Final answer:
The Hebrews' hardships such as exile and persecution strengthened their value and adherence to their own culture and monotheistic religion. Through historical accounts and the Bible, we learn how they maintained their identity, religious customs, and strict laws, which helped them to survive as a distinct people with a unique relationship with their one God, Yahweh.
Step-by-step explanation:
Because of the Hebrews' hardships, they came to value their own culture and tradition more significantly. Their history, as gleaned from the Tanakh or Hebrew Bible, and secular historical texts, portrays a journey marked by struggle, persistence, and faith. The Hebrews developed their strict religious customs and laws during various periods of exile and strife, such as when they were captives in Babylon, which shaped their identity and adherence to monotheism. One central figure in the history of Hebrew monotheism is Moses, who led the Exodus from Egypt and received the laws from Yahweh, solidifying the worship of only one God.
The hardships, such as exile and desert wandering, caused the Hebrews to cling tighter to practices that preserved their identity. Their ability to keep their traditions, laws, and religious texts intact, including the practice of re-copying the Torah character by character, enabled them to survive as a distinct group. The development of their monotheistic worship was innovative at the time and formed the basis for their unique relationship with Yahweh, which is most emblematically represented by the Covenant with Abraham and the commandments given to Moses.
Despite adversity and oppression, the Hebrews' value system encouraged strong community bonds, internal loyalty, and compassion among themselves. Key traits such as these allowed them to maintain their identity across different lands and throughout various periods of subjection to empire powers, such as the Egyptian, Greek, Assyrian, Persian, and Roman empires. Their history of resilience and adaptation to urban life, their commitment to monotheism, and their influence on the emergence of Christianity and Islam are testaments to the deep value they placed on their cultural and religious identity.