Judaism now is quite a different beast than at its origin. Historically, it is a religion, but over time aspects of it have successively become a race, a culture and finally almost a state of mind.
At its inception, Judaism was determined by participation in the covenants with God and absolute monotheistic belief in Him, in exchange for exclusive protection. Among the peoples of the Sinai peninsula, the “Chosen People” were a small, distinct group, making Judaism an ethnic group as well as a religious one.
However, through Diaspora, Jews migrated far and wide. While retaining core religious practices, their separated cultures absorbed key features of their surroundings. Ethnically Jewish foods, languages, and style of religious observances divided Jews both from their host societies and from one another.
4 comments:
I liked your point very much and I think you backed everything up with good evidence, however I have one question for you. In your last paragraph about modern Judaism, I was wondering if you think its appropriate that nowadays Jews are associated and characterized by other aspects that have little to do with religion? I completely agree with your statement however I think its generally inappropriate and slightly rude that Jews as a whole are stereotyped and characterized by things not related to their religion. What do you think?
Great point, I think it's important to note how Judaism has evolved from the days of wandering in the desert. I have two questions for you!
When you say that modern Jewishness is no longer defined by religious observance, in what context do you mean? You address that the migration of Jews through Diaspora eventually led to groups of Jews evolving differently from each other, so do you think that it stands that modern Judaism is classified differently depending on the location? For example, would Judaism not be classified through religious observance in Israel?
Similarly, if Jewishness is determined by characteristics such as dry humor, do these characteristics not differ depending on which culture those specific Jews were exposed to through the Diaspora?
Erin: yeah, that's an interesting thought. I wonder how many non-practicing Jews there are, compared to practicing ones. Perhaps if there are more non-practicing (as I would assume, without any evidence : )) then non-religious characteristics are more prevalent and accurate?
Megan: I realize wih your comment that I definitely overlooked what I'd just said about groups of Jews being distinct, to come up with a few characteristics of one particular strain (the American Ashkenazi, aka the NY Jew : )) Sort of like saying that Jewishness is determined by liking Woody Allen, latkes and rye bread :) But yes, you're def right, that where a popuation IS characterized by religious observance, as in Israel, then what I've said is quite inaccurate, and every distinct population surely has its own individual identifying aspects. Thanks for pointing that out.
After reading your post, and the two comments, I've started to think that original JUDAISM has become so diluted it's no longer definable. If you start cutting out one group of people (e.g. non-practicing Jews) and saying they're not really Jewish, then you have to go a little further and keep cutting until you don't have anyone left! It's sort of all or nothing, I guess.
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