In the Beginning, a Quick Look at the Bible
Why don’t you try something crunchier?
The story of Jewish history starts in the Torah scroll that Jews read aloud in the synagogue. The Torah, also called the five books of Moses, tells about the creation of the world and the beginning of the Jewish people. It ends with the arrival of the Jews at the border of the land God has promised to them, the land of Israel.
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Holy Math
Two more books of the Bible called Nevi’im (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings) continue the story until the sad time when the Jews were forced to leave their land and go into exile in Babylonia. Ketuvim ends when some of the Jewish people return to their land. Together, the Five Books of Moses, Nevi’im and Ketuvim make up the tANAKH (also known as the Bible). The Tanakh has been a guide that holds the Jewish people together, comforts them and inspires them on the amazing, centuries-long journey that they travel.
Torah scroll (Five Books of Moses)
+ Nevi’im (Prophets)
+ Ketuvim (Writings)
=
Bible (Tanakh). Here’s a Timeline of Events Described in the Torah
Five Book s of Mos In the es (Torah) six day beginning th ere we God s of crea re
A agolmost 6, by Bi 000 y ble r ears ecko n ing
tio c earth,reated the h n when t h and al e sun, mo eavens, the on l living things , stars …
…and seventthen, on t rested h day, Godhe creat . All the in the ures who l restedGarden ofived E too. B ut latden er …
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…humans were driven from the Garden of Eden because they disobeyed God.
a 150 bout 0b .c .e . Ye
N to oah G w ’s ta od er o des d ug wa f ce so iffe ht s c Bab nd u t re ea on el an ot nde hey nt ch cer to ts b st he rst co lan bui ned re uil op r a an ul gu ld . ac t bu nd d dn’ ag er God h h a ea ild ha ea t e a ve ing d c h n. t . o
d ve ses ple a sl Mo eo he en ed h p of t e th d ns p is ia hel ew out rd lan . t yp d e J m a he em Eg . Go th the tow , t th l o e e Th hemfre ead and rae d t t o l t Is se t nd er of mi a es d ro d an p s. e l od ib er ve r t d ga G e n e lv hu od th e w e t i, G d o t th ina s an t S t f n n i ut o unt men w o o o d gr t, M an d ser ove mm a h de ab Co wsthe ing Ten h. e e J in tn e ra Th eep ligh s the To D nd ew th a he J of t ws la
t . oub.c.e b a 00 12
On go ly No thi od p ah a ng eop nd s r le em ) anhis fa ain d ed pai mily ( ali rs wh ve . of o w all er liv e ing
H r um di ob a ans ea sgu nd b rt st k eg h ed il an l wi th an ea to a d c ch o gr le t ea an he t ed r . fl o Go oo u d d. t t g he ot
a Abr rs pas gre aham sed. sou w and’s famil th t wa y o Eg nder ypt. ed
ed of as ippaham ere w the and . h s or . Abr t th came ham naan them w a a ple ods th e be br f Ca with Peo ny g ieved od. H led And o ant ma bel ne G God e la oven Ur ly o ew. o th c on st J ily ta fir s famade hi d m an
A Torah scroll dressed up in a velvet mantle, shiny crown, silver breast plate and tinkling bells is a splendid sight.
C Prom anaan = Landised Land of Isr = B.C.E . ael. m e a ns B Th
. s der nd w a r J e o L e ir e e b sed th the h t h i d y d t om an ed l al he Pr ied rn . Fin eac the s d mou der r f se e ea o o pl l M eo at p re g
numb e years areefore the ers to Co c low ounted mmon E from er numbe from high ra . r 586 b.c e c .e . m .e. to s. For exam r ea 1 b.c.e. ple: with 1 ns the Co c.e . a nd is mmon Era . count I ed fo t begins rward .
