Why was Judaism Founded?

Question

Judaism was the first monotheistic religion, but why was it created?

Answer 1

You asked this under the heading of "history," but if I may offer a theological response, I think that's the only way you're going to get the "why" (as opposed to the how, when, or what).

According to Jewish teachings, the religion now referred to as Judaism came into being because it was necessary in order for the world to continue to exist. The role that was appropriated to Avraham, Yitzchak, and later Yisrael and his descendants (i.e. the Jews), was originally intended for all mankind. The intimate relationship that the Jew has with his Creator was originally supposed to be the relationship between man and his Creator. But alas, that was not to be. (Of course, those who feel the need to draw close to G-d and His Torah can become Jews - so nobody is being excluded against their will.)

We see Adam and Chava, the first man and woman, violate the first (and at the time) only commandment, within hours of their creation. Our sages teach that had they held out just a few hours until the first Sabbath (which begins Friday at sundown - man and woman having been created Friday, around midday I believe), all would have been revealed, creation would have fulfilled its purpose, and in the merit of keeping that one simple divine imperative, pure existential bliss would have been ours forever. Whoops.

So ten generations pass, and things just keep getting worse and worse. It starts with the tree of knowledge of good and bad, then in only the second generation, you have your first murder (Kayin killed his brother Hevel), and it's only downhill from there. Ten generations into the story, humanity is so corrupt that G-d is basically fed up. He takes the one decent guy left (Noah - not Jewish, but still a revered figure in Judaism), and his family, and you probably know the story with the ark and the flood. Aaanyhoo, even after a do-over on humanity, things still don't get better.

So, in the ten generations following Noah, avodah zarah (idolatry, literally "strange worship," though this translation doesn't quite capture the nuances of the Hebrew term) becomes a big thing. Now we're paving the way to answer your question. In his Mishneh Torah, Maimonides explains how it came to be that people were bowing down to stars, celestial spheres, elements, etc. At first, people reasoned that just as the Creator should be revered, well, the stars, the sun, the moon, and the elemental forces, these things were his emissaries, and likewise deserving of respect. Just how the a king's messenger is supposed to be treated with honor as a representative of the king, so too the aforementioned entities ought to be hailed as representatives of the King of the Universe. So temples were built to stars, to planets, to angels, and sacrifices were offered. But what ended up happening was that people forgot the source of these things, and they began to invest these natural phenomena (and assorted spiritual beings) with independant power unto themselves. This was their mistake, and this, according to the Rambam, is the root of all idolatry.

G-d would have done away with the whole lot of us, were it not for one righteous individual. Avraham (ne Avram), the first Hebrew. Though the entire society in which he grew up bowed down to idols of gold and silver and wood and stone, these figures that had mouths but could not speak, eyes but could not see, ears but could not hear, though his parents were fully immersed in this abominable practice (the midrash tells us that his father was an idol merchant!) - despite all this working against him, young Avram came to the conclusion that everything can be traced back to an ultimate cause, and this ultimate cause was the one and only Creator of the cosmos.

It was in his merit that the world was spared, and he was charged with the mission of spreading monotheism. In exchange for his unwavering devotion, G-d promised to make his descendants into a great nation, that would ultimately inherit the land of Canaan. The whole covenant thing, other people have already discussed. But suffice it to say that the mission that was originally to be that for mankind in general, was relegated to Avraham and his descendants, hence the directive to be a "light unto the nations." And of course, from our faith sprang two other major religions, one monotheistic and one quasi-monotheistic, oddly, not in that order. But despite the flaws of those religions, or I should say, the horrible things done in their names, despite all that, the theological evolution of mankind, beyond simple paganism, well, ultimately it has been for the best.

And that's why Judaism was created: so that the world would be worth saving.

For more on the subject of G-d's plan vis-a-vis the unique mission of the Jewish people, I would recommend Rav Aryeh Kaplan's essay "If You Were G-d" - http://www.artscroll.com/Books/u-ifyp.html

I hope this helps answer your question. If you like what you've read here, and have any further questions, feel free to ask me directly.

Answer 2

Ditto with Answer #1. However, it was not so much the first monotheistic religion; it WAS the first Patriarchal religion. Before that, the most common religion was for the great "Earth Mother". Read up on that in books such as the histories before the flood.
As to why, it was what God told Abraham, Isaac, et al.

Answer 3

Why was it founded? It's a part of ancient history. I think you mean to say "how was it founded." It started with the covenant of Abraham with God.

Answer 4

It began with the covenant between God and Abraham, who was the "father" of the Jewish people.

Answer 5

Ditto - the covenant between Abraham and God. The "why" speaks for itself. As previously stated - do you mean "how?" There you have it.