Judaism: Uncovering its Influence in Global History

🌍 Judaism is a minor religion, with only 0.2% of the global population identifying as Jewish.

📚 Judaism is influential, as it is the root of both Christianity and Islam.

🏛️ Judaism originated in the city of Ur in ancient Mesopotamia, not in Canaan.

📚 Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are monotheistic religions that originated from the story of Abraham.

🔗 Abraham made a covenant with God, promising to follow His rules in exchange for land and descendants.

⚖️ Abraham was tested by God, who asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac but then spared him.

🔑 The Jewish faith requires circumcision as a sign of the covenant with God.

🚶‍♂️ Abraham leaves Mesopotamia and travels to the land of Canaan.

⛪️ The Hebrew people become slaves in Egypt, and Moses is chosen to lead them to freedom.

📜 The Ten Commandments form the basis of the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic faiths and have a significant impact on Western civilization.

🙏 The first four commandments focus on one's relationship with God, including worshiping only one God and refraining from using God's name in vain.

🤝 The remaining six commandments pertain to one's relationships with others, emphasizing concepts such as honesty, respect, and honoring the Sabbath.

📜 The 10 commandments form the covenant between the Hebrew people and God, covering various moral principles.

🗺️ The Hebrew people, led by Moses, wander the desert and eventually settle in what is now Israel, expanding their kingdom.

👑 The tribe of Judah becomes the largest among the 12 Hebrew tribes, leading to the formation of the Kingdom of Israel.

🏰 Jerusalem becomes a significant city in Israel when King David takes control.

🏛️ Solomon's Temple, which houses the Ark of the Covenant, is built and later destroyed, dividing Israel into two kingdoms.

⚔️ Israel and Judah face invasions and eventual capture by the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires.

The exile of the Jewish people ended around 539 BCE when the Persian king Cyrus the Great allowed around 40,000 exiled individuals to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Second Temple of Solomon.

The tradition of Hanukah originated from the story of the Maccabee revolt, where the Jewish people in the Second Temple of Solomon miraculously had enough oil to light their candles for eight days.

Judaism believes in one god, has a special covenant with that god, and anticipates the return of a messiah who will bring peace to Israel and the world.