the size and time of the Hebrews were small and late in the historical timeline of things. The size of their land according to Smith was about the size of Illinois. However, the achievements of the people far exceed their small size and small land. The Jewish people always looked up in their lives. Up to a Supreme Being and
their God named Yahweh. The reasons given for their belief are listen here in Smith's book and are commonly repeated by Jewish and Christian followers. "First, no human being is self-created, from which it follows that humankind has issued from something other then itself. Second, everyone at some point finds limit to his/her
power." Therefore a Supreme Being must be explained for the certain miracles or unexplainables happen in life. For there are points which are beyond our reach. They believed that the Supreme Being was something that could be talked to and something that would communicate with them and cared for what was going on in His
creation. What differed from other gods was that the Hebrews focused on the personal Characteristics of God and that God created all living things and including them and had intentions and goals for all living things. Jewish religion is monotheistic and that is problematic to believe in more then one God for it creates
division. The Jews exalted their God and praised Him and blessed Him for raising them up from below. When the Jewish people think of life going crazy and their being problems in life they look to themselves for they see the world as being created "very good" according to Genesis in the creation account by God. This allows
them the possibility to change instead of the endless hopelessness that the alternative would create for you. This has been passed on throughout Western culture and civilization to look inside of yourself and constantly challenge yourself to if you are meeting God's plan or goal. The Jews wanted life to be happy and bless food, humor, sex, and marriage. They also believe like Christians and Muslims that our bodies will be resurrected one day.
The Jews sought out their purpose in lives and in the Bible it's stated that humans were a little lower then God Himself and as translated by KJV bibles is a little lower then Angels. However, humans were also compared to maggots and worms and gave all the thanks and glory to God. This dualism explains their understanding
of life perfectly. For they believe that God has blessed them with all the things that they have achieved and that because of this they should give thanks to God and give Him the glory instead of calling it their own. Jews believe they are born sinners and that it has been passed on from child to child after Adam. Smith talks about
what sin is translated to and it means to miss the mark. And that's just it the Jews feel they miss the mark even though it's achievable they continually miss the mark. It's because of this they know that
God gave them freedom and that it is their free choice whether to sin or not. They believe that nothing happens by accident and that God has planned for everything and that he is Omnipotent and Omniscient. They talk about the fact that it is because of man that things do not go as God originally planned but that he knew what would happen. In the Jewish religion we find the original Ten Commandments from which the Jewish Rabbi's formed 613 laws. However, Smith presents four of which that are used to base almost everything else off of.
First is to not murder, second is to not commit adultery, third is to not steal and fourth is to not lie. Throughout Jewish history we find many prophets or those who fortold what would happen in the future and wrote many of the books within the Bible. The Jewish people held to these books as golden and they used them as their
guides during the times that the foretold events took place. The Jewish people were constantly driven out of their lands and in 586 B.C. the Jews were conquered and were taken prison into Babylonia. At this point of deep dispair they still looked upword for that is all they could look. They couldn't go any lower. They
continued to hang onto hope which they found in a Messiah and a Savior that was expected to come and free them all. It wasn't til after the second destruction of the temple in 70 A.D. that this Messiah was expected to come. Smith talks about four sides of this: 1. "a politico-national side which foresaw the triumph of the Jews
over their enemies and their elevation to a positiion of importance in world affairs, 2. a spiritual universal side in which their political triumph would be attended by a moral advance of universal proportions, 3. Resorative Messianism looked for the re-creation of past conditions typically the Davidic monarchy as idealized, 4. And
End times philosophy. There was also discussion as to whether God would come himself and him giving us a human agent to intervene and restore harmony.The other major realm of Jewish culture is that to which they hallow life. They should rejoice in having food but first pray and give thanks to their creator for giving them the food, they should rejoice of the law given but also practice it, they should enjoy sex but in the sacredness of marraige. Also Jewish culture wouldn't be the same without its rituals and traditions, whether it's the
passover meal to the Sabbath eve to the Day of Atonment or New Years Day. These all remind them of what life is all about and keep them grounded in their way of life and in God. As mentioned before the Jews believe to be God's chosen people which according to Smith may sound arrogant at first but when you look at
how they use it to signify the fact of how much they've accomplished and yet they unselfishly give that glory and honor to God instead of to themselves. It becomes almost a worthy gesture. It allows one to understand why they could consider themselves the chosen people considering all they have been through and how they have
miraculously rebounded and the great achievements they've made. Today we are living in a time were Israel has been once again rebuilt and Smith outlines four major reasons for the fact as to why Israel was given back to the Jews. "1. The argument for security. The 1938-1945 Nazi-instigated holocaust convinced many that Jews
couldnot hope for security in Europe. 2. The psychological argument. Some were convinced that it was psychologically unhealthy for the Jews to be everywhere in minority status. 3. The cultural argument.
The substance of Judaism was running thin and its tradition was bleeding to death. Somewhere in the world there needed to be a land where Judaism was the dominant ethos. 4. The social, utopian
argument. Somewhere in the world there should be a nation dedicated to the historical realization of prophetic ideals and ethics." And I agree with Smith in his ending statement "how wonderful it is to be living with all this happening." We shall see what becomes of the Isreali/Palestine conflict.