Jewish People
Updated 2024-04-03
History of the Jews and Judaism in the Land of Israel – Wikipedia The term “Jews” originates from the Biblical Hebrew word Yehudi, and in its original meaning refers to the people of the Tribe of Judah or the people of the Kingdom of Judah. The name of both the tribe and kingdom derive from Judah, the fourth son of Jacob. Originally, the Hebrew term Yehudi referred only to members of the tribe of Judah. Later, after the destruction of the Kingdom of Israel (Samaria), the term “Yehudi” was applied to anyone from the Kingdom of Judah, including the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Levi, as well as scattered settlements from other tribes.
The Land of Israel, which is considered by Jews to be the Promised Land, was the place where Jewish identity was formed, although this identity was formed gradually reaching much of its current form in the Exilic and post-Exilic period. By the Hellenistic period (after 332 BCE) the Jews had become a self-consciously separate community based in Jerusalem.
According to the Book of Genesis, Judah (יְהוּדָה, Yehudah) was the name of the fourth son of the patriarch Jacob. During the Exodus, the name was given to the Tribe of Judah, descended from the patriarch Judah. After the conquest and settlement of the land of Canaan, Judah also referred to the territory allocated to the tribe. After the splitting of the united Kingdom of Israel, the name was used for the southern kingdom of Judah. The kingdom now encompassed the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Simeon, along with some of the cities of the Levites. With the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria), the kingdom of Judah became the sole Jewish state and the term y’hudi (יהודי) was applied to all Israelites. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Jews_and_Judaism_in_the_Land_of_Israel#Early_Israelites
Types of Jews For good and for bad, Jews tend to be thought of as a single homogenous group. But the Jewish people have always had internal distinctions, and over the years have developed diverse ethnic and religious identities.
Since the biblical period, Jews have been divided into three religious groups:
Kohanim (Priests) The descendants of the sons of Aaron who served as priests in the Temple in Jerusalem;
Levites The descendants of the tribe of Levi, who also worked in the Temple as musicians, singers, guards, and gatekeepers; and
Israelites (Yisraelim) Those from the other 11 tribes. https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/types-of-jews/
Conversion to Judaism – Wikipedia Conversion to Judaism is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization. The procedure and requirements for conversion depend on the sponsoring denomination. Furthermore, a conversion done in accordance with one Jewish denomination is not a guarantee of recognition by another denomination. Normally, though not always, the conversions performed by more stringent denominations are recognized by less stringent ones, but not the other way around. A formal conversion is also sometimes undertaken by individuals whose Jewish ancestry is questioned or uncertain, even if they were raised Jewish, but may not actually be considered Jews according to traditional Jewish law.
There are some groups that have adopted Jewish customs and practices. For example, in Russia the Subbotniks have adopted most aspects of Judaism without formal conversion to Judaism. However, if Subbotniks, or anyone without a formal conversion, wish to marry into a traditional Jewish community or immigrate to Israel under the Law of Return, they must have a formal conversion.
According to Israel Bartal, then dean of the humanities faculty of the Hebrew University, “conversions to Judaism had a major impact on Jewish history in the ancient period and in the early Middle Ages” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_to_Judaism
Jewish principles of faith Judaism does not centralize authority in any single individual or group. The formulation of principles of faith that are universally recognized by all branches of Judaism remains undefined. There is no central authority in Judaism in existence today – although the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish religious court, would fulfill this role if it were re-established. Instead, Judaism’s principles of faith remains debated by the rabbis based on their understanding of the sacred writings, laws, and traditions, which collectively shape its theological and ethical framework. The most accepted version in extent is the opinion of Maimonides
Judaism affirms the existence and uniqueness of God, and stresses performance of deeds or commandments alongside adherence to a strict belief system. In contrast to religions such as Christianity which demand a more explicit identification of God, faith in Judaism requires one to honour God through adherence to God’s instructions (Torah) and the practice of all of the mitzvot.
Most Jews believe that God is creator of the universe. Different sects of Jews view this in different ways. For example, some ultra-Orthodox groups reject the concept of evolution and believe the earth to be only a few thousands years old. Other groups of Orthodox and non-Orthodox Jews do not believe in a literal interpretation of the Genesis creation narrative, and according to that view, Judaism is not in contradiction to the scientific model that states that the age of the universe is around 13.77 billion years old.[6] Norbert M. Samuelson writes the “question of dating the universe has never been a problem of Jewish philosophy, ultimately because that philosophy has never taken the literal meaning of the Bible to be its revealed, true meaning” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_principles_of_faith
2016-04-13 Can a Person Convert to Judaism? In short, the answer is: “No”. There is no such thing as conversion to Judaism in the written Torah, it is something the rabbis invented (i.e. Their predecessors: The Pharisees).
First of all, if you make an application for Israeli citizenship, the first question they ask you is: Was your mother Jewish? If your mother is Jewish, they could not care less which synagogue you attended; who your rabbi is, what yeshiva you studied in, etc, etc, etc…. In fact, even if you were a Christian, but your mother was Jewish, you would STILL be granted Israeli citizenship…..IMMEDIATELY…..no questions asked…well, maybe they would ask a few questions, but you would get your citizenship.
The point is: A Jew is a member of the people formerly known as either Hebrews or Israelites. Judaism is the religion practiced by those people. The written Torah is quite clear: The answer is: “No”. A stranger may live amongst the Israelites and, if he agrees to follow all their laws, he will share in their bounties, but that does not make him an Israelite.
Regardless, the point is that a Jew is a member of a people, just like a Japanese person is a member of a people. I can study Japanese culture; pray to Shinto gods; eat sushi from dawn to dusk; etc, etc, etc, but that does not make me Japanese. https://www.jpost.com/Blogs/Torah-Commentaries/Can-a-Person-Convert-to-Judaism-409549
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