World Religions: Judaism

Summary

Judaism se enfrenta al problema del exilio y busca soluciones a través del retorno a Dios y a la comunidad. Esta religión se centra en contar historias y seguir la ley, ejemplificado en la celebración del Seder de Pascua. A diferencia de otras religiones, el judaísmo es más un sistema de historias y leyes que de creencias. La Torah y el Talmud son fundamentales, y el judaísmo tiene un fuerte tema de liberación. A pesar de su pequeño número, el judaísmo ha tenido una gran influencia cultural y religiosa en el mundo.

Takeaways

• 🤔 El problema principal de la Judáica es la 'exilio', entendido como estar separados de Dios y de la comunidad, y la necesidad de 'regresar' a ambos.
• 📚 La solución en la Judáica se encuentra en la técnica de 'storytelling' y la 'ley', que están conectadas, especialmente en la Pascua judía (Seder).
• 🔗 La ley y el relato son dos caras de la misma moneda en la Judáica, donde el recordar es un mandato y una buena obra (Mitzvah).
• 👤 La Judáica no se centra tanto en la doctrina como en el sistema de historias y leyes, lo que implica una lucha constante entre lo viejo y lo nuevo.
• 📖 La 'Torah' o 'Tanaj' es el término amplio que se refiere a las enseñanzas judías, incluyendo los cinco libros de Moisés y toda la Biblia Hebrea.
• 🏛 La fundación de la Judáica no está ligada a un solo fundador, sino que se desarrolló entre la destrucción del Templo en el siglo VI a.C. y la destrucción del Templo en el siglo I.
• 🌏 La Judáica es una tradición portátil y textual, que no está atada a un lugar específico y que se puede llevar en el brazo.
• 🇮🇱 La relación entre la Judáica y Israel es compleja; aunque Israel es el hogar de muchos judíos, también hay una significativa comunidad judía en el exilio.
• 🚫 Es posible criticar al Estado de Israel o a sus políticas sin ser antisemita, siempre que se mantenga una distinción clara entre la crítica política y el odio hacia el pueblo judío.
• 🍽 La Judáica tiene una gran cantidad de leyes, algunas de las cuales pueden parecer obsoletas o severas en el contexto moderno, pero que tienen un propósito en la vida religiosa judía.
• 🏆 La influencia de la Judáica en la cultura mundial y estadounidense es desproporcionada a su tamaño numérico, dada su importancia en la fundación de las religiones cristiana e islámica y su impacto en la cultura popular y política de EE. UU.

Q & A

¿Cuál es el problema central que intenta resolver el judaísmo según el guion?

El problema central del judaísmo es la 'exilio', que se refiere a estar separados de Dios y de la comunidad, y la necesidad de 'regresar' a Dios y a la comunidad.

¿Qué técnicas recomienda el judaísmo para superar el exilio?

El judaísmo recomienda dos técnicas principales para superar el exilio: la narración de historias y el derecho (ley), que están conectadas y se manifiestan claramente en la Pascua judía.

¿Cómo se relaciona la ley y la narrativa en el judaísmo según el guion?

La ley y la narrativa están conectadas en el judaísmo, siendo dos caras de la misma moneda. Contar una historia es seguir la ley porque la ley manda recordar, y esto se ve en la Seder de Pascua.

¿Qué es lo que distingue al judaísmo de ser un sistema de creencias tradicionales?

El judaísmo no se centra tanto en las doctrinas o credos, sino más bien en un sistema de narrativas y leyes, donde lo importante es luchar con la tradición y con la historia.

¿Qué es la Torá y cómo se traduce este término?

La Torá es un término expansivo que se traduce comúnmente como 'ley', pero en realidad significa 'enseñanza', y se refiere a las cinco libros de Moisés y a toda la Biblia Hebrea.

¿Qué es el Talmud y cómo se relaciona con la Torá?

El Talmud es un documento que acompaña a la Torá o el Tánaj, y es una recopilación de debates de los rabinos sobre cómo actuar en ciertas circunstancias legales para vivir nuestras vidas.

¿Cómo se describe el fundador o la fundación del judaísmo en el guion?

El judaísmo no está atado a un solo fundador, sino que se desarrolló entre la destrucción del Templo en el siglo VI a.C. y la destrucción del Templo en el siglo I d.C.