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Here’s a Timeline for Nevi’im and Ketuvim
. b.c.e 0 0 1 1 bes i t Aboubrew trand of e er He el The d in th ribes w t le . sett l. Manyjudges e Isra led by
The t About 10 r 0 Saul. ibes unite 0 b.c.e. D a vid, I d under king, s e n l arged rael’s sec King Solom on d the on , built a Tem Israel’s t kingdom . ple of J h ir d Israe erusalem . to God in king, t lites brougAt holiday he city h t gift -time at th o t 922 b.c.e. e in T it l e p mple . s to God el s a r s I f o e om . Th The kingd dea and Samaria stay u o J t : ght two doms fou was two king ent, but Samaria b.c.e. independd by Assyria in 722 conquere 800’s t 60 0’s b.c.e. Prophets o a r o s kingdoms a e in both nd taught people tha t j mercy towa ustice and are more im rd each other than gifts portant to God and at the Temspacrifices le .
About 450 b.c.e. to about 400 b.c.e. Two Babylonian Jews named Ezra and Nehemiah helped to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem and to renew the Jewish people’s covenant with God. Instead of reaching the end of their history, the Jews found a new beginning!
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586 b.c.e. The Babylon conquered ians Jud destroyed ea , the Temple many Jude and took ans away . ia b.c.e in t s o 8 e r x ile . e 3 5 of P nia and s u r n Cy ylo King red Bab to retur d e s u il conq wed Jew nd rebu a o er s all Judea emple. ad nd e T l o t re d a o their we o Go le t to
ets t op d ph poke he pe s an ous o r P ho s t t law ner . w ugh d’s d ge her ta y Go t an h ot e ob e jus h eac b wit
Trouble and triumphs in second temple times Dat e Eve : nts Peo ple :
T imel ine 58 6 b.c.
e.
to 3 00 b.c.e .
58 6 b. c . Firs e. des t Tem p t wer royed le wa 538 s M . e b. c . any Bab exiledJews e. Pro ylon to Jew t p s ia . o r Eze hets t abou Isra he et kiel Jer t 450 el a Land urned and emia – 400 n o J d f b. c . e I eru n Isa h, r a e . g b s iah r Cyr reviv eat reli us t alem . uilt g a i l o king he G the w of J e us of P reat rebu rusalem alls ers , i w l t e ia stud and Torare y gre w. h Ezra and N e h em iah :
On a summer day in 586 b.c.e., the Babylonian army burned the Jewish Temple to the ground and tore apart the city of Jerusalem. Most Jews were forced into exile. The great prophet Jeremiah fled to Egypt. THE HEART OF JEWISH LIFE WAS DESTROYED!
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about 400 b.c.e. Persian Jews face death and were d saved. Esther, Mordecai, Haman, Ahasueros
To a Strange Landd Of course we’ll come back home. We’re God’s people. God would never let us die in exile. Mama, will we ever come back home?
The Babylonians blinded King Zedekiah of Judea and dragged him to Babylonia along with priests, merchants and other leaders of Judea.
Ha! Are you kidding? We defeated your God. He’s a loser—a nothing. Your God can’t help you. No way!
Play us some music and sing some of those Temple songs. Come on— Look alive!
How can we sing the songs of Zion in a strange land?
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That’s God can’tnot true. God left ube a loser . we disobes because Torah’s layed the ws.
If I forget Jerusalem let my right hand forget its skill.
Finally the exiles reached Babylonia, the land of two great rivers. They settled down and to their surprise found that exile wasn’t so bad.
But there was one BIG problem. How will God hear us if we haven’t got a Temple and priests and sacrifices?
Hey, Babylonia is okay. There’s plenty of clay and water to make my pots.
Stop crying! God will manage without our sacrifices. The prophets told us that God wants us to pray and study Torah and be honest and fair with each other.
Good soil for my garbanzo beans and grass for my goats.
Plenty of customers to buy all my wares.
So the Jews built meeting places (Batei Knesset) where they could study Torah together and pray. Later these meeting places were called synagogues. And they set up schools where their children studied.
How come none of the Babylonian kids have to learn Torah?
Even in Babylonia there were Hebrew prophets. They reminded the Jews to follow the Torah’s laws and promised that God would bring them back to the Land of Israel. The prophet Ezekiel said, You’ll see, if you’re sorry for the bad things you’ve done God will give you a new heart and a new spirit, and you’ll rebuild the holy Temple. Here’s what the Temple will look like…
The prophet Isaiah had a glowing vision.
