ha-Nasi 4. Muhammad MAP HERITAGE: CIVILIZATION AND THE JEWS JEWS IN THE ANCIENT WORLD Study this map of Jewish population centers in the 1st-5th centuries C.E. Fill in the latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates for each of the following places: Latitude/Longitude Column B A. Compiled the Mishnah B. Founder of Islam C. Led the school at Jabneh D. Preached that Jesus was the Messiah Latitude/Longitude W O R K S H E E T Column A Column B (Religion: ) 1. Babylon 5. Jerusalem 1. Messiah: 2. Baghdad 6. Sardis 2. 1st, 2nd, or 3rd to be founded: 3.Toledo 7. Rome 3. Title given to spiritual leader: 4.Tiberias 8. Antioch 4. Day of Sabbath: 5. Central religious figure(s): 6. Holy cities: 7. Most sacred holiday: USING PRIMARY DOCUMENTS Your teacher will help you understand the following document. THE TALMUD The following selection from the Babylonian Talmud deals with the meaning of the biblical phrase, “that thy brother may live with thee.” If two are traveling on a journey [far from civilization], and one has a pitcher of water, if both drink, they will [both] die, but if one only drinks, he can reach civilization—Ben Petura taught: It is better that both should drink and die, rather than that one should behold his companion’s death. Until [Rabbi] Akiva came and taught: “that thy brother may live with thee” [means] thy life takes precedence over his life.”
Page 1 and 2: DVD-ROM Resource Guide www.thirteen
Page 3 and 4: INTRODUCTION In 1984, PBS broadcast
Page 5 and 6: Exploring Heritage via the historic
Page 7 and 8: Conservative, and Reconstructionist
Page 9 and 10: (Settlement in Canaan) • Babyloni
Page 11 and 12: Indeed, Jewish history is a repeati
Page 13 and 14: of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 C.E.,
Page 15 and 16: PROGRAM ONE: A PEOPLE IS BORN (3800
Page 17 and 18: PREVIEW QUESTIONS PROGRAM ONE: A PE
Page 19 and 20: PROGRAM TWO: THE POWER OF THE WORD
Page 21: T E A C H E R ’ S PROGRAM THREE:
Page 25 and 26: PROGRAM FOUR: THE CRUCIBLE OF EUROP
Page 27 and 28: PROGRAM FIVE: SEARCH FOR DELIVERANC
Page 29 and 30: S T U D E N T PREVIEW QUESTIONS PRO
Page 31 and 32: PROGRAM SIX: ROADS FROM THE GHETTO
Page 33 and 34: PROGRAM SEVEN: THE GOLDEN LAND (AME
Page 35 and 36: PREVIEW QUESTIONS PROGRAM SEVEN: TH
Page 37 and 38: PROGRAM EIGHT: OUT OF THE ASHES (19
Page 39 and 40: PROGRAM NINE: INTO THE FUTURE (1880
Page 41 and 42: PREVIEW QUESTIONS Answer these ques
Page 43 and 44: SELECTED JEWISH HISTORY RESOURCES S
Page 45 and 46: The Israel Museum www.imj.org.il/ A
Page 47 and 48: ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This guide was pro

HERITAGE: Civilization and the jews - PBS

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