Judaism is one of the three great theocentric faiths (the other two being Christianity and Islam, both stemming from Judaism); faiths centered around a personal god and propagated by prophets. Prior to the founding of Judaism there was another attempt to found a monotheistic religion and that was in 1380 b.c.e., when Amenhotep IV promoted a solar deity in Egypt. The god of the Jews was originally Jahweh, possibly a Sinaitic thunder god from the south of Mesopotamia. He was promoted by Moses and assimilated with El-Shaddai, god of the mountains of Northern Mesopotamia. A succession of prophets, including Abraham, Elijah, Moses, and Jeremiah, developed the worship of this god to the point where they drove out the natural polytheism of their people. Previously nature worshippers, with emphasis on agriculture and fertility, the communities included Astarte in their original worship and incorporated the veneration of trees, streams, wells, stones, and serpents.
After a very stormy history, by the early Middle Ages the Jews had compiled the Talmud. This was a collection of all the various sources of written and unwritten law, put together with both traditional interpretations and the opinions of generations of rabbis. It embodied legends and sermons, and was finally completed by the end of the fifth century. It comprised sixty-three volumes. The first five books of this Hebrew Bible comprise the Torah.
By the thirteenth century another movement had arisen. This was mystical in nature, and its various books of speculative theology and mystical number symbolism was called the Kabbalah. The Torah has four levels of meaning: the literal, the allegorical, the homiletical (sermons, moral lectures), and the mystical. The Kabbalah is part of the mysticism of the Torah. It states that there is a series of ten spheres, or sefirot, through which divine influence passes to reach the earth. The central text is known as the Zohar, which shows the tenth sefirah as being a feminine aspect of deity. This is called Shekhinah. The Zohar is believed to be the teachings of the third-century Rabbi Simeon bar Yochai.
The Star of David
The Star of David is the magical hexagram. It was early revered in India as a symbol of the union between Shiva and Kali and is found in the Hindu emblem Sri Iantra. It was only officially accepted as a Jewish symbol in relatively modern times, in 1897.
The Menorah
The Menorah is the seven-branched candleholder. The seven branches represent the seven days of the week. It is said that they also represent the sun, the moon, and the five main planets. The three U-shaped arms are for beauty, strength, and wisdom.
The Pentateuch (the Torah)
The Commandment Tablets
Adonai
Tree of Life
Here is the Tree of Life, showing the ten spheres (sefirot).
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1: Kether—Supreme Crown |
6: Tifereth—Beauty |
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2: Hokhmah—Wisdom |
7: Netsah—Endurance |
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3: Binah—Understanding |
8: Hod—Majesty |
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4: Hesed—Love |
9: Yesod—Foundation |
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5: Din—Power |
10: Malkuth—Kingdom |