We’ll rebuild God’s Temple and all the people of the world will come to worship with us. Righteousness, peace and happiness will fill the world!
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We’re lucky. We’re Jews.
Almost fifty years after the Jews had been exiled to Babylonia a king called Cyrus the Great marched down from Persia and conquered Babylonia.
Uh-oh! Now what?
The new king, Cyrus, gave permission to all the captive peoples to go back home.
Some Jews were wildly happy.
Some were not.
All you foreigners, Jews too, go home!
You guys go ahead. I’m a little busy right now. I baked you cookies for the trip.
So, many Jews headed west across the desert to Israel. And many others stayed in Babylonia…which turned out to be a good thing, as you’ll see in Chapter Eight. Bye, have fun.
May God protect you. We’ll miss you.
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Home again…in Jerusalem a few months later.. Where’s Jerusalem?
Home at last! Is this it?
You must be kidding…
Listen people, the prophets never promised us a rose garden. We have to work to clean up the ruins and build a new altar. Don’t be scared. God is with us!
Fired up, everyone got to work to rebuild the ruins.
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Just in time for the holidays the altar was finished. The priests offered sacrifices to God in the Temple courtyard and the people praised and thanked God for bringing them home again.
Next the Jews began to rebuild the Temple. Immediately they got into trouble. The neighbors complained and got the Persians to stop the work for a while. The Jews pleaded and argued and finally were allowed to build again.
At last, after twenty years the Temple was completed. People went happily back to farming, cooking, milking goats‌whatever. Soon they forgot about the laws of Shabbat and justice and worshiping one God.
They married foreign spouses.
They ignored Shabbat.
Hey, stop pushing! Today is my day off. It’s Shabbat.
They prayed not only to God but also to idols.
And they neglected the Temple and the city of Jerusalem.
Only fifty years after rebuilding the Temple, the Jewish people were falling apart. Two Jewish leaders saved the day! Ezra the scribe arrived from Babylonia, followed by Nehemiah who was named governor of Judea by the king of Persia.
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Ezra and Nehemiah to the Rescuee Those two took things in hand.
Sure we can, Each builder will carry his tools and a weapon to fight the enemies.
Let’s go, Jews. Put aside your foreign spouses and work together to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. We can’t build. Our enemies won’t let us.
Then Ezra and Nehemiah pushed and taught until people began to follow the Torah’s laws again. On Shabbat nobody did business. The gates of Jerusalem were closed and everyone rested, prayed or studied. Nehemiah made rich people forgive the debts of the poor and made them give back the land that poor people had forfeited.
Amen, amen, we will live by the laws of the Torah.
In spite of the stones and arrows of angry neighbors, the walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt. At a great assembly Ezra read the Torah to all the people.
During the years of the Second Temple, Jewish laws and customs became rooted in the lives of the people. Part of the Five Books of Moses (the Torah) was written down in its final form. And other books of the Bible like Job and Song of Songs were added. 11
Danger in Persia. Meanwhile, the Jews who had remained in Babylonia (which became part of the Persian Empire) were having some ups and downs. One of the scariest times was when Haman became prime minister of Shushan in Persia. Shushan was the capital of the kingdom of King Ahasueros.
Bow down! I’m Haman, the Prime Minister. I’m Mordecai the Jew and I won’t bow!
What an insult. That guy Mordecai deserves to die. I’ll kill him and all the Jews.
Haman didn’t know that Esther, Queen of Shushan, was a Jew and Mordecai’s niece.
Haman ran to King Ahasueros and complained.
Good thinking. We don’t need lawbreakers.
The order to kill the Jews was sent throughout the kingdom and Haman eagerly prepared a high gallows to hang Mordecai.
There’s a certain people who live in your kingdom and disobey your laws. Let’s get rid of them. Just sign this little paper. Mordecai heard the terrible news and sent a message to Esther in the palace. “Talk to Ahasueros!”
To Esther’s relief, the King wasn’t angry at all.
I’m s-s-s-so scared. If I go to Ahasueros without being invited he may kill me! But if I don’t go I’ll die anyhow, along with my people. I must go.
Sweetie pie! What can I do for you?
