Judaism is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, monotheistic religion in the world. The founding father of the faith, Abraham, denounced the polytheistic idol worship that was prevalent throughout the Middle East around 4000 years ago. Abraham is still hailed as the father of Judaism and along with his son and grandson is one of the three patriarchs of the religion. It was Abraham who entered into the first covenant with God, and God promised Abraham that his progeny would inherit the Promised Land in exchange for his faith. The concept of covenant (b'rit) remains central to the Jewish tradition, signifying the personal and binding relationship between God and the Jews. Abraham and his wife Sarah could not bear children, but social customs permitted Abraham to bear a child by Sarah's handmaiden Hagar. Abraham's first son by Hagar, Ishmael, is commonly recognized as the father of the Arabs. When Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah 90, God granted them another son who would be named Isaac. Abraham, Isaac, and Isaac's son Jacob are known as the three patriarchs of Judaism. Jacob became known as Israel and his name has become inextricably linked with the name of the Jewish Promised Land.
             Jacob's twelve sons would then become the forefathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. The book of Exodus describes the era during which the Jewish people lived as slaves in Egypt for several generations until they were led to freedom by Moses, Judaism's foremost spiritual prophet and leader. Moses entered into a new covenant with God. God revealed the written and oral rules and laws of the Jewish faith to Moses, who recorded God's word in the Torah. The Torah comprise the first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch and consisting of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. According to the Torah, God appeared to Moses as a burning bush and then dictated the religious laws that are followed b...