Study Sheet – Biblical and Rabbinic History

1. Creation and Origins

God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh (Shabbat). The 25th of Elul corresponds to the creation of the world; the 1st of Tishrei to the creation of man (Adam), formed from earth (adamah). Eve was created from Adam's rib. Their sons: Cain, Abel, and Seth.

Tower of Babel: humanity built a tower to defy God, who confused their languages and scattered them.

Noah and the Flood: his three sons are Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The rainbow is God's promise never to destroy the earth again. The seven Noahide laws were given to Noah and his descendants as a universal moral framework.

2. The Patriarchs and Matriarchs

Abraham (Avraham) is the founding father of Judaism. The Brit (covenant) between God and Abraham is signed by circumcision. His supreme test is the Binding of Isaac (Akedat Yitzchak) on Mount Moriah.

Three Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob.
Four Matriarchs: Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah.

All are buried in the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron, except Rachel (in Bethlehem).

Jacob received the name Israel after wrestling with the angel at the Jabbok ford (Bereshit 32:29) — "one who has struggled with God and people and prevailed." This name henceforth designates the entire people.

Jacob's twelve sons form the twelve tribes of Israel. Joseph, sold by his jealous brothers, ended up in Egypt and became Pharaoh's viceroy.

3. Slavery and the Exodus

Slavery in Egypt lasted 210 years total, including 86 years of harsh bondage. Moses (Moshe) led the Exodus.

The ten plagues of Egypt: blood, frogs, lice, wild beasts, cattle plague, boils, hail, locusts, darkness, death of the firstborn.

The Exodus (Yetziat Mitzrayim) is Israel's founding event as a free people bound to God through the Covenant. It is mentioned in the Shema, Kiddush, Haggadah, and countless prayers. The Talmud teaches that "in every generation, each person must see themselves as if they had personally left Egypt." It is the paradigm of liberation and hope.

4. The Giving of the Torah and the Wilderness

God gave the Torah at Mount Sinai on 6 Sivan of the year 2448 in the Hebrew calendar. The Torah contains 613 mitzvot (248 positive, 365 negative). Aaron, Moses' brother, was the first High Priest (Kohen Gadol).

Forty years of wandering in the desert before entering the Promised Land, due to the sin of the spies (meraglim) who discouraged the people.

5. Settlement and the Monarchy

The first city conquered in the Promised Land was Jericho, under Joshua (Yehoshua).

Period of the Judges: decentralized governance. Figures: Deborah, Gideon, Samson.

The first three kings of Israel: Saul, David, Solomon.

King David made Jerusalem his capital and brought the Ark of the Covenant there. Ruth the Moabite is his great-grandmother — and thus ancestor of the Messiah, who must descend from the Davidic line.

Solomon built the First Temple in Jerusalem, fulfilling the divine promise of a dwelling place for the Shekhinah.

6. The Schism and the Fall of Both Kingdoms

After Solomon's death (~930 BCE), the kingdom split due to fiscal and political tensions:

• Northern Kingdom (Israel): ten tribes, capital Samaria, under Jeroboam
• Southern Kingdom (Judah): tribes of Judah and Benjamin, capital Jerusalem, under Rehoboam

The Northern Kingdom was destroyed by Assyria in 722 BCE — the "ten lost tribes."

The Southern Kingdom was destroyed by Babylon in 586 BCE.

7. The Second Temple – Reconstruction and Reforms

Second Temple period: 516 BCE – 70 CE.

Ezra the Scribe (5th century BCE) led the return from Babylon and reorganized the Jewish community in the Land of Israel. He instituted public Torah reading, supervised the reform ending intermarriage, and is considered the founder of post-exilic Judaism.

The Great Assembly (Knesset HaGedolah): an institution of 120 sages founded by Ezra and Nehemiah. It fixed the biblical canon, established the liturgy (Amidah, blessings), and laid the foundations of rabbinic Judaism. The chain of Torah transmission (Pirkei Avot 1:1) passes through it.

Pharisees vs. Sadducees: the Pharisees accepted the Oral Torah and resurrection of the dead — they are the ancestors of rabbinic Judaism. The Sadducees, aristocrats and Temple priests, recognized only the Written Torah. Only the Pharisaic current survived after 70 CE.

8. The Maccabees and the Hasmonean Period

The Maccabees (or Hasmoneans) led the revolt against the Seleucid Empire of Antiochus IV Epiphanes (167-164 BCE), who had desecrated the Temple and outlawed Judaism. Their victory allowed the Temple to be rededicated → Hanukkah.

The Hasmonean period (140-63 BCE) was the last era of Jewish independence before the modern age. It ended with civil wars between Hyrcanus II and Aristobulus II, who called on Rome to arbitrate. Pompey conquered Jerusalem in 63 BCE, ending independence.

9. The Destruction of the Second Temple and Yavneh

The Great Revolt against Rome (66-70 CE) was crushed by Vespasian and Titus. The Temple was destroyed on 9 Av 70 CE. One million Jews were killed according to Josephus, hundreds of thousands enslaved. This destruction marked the end of sacrificial worship and the beginning of rabbinic Judaism.

Yavneh: after the destruction, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai obtained Roman permission to establish a rabbinic academy at Yavneh. There Judaism was restructured: biblical canon fixed, Sanhedrin reconstituted, halakhah codified to replace Temple worship with prayer and study.

10. Bar Kokhba and the Sages

The Bar Kokhba Revolt (132-135 CE) was the last major Jewish revolt against Rome, led by Simon Bar Kokhba, whom Rabbi Akiva recognized as a potential Messiah. Crushed by Hadrian, it led to the expulsion of Jews from Jerusalem (renamed Aelia Capitolina), the devastation of Judea, and a temporary ban on Judaism.

Rabbi Akiva ben Yosef (50-135 CE) is one of the greatest Tannaim. Self-taught and brilliant, he taught that "love your neighbor as yourself" is the great principle of the Torah. A Roman martyr, he died reciting the Shema.

Hillel (1st century BCE) summarized the Torah in one sentence: "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. The rest is commentary — go and study."

Key Takeaways – Chronological Timeline