Narrative, Doctrine and Ethics in Judaism

Religious narrative and doctrine are closely related in Judaism. The narrative history of the Hebrews is collected in the Hebrew Bible which is also known as the Tanakh a name created from an abbreviation of the names of the three sections. The first part of the Tanakh is called the Torah, meaning “Teaching” or “law.” Jews believe that the Torah was given to a tribal leader named Moses directly by God, a revealed scripture from God. The 24 books of the teachings, the prophets and the writings continue stories of the Israelites. These writings were gathered together in one book, the Hebrew Bible, around 7-10 CE.

The three main sections of the Hebrew Bible are:

• Torah: the “teachings”. The Torah is the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.
• Naviim: the “prophets”
• Ketuvim: the “writings”

Covenants in the Torah

The Torah follows the early accounts of the Israelites, including stories and myths concerning the creation of the world; the first humans, Adam and Eve; and early figures including Cain and Abel, Noah, and the prophets Moses and Abraham. The Torah is part of weekly worship services: a part of the Torah is read each week, completing one reading in a year. Observant Jews become very familiar with the Torah since they hear it read frequently.

The covenant between God and his people is an important doctrine in the Torah. It is the basis for ethical monotheism in which belief in one god is tied to ethical behavior. In the Torah we can see the dynamic between the three dimensions of narrative, doctrine, and ethics through the accounts of the covenants that were made between leaders of the Hebrews and their god. The concept of covenant developed in Judaism through the accounts of three major figures: Noah, Abraham, and Moses.

The Covenant of Noah

In the narrative of the Torah, many generations after Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden for disobeying God, humanity once again fell away from God’s commandments. God decided to destroy all of humanity, but promised to spare Noah, regarded as the last man alive who had moral principles and was obedient to God. Noah heard the command from God to build an ark, a large ship. He also commanded Noah to bring a male and female of every species of animal on earth into the ark. God then flooded the entire earth, annihilating all life. When the flood receded Noah, his family, and the animals they sheltered during the flood, repopulated the earth. The story does not end here, however. The actions of both God and Noah create a relationship between them. Noah is obedient to the commands of God. In return, God makes a promise to him. This is the covenant.

The Torah records the terms of the covenant in Genesis 9: 8-16

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.”And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. 16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

This covenant with Noah has several important features: first, God “speaks” directly to Noah and his sons. Second, he states that the covenant will be between Noah and his family as well as with the animals. Third, his promise is that he will never again destroy all life with a flood. Finally, God is said to create a sign of this covenant: the rainbow.

The Covenant of Abraham

According to the account in the Torah, Abraham was born in Ur (in modern day Iraq) ten generations after Noah. God directed Abraham to migrate to Haran (in modern day Turkey), and then to the land of Canaan. His wife Sarah was unable to conceive, and so Abraham had a son with her servant, Hagar. Abraham’s son with Hagar was named Ishmael. However, God decided to bless Sarah with a child soon after, even though she was very old. Sarah gave birth to a son named Isaac. When Isaac was born, Hagar and Ishmael were banished to the wilderness. God promised, however, that the lineages of both sons would someday become nations. Contemporary Jews draw their lineage through Isaac, while Muslims trace theirs through Ishmael.

The covenant of Abraham unfolds through three stages: first, God tells Abraham to leave his home and travel to a new land which God would give to him (Genesis 12:1). Second, although Abraham and his wife Sarah were not able to conceive a child, God promised that Abraham would have a great number of descendants. Finally, the descendants of Abraham would be blessed forever (Genesis 12:1-3). These promises were dependent on Abraham acting in obedience to the commands of God. What did Abraham have to do?

God appeared to Abraham many times throughout his life. On one occasion, God commanded Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. Without hesitation, Abraham began to prepare to sacrifice Isaac. God saw that Abraham was very faithful, so he sent an angel to substitute a lamb for the sacrifice. As part of the covenant God commanded Abraham to circumcise himself and all the males of his tribe. Circumcision remains a tradition that male Jews undergo to this day. God also promised Abraham the land of Canaan (the “holy land”) in return for exclusive worship.

The covenant with Abraham has important differences from the Noah Covenant. First, there is a promise of a land and a people descended from Abraham. The promise of their own homeland is a powerful incentive. As we saw in the historical overview, the Hebrew people rarely had control over their own land and they longed to create a kingdom. Second, God promises children to Abraham, even though there is little evidence that Sarah will be able to conceive. The birth of Isaac, therefore, seems like a small miracle. And yet, Abraham is then asked to sacrifice his son Isaac. His willingness to follow even this command of God is what sets Abraham apart as an extraordinarily faithful believer in YHWH. As a reward for this faithfulness, God promises that his descendants will be numerous. This is still not the end of the story, since Abraham must now establish the practice of circumcision for all male children to mark them as followers of YHWH. In the Abrahamic covenant we see promises from God, but in return, Abraham must perform ritual acts that include deep faith, such as sacrificing his own son; and circumcision which requires leadership to convince others to perform this ritual.

