Often people consider History to be the study of dates and places. The Jewish people consider History to be the study of people and their behaviors. That is what makes History interesting and so easy to provide real life wisdom. Remarkably, the Torah (Bible) is not written in chronological order in all sections, because sometimes the juxtaposition of two stories is more important than historical order, to teach us specific lessons of comparison between incidents. Thus, the Torah is essentially a book of lessons; it is a book about people. For me, that it was makes it so interesting.

When we study history, dates and places are important, but they only serve as a platform to understand the context of events. The real focus is always on the event itself and how people reacted and tried to influence the outcome of the situation. As Rabbi Boruch Ber Leibowitz commented about the historians of his day (early 1900s), “The historians can tell you what kind of sandals our father Avraham wore. But every child in our education system can tell you what Avraham said, what he taught, and what he stood for.”

Here is a brief overview of the time periods of history:

Biblical Era- The time described in the Five Books of Moshe starting with creation, including the period of Patriarchs and Matriarchs, and continuing through the Egyptian exile and redemption, Revelation at Sinai, and concluding with the death of Moshe.

The Prophets and the First Temple Era- This period spans from the time of Yehoshua, Moshe’s student, who led the Jews into the Land of Israel, and includes the time of Samuel, Dovid, Shlomo, as well as the later prophets who shared the prophecy of the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash and the first exile from the Land.

The Babylonian Exile- This exile was for 70 years. During this time the Purim story occurred.

Second Jewish Commonwealth- (350 BCE through 70 CE) The Beis Hamikdash was rebuilt and much of the Jewish people returned to the land of Israel. The early years of the second Beis Hamikdash benefited from the last of the prophets and from enormously great Torah scholars. Known as the Men of the Great Assembly, they codified which scripture would be included in what became the official 24 books of Jewish Scripture. They also authored many parts of the prayerbook that we have today. The story of Chanukah occurred during this time period. The final years of this era were fraught with infighting and crisis until the Beis Hamikdash was eventually destroyed by the Romans.

The Talmudic Era- (70 CE- 550) Following the destruction of the second Beis Hamikdash the scholars of the generation gathered and began to codify Jewish tradition in preparation for the long exile that had begun. They would author the Mishna, the Jerusalem Talmud, and finally the Babylonian Talmud which is most studied today. This era included Rabbi Yehuda the prince (codifier of the Mishna), Rabbi Akiva, and other great men known to us as the “Scholars of the Talmud.” The nature of their accomplishment is most remarkable as they created a literature which would enable the Jews to retain loyalty to Torah and unity with each other despite many centuries of being displaced from the Land of Israel.

Early Commentaries, Rishonim (550- 1500s) Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jewry develop during this time, with commentaries and sometimes even scholars themselves exchanged from one region to another. This is the time of Rashi and the Rambam. This time period will culminate with the writing of Shulchan Aruch which codified the rulings and case law of this time period.

Later Commentaries, Acharonim (1600s-1900s) Includes the commentaries to Shulchan Aruch, including the Mishna Berurah by the Chofetz Chaim. On many levels this era ended with the Holocaust of European Jewry and with the rebirth of Jewish life in the State of Israel

Modern Times (1900s- 21st century) What you do makes a difference!

© 2015 by TEACH613™