Role of Moses in Judaism - Research Paper Example

ROLE OF MOSES IN JUDAISM: In the bible, one of the greatest Israelite’s prophets is Moses and the Jews call him, Moshe Rabbenu, meaning Moses our teacher. Moses was born in Egypt in a period when the Egyptians subjected the Israelites to slavery. The bible teaches that the descendants of Jacob, known as Israelites lived in Egypt for more than 450 years and it is during this time that they multiplied and became a nation, as per the promises of God to Abraham. The Egyptians felt threatened by this, and a new Pharaoh arose, who never knew Joseph, an Israelite-Egyptian prime minister and thus ordered the Israelites to become slaves. Still the Israelites, operating under the blessings of God, grew in numbers and stronger (Wheless, 19). This forced the Egyptians to introduce tighter controls against the Israelites by killing their children. It is during this time that Moses is born. This was as a result of the Israelite prayers to God, to deliver them from the Egyptian bondage. To protect Moses from death, her mother places him in a casket and it flows along the River Nile, and through Gods intervention, the Casket flows into the hands of Pharaohs daughter who adopts him as her son and therefore raised as an Egyptian prince. Moses grew up in the palace but he did not identify himself with the Egyptians. As a grown up man, Moses was not happy at the way in which his people were being treated, and he at one time killed an Egyptian for beating up an Israelite, thereby drawing the wrath of Pharaoh and fleeing to Midian and in this land, Moses met Zipporah, and married her. Zipporah was a daughter of Jethro, the priest of Median. Moses worked for him, for forty years as a shepherd, and it is while tending after the flock, that he got a visitation from God, requiring him to go back to Egypt, and to Pharaoh in particular, demanding the release of the Israelites from bondage. Moses obeyed the call from God and went back to Egypt demanding the freedom of the Israelites. Pharaoh, at first refused to grant him his wish, and through Moses, God struck Egypt with ten plagues, and it is the tenth plague that forced Pharaoh to release the Israelites. This plague was known as the plague of the first born where an angel of God, called The Angel of Death, killed all the first born male children of the Egyptians, including Pharaohs child. The first born of Israelites were saved by marking their door posts with the blood of a lamb. They had to eat the slain lamb, with bitter herbs, symbolizing their painful stay in Egypt as slaves. This was known as the Passover (Storr, 85).On leaving Egypt, Pharaoh changed his mind, and ordered his army to pursue the Israelites, and they were cornered at the Red Sea. God miraculously caused the Red sea to open and the Israelites passed over it. When the Egyptians attempted, God made the Red Sea to swallow them and therefore destroying the Egyptian army. This paper is an analysis of the Role of Moses in Judaism. It highlights, in detail, why Moses is regarded as an important Jewish prophet and teacher of God’s word. The paper analyses the first five books of the bible that are credited to Moses, namely Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Numbers and Leviticus. The paper highlights how Mosaic laws shaped the thinking of the Jews and their historical celebrations. It also highlights his role as a savior, taking them away from Egypt, into the Promised Land. There is also the mention of the Ten Commandments which forms the basis of the Jewish laws and traditions and the aspect of religion in him being the first person in the bible to introduce the Israelites into the knowledge of their God, Jehovah. This paper mentions the various wars that Moses led the children of Israel into during their exodus, and through faith, how they won this wars. This paper has a conclusion, which talks of other Prophets of Israel whom the Jews regard as important in their Judaist practices. Approximately, a thousand years after the death of Abraham, his descendants lived in Egypt as slaves and God raised a man by the name of Moses to lead them out of Egypt into a holy land promised by God. When the Jews reached Mount Sinai, through Moses, God made a covenant with them and reintroduced the covenant he made with Abraham because Israelites were his descendants. And it is from this place, through Moses, that God gave the children of Israel a set of rules, commonly called the Torah and the instructions was that they should live by them, and if they are faithful, they will prosper in the land. Torah are not laws but teachings which were authoritative and were meant for guidance on the daily lives of the children of Israel. The widely known examples of the Torah are the Ten Commandments, given to Moses from tablets written by God himself. The Ten Commandments are but an example; there are approximately 613 laws and teachings that cover all aspects of the Jewish lives, including personal hygiene, righteous living, family affairs and law. It is from this period that Judaism emerged and became an organized religion. Moses, to the Jews is the channel through which this religion emerged from. They believe that God used Moses to introduce Judaism in Israel through the set of laws that he taught and received from God (Ruggiero, 20). The Ten Commandments are the most famous laws that Moses ever gave to the children of Israel, and they followed these laws to the later, and breaching any one of the laws, amounted to serious punishment from the teachers of the law, namely Pharisees and sudecees and also from God. The Ten Commandments were laws relating to love of God, Love of a neighbor and love of one self (Penney, 20). The followings are the laws, Do not kill Do not steal Do not covert your neighbor’s property. Do not commit adultery Love your neighbor as you love yourself. Do not worship other gods apart from Jehovah. Do not misuse the name of the Lord God. Obey your parents and you shall live long. