The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Judaism:
History Origins of Judaism Jewish history
Pre-monarchic period Ugaritic mythology – The Levant region was inhabited by people who themselves referred to the land as "ca-na-na-um" as early as the mid-third millennium BCE Ancient semitic religions – The term ancient Semitic religion encompasses the polytheistic religions of the Semitic speaking peoples of the ancient Near East and Northeast Africa. Its origins are intertwined with Mesopotamian mythology. El (deity) – the supreme god of the Canaanite religion and the supreme god of the Mesopotamian Semites in the pre-Sargonic period. Elyon – "God Most High" El Shaddai – "God Almighty" Elohim – a grammatically singular or plural noun for "god" or "gods" in both modern and ancient Hebrew language. Asherah – a Semitic mother goddess, the wife or consort of the Sumerian Anu or Ugaritic El, the oldest deities of their pantheons Baal – a Northwest Semitic title and honorific meaning "master" or "lord" that is used for various gods who were patrons of cities in the Levant and Asia Minor Yahweh – the national god of the Iron Age kingdoms of Israel (Samaria) and Judah. Tetragrammaton – YHWH
Monarchic period
United monarchy
King Saul – the first king of the united Kingdom of Israel. Ish-bosheth – the second king of the united Kingdom King David – the third king of the United Kingdom of Israel King Solomon – the final king before the northern Kingdom of Israel and the southern Kingdom of Judah Solomon's Temple – the First Temple, was the main temple in ancient Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount (also known as Mount Zion), before its destruction by Nebuchadnezzar II after the Siege of Jerusalem of 587 BCE. Further information: Tel Dan Stele – a stele (inscribed stone) discovered in 1993/94 during excavations at Tel Dan in northern Israel. Mesha Stele – a black basalt stone bearing an inscription by the 9th century BC ruler Mesha of Moab in Jordan.
Divided monarchy History of ancient Israel and Judah
Kingdom of Judah
Kings of Judah
Rehoboam Abijah Asa Jehoshaphat Jehoram Ahaziah Athaliah J(eh)oash Amaziah Uzziah/Azariah Jotham Ahaz Hezekiah Manasseh Amon Josiah Jehoahaz Jehoiakim Jeconiah/Jehoiachin Zedekiah
Major events Babylonian captivity
Further information: Jeremiah
Kingdom of Israel
Kings of Israel
House of Jeroboam Jeroboam I Nadab House of Baasha Baasha Elah House of Zimri Zimri House of Omri Omri Ahab Ahaziah Joram House of Jehu Jehu Jehoahaz Jehoash(Joash) Jeroboam II Zachariah House of Shallum Shallum House of Menahem Menahem Pekahiah House of Pekah Pekah House of Hoshea Hoshea
Major events Assyrian captivity – 720 BC Ten Lost Tribes
Return from captivity Cyrus's edict Ezra Nehemiah Second Temple Judaism Hellenistic Judaism Hasmonean dynasty
Development of Rabbinic Judaism
Jerusalem Temple in Jerusalem Jerusalem in Judaism Timeline of Jerusalem Herod Sanhedrin Pharisees Sadducees Essenes Jewish–Roman wars First Jewish–Roman War Kitos War Bar Kokhba revolt Diaspora Middle Ages Muslim rule Haskalah Emancipation The Holocaust Aliyah History of Zionism History of Israel Land of Israel
Sacred texts Written Torah Tanakh Torah Chumash–a Torah in printed form Nevi'im Ketuvim
Oral Torah
Oral Torah Talmud (as encompassing the main Oral Law) Jerusalem Talmud Babylonian Talmud Mishnah, the first major written redaction of the Jewish oral traditions known as the "Oral Torah". Gemara, rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah Aggadah, a compendium of rabbinic texts that incorporates folklore, historical anecdotes, moral exhortations, and practical advice in various spheres, from business to medicine. Tosefta, a compilation of the Jewish oral law from the late 2nd century, the period of the Mishnah Midrash, the genre of rabbinic literature which contains early interpretations and commentaries on the Written Torah and Oral Torah (spoken law and sermons), as