United States History Student Edition

According to Jewish tradition, another prophet would play a central role in Judaism. After a period of enslavement in Egypt, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt. The departure of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt is known as the Exodus (EHK•suh•duhs). Jews celebrate holy days called Passover to remember their journey from slavery to freedom. On their way from Egypt, according to the Hebrew Bible, the Israelites received another covenant with God. In this covenant, God promised to make the Israelites his special people if they would obey his teachings. Moses climbed to the top of Mount Sinai (SY•ny). There, as God’s chosen leader, he received teachings from God that included the Ten Commandments. These teachings made clear what God considered to be right and wrong. Loyalty to God is a central idea of the Ten Commandments. The name of God was never to be misused. The Israelites were not to worship any other gods or images. This belief that there is only one God eventually became the basis for both Christianity and Islam as well as Judaism.

In addition, the Ten Commandments later helped shape the moral principles of many nations. Think about the laws and rules we have today and how they might relate to these commandments. For example, the principles on which many laws are based, such as rules against stealing or killing, come from the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments are included in what Jews called the Torah (TO•rah), which consists of the first five books of the Bible. The Torah promoted justice, righteousness, and a feeling of community and contributed to the democratic belief that laws

should apply equally to all. Babylonian Exile

The Ancient Israelites struggled for centuries to build a secure homeland in Canaan. This was difficult because their locations in the eastern Mediterranean region were surrounded by powerful empires.

Exodus the departure of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt

Torah teachings that Moses received from God; later became the first part of the Hebrew Bible

A boy reads from the Torah during a Bar Mitzvah, a ritual that takes place when a Jewish boy turns 13 years old. For girls of the same age, this ritual is known as the Bat Mitzvah.

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