Esther begged the Jews of Shushan to pray for her. Then she went to the King.
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Would you and Haman join me for a special feast?
Esther got the best caterer in Shushan. He prepared a feast fit for a king—or even two kings.
Hey, cool! We’d love to come.
After the feast… That was delicious (burp) Esther. We must do this again soon.
No kingy dear. We’ll never do this again because I and all my people will be killed…
This man, Haman, has ordered that all the Jews of the kingdom should be killed!
Haman, you monster, ingrate, liar, conniver! I’ll have you hung from the highest gallows. So Haman was hung very high and Mordecai became the new prime minister of Shushan.
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I and all my people? (gulp) That’s not fair! How was I supposed to know that Esther was Jewish?
The Jews of Persia celebrated with a great feast and gave gifts to needy people. Today the Jews still tell the story of Esther, give charity and have feasts and costume parties on the Purim holiday.
42 1 o t .c.e.
b Timeline 308
Jews and greeks fight it out 2
to 14 . e b.c. 198 b.c.e.
T imeline: 308322 . . . t bce
Date: Events: People:
3 3 2 b. c . e . Greeks ea ud invade J r Alexande
abou pire k em Greeeaks up br
We Greeks are the greatest! Hellenism is the greatest!
.
b.c.e
.
b.c.e
an Syris take k ea e Greer Jud ov us ioc h t n A
166 b.c.e. olt Jews Revyrians S t s again ias Mattathcabee c a M Judah rothers and His b
166–142 b.c.e. Syrians driven out of Judea Simon
cus Seleupey Pom
In Judea the Jews lived peacefully as part of the Persian Empire. Scholars were writing down the text of the Torah. People (kids too) were working their farms, studying Torah law and celebrating holidays at the Temple. Suddenly, the hottest new general in the Mediterranean area, Alexander the Great, defeated the huge Persian army and galloped into Judea.
What’s Hellenism?
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Some kind of salad dressing?
Alexander Rises and Falls. Alexander swept on like a hurricane to conquer one million square miles, from Greece to India.
I, Alexander the Great, will conquer the world and bring Greek culture, Hellenism, to everyone‌whether they like it or not!
Bye...
See ya‌
But only twelve years later, Alexander died.
I get Egypt and Syria!
His generals immediately began to fight over who would get what.
Finally, Seleucus got Syria and Pompey got Egypt. But who got fertile little Judea that lay between them?
M-maybe we should have gone to C-Canada.
The armies of Syria and Egypt fought for more than one hundred years until Syria won and Judea became part of the Syrian empire.
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No, I get Egypt and Syria!
Hellenism Hits. Now the Syrian-Greeks (let’s just call them Syrians) began to teach the Judeans how to be ‘good’ HELLENISTS. Take off your clothes.
What a waste. The kids could be studying Torah or picking olives.
All my clothes?
They’ll catch cold, God forbid. Push-ups! 1-2-3-4. Very good. Next we’ll do running. Then we’ll bring a gift to the gods. And then we’ll read poetry.
The Syrians had the Judeans build temples to Greek gods and theaters, gymnasiums and sports stadiums. Some big-city Jews liked being Hellenists. They took Greek names and wore Greek clothing. Call me Alex not Eliezer.
They brought sacrifices to God at the Temple and also sacrifices to the Greek gods.
I’m Aphrodite, not Sarah.
We have a gift for Zeus and a gift for our own Jewish god.
Ptooey! You’re not a Jew. You’re a Hellenist!
Idol worshiper!
So we’re covered both ways.
And you’re just a smelly, ignorant peasant. Go take a shower.
Hellenist Jews and traditional Jews disagreed with each other and yelled insults. Finally the Syrian king decided to teach all the Jews a lesson.
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Antiochus the Fourth, King of Syria, marched his soldiers to Jerusalem and let them loose. Have fun, guys.
They ran wild. Tore down the city walls and built a Syrian fortress in the middle of town. They forced many Jerusalemites into exile as slaves and put a statue of the Greek god Zeus in the Temple courtyard. Then Antiochus made new, harsher rules.