well as non-legalistic rabbinic literature (aggadah) and occasionally the Jewish religious laws (halakha), which usually form a running commentary on specific passages in the Hebrew Scripture (Tanakh). Midrash halakha Kabbalah and other mystical writings Geonim, presidents of the two great Babylonian, Talmudic Academies of Sura and Pumbedita, in the Abbasid Caliphate, and generally accepted spiritual leaders of the Jewish community worldwide in the early medieval era Rishonim, the leading rabbis and poskim who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the Shulchan Aruch (Hebrew: שׁוּלחָן עָרוּך, "Set Table", a common printed code of Jewish law, 1563 CE) and following the Geonim (589–1038 CE) Acharonim, the leading rabbis and poskim (Jewish legal decisors) living from roughly the 16th century to the present, and more specifically since the writing of the Shulchan Aruch (Hebrew: שׁוּלחָן עָרוּך, "Set Table", a code of Jewish law) in 1563 CE. Hasidut Musar literature
Rabbinic literature Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, can mean the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. But the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writing, and thus corresponds with the Hebrew term Sifrut Hazal (ספרות חז"ל; "Literature [of our] sages [of] blessed memory", where Hazal normally refers only to the sages of the Talmudic era). This more specific sense of "Rabbinic literature"—referring to the Talmudim, Midrash, and related writings, but hardly ever to later texts—is how the term is generally intended when used in contemporary academic writing. On the other hand, the terms meforshim and parshanim (commentaries/commentators) almost always refer to later, post-Talmudic writers of Rabbinic glosses on Biblical and Talmudic texts.
Mishnaic literature The Mishnah and the Tosefta (compiled from materials pre-dating the year 200) are the earliest extant works of rabbinic literature, expounding and developing Judaism's Oral Law, as well as ethical teachings. Following these came the two Talmuds: The Jerusalem Talmud, The Babylonian Talmud, The minor tractates (part of the Babylonian Talmud)
The Midrash The midrash"midrash". Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary. is the genre of rabbinic literature which contains early interpretations and commentaries on the Written Torah and Oral Torah, as well as non-legalistic rabbinic literature () and occasionally the Jewish religious laws (), which usually form a running commentary on specific passages in the Tanakh.ENCYCLOPAEDIA JUDAICA, Second Edition, Volume 14, pg 182, Moshe David Herr The term midrash also can refer to a compilation of Midrashic teachings, in the form of legal, exegetical, homiletical, or narrative writing, often configured as a commentary on the Bible or Mishnah.
Later works by category
Major codes of Jewish law Halakha Mishneh Torah Arba'ah Turim Shulchan Aruch Beit Yosef Chayei Adam The Responsa literature
Jewish thought, mysticism and ethics Aggadah: Aggadic Midrashim Ein Yaakov Jewish philosophy: Philo Isaac Israeli Emunot v'Dayyot Guide to the Perplexed Bachya ibn Pakuda Sefer ha-Ikkarim Book of the Wars of the Lord Or Adonai Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah: Kabbalah: Primary texts Sepher Yetzirah Bahir Zohar Sefer Raziel HaMalakh Pardes Rimonim Etz Hayim The works of Hasidic Judaism: The Tanya (Likutei Amarim) Likutey Moharan Shem Mishmuel Tzavaat HaRivash Musar literature: Mesillat Yesharim Shaarei Teshuva Orchot Tzaddikim Sefer Chasidim The Lonely Man of Faith
Liturgy The Siddur and Jewish liturgy Piyyutim (Classical Jewish poetry)
Later rabbinic works by historical period
Works of the Geonim The Geonim are the rabbis of Sura and Pumbeditha, in Babylon (650–1250) : She'iltoth of Achai Gaon Halachoth Gedoloth Emunoth ve-Deoth (Saadia Gaon) The Siddur by Amram Gaon Responsa
Works of the Rishonim (the "early" rabbinical commentators)
