The Exodus Experience

The Exodus Experience

Introduction

The Exodus experience and the events that took place in the Exodus have great importance in the Jewish culture and the religion of Judaism. It was promised to Abraham by God that a great nation would arise from his seed, and his nation would have a homeland (Canaan) and that the whole world would be blessed by this nation. It is obvious that this promise of God and a number of other events are considered very important in Judaism. The main purpose of this essay is to explore the importance of the experience of Exodus in Judaism and the ways in which the other religions are influenced by the Exodus experience.

Discussion

This discussion will explore the importance the Exodus experience in Judaism and the ways in which the beliefs of Christianity and Islam are influenced by this Exodus experience.

The Exodus Experience as a Historical, Social and Spiritual Metaphor for Judaism

There is a great importance of the Exodus experience in Judaism from the historical, social and spiritual perspectives. It is considered that the experience of the Exodus became the strong pillar and foundation of the faith of the Jews and the book of Torah (Zucker, 2005). The Jews cherish the Exodus experience by extending this experience far beyond the time of the Pesach celebration and its application to every moment of the life f the Jewish people. The Exodus experience is considered in such a way in Judaism that all the dimensions of the conduct of the Jewish people is explored as a step out of his inner Godly potential and also provides him an opportunity to reveal his true self. The Exodus experience is observed to be realized by the Jewish people as an ongoing experience, so the Jews recall the redemption from Egypt in their daily mooring and evening prayers as a process of the continuing relevance of the Exodus.

Another perspective in which the Exodus experience is viewed to be a very important component of the lives of the Jewish people is that the redemption from the Egypt and the experience of receiving the Torah gave the Jewish people the reputation of being the servants of God rather than being the servants of servants (Schwarz, 2008). The Exodus experience gave the Jewish people a separate identity of being the servants of God and relate directly to God. This miracle of the redemption from Israel is not considered just as an event of the past but it is believed to be a continuous occurrence in the daily lives of the Jewish people. It is observed that the continuous experience of redemption is realized and intensified throughout the lives of the Jewish people by reliving the events of the Exodus. It is wished by the Jewish people that the personal redemption that was experienced at that time hasten the redemption all the people and lead to the fulfillment of the hope that was expressed at the end of the Exodus. It is very clear that the ...