¿Cómo se relaciona el judaísmo con el Estado de Israel?

El judaísmo y el Estado de Israel están estrechamente relacionados, pero también hay judíos en todo el mundo que eligen vivir en la 'diaspora' a pesar de la existencia de un estado judío.

¿Es posible criticar al Estado de Israel sin ser antisemita?

Sí, es posible criticar políticas o líderes políticos de Israel sin ser antisemita, siempre y cuando se mantenga una distinción clara entre la crítica al Estado y la oposición a la religión o la gente judía.

¿Cómo se caracteriza el enfoque del judaísmo hacia la ley?

El judaísmo es una tradición que cree que Dios nos dice cómo vivir de manera específica, incluyendo detalles como lo que debemos comer, y muchos de estos mandamientos provienen tanto de la Torá como del Talmud.

¿Por qué el guion afirma que el judaísmo tiene una influencia desproporcionada a su número de seguidores?

A pesar de ser una de las religiones más pequeñas en número de seguidores, el judaísmo ha tenido una gran influencia a través de las religiones cristiana e islámica, y en la cultura, política y vida popular de Estados Unidos.

Outlines

00:00

📜 La Estructura de la Fe Judía

El primer párrafo explora la esencia del judaísmo, considerando su dificultad para definirse en comparación con otras religiones. Se centra en la idea del exilio y el retorno como el problema central que el judaísmo busca resolver, siendo la separación de Dios y la comunidad y el deseo de regresar a ellos. El autor reflexiona sobre las técnicas de storytelling y la ley como medios para superar el exilio, destacando la conexión entre ambos, especialmente en la Pascua judía. Además, se menciona la ausencia de un dogma rígido en el judaísmo, enfocándose más en la práctica y la interpretación de las historias y la ley, en lugar de una creencia categórica.

05:03

🌐 Identidad Judía y el Estado de Israel

El segundo párrafo discute la relación entre el judaísmo y Israel, señalando que, a pesar de la historia del pueblo judío y su exilio, la creación del Estado de Israel en el siglo XX ha generado un debate sobre la identidad y la pertenencia judía. El autor plantea la pregunta de por qué algunos judíos eligen vivir en la 'diaspora' en lugar de mudarse a Israel. También se aborda el tema de la crítica al Estado de Israel y cómo es posible区分la crítica política de la nación israelí de la antisemitismo. Se destaca la importancia de la ley y la tradición en el judaísmo, más allá de las leyes bíblicas, y cómo estas se adaptan y debaten en la sociedad judía contemporánea.

10:04

🌟 Influencia Desproporcionada del Judío en la Cultura Mundial

El tercer párrafo destaca la influencia desproporcionada del judaísmo en la cultura y la política a nivel mundial, a pesar de ser una minoría religiosa. El autor menciona la importancia del judaísmo como precursor del cristianismo y el islam, lo que representa una gran parte de la población mundial. También se discute la representación de judíos en la política estadounidense y la cultura popular, especialmente en el ámbito del humor, atribuyéndoselo a la tradición de reflexión y crítica sobre la vida y las situaciones absurdas y contradictorias, que es una característica del judaísmo.

Keywords

💡Exilio

El exilio se refiere a la separación de la comunidad judea de su tierra prometida y de Dios. Es un tema central en el video, donde se discute cómo el judaísmo enfrenta el problema del exilio y la necesidad de 'volver' a la comunidad y a Dios. El exilio histórico de los judíos de la tierra prometida y del templo es mencionado como antecedente.

💡Judaísmo

Judaísmo es la religión que se centra en el exilio y el retorno, y se presenta como una práctica más que un sistema de creencias. En el video, se discute cómo el judaísmo no se basa en un credo específico, sino en la tradición y la lucha con la ley y la historia, lo que refleja su enfoque en la práctica y la narrativa más que en dogmas.

💡Ley

La ley en el judaísmo es la forma en que Dios nos instruye sobre cómo vivir, y va más allá de principios generales para incluir detalles específicos, como las leyes dietéticas. En el video, se menciona cómo la ley está conectada con la narrativa, especialmente en la Pascua judía, donde la ley de recordar es una parte fundamental de la celebración.

💡Narrativa

La narrativa es un elemento clave en el judaísmo, que se utiliza para recordar y transmitir la historia y las enseñanzas. En el video, se destaca cómo la narrativa de la Sedería de Pascua es un ejemplo de cómo la ley y la historia están entrelazadas, y cómo contar una historia es una forma de cumplir con la ley.

