Ask me anything (almost) about Judaism

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Thank you for you answer.
I will observe Easter in a week from now but thank you advance.
 
Not sure if anyone has asked: Torah is on paternal heredity or identity. How does Judaism become maternal identity?
 
I feel like this is going to make me sound very ignorant, I’ve grown up where there are basically…no Jews. I’ve only met 3 Jews in my entire life.
  1. When I hear people talk about being Jewish, it’s often almost talked about like an ethnicity, I’ve asked random people before, but get all types of answers…is it anything to do with ethnicity? Why can someone be completely irreligious and say they’re a Jew, if not. (I’ve heard of “Atheist Jews”)
  2. What is the difference between Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform?
  3. Is there a general Jewish belief in the afterlife? (I’ve heard of Jews that don’t believe in the afterlife and some say that only Heaven exists, etc)
 
According to Moses613 (another Jewish member of CAF), Jewish lineage has always been based on whether the mother is Jewish, not the father. I have read sources that disagree with this and state that at one time, Jewish identity was patrilineal and then changed to matrilineal. However, the reasons are not clear (to me, anyway). Thus I cannot answer your question. Perhaps Moses613 will be able to do so.
 
If you’ve met three Jews in your life and have talked with them about Judaism, you’ve probably gotten about SIX different viewpoints! Jews are notorious for being independent and have different perspectives on practically everything, not only their religion.

There are some Jews who identify with their Judaism only in a cultural way. Some of them may even be atheist. They still, however, consider themselves Jewish. The upshot is that one may be Jewish and not participate in any of the holidays or customs, and not even believe in G-d. It sounds contradictory, but it is possible.

The differences between Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform Jews (I would also add Reconstructionist Jews) are many, both in the details of religious observance and in the general philosophy of what Judaism is all about. With regard to the details of religious observance according to the strict practice of the Law, Orthodox Jews are the most observant, Conservative less so, and Reform least so. It should be kept in mind too that Orthodox Judaism is an umbrella term that incorporates a lot of different types of Orthodoxy: Chasidic, Traditional, Modern. And within Chasidic Orthodox, there are different sects as well. Moreover, Reform Jews are not all alike in their practices, and neither are Reconstructionist Jews. There is even more complication in that there are small pockets of Jews who do not neatly fit into the larger movements: for example, Karaite Jews (they are sola Scriptura, following ONLY the Written Law of the Torah but NOT the Oral Law of the Mishna and Talmud) and Nazarene Jews, who believe in the Messiahship of Jesus but not His divinity. They do not consider themselves in the same group as Messianic Jews, however. Finally, customs among Jews, regardless of degree of orthodoxy, vary according to the region and country in which they live. In broad terms, they can be divided into Ashkenazi and Sephardi, but even this division is a simplification.

With respect to the afterlife, most modern Jews, in accord with the Pharisaic tradition, do believe there is one although, since the specifics are not detailed in the Law, there is permissible variation regarding what it may encompass. The bodily resurrection is one of the tenets of Jewish faith based on the principles formulated by Maimonides. Not a tenet but nonetheless a belief held by some, generally Orthodox, Jews (but by no means all Orthodox Jews) is that of reincarnation. It is not the kind found in Hinduism, however, but rather is generally for the purpose of accomplishing an important, righteous task which had not been completed in the present lifetime. Still, some Jews do NOT believe in an afterlife nor a personal Messiah. This group would include mainly Reform and Reconstructionist Jews, but again not all of them.
 
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My sister claims Jewish based on her mom being jewish. (We have different mothers).
 
Yes, in modern times, it definitely depends on the mother’s being Jewish unless one is a convert to Judaism.
 
Thank you, @meltzerboy2.
@Moses613, would you know why
/ how Jewish identity changed from patrilineal to matrilineal?
 
I can think of two possibilities. If the time period fell on the first two days of Passover, the Orthodox Jewish man may not have been permitted to sign his name. (On the first two and the last two days of the holiday, one is forbidden to do work.) Then again, if that were the case, he would not have been shopping in the first place. The other possibility is that he does not sign his name on any of his cards for fear the business transaction, that is, the card processing may take place on the Sabbath. There is, I believe, a special card for those Orthodox Jews who want to ensure that no business is done on the Sabbath, issued by Bank Leumi of Israel. The chip is programmed so as not to function on the Sabbath.
 
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In Israel, the work prohibition is only on the first and the last day. Outside of Israel it is the first and the last two days. Why there is this difference I do not know. The idea of two days is, IIRC, to make sure the day of the holiday according to the Hebrew calendar is correct. But I am not sure why this is NOT done in Israel, of all places. Only one Seder in Israel as well.
 
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Quite understandable. I wonder what the guy’s reason for not signing his cards was: the holiday, fear of business transaction on Sabbath, or something else I am not aware of. Or perhaps he is just eccentric in that way, or crazy. Maybe Moses613 has the answer.
 
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From the link about rebuilding the Temple:
Aaron and his four sons were designated as the first priests; Aaron served as the first High Priest. All of his male descendants were chosen by God to be priests forever; it is an eternal covenant. Thus even today, a kohen amongst the Jewish people is genealogically a direct descendant of Aaron.
Click to expand...
Which of the original tribes have living descendants?

Are there descendants of Aaron, identified as eligible for the priesthood?
 
He sounds a little off to me and wanted to make a scene. It’s probably better you did not make the sale. Who knows: maybe the credit cards were NOT his, after all.
 
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Hi Melterboy2!

I had a question about the messiah. Do the Jews still await the messiah? My assumption is they do. If so, by what standards would they recognize the messiah? What does modern Judaism’s image of the messiah look like?
 
There are detailed, meticulous records that have been kept regarding Aaron’s priestly lineage. Still, I do not know whether they represent an unbroken chain of ancestry since ancestral records of any kind can only go so far. I am no expert in this area but I think there may be living direct descendants from Aaron. Personal note: my maternal grandfather was a Cohen, thus my mother was a bat Cohen, daughter of a Cohen. I am not a Cohen, however, since my father was not. Note that Reform Jews do NOT make these divisions–Cohen, Levite, Israelite–since they believe all Jews should be considered equal status.
 
Many Jews do await the Messiah, but some do not. The latter include Reconstructionist Jews and Reform Jews, as movements. However, individual Jews within either of these movements may believe in and await a personal Messiah. Orthodox Jews and Conservative Jews, for the most part, await the Messiah, in keeping with one of the 13 principles of the faith according to Maimonides. Even if a Jew does not believe in the Messiah, s/he may still believe in the coming of a Messianic age of peace between nations.

As to the features of the Messiah, he is thought to be a human being, not a savior and not divine in any way. The prevailing view is one of a man of action (an activist, but please not a politician!) who can achieve certain things when he arrives: universal peace and brotherhood among nations, an ingathering of the exiled tribes of Israel, a renewal of Torah study and practice, and (indirectly) the worship of G-d by all nations of the world based on the apparent truth of Judaism but without any forced conversion to the faith.
 
Hi Meltz, we have missed you, though I must admit I am not around myself as much anymore.

What are your thoughts on the poise there is to rebuild the temple for the third time?
Take care and thanks.
 
I think the Third Temple can only be built during the Messianic era or by the Messiah himself. If it were to be constructed before that time, this would cause even more aggravated war, violence, and bloodshed in the region. In sum, not a good idea given the present circumstances in Israel and globally.

I think you changed your username, but the Meltz greeting gives you away. Good to hear from you again!
 
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