The Rishonim are the rabbis of the early medieval period (1000–1550), such as the following main examples: The commentaries on the Torah, such as those by Rashi, Abraham ibn Ezra and Nahmanides. Commentaries on the Talmud, principally by Rashi, his grandson Samuel ben Meir and Nissim of Gerona. Talmudic novellae (chiddushim) by Tosafists, Nahmanides, Nissim of Gerona, Solomon ben Aderet (RaShBA), Yomtov ben Ashbili (Ritva) Works of halakha (Asher ben Yechiel, Mordechai ben Hillel) Codices by Maimonides and Jacob ben Asher, and finally Shulkhan Arukh Legal responsa, e.g. by Solomon ben Aderet (RaShBA) Jewish philosophical rationalist works (Maimonides, Gersonides etc.) Kabbalistic mystical works (such as the Zohar) Mussar literature ethical works (Bahya ibn Paquda, Jonah of Gerona)
Works of the Acharonim (the "later" rabbinical commentators)
The Acharonim are the rabbis from 1550 to the present day, such as the following main examples: Important Torah commentaries include Keli Yakar (Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz), Ohr ha-Chayim by Chayim ben-Attar, the commentary of Samson Raphael Hirsch, and the commentary of Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin Important works of Talmudic novellae include: Pnei Yehoshua, Hafla'ah, Sha'agath Aryei Codices of halakha e.g. for Sephardim: Ben Ish Hai by Yosef Hayyim, Kaf ha-Ḥayim by Yaakov Chaim Sofer and the Yalkut Yosef; for Ashkenazim: Mishnah Berurah by Yisrael Meir Kagan and the Aruch ha-Shulchan by Yechiel Michel Epstein Legal responsa, e.g. by Moses Sofer, Moshe Feinstein Kabbalistic mystical commentaries Philosophical/metaphysical works (the works of the Maharal of Prague, Moshe Chaim Luzzatto and Nefesh ha-Chayim by Chaim of Volozhin) Hasidic works (Kedushath Levi, Sefath Emmeth, Shem mi-Shemuel) Mussar literature ethical works: Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, Yisrael Meir Kagan and the Mussar Movement Historical works, e.g. Shem ha-Gedolim by Chaim Joseph David Azulai.
Meforshim Meforshim is a Hebrew word meaning "(classical rabbinical) commentators" (or roughly meaning "exegetes"), and is used as a substitute for the correct word perushim which means "commentaries". In Judaism this term refers to commentaries on the Torah (five books of Moses), Tanakh, the Mishnah, the Talmud, responsa, even the siddur (Jewish prayerbook), and more.
Classic Torah and Talmud commentaries Classic Torah and/or Talmud commentaries have been written by the following individuals: Geonim Saadia Gaon, 10th century Babylon Rishonim Rashi (Shlomo Yitzchaki), 12th century France Abraham ibn Ezra Nachmanides (Moshe ben Nahman) Samuel ben Meir, the Rashbam, 12th century France Levi ben Gershom (known as Ralbag or Gersonides) David Kimhi, 13th century France Joseph ben Isaac Bekhor Shor, 12th century France Nissim of Gerona, the RaN, 14th century Spain Isaac Abarbanel (1437–1508) Obadiah ben Jacob Sforno, 16th century Italy Acharonim The Vilna Gaon, Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna, 18th century Lithuania The Malbim, Meir Leibush ben Yehiel Michel Wisser
Classical Talmudic commentaries were written by Rashi. After Rashi the Tosafot were written, which was an omnibus commentary on the Talmud by the disciples and descendants of Rashi; this commentary was based on discussions done in the rabbinic academies of Germany and France.
Branches and denominations
Sadducees (In Second Temple times) Hellenistic Judaism Karaite Judaism Sabbateans Haymanot Judaism (Beta Israel) Rabbinic Judaism Pharisees (In Second Temple times) Orthodox Judaism Misnagdim Modern Orthodox Judaism Haredi Judaism (including Hasidic Judaism) Hardal Neturei Karta Conservative (Masorti) Judaism Reform Judaism New Religious Movement Reconstructionist Judaism Jewish Renewal Humanistic Judaism Neolog Judaism Jewish Science Messianic Judaism (regarded by virtually all mainstream Jewish denominations as a Christian group) Black Judaism Frankism