💡Sedería de Pascua

La Sedería de Pascua es una celebración judía que conmemora la Éxodo de los israelitas de la esclavitud en Egipto. En el video, se describe cómo esta celebración es un momento clave para recordar y contar la historia, cumpliendo así con la ley de recordar y contar la historia como un mandamiento.

💡Tanaj

El Tanaj, también conocido como la Torá, es el texto sagrado del judaísmo que incluye las cinco libros de Moisés y representa toda la Biblia hebrea. En el video, se discute cómo el Tanaj es una expansión del término 'ley', que realmente significa 'enseñanza', y cómo está conectado con la tradición y la práctica judí.

💡Talmud

El Talmud es un documento que acompaña al Tanaj y que recoge los debates de los rabinos sobre la aplicación de la ley en diferentes circunstancias. En el video, se menciona cómo el Talmud es un reflejo de la tradición de debatir y discutir las enseñanzas, lo que es fundamental para la vida judía.

💡Liberación

La liberación, representada por la historia de la Éxodo, es un tema recurrente en el judaísmo y en la cultura estadounidense. En el video, se discute cómo la historia de la liberación de la esclavitud en Egipto es una metáfora de la lucha por la libertad y cómo esta narrativa ha influido en el movimiento por los derechos civiles en Estados Unidos.

💡Antisemitismo

El antisemitismo es un tema complejo que se aborda en el video, donde se plantea la posibilidad de criticar al Estado de Israel o a sus políticas sin ser antisemita. Se destaca la necesidad de distinguir entre la crítica al Estado y la oposición a la comunidad judía en general.

💡Influencia

A pesar de ser una de las religiones con menor número de seguidores, el judaísmo tiene una influencia desproporcionada a su tamaño. En el video, se discute cómo el judaísmo ha influido en la cultura, la política y la sociedad en general, más allá de su número de seguidores, y cómo ha dado lugar a otras religiones como el cristianismo e islam.

Highlights

Judaism is described as the way of Exile and return, emphasizing the problem of being apart from God and the community, and the need to return.

Judaism's techniques for overcoming Exile are storytelling and law, which are interconnected and exemplified in the Passover seder.

Storytelling in Judaism is a commandment and a good deed, integral to the law and the tradition.

Judaism is not primarily about doctrine but rather about engaging with the tradition and wrestling with its stories and laws.

The Torah, often translated as 'law,' actually means 'teaching' and encompasses the entire Hebrew Bible.

The Talmud is a document of debates and discussions, reflecting the portable and textual nature of the Jewish tradition.

Judaism was founded between the temple destructions of the 6th Century BCE and the 1st Century CE, emphasizing portability and text.

The relationship between Judaism and Israel is complex, with many Jews choosing to remain in the diaspora despite the existence of a Jewish state.

Critiquing the state of Israel or its policies does not necessarily equate to anti-Semitism, and such critique can be valid and necessary.

Judaism is characterized by a tradition of specific laws from the Torah, including dietary laws that may seem odd to outsiders.

The motif of Liberation, from the Exodus story, is a major theme in Judaism and has influenced movements like the American Civil Rights Movement.

Judaism's influence extends beyond its numbers, with significant impacts on world history, American culture, and politics.

Despite its small numbers, Judaism has given rise to Christianity and Islam, which together account for half of the world's population.

Jewish representation in American politics is notable, with a significant presence in the Supreme Court and Congress.

Judaism's tradition of wrestling with life's absurdities and hypocrisies has contributed to a rich tradition of Jewish comedians in American popular culture.

Steven Prothro discusses the unique aspects and global influence of Judaism in his book 'God is not one'.