We’ll put idols in your Temple and sacrifice pigs to them!
he is treek uler s u Ze ief G nd r e ch od a l th ds. g f al r go o the o
In 160 B.C.E., Syrian soldiers came to a town near Jerusalem called Modi’in. They were to enforce the new rules.
Those soldiers didn’t know what they were getting themselves into.
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Five glorious brothers. The priest MattathiAs the Hasmonean and his five sons lived in Modiin. They believed firmly in the God of Israel and the laws of the Torah.
Everyone must come to the town square to worship the great god Zeus.
Bring a sacrifice for Zeus. And it would be nice if you brought a pan of fried chicken or brownies for us soldiers too.
The townspeople hurried to the square. One of them brought a gift for the god, Zeus.
MattathiAs struck the man down!
Here are two delicious doves for Zeus.
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Then MattathiAs and his sons led the Judeans up into the mountains where they could hide and keep fighting. The townspeople attacked the soldiers and drove them out of Modi’in.
All who are for God and God’s covenant, follow me!
A war began as Judean rebels swept down from their hiding places to attack the Syrians and their Jewish sympathizers.
The war went on and on. MattathiAs died and his son Judah became the leader. In 164 b.c.e., the Judeans caught the Syrians in a trap near Jerusalem. The Syrian general made a smart decision.
All right Judah— I give up! Take back your Temple and pray to any god you want.
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Winning Back the Temple. Hurray! We’re gonna clean up our Temple.
Dump out the Syrian idols.
Fix the roof.
Patch the cracks.
Polish the menorah.
Chase out the non-kosher animals.
Mend the drapes.
Hey, take it easy! This
wasn’t MY idea.
The Temple was finally clean and the priests lit the great menorah. But according to an ancient story, there was only enough holy oil to burn for one day.
but eight days!
The flame lit up the winter sky and burned for
not seven.
not one. not two.
not six. not three.
not five. not four.
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It was a miracle! The Jews celebrated the miracle of the oil and the Dedication of the Temple. the Hebrew word for Dedication is Hanukkah. Jews today still celebrate Hanukkah by lighting their Hanukkiyot (Hanukkah menorahs) for eight days each Year.
The Last Maccabee. Judah fell in the hills of Judea...
Jonathan was betrayed.
The Jews had won their religious freedom. But the Maccabees kept fighting to drive the Syrians out of the land of Judea. One by one the brave brothers were killed. Johanan fell in the jungles of the Jordan.
Eleazar was crushed under a Syrian fighting elephant. After twenty-five years of war the Syrians were driven out of Judea. Of the five sons of Mattathias only Simon was alive. And Simon, the last Maccabee, ruled over a free, united Jewish land.
Simon made peace in our land.
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We can sit under our vine and fig trees and no one can make us afraid.
Rome Takes Over b.c.e. 7 3 .e. to
b.c 0 4 1 Timeline: 63 . . . bce
Date: Events: People:
.e . 140–63 b.c Feuding ings an K Hasmonejudea rule Simon, us Hyrcan n h o J
Takes Romerule of Over dea ju
and on 140 b.c.e. Torah Study of, ideas of s e continu h develop. Mishna a Grows. diaspor Shammai HIllel &
37 b.c.e. Romans drive out last Hasmonean priest. Appoint Herod as King.
y Pompe
Say “God is One” or DIE!
The children and grandchildren of Simon were called Hasmoneans. They were ambitious and warlike. John Hyrcanus, Simon’s son, conquered the lands around Judea. He forced the Idumeans in the south to convert to Judaism.
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Herod
The Feuding Hasmoneans and Judeans. John Hyrcanus’ sons led the Jews into battle and made Judea bigger than ever before. We’re unbeatable!
We Sadducees follow all the Torah’s laws in the Temple. At home we’re Hellenists. We’re rich priests, nobles and merchants. We’re modern and we’re RIGHT!
Back at home life wasn’t peaceful either. Jews were splitting into three Groups: Sadducees, Pharisees and Essenes.
We Pharisees aren’t rich but we study and explain the Torah and live by its rules. Good deeds are more important than Temple sacrifices.
Both Sadducees and Pharisees are absolutely wrong! We Essenes are going off to live in the desert and prepare for the messiah to come.
