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The Jewish Homeland

The Jewish people originated in the Land of Israel. Their ancestors, the Israelites, lived in a tribal society in the area thousands of years ago. These people developed unique beliefs, practices, and political institutions that made them a distinct group. You will learn about these developments, why the people became known as Jews, and how they lost control of their homeland.

The earliest part of the Jews’ story is told in the Hebrew Bible, a sacred text of Judaism and Christianity that is called the Old Testament by Christians. It states the Israelite tribes all descended from a man named Abraham. Abraham was the first person to reject idolatry and to worship only one God. According to Jewish and Christian tradition, approximately 4,000 years ago God told Abraham to leave his birthplace and travel to a new land where God promised Abraham that he and his descendents could live.

LEARN MORE The Hebrew Bible and the Old Testament

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Jews and Christians both call their sacred texts the Bible. Thus, it is important to distinguish between the two Bibles. The Jewish Bible contains a number of books, most of which focus on the history of the ancient Jews and their ancestors and instructions about how to live a righteous life. The Christian Bible includes the same books that are in the Jewish Bible (the Old Testament) plus additional books (the New Testament). The Old Testament is essentially the same as the Jewish Bible, with some small differences such as the order of the books.

The term Hebrew Bible is used to refer to the books that are in both the Jewish Bible and the Christian Bible. This allows people to talk about the books without limiting them to just Jews or just Christians. The name “Hebrew Bible” comes from the fact that the books were originally written in the Hebrew language.

The structure of the Christian Bible and the name Old Testament reflect the fact that Christianity developed from Judaism. Christianity continued to revere the sacred text of the Jews while adding later sacred texts, the New Testament. Most Jews do not use the term Old Testament to refer to their sacred text.

Many Jews use the Hebrew term Tanakh (pronounced so it rhymes with loch, as in the Loch Ness monster) for their Bible. The Jewish Bible is divided into three sections: Torah, Prophets, and Writings. Tanakh is an acronym for the Hebrew names of these three sections. The first of these three sections, Torah, also known as the Five Books of Moses, has a special place in Judaism. Chanting from the Torah is part of the Jewish prayer service. To the right is an image of an open torah scroll as it would be used during the prayer service.

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This painting, The Departure of Abraham for Canaan, was completed in Italy near Venice around the year 1571 by Jacopo Bassano. It shows Abraham following God’s command to leave his birthplace. At the time, the area he traveled to was called Canaan. Jews and Christians often call this area “The Promised Land.” Why do you think they call it The Promised Land?”

The painting was most likely designed for the entrance hall of a Venetian country villa or palace. Why might a wealthy sixteenth century Italian family have decorated their home with a painting like this?

The first book of the Hebrew Bible describes the lives of Abraham and his immediate descendants in Canaan. These descendants were called the Children of Israel or Israelites. This name comes from Abraham’s grandson Jacob, who was also called Israel. Canaan eventually became known as the Land of Israel because the Israelites lived there. The first book ends by describing how Abraham’s descendants left this area for Egypt to escape a famine.

The second book of the Hebrew Bible begins by explaining that the Egyptians eventually enslaved the Israelites. It reports that the Israelites were slaves for many years until an Israelite named Moses led his people to freedom. The second, third, fourth and fifth books of the Hebrew Bible describe the forty years that the Israelites traveled through the wilderness on their return to their ancestral homeland. Most of the roughly 20 remaining books in the Hebrew Bible recount the history of the Israelites in this area, the Land of Israel, after their return.

The escape from slavery in Egypt is called the Exodus. The Hebrew Bible relates that during the Exodus, God gave the Israelites instructions through Moses on how to live a righteous life. These instructions are recorded in the Hebrew Bible, address how people should interact with each other and with God, and form the foundation of Judaism.

The most famous of these instructions are the Ten Commandments. They include commandments such as “Do not make idols, “Honor your father and your mother,” and “Do not steal.” The Ten Commandments have an important role in this country and elsewhere as a source of values and as part of a common vocabulary and heritage.

LEARN MORE The Exodus’ Impact on Judaism

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The Exodus is one of the most important, perhaps the most important, event in Jewish history. Jews see the Exodus as a key example of God’s power in the world, the time when they learned how God wants them to act, and the formative event in their sense of peoplehood.

The Hebrew Bible repeatedly reminds Jews that “you were strangers in Egypt” and thus know what it means to be treated unfairly. This is used to reinforce the importance of the Hebrew Bible’s laws about treating everyone fairly and to working towards a just society. The Exodus,is the most commonly referred to event in Jewish prayers. It, is referenced to remind Jews to be thankful and to pursue righteousness. Jews set aside eight days of the year to commemorate and celebrate the Exodus and its lessons. These eight days form Passover, one of the most important Jewish holidays.

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In the Land of Israel, the Israelites lived in twelve distinct tribes. Eventually they united under a king. Saul became the first Israelite king roughly 3,000 years ago in 1020 BCE. He was soon replaced by David who united the Kingdom of Israel and made it powerful. David established Jerusalem as his capital around the year 1000 BCE.

David and his descendants ruled from the city of Jerusalem. The Kingdom of Israel reached the height of its power under King David’s son, King Solomon. As you will learn, Solomon built the most important building in Judaism there. Jerusalem was important both politically and religiously. Over time, it became one of the most famous cities in the world.

The area in pink represents ancient Israel. Grey lines are modern borders. The print above and below the English word “Israel” is the word “Israel” in modern Hebrew letters and ancient Hebrew letters respectively.

This is a map of modern countries. Which modern countries have land that was once part of the ancient Israelite Kingdom?