Transcripts

namely what is the problem Judaism is

trying to solve and what is the

solution well Judaism is the hardest of

all these religions to answer that

question

for and I really I wrestled with it I

spoke with a lot of my Jewish friends I

I did a lot of reading and thinking but

my take on it is that Judaism is the way

of Exile and return the problem is exile

the problem is is that we are apart from

God apart from our community and we need

to return turn we need to get back to

God and back to our community and this

has antecedence in the Exile of the Jews

from the promised land the Exile of the

Jews from the temple um but I think

that's the main

theme and what is the technique that

Judaism recommends for overcoming

Exile well I think the techniques are

really two um they're they're

storytelling and law and there're and

the two are connected and they're

connected most clearly perhaps in the in

the Passover seder the table meal that's

that Jews celebrate to remember the

story of The Exodus of the Israelites

from bondage in Egypt into Freedom

through the Wilderness into the promised

land where you're told to remember and

to remember is a commandment it's a it's

a good deed it's a Mitzvah and so to

tell a story in other words is to follow

the law because the law is to remember

and to tell the story two different

sides of the same

coin and you say with the story and the

law it's a wrestling in Judaism between

the old and the

new that's right and you know this is

one thing I love about Judaism is

there's it isn't so much about Doctrine

It Isn't So Much here's the Creed I mean

you can find Creeds you can find you

know lists of of of things that Jews

believe but for the most part Judaism

isn't about belief it's not really a

belief system in the same way it's more

of a of a story system or a legal system

and and the word is real comes from this

idea of wrestling wrestling with God and

so it's a tradition that isn't so much

about here are the five things you have

to believe in order to be Jewish because

you can be Jewish and not even believe

in God um it it's more about engaging

the tradition wrestling with the story

wrestling with the law trying to figure

out what it's all about and so there is

a sacred scripture there is a holy book

as you called it the Tanakh probably

most people would know it as the

Torah what's what is that well the Torah

is this you know wonderfully expansive

term I mean it's it's typically

translated as law but it really means

teaching and it refers to classically

the five books of Moses Genesis Exodus

Leviticus Numbers and Deuteronomy but it

also means the entire Hebrew Bible um

which is to say the prophetic books of

say Isaiah um and Amos and then the

ketuvim the writings which includes the

Proverbs the Psalms uh Song of Songs job

Etc but there's even the idea that the

word Torah means debating all these

things talking about all these things or

even um the conversation of Jews in

Israel is also understood to be teaching

or law in in the sense of Torah and that

debating is really captured in the

talmud which is almost a a document that

accompanies the Torah or the Tanakh

right that's right and it's a reflection

that the rabbis have put together uh

Rabbi means teach

um and that's the name for Jewish

leaders and they um look at the talud as

this repository of debates about what to

do under under particular uh legal

circumstances so that we can figure out

how we're going to live our lives which

is a key question a big question that

Judaism asks you know how how do we live

our lives in following the Commandments

of

God now you say at one point that this

was a religion born long after Abraham

and Moses died so how would you describe

the founding or the founder of Judaism

or isn't there one I what I finally come

down to is it's

between the temple destruction of the

6th Century

BCE and the temple destruction of the

first century so somewhere in that space

is the time that we start to get this

tradition that is not wedded to a temple

it's not wedded to a place it's portable

it's textual you can carry the book

under your arm you can carry the text

that's the key piece the portability of

the tradition and it it starts sometime

between in that seven centuries of space

there now sometimes Judaism today

doesn't seem quite as portable and it's

linked in a lot of people's minds with

the state of Israel so where does

Judaism stop and Israel begin well

Israel is not the most populous Jewish

country in the world the United States

is but you know Israel is the visible

spot right this is the Exile and return

story that I highlight in the in the

chapter of the book on Judaism that here

is a people who have this story of being

in Covenant with God and going outside

of the areas that they were intended for

whether that's Eden and whether that's

the promised land moving into Exile and

then wanting to go back and here is the

is the return that happens in the modern

period with the foundation in the 1940s

of the state of Israel and so yes

Judaism is very much uh understood to be

about Israel and yet there are Jews all

over the world who have now chosen even

though there is a Jewish state to stay

in the so-called diaspora right to stay

in the exiled space and that continues

to be something that Jews have to make

sense of you know how can you be a part

of this people that has longed for

Millennia for returning to their

Promised Land and now that they have it

to choose not to go and another angle on

this is what constitutes anti-Semitism

this comes into the news every so often

is it possible to critique the state of

Israel or the policies or the political

leaders of the state of Israel without

being

anti-semitic yeah that's right and

that's certainly comes up all the time