During the rule of Alexander Yannai, a Hasmonean Sadducee king, the argument got so hot at a Sukkot holiday celebration that the Pharisees threw their etrogs (citrons) at the king.
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The feuding continued until Alexander Yannai died and his widow, Alexandra Salome, became queen of the Jews. She kept the kingdom peaceful for a while. Be nice boys.
We don’t speak with our fists!
Hey, stop that!
The king’s soldiers attacked the worshipers and killed many of them.
After Salome died, her sons fought for control of the kingdom. The kingdom is mine, I’m older.
Ouch, leggo! It’s mine. I’m smarter!
In the meantime, the powerful nation Rome was taking over the old, weak Greek empire. The battling Hasmonean brothers turned to the Roman general, Pompey, to settle their argument. Choose me. I’m the rightful king of Judea. My mother said so.
Go home, both of you. We Romans will run your country. We’re nice guys so we’ll let you be priests in your Temple.
Eighty short years of Jewish independence under the Maccabee-Hasmoneans were over. Rome became the ruler of Judea.
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Choose me. My brother is a wimp. The army is with me.
Written and Unwritten (Oral) Torah. Things settled down. The Roman rulers ran the army and collected taxes. And the Temple priests and nobility learned to accept their new bosses. We can be good Jews who serve in the Temple and bring sacrifices to God. But at the same time we’ll wear pretty Roman clothing and go to the theater and the baths—just like real Romans.
Important ideas about the Torah’s laws were argued in the local synagogues and in the Sanhedrin, the national council. The new ideas were not written down.
Yuk! I hate to memorize.
Put away your tablets. We can’t write this stuff down. Only our holy Torah with God’s words can be written.
The Pharisees and their followers were busy studying and explaining Torah. The Torah’s books of Daniel and Ecclesiastes were written during these years.
Oh no, that means memorize.
(groan) Here they go again.
Two important rabbis during Second Temple times were Hillel and Shammai. Their ideas were part of the unwritten law. But Hillel and Shammai couldn’t agree on anything.
Rabbi Hillel, that’s a crazy, mixed-up idea.
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Rabbi Shammai, I respectfully believe you are mistaken.
This story describes the difference between the two rabbis. One day a non-Jew came to Shammai and asked to be taught the whole Torah while he stood on one foot. What hutzpah (impudence)! How dare you ask such a thing. Our holy Torah is not a toy!
Yoo hoo, Hillel. I have a question for you. Please don’t hit me. Come in and ask, my son.
Okay, okay, I’m leaving. I’ll go see Hillel.
Can you teach me the whole Torah while I’m standing on one foot?
Listen closely. What is harmful to you, do not do to your fellow human beings. That is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary. Now go and learn.
Many teachings of Hillel, Shammai and other rabbis became part of the unwritten Torah, which was later written down and became a book called the Mishnah.
If I am not for myself who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, what good am I?
Because of Hillel’s patience, the man studied Torah and became a Jew.
When there is no leader, YOU must be the leader.
Don’t judge a person till you stand in his shoes.
It’s better to be a tail among lions than a head among foxes.
Don’t feel you must finish a job, nevertheless you’re still responsible to work at it.
If not now, when? Feed your work animals before yourself.
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Jews Explore the Empire. When Israel lost its independence and became part of the Roman empire it was a tragedy for the Jews. There was only one good thing about it—the Romans built great roads and kept the traffic safe. Jewish merchants and adventurers took off heading to Europe, North Africa, India and further.
How come the Egyptian kids don’t study Torah?
We’re lucky, we’re Jews.
Wherever they settled, Jews built schools and synagogues, studied Torah and celebrated their holidays.
The largest Jewish community outside Judea and the Galilee was in Babylonia, which wasn’t part of the Roman empire. Alexandria in Egypt was second largest. Everyone spoke Greek in Alexandria and the Torah was translated from Hebrew into Greek.
It looks like Greek to me.
Welcome! I love those diaspora Jews.
Diaspora’ is a Greek word that describes Jewish communities outside Israel.
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Jews of all countries turned to Jerusalem when they prayed. Each year they sent half a shekel to Jerusalem to support the Temple and its priests.