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Do not lie. These laws are accredited to Moses and they are the foundation of Judaism. The importance of Moses in Judaism is the fact that he is the one who wrote the first five books of the Bible. They are Genesis, Exodus, Deuteronomy, Numbers and Leviticus. The book of Genesis talks of the creation of mankind. It highlights God as the creator of the world and man. According to Genesis, God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh day. Man was created on the sixth day from clay and given the image of God (Kent, 7). Genesis also highlights the fall of man and gives a reason why this happened. It was as a result of disobedience, man eating of the forbidden fruit and thereby the ground being cursed on behalf of man and the woman being made to bear a child in pain. This book is extremely important to the Jews, since they are able to know the origin of the world and identify with God, Jehovah. The book also highlights the origin of the Jews and their ancestors. It identifies Abraham, as the father of the Jewish people. The Jews emanate from Abraham, through Isaac his child. Isaac begets two children, Esau and Jacob, and from the beginning, according to Genesis, God blesses Jacob while he is in his mother’s womb, Rebecca. From Jacob, emanates his 12 sons, from whom the nation of Israel is born. From this analysis, the Jews are able to know their origin and apply them in following their Jewish customs and laws. Moses traces the presence of Israel’s in Egypt, from Joseph to his days, in the book of Genesis (Feldman, 27). The Jews, from this book are able to know their history and thereafter apply them in their religion. Were it not for Moses, the history of Jews would have been lost, since; it is him, who provides a concise and accurate historical interpretation of the Jewish origin. From the book of exodus, Moses introduces the children of Israel into the aspects of Passover.This is depicted from the last plague that God sent against the Egyptians, the plague of the first born. During this time, God, through Moses, commanded the children of Israel to slaughter a lamb, and place it over their door posts so that when His angel comes, he will Passover their houses and move to the Egyptian houses to execute Gods command. They were to eat the lamb, with unleavened bread together with bitter herbs, as a sign of their slavery in Egypt. This was to be celebrated annually in Israel in recognition to the role that God through Moses played in liberating them from the Egyptian hold. The Passover is an important celebration among the Jews, and to date, they still practice it as described by Moses. Exodus depicts the departure of the Israelites from Egypt and the mighty miracles that God performed through Moses in removing them from Egypt and sustaining them in the wilderness. The main theme of the book of Exodus is redemption. Moses wrote this book to provide the historical and redemptive acts of Jehovah, and it introduces the notion that Israel is the chosen nation of God. This theory is one of the core beliefs of Judaism and its foundation. It is from this book that the Jews learn of the covenants that the Israelites made with God.From the book, the Jews are able to witness the mighty redemptive power of God and His grace in action. This book reveals to the Jews the character of Gods deliverance against sin. It reveals the attributes of God as majestic, glorious, faithful and merciful and therefore to the Jews, it reveals the character of their God and thus giving them the legitimacy of worshiping Jehovah. It is from this book that the Jews learn on how they should worship God and the reasons as to why this should happen. The book of Leviticus, written by Moses symbolizes holiness to the Jews. The book instructs the Israelites and their priests on how to access God by ways of sacrifices of lambs and it sets a standard of Gods holiness, by righteous living. Worship in Judaism involves sacrifices and it is the priests, mainly from the Levitical tribe who are allowed to conduct such sacrifices to atone for sins (Barron, 34). This teaching comes from the book of Leviticus written by Moses. The book of numbers gives a historical perspective of the causes of Israelites wandering in the wilderness and the reasons as to why God did not allow them to enter the Promised Land. The book teaches against disobedience to God, and it lays emphasis on faith to God and His Judgment against rebellion. To the Jews, rebellion against God is punishable by death and thus the significance of this writings by Moses to Judaist practices. The book of Deuteronomy is commonly referred to as the second law. This book consists of Moses final teachings and the renewal of Gods covenant with the children of Israel. This was a new generation of the Israelites, after the old generation, from their rebellion, died in the wilderness. This book instructs the Israelites on their covenant obligations to God and faith. It also teaches on the need to fear God and walk in his ways, loving Him and giving Him Honor at all times. This book reminds the Jews on the mighty deeds that God did to protect them and deliver them from their enemies. Therefore to Judaism, this is a great contribution to their faith since it strengthens them in their beliefs by encouraging their growth in faith and obedience to god. Basing on this analysis, Moses is regarded as a great Jewish prophet. It is through Moses, that the Israelites managed to come out of slavery in Egypt and it is also through Moses that the Torah, Jewish religious teachings were introduced culminating into Judaism. In the bible, there are also other prophets who play significant roles in Judaism. There is Elijah the prophet. Elijah lived in the era of The Kings, and during his time, he confronted King Ahab due to his wickedness and rebellion against God. Elijah is one of the greatest Jewish Prophet since the Jews believe that he will come again, to prepare a way for their promised messiah. There is Samuel the Scribe and to the Jews, Samuel made a transition in Israel from Judges to the Kings. When the Israelites forced him to choose a king for them, God instructed him to anointed Saul, son of Kish as the King of Israel. However he was reluctant to do this since he considered God as the legitimate King of Israel, and it was under His protection, that the children of Israel prospered. Samuel was born a Nazarene, and he was set aside for the purposes of God from birth and to Judaist believes, he is an important prophet. Isaiah is also an important prophet in Judaism. Through his prophecies, Jews get hope of a promised Messiah and deliverance from all their troubles. Other prophets who play a significant role in Judaism are Jeremiah, Nahum, Micah, etc. In conclusion, these prophets derive their beliefs from Mosaic teachings and therefore the greatest of them all; in terms of significance to Judaism Moses is the greatest prophet. Works Cited Barron, Sharon. Moses and Judaism. Mankato, Minn.: Smart Apple Media, 2003. Print. Feldman, Louis H.. Philo's portrayal of Moses in the context of ancient Judaism. Notre Dame, Ind.: University of Notre Dame Press, 2007. Print. Kent, Charles Foster. Israel's laws and legal precedents: from the days of Moses to the closing of the legal canon. New York: C. Scribner's Sons, 1907. Print. Penney, Sue. Judaism. Chicago, Ill: Heinemann Library, 2001. Print. Ruggiero, Adriane. Judaism. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Print. Storr, Catherine, and Jim Russell. Moses and the plagues. Milwaukee: Raintree Childrens Books, 1985.Print. Wheless, Joseph. Debunking the Laws of Moses: the "Laws of the Lord by the hand of Moses". Girard, Kan.: Haldeman-Julius Publications, 1929. Print. Read More