In order to escape death, Moses' mother placed him in a basket when he was still a baby and set him adrift on the River Nile. The Bible says that the Israelites asked God for help and that he sent them a leader: Moses. The Egyptians began to see them as a threat and tightened their control on them, forcing them to work as slaves.Įventually, in an attempt to reduce their numbers, newborn Israelite babies were drowned in the River Nile.
Most scholars date the beginning of Judaism as an organised and structured religion to this time.Īccording to the Bible, the descendants of Jacob had lived in Egypt for more than 450 years, during which time they grew into a nation: the nation of Israel. But there are actually 613 commandments covering every aspect of life including law, family, and personal hygiene and diet. The most famous of these commandments are the Ten Commandments. This is not law in the modern sense but rather authoritative teaching, instruction, or guidance. On behalf of Israel, Moses received torah, traditionally translated 'law'. When they reached a Mount Sinai, in present day Egypt, God spoke to Moses high on the mountain slopes and made a deal (called a covenant) with the Jews that renewed the one he had made with Abraham.Īt the same time, God gave the Jews a set of rules that they should live by. God parted the Red Sea to help them escape and helped them in many other ways.
The Jews were helped on their journey by God the same God who'd promised Abraham that he would look after the Jews. The escape of the Jews from Egypt is remembered by Jews every year in the festival of Passover. Moses led the Jews out of slavery in Egypt and led them to the Holy Land that God had promised them. Over a thousand years after Abraham, the Jews were living as slaves in Egypt.
Moses is the channel between God and the Hebrews, through whom the Hebrews received a basic charter for living as God's people. The first five books of the Bible are traditionally ascribed to him. One of Judaism's great figures is the man called Moshe Rabbenu ('Moses our teacher') in Hebrew.
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