in the news you know um to what extent

uh can you say look um I'm opposed to

this particular policy but I'm not

opposed to Judaism and I think you know

uh the memory of the Holocaust is very

keen as it should be and it's not that

long ago that um Germans were you know

killing killing Jews in in World War II

and really very much motivated by I

believe uh Christian theology among

other things and so there's reasons to

be suspicious of people who are critical

of the state of Israel that said I don't

think there's any state that we should

consider outside of criticism I mean we

certainly As Americans feel we're able

to criticize our own um State I think um

most Israelis believe that they can

criticize their own uh the actions of

their own State and I don't see why

people can't say look I support the

state of Israel but I don't support what

they did in this case or or in that case

you also said Judaism of course is a

religion of law law and there are lots

of laws anybody who's ever looked at the

Book of Leviticus can you know go

blurry-eyed at the number of Min kinds

of laws and regulations many of which

would have no application in the world

today or some of which would appear

incredibly harsh even things like the

dietary laws which very Orthodox Jews

still follow sound a little odd to

Outsiders how would you characterize the

Jewish approach to law well a lot of the

law comes from the Torah you know comes

from the Hebrew Bible but much of it

comes from the talet so it's a lot of

it's post-biblical too um I think it's a

tradition that believes that God tells

us how to live and uh God doesn't just

tell us how to live in generalities like

be nice to each other um but God tell us

how to live in very specific ways um

including what we should eat and you

also say that uh probably the major

Motif in Judaism is Liberation the

movement From Slavery to Freedom if you

will in The Exodus a highly influential

Motif including in our own Civil Rights

Movement that's right I I I think

there's actually no story that's more

influential in American history than the

Exodus story and I'm not speaking now of

American Jews I'm speaking of Americans

in general I mean this was the story of

a people the Israelites who found

themselves enslaved under the Pharaoh in

Egypt and God called them out of of

slavery into freedom and you hear you

know President Obama talks about okay

there was the Moses generation of Martin

Luther King where King said you know

I've been to the mountain top I've

looked over I've seen the promised land

but he he's killed he doesn't get there

like he's like Moses and and Obama talks

about oh the Joshua Generation The

Generation that does get there the next

Generation but this is something we've

seen with Mormons going across to the

West um seeing bramy as their Moses

Leading the People the new Israelites

Americans have seen themselves as the

new Israel they've seen the Native

Americans as the Canaanites um this this

real sort of

literal infusion of American History

into the Bible story so that God is not

only the god of the Israelites but God

is the god of Americans and this story

lives of course among Jews as the story

that reminds them every Passover we

should live our lives not just

remembering the Passover story in the

past but as if we were enslaved as if we

were moving through the world Wilderness

as if we were seeking out our own our

own Freedom It's a Wonderful story and

it's very much an American story as well

as a Jewish story and in fact you say

that Judaism it's the smallest in

numbers of all the eight major religions

you discuss in your book but it has an

influence Way Beyond its numbers how so

well that's right and you know this this

gets me in trouble sometimes because

because you know you start talking about

the influence of of Jews in world

history and in American life Etc you

know um there's been some pretty bad

uses of those kinds of arguments but the

fact of the matter is you know looking

at a book like this where I'm trying to

say okay what are the eight great

religions what are the eight most

influential religions in the world you

know is Judaism one of them well in

terms of its numbers it's pretty small

you know there aren't that many more

Jews in the world than there are people

in the city of Mumbai in India you know

about 14 million maybe

15 so it's pretty small and yet you know

Judaism gives us the two great

monotheistic religions outside of

Judaism it gives us Christianity and

Islam which are both outgrows of Judaism

and those account for half of the

world's population so there a huge

influence there if you go to the

American culture Jews are influential in

politics in in much greater numbers than

their than their numbers in the

population right I mean we we have now

probably about to have three Jews on

this on the Supreme Court we have you

know greater represent ation of

Judaism in the house and in in the

Senate we haven't had a Jewish president

yet so um Judaism has you know an

influence on American culture on

American political culture on American

uh popular culture some of my favorite

comedians are Jewish comedians and

that's because the majority of American

working Comics are Jewish um and I don't

think that that's entirely coincidental

you know I think there's a long

tradition of wrestling in Judaism with

the absurdity of Life the hypocrisies of

the high and mighty including um The

Caprice of God and that's funny and Jews

have made a lot of that and they've

entertained themselves and they've

entertained uh entertained the rest of

us too Steven Prothro is a professor of

religion at Boston University and the

author of God is not one the eight rival

religions that run the world and why

their differences matter thank you so

much for joining us today Stephen