There is controversy as to where the first Israelites settled, whether it was Mesopotamia or Canaan, but there was no doubt that their religion began with the practice of polytheism . This was the practice of worshiping more than one God. As time went on, they were encouraged to practice monotheism by Abraham, who was said to have had an encounter with Yahweh. This meeting consisted of the creation of a covenant between God and the Israelites, which included rules, laws and restrictions that both parties had to abide by. Yahweh's covenant with the Israelites was that if they would worship him alone as their God, he would make them a great nation. A nation is made up of many components that come together, including geography, culture, religion, and ethnicity. The covenant was an effective way to ensure that the Israelites practiced monotheism, created unity and structure within the community, and helped build personal connections with God. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Being semi-nomadic, we have no way of telling where the first Israelites initially lived, but we know it was somewhere in the Middle East in present-day Iraq/Israel. They began their religious practices with polytheism, where temples were the homes of idols for each God that was worshiped. Abraham, son of the temple priest, considered polytheism and the idea of ​​worshiping idols absurd. Abraham believed that God did not have a face and could not be made into a statue to be worshiped. Furthermore, polytheism did not create any sense of harmony among people because religious views and culture were not structured or specified. Abraham began the monotheism movement after God revealed himself to him and proposed the idea of ​​the alliance. It is noted that “The Lord said to Abraham: 'Go out from your native land and from your father's house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation and will bless you (Novak 180).'” Ordered by Yahweh, Abraham leads the Israelites to Canaan, where if they kept to the rules of the covenant, they would be appreciated by God and begin their great nation. When the Jews decide to move to Egypt, they remain prisoners of the country for approximately 400 years. During the Exodus, Yahweh re-establishes the covenant with Moses at Mount Sinai to remind his people of their previous vows to God. According to Fisher, “God also gave a set of social norms, prescribed religious holidays, and detailed instructions for building a tabernacle with a holy ark, the Ark of the Covenant, in which to store the stone tablets on which God engraved the Ark of the Covenant. commandments (Fisher 139).” This gives people the feeling that Judaism was slowly starting to become a religion, with its own set of rules, laws and beliefs. In exchange for the Israelites' obedience, Yahweh visited the Egyptians with 10 plagues after Moses led the people back to Canaan. This is when they become a “United Monarchy” under the rule of a king. The covenant was a way to ensure that the Israelites practiced monotheism and worshiped only Yahweh to get what they wanted. What they wanted was to become a united people with the same religious views to create a community and be protected by God. Monotheism and the covenant brought into their community a sense of “doing” and “not doing” that had not existed before. 'era. Fisher explains that: “It was to be a permanent home for the Ark, which was housed in the innermost sanctuary, and a place to make burnt offerings of animals, grain, and oil to the divine (Fisher 140).” In other words, the holy Temple in Jerusalem is another important component of the unification of the Israelites. This is where the Israelites gathered to worship and make sacrifices.