The Covenant is the core of Jews' spiritual identity and relationship with God
The concept of the Covenant is crucial in Judaism; it describes the relationship between God and the Jews, His worshippers; in return for all the good He has done for them, the Jewish people keep God's laws and try to bring holiness into their lives. In Judaism's beginnings and throughout history, the importance of the covenant is shown through the stories of God's trial and error in trying to establish it. Once it is successful, this concept proves to be key to the Jewish faith.
In the very beginning of creation, the Garden of Eden served as home to Adam and Eve, the first humans created by God.
Within the Garden was the Tree of knowledge of good and evil which bore fruit that God instructed Adam and Eve not to eat. The Serpent tricked the two into eating the fruit, which opened their eyes to the realization of good and evil in the world (specifically in this case, their shame of being naked).
When God realizes this, He punished Adam, Eve, and the Serpent respectively, and expelled them from the Garden to our world, where they were forced to live with the consequences of their sins.
After other attempts to make a deal with humans for their obedience (such as Noah and the flood). God later decides to pick 1 person to make a Covenant with, Abraham, who will be the father of a nation if he can show his dedication to God and follow his laws.
This is the first instance where the Covenant, or deal between humans and God, was broken. Adam and Eve had disobeyed God's law, and were therefore punished by Him. This shows how important the idea of a covenant, faith, and obedience were to God when considering His relationship with his people.
To show his dedication to the Covenant, Abraham must cut off his foreskin and sacrifice his second born son Isaac, the former ending up being a test of faith.
Abraham's first born, Ishmael, leaves to Arabia and eventually becomes a head figure in the Islam religion
Types of Judaism
Conservative Judaism is considered being halfway between Orthodox and Reformed; it seeks to preserve Jewish tradition and ritual, but has a more flexible approach to the interpretation of the law.
Reformed Judaism is more modern and adaptive; its followers believe that Jewish traditions should be modernized and align with surrounding culture.
Orthodox Judaism is considered the most traditional and oldest branch. It believes that Jewish people escaped slavery in Egypt, received the Torah from God at Mount Sinai, and that the Torah is something that all Jews must live by.
Sarah was Abraham's wife, who gave birth to their son Isaac in old age by a miracle of God. Abraham's first born, Ishmael, was born by Hagar, a servant whom Sarah arranged to carry their child.
Even though these branches of Judaism are slightly different, they all emphasize the importance of a Covenant with God and how it plays a key role in people's faith.
In early prophetic tradition, Jews were henotheistic, believing in many gods with one superior God. The goal at this time was social harmony, and the messiah was seen as a worldly king.
The temple destruction in 587 BCE made Jews question whether it was their God or another that punished them; this became a pivotal point in the religion
Following this, Judaism turned to apocalyptic prophetic tradition, which had the faith turn to monotheism, believing there is only one God who punished them with the destruction of their temple. The goal at this time turned into understanding eternal reward/punishment, and the messiah was seen as a divine king/judge.
The 4 sects of ancient Judaism included the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes, and the Zealots. These groups range in social class and specific beliefs in how and to what extent to practice Judaism; however, similar to the different branches of the faith, each of these groups still emphasize the importance of covenant and following God's laws, however they may believe them.
A key part of the covenant is following God's laws and expectations for us; Jews believe these are laid out in the Maimonides 13 principles, and the 10 commandments, (with some believing in the 613 commandments, 611 commandments which Moses taught the people, with the first two of the Ten Commandments which were the only ones directly heard from God).