The Covenant of Moses

The name “Israel” comes from Abraham’s grandson, Jacob. According to the Torah, Jacob wrestled with an angel of God and received the name “Israel,” which means “one who struggled with God.” Jacob’s struggle with God was eventually interpreted as a metaphor for Jewish spiritual progress. Jacob’s nickname became the name that Hebrews who struggle with God for spiritual progress come to be known as: Israelites. Jacob fathered twelve sons, and the ancestors of each went on to found the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

Eventually there was a widespread famine, and Jacob and his family migrated to Egypt, where they remained for many years. According to the Torah, while in Egypt the Israelites grew in population. To keep the large population under control, the pharaoh enslaved the Israelites. The Pharaoh eventually went as far as to order that all first-born Israelite sons be killed.

Moses, whose mother put him in a basket and hid him in the rushes by the river to protect him, was discovered and raised by the pharaoh’s own daughter in the royal household. As a grown man, he witnessed an Egyptian overseer beating an Israelite slave. Moses became enraged, killed the overseer, and fled from the royal house. According to the Torah, while in exile, God appeared to Moses on a mountain top in the form of a burning bush and told him to rescue the Israelites from Egypt.

Moses returned and many supernatural things began to happen, including miracles and plagues. During one such supernatural event, God instructed the Jews to put lamb’s blood around their doorways. On that night, God killed the first born of every household except those whose doors were marked with lamb’s blood. This event is celebrated by Jews today as the religious holiday known as Passover.

Eventually the pharaoh let the Israelites leave his kingdom and Moses led the Israelites into the desert wilderness. The pharaoh pursued the Israelites with his army on their journey out of Egypt. It was here that the Israelites found themselves trapped between the sea and the approaching Egyptian army. Moses placed his staff in the ground and the waters of the sea began to part, which allowed a narrow space for the Israelites to escape to safety. The Egyptian army decided to follow them along this strip of dry land. When the Israelites were safe on the other side, the two walls of water abruptly closed, drowning many of the Egyptians and preventing them from capturing the Israelites.

From here, Moses led his people to the wilderness of Mount Sinai where the Israelites set up camp. Moses went to the top of the mountain where God appeared to him. God gave Moses the Torah, along with a series of commandments or rules for living. Moses was instructed by God to lead the Israelites back to the holy land that was promised to Abraham. The covenant between Moses and YHWH includes rules for living, unlike the previous two covenants. The ten commandments clearly state the moral and ethical rules that define obedience to God (Exodus 34:20-23):

God is the one and true God.
Do not make idols.
Do not use the Lord’s name in vain.
Keep the Sabbath day holy.
Honor your father and mother.
Do not murder.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not steal.
Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
Do not covet.

The ten commandments are just the core ethical rules. The covenant with Moses includes more than these commandments. Moses is said to have received a Book of Covenant Code which defines and explains the procedures for worship and sacrifice and many other guidelines for living. This guide is essential for Moses and the people to respond to the promise given at Exodus 19:5-6: “Now, therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation.” The covenant with Moses is far more specific and extensive: here we see the first indication of the Israelites as a special people, a “holy nation”. This merging of narrative, ethics, and doctrine is a particular feature of Judaism.

The Israelites found it difficult to keep the commandments given to Moses. As a result, God punished them by prolonging their time out in the desert wilderness. Moses himself never reached the holy land of Canaan. After the death of Moses, Joshua took over as the leader of the Israelites. Joshua finally led the Israelites into the holy land where they engaged in a ferocious military campaign against those already in power in Canaan. The Israelites won and established themselves as a power in the region. Once the region was under the control of the Israelites, Joshua divided the territory among the twelve tribes of Israel. King David was one of the first kings of this Israelite kingdom. He was chosen to be anointed with oil, which meant that he was divinely sanctioned by God to rule the kingdom.

The narrative of Judaism shows the developing relationship between God and the Israelites. Starting with the first command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God presents his people with a challenge to obey him or suffer punishment. In the story of Noah and the flood, much of creation suffers with humanity, and God promises that he will never cause such destruction again. In that covenant there is no corresponding demand on humanity.

With Abraham, however, God promised a long and fertile line of descendants to make a great nation comes with a requirement that all Hebrews be circumcised (the foreskin removed from the penis), and that they should worship only God. This covenant marks the official beginning of ethical monotheism in which the relationship with a single god is a relationship between god and his people through a covenant.

In the story of Moses, God’s gift of the Torah and the commandments marks the full development of the covenant of ethical monotheism. God’s people must now worship only Him, circumcise the males, and follow a set of ethical commandments. The reward is a kingdom of their own under King David, a king anointed by God.