Abraham: Life, Importance and Key Events in Jewish History

This article explores the life and importance of Abraham in Jewish history, including his role as the first patriarch and his teachings about one God. It also discusses a key event associated with him and the rituals and sacred texts that are still practiced today. Additionally, it touches on Jewish ethics and how they are determined by belief in God, Judaism, and the Jewish law.

Running head: ABRAHAM
Abraham
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Abraham
Life and Importance of Abraham in Jewish History
Abraham was originally called Abram. He is a very important figure in the history of
the Jews. He is generally refereed to as the first patriarch by the Jewish people (Peters, 2018).
He was a nomad and mainly looked after sheep and cattle when God called him and promise
that he will be a father of many nations. He is also remembered as the first person to teach
that there is only one God. Before these teachings, people believed in many gods. He is
usually referred to as the father of faith because of the great faith that he demonstrated when
God called him and asked him to move to far away land. He went without doubting any
promise that God made to him. It is ironical that his father who was called Tetrarch made a
living from selling idols of the various gods that people believed in. In addition to being an
important figure in the history of Jews, he is also an important figure in Christianity and
Islam (Sanders, 2016).
Key Event in the History of Judaism that is Connected to Abraham
As observed in the previous section, Abraham demonstrated great faith. One of the
key events that is associated with him is the smashing of idol gods which officially
introduced the idea of one God. After the realization that there can only be one God in the
universe, Abraham smashed the idols that his father used to sell. This information is found in
some of ancient writings of the Jews (Rose, 2017). The event led to the introduction of
worship of one God. This was a key event in the history of Judaism and has shaped the way
people worship till today. In the contemporary Judaism, belief in one God is still upheld.

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Rituals and Sacred Texts associated With Abraham
Abraham was a man of great faith. One of the rituals that are still practiced today is
that of circumcision. After he was called by God, Abraham and every male in his household
were circumcised (Robinson, 2016). The rite of circumcision was to mark the covenant that
he made with God. The rite of circumcision is practised to date by the Jewish people and also
other religions that view Abraham as the father of their faith. Information about Abraham is
found in the bible. The bible is the primary text for Judaism and also the Christians. This
information is mainly found in the first chapter of the bible, that is, Genesis. He is also
mentioned or events surrounding him narrated in other areas sections of the bible.
Jewish Ethics
There are three main factors/aspects about the Jewish ethical behaviour. These are
belief in God, Judaism and the Jewish law. These work together to determine what is
regarded to as ethical or unethical. In the contemporary Jewish communities, there is also the
government law as contained in the constitution. Here are some examples of the factors
explained above work together to determine the ethical behaviour of Jews. The bible
stipulates that stealing is wrong. Since this is a command of God, the act of stealing is
regarded unethical. Another example is that the law prohibits murder. Anyone who
perpetrates an act of murder therefore acts unethically and will be charged in a court of law.

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References
Peters, F. E. (2018). The Children of Abraham: Judaism, Christianity, Islam (Vol. 34).
Princeton University Press.
Robinson, G. (2016). Essential Judaism: Updated Edition: A Complete Guide to Beliefs,
Customs & Rituals. Simon and Schuster.
Rose, G. (2017). Judaism and modernity: philosophical essays. Verso Books.
Sanders, E. P. (2016). Judaism: Practice and belief, 63 BCE-66 CE